-May 29, 2016-
"You're alright?" asked George.
Cassandra continued coughing until blood came out of her mouth. She looked at George with her watery eyes and tried to speak with her dry mouth, but was unable to.
"Here's some water. My boss should be here anytime soon. I don't know what's the hold up, but we should be out of here soon. Then, we could treat you, give you the right kind of medicine and shelter that you deserve."
Cassandra spoke softly.
"Thanks, George, maybe your boss gave up. Maybe he's not coming anymore. Maybe he thinks we're dead."
"Cassie, we can't think like that. We need a will to survive. My boss, who's a she, not a he, is my will to survive. She's the reason why I still want to live. There's got to be a reason for you to still want to live, Cassie."
"There is. I wanna go back home with my parents. It's been months. As soon as I get out, I want to be as far away from here and the Bronx as possible."
"My boss, May Hannas, will make it happen. She will–"
A loud banging was heard through the tunnel. Sherry walked into the tunnel with Boomer and Russ. The metal bars started lifting up slowly. Boomer and Russ pulled Cassandra out of the cage, with almost no resistance from the sick girl.
"Hey, what are you doing?" yelled George.
"We're hurting you, George," replied Sherry. "Boomer! Russ! Rape the girl! Make sure George watches!"
"No! Don't you touch her! Sherry! Come back!"
"George!"
Cassandra started whimpering softly as Boomer started unrobing her long green skirt and Russ kept her face on the ground. George looked at Cassandra's eyes and saw tears falling rapidly as she started gasping and whimpering louder. George closed his eyes and listened to Cassandra's struggle as he sat on the stone floor, unable to help.
-Present Day-
"Vonda. Just to let you know, I'm not going to hurt you. A mother wouldn't do that to her child," whispered Sherry. "But I do want to know about that other child, Lynn. I know, she's not my child, but yet, she's part of the family, right?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Vonda, puzzled and angered.
"Lynn. Is she not related to you? Sister, cousin, niece?"
"No! She's just a friend! What, you thought she was my stepsister or something?"
"Friend? I figured with the archery stuff going on and the sisterly bond that looks like you guys have, it was almost apparent! Archery came from your father, Vonda."
"Dad never went out with another woman after you left! Lynn is just a friend I met on the road!"
"And that boy Jason, is he a friend too?"
"He's... He's my brother. We get along pretty well, And if I have to be honest. I'm glad to be his sister."
"Well I'm not going to kill him if your worried."
"No I'm not, you should be. Because it doesn't matter what you do he will stop you."
Sherry knows Vonda wasn't lying. After what Jason said before the fight about Gus's death, everything he said about Gus happened. But how could he have known this.
Lynn entered the cabin. Sherry motioned her to come closer. John closed the door and slightly pushed Lynn. Lynn shook her fist and was holding her angry breaths. Sherry looked at John and shook her head. John crossed his arms and headed towards the exit of the cabin, guarding the door.
"Lynn. Got any siblings?" asked Sherry, now sitting in a chair in front of Lynn.
"Yes. I have ten siblings..."
Lynn's voice trailed off as she realized that she came close to losing her sister twice, she stop in her explanation and was hesitant to fix it. Sherry was not the type of person for Lynn to reveal details about her personal life, but Lynn felt somewhat obligated, despite the lack of threat in Sherry's voice.
"...I have ten siblings. I was supposed to have nine now."
Sherry slowly stood up and knelt down in front of Lynn. After taking a quick glance at Vonda, with remorse in her face, Sherry turned towards Lynn and spoke softly.
"What your sibling's name?"
"Lola."
"What was going to happened to Lola?"
Lynn looked at Vonda. Vonda slowly nodded her head.
"She was almost... bitten by one of the… roamers. I failed to save her. I could've grabbed her while the roamers surrounded her… but I chose to stay back and shoot the roamers with my arrows. It wasn't enough. And she was almost killed by your group. The only reason she alive now Is because of Jason, he saved her from the roamers and from your group, I can't thank him enough for that."
I'm sorry for what could have happen to Lola, Lynn."
"Why should you be sorry? You order one of your men to kill my sister! She almost died because of you! You should be sorry about killing my best friend! You and you!" cried Lynn as she pointed at John.
"Lynn. You need to understand that I had to implement a serious message. It… doesn't matter anymore. I won't hurt you anymore."
Lynn was unable to speak. Sherry continued on."It's good that you remember that day. Remember when I said that the roamers sounded like something my ex-husband would call the zombie freaks?"
Lynn slowly nodded."That's bullshit. What I said. What I said was bullshit. I already knew what roamers were. Vonda's father explained the whole thing to me. No doubt that you got that term from him, right?"
"Yes. What does this have to do with anything?" asked Lynn."I'm trying to make a conversation with you while feeding my daughter's curiosity," answered Sherry as she stood up. "When was the last time you saw Vonda's father?"
"I never met Tim in person," answered Lynn.
"Vonda… when was the last time you saw your father?"
"May 31st."
"You're going to see him soon."
"No, I won't! Don't you realize it? He's dead! He's not coming!"
"Do you really believe your father had perished?" asked Sherry. "I got news for you, Vonda."
After hours of driving from late afternoon to early nighttime, David halted the RV to face trouble once again. The midnight moon rose once again. All of David's group exited their vehicles and they headed inside a small cabin by the road in the woods by the river. Richard and Luna went inside the house to clear out the roamers, but there were none to be found. The absence of soft footsteps and growls made the group feel uneasy as they traversed through the dark cabin. A candle flickered as Lisa's hands and face was now revealed. More candles were lit until there was enough to expose cobwebs. Rusty stumbled upon a room with flies coming in and out of it. He turned on his flashlight and pointed inside the room. He gasped and shivered, catching Jason and Chunk's attention.
"Oh, bloody hell."
"Poor bastard."
The corpse was covered in flies. A shotgun lied next to the corpse. Dried blood stained the wall behind the corpse with pieces of flesh hanging from the stone walls. Jason picked up the shotgun and inspected it, a SPAS 12 that was still in good condition. Zach held his mouth until he couldn't help but vomit on the floor. Richard closed the door and handed Zach a napkin to which he would use to wipe his own mouth.
"Keep the door closed. Stay inside. Do not come out until you are ready to face the roamers," said Richard.
Richard, Chunk, Jason, and Sergei exited the cabin and met with Lori, David, and George, who were all standing by the wooden door. The roamers lurked near the parked vehicles and approached the cabin. Using the combat knives that they took from the warehouse in Detroit, plus David, Jason, and Richard's personal knives, the small yet powerful group walked towards the roamers in a linear formation. George took out the closest roamer and the first one out of the many to come. David took out a roamer with a decaying red polo shirt. Chunk stabbed a small roamer with long strands of dying fair hair. Next to it was another small roamer wearing a low skirt with a floral pattern to it, stained with dirt and blood, stabbed by Richard. A roamer with a white tank top also approached the group and its maroon cap did not protect it from Sergei's knife. A tall roamer with a blue beanie and it's guts hanging tried to approached before Jason took it out. Lori, the youngest fighter in the small group outside of the cabin and the only female, proved to be a survivor with her quick reflexes and fighting spirit.
"Lori, the roamers are heading for the back door. What do we do?" asked Chunk.
"David, the roamers are coming from the direction of the river. How do we drive them off?" asked George.
"Lori, what do we do about the–" asked
Sergei before being interrupted by Lori.
"I'm not sure. David?"
"Let's secure the entrances. Richard and George, you two are going to guard the back door with me. You, Jason, Chunk, and Sergei are going to defend the front of the cabin."
"Okay," replied Lori.
Lori held her knife tightly and dropped her AK-47. Reminded of her parents, Lori's rage has begun to reveal itself. Lori stabbed a roamer in the forehead, and to Jason, Chunk, and Sergei's surprise, Lori pulled out the knife without trouble. She stabbed another roamer in the bottom of its head, below the chin and upwards towards the brain. She quickly pulled out the knife with her bloody hands and watched the roamer fall to the ground. Lori was engulfed in a spirit of discovery and excitement as she continued to fill her bloodlust and vengeance on the roamers. Lori gave a quick glance at Jason, Chunk, and Sergei.
"You're not going to make me fight them off myself, are you guys?"
"Oh, sorry about that!" gasped Sergei.
Sergei, Jason, and Chunk grabbed their knives and headed towards the other roamers.
-May 30, 2016-
"Alright, dickhead, it's your turn."
"I already placed a ten. It's your turn."
"Yeah, which means you get to place any card you want. But we gotta remove these shits first–"
As the gangster moved the cards into a pile on the table, he heard a couple footsteps. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and walked closer to the entrance of the warehouse. The garage door was pulled wide open and dozens of FBI members stormed inside the Albany headquarters.
"Shit!" yelled the Piranha.
The gangster pulled out a pistol from the table and prepared to shoot the agents. An FBI agent quickly shot him before he pulled the trigger, the bullet striking him in the chest. The other gangster froze in her seat and raised her hands.
"Everyone! Drop your weapons! Hands up where I can see them!" yelled the leading agent.
Each agent quickly approached a Piranha and handcuffed them. The second floor was bustling with noise as the agents quickly ran up the stairs and the gangsters prepared to make their moves. Suddenly, May Hannas entered the warehouse and watched as the Piranhas were being taken out of the warehouse, one by one.
"Did any of you find Sherry yet?" asked May.
"Negative," responded most of the agents.
"You two! Come with me downstairs to the basement!" ordered May. "Where the hell is Martin Briggs?"
The ringing in Martin's cell phone caused him to pause before drinking his coffee. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 10:00.
"Shit! May? So sorry! I'll be there! Ok! See you there!"
The airport was very busy as people walked in all directions, as they rashly headed towards their flights. A security guard approached Martin and asked for his ID.
"Come on! There's somewhere I have to be!"
"The flights are that way."
"I mean, I have somewhere to be in Albany! Shit, this is why I hate delayed flights!"
A plane left the airport and caught Martin's attention. However, Martin quickly disregarded it. Inside the airplane, a man by the name of David Jones was heading to Flint, Michigan.
-Day 48-
The midnight moon shone on the group once again. The luminosity of the moon grew brighter as it came close to becoming a full moon. The deceased corpses around the cabin were left behind as the group was now at a different place. The house was above a highway and had a beautiful view of the Hudson River. In the distance were the neighboring cities of Hudson, promising the group a fate of uncertainty. David was outside of the house as he watched the river. No activity was shown in the river, but David was once again, reminded of his life during the pre-GIE, or the days before the Global Infection Event.
"Hey David." said Jason.
"Something bothering you?" asked Lori. "What are you doing out here?"
"Just can't sleep. Being alone helps me think."
"It looks like you were crying. You were rubbing your eyes."
"My eyes are sore. What are you two doing out here?"
"Just needed to get some fresh air," replied Jason.
"I literally can't sleep as well. I'm very worried about my sisters, Lynn and Lucy, as well as Becky. I'm worried about the others as well, but… these three girls were a big part of my life before the... you know…"
"Global Infection Event?"
"Yeah. That's what the news reporters called it right?"
"Yes. June 1st of 2016. I don't even know how long ago that was."
"Lisa keeps track of the date. I believe it's July 17. 18 if it is midnight."
"It's midnight. You two should go back inside and try to go to sleep."
"I can't do that," whispered Lori. "David, you never talk about your life before the Global Infection Event."
"Another day."
"Can you at least tell me how you ended up in Michigan in the first place?"
"Another day."
"You're an asshole, David. A good leader, but an asshole. I wouldn't be like you. The only reason why I'm not in your place is that I'm scared. I'm quite capable of leading people, but I'm scared of this world."
"Wrong. The only reason you're not in my place is that you can't accept failures. You're not the only scared person in this group, Lori. Now, go get some sleep. You as well Jason."
"Lori had back inside, I need to talk to David along," said Jason.
Lori walked away from David and Jason and into the house.
"Seriously David, there's nothing wrong with opening up about your life. The only ones that know about you the most is Me, Richard, and Missy. So can you please stop being an stubborn asshole for once," sighed Jason.
"Right now we need to focus on saving the others and getting to Maine, so we can stop Black."
"Here we go, you know David, you remind me of my uncle he was just as stubborn as you, I hated how stubborn he could be but I still loved him no matter what. Him and dad taught me how to use a gun. Your wrong about Lori."
"What do you mean?"
"You think she a fragile teenage girl with insecurities, you think because she have a big that she has too much to lose?"
"Because she does."
"Yeah. I agree with you on that, but she would make a better leader than you think. You believe that she can't handle it, and think that losing her siblings along the way will destroy her?"
"Jason. Someone needs to make the hard choices and Lori can't do that."
"You right. But just because you can dosen't mean she can't, you think you have very little to lose?"
"Because I do."
"Wrong you only have a little left to lose, you just don't realize it. I agree your a good leader, but she can be a better leader if she was ready. You can't just focus all your time on the mission David, getting to Houlton is important but at least talk about yourself, you make it seem like all you care about is kill Black. So just talk to them it not that to about your life before the Global Infection Event, honestly it's very annoying."
"Are you do?"
"Yeah I am."
"Then get some sleep Jason."
Jason walked away from David and into the house. David kept staring out into the river. On the other side of the river, in the dark of the trees near the water, four shadows moved across the rocky soil. A low dim flashlight streaked across the trees and revealed bloody axes and a chainsaw. The shadows continued moving across the soil and created a disorderly stomping march. The moon shone through a hole in the canopy of the trees and on the midnight bandits who dragged a blood-stained, small school bag and a purse. The four midnight bandits walked away from Hudson and New York City and towards Albany.
-May 30, 2018-
"We need paramedics here!" yelled a stewardess coming out from a plane through the jet bridge.
Suddenly, a medium-sized figure sprung behind her and attacked the stewardess, sinking its teeth at the back of her neck. She fell down to the ground as more monsters came out of the jet bridge. The security guards arrived and raised their guns.
"Freeze! Or we will shoot!"
One of the monsters dropped to the floor to get its share of the human flesh that the first zombie was devouring. The other zombies moved closer to the guards, and the guards finally pulled the triggers of their pistols. Bullets struck the zombies, but the zombies kept moving closer, unfazed by the piercing pain of the metal objects. The three holes in the first zombie's chest proved to the guards that what they witnessed wasn't human.
"What's wrong with these people?" asked a guard.
Frozen in fear, the guard stared at the zombies' golden eyes until one of the zombies lunged towards him and bit his neck.
"Everyone leave! Now! Go! Go!" yelled one of the guards.
Bodies were dropping as people were being devoured and torn limb from limb. The crowd of people in the airport created havoc as they tried to leave. People were stomped while others were separated from their loved ones in the ensuing chaos. The guards shot wildly at the zombies and people in the ensuing chaos, unable to tell the difference between a bloodthirsty zombie and a panicked man.
A radio crackled and made static. Martin cranked it a little to the left.
"An enormous amounts of casualties have been reported in LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Security is placing the airport on lockdown while law enforcement secures the perimeter. Authorities demand that everyone remain calm as they take care of the situation…"
"Damn. That was a close one," sighed Martin in relief.
Martin's phone rang.
"Agent Hannas? I'm on my–"
"Help," whimpered May.