A couple bullets fell to the ground, causing the young woman to grumble. She tied her fair-haired ponytail into a bun as she looked around the destroyed city. After fixing her hair, the woman bent down and picked up the four bullets that fell to the ground. She opened up the cylinder for her revolver and placed the bullets in their respective chambers. She closed the cylinder and looked around the Dust Zone. She looked at a pole and saw a skeleton hanging from it, with a large X marked across its skull. She walked closer to it, inspecting the other bones. She then looked down at the debris in the river and noticed something strange.
"What is it with the X's?"
An X was marked across another human skull, which made the woman feel uneasy. A low humming noise that resembled thunder in the distance joined the sound of water dripping from a destroyed building near the Hudson River. The woman took out a map from her safari vest. She looked at it and wondered how she was going to cross the Hudson River.
"I could just walk on the debris."
The woman continued to observe her surroundings. She frowned.
"Can't believe this is where David used to live at. Must be hard seeing this."
The woman started to cross the debris that covered the Hudson River.
The lantern glimmered softly while hanging from a pipe in the ceiling above a certain prisoner. Out the window was a moon shining on the silent house and the land around it. Sweat and blood dripped to the wooden plank floor. Muffled panting and heavy breathing came from the prisoner. The chair barely budged from its spot and the ropes did not loosen. The noise of punching and beating filled the attic again. A towel was pulled from the prisoner's mouth.
Richard's red knuckles were becoming bruised as he pulled his hands away from Sherry's face. Sherry's lips were cut and throbbing while blood ran down her chin. Her left cheek was purple and her nose was slightly cut. She spit out blood and gasped as she looked down on the floor. George and Jason signaled Richard to halt the harsh interrogation that Sherry was going through.
"Your wife never mentioned how abusive you are," gasped Sherry, putting up a small grin. "I would hate to be her when you're angry."
"I would do anything to keep my wife and the people I love safe. I will hurt anyone who stands in the way," replied Richard.
"Can you tell us where you're keeping the children?" asked George.
Sherry was silent. The creaking of the wooden floor was the only noise that was heard besides the woman's heavy breaths. George sighed and looked at Richard.
"We gotta try something else."
"I could go on all night," said Richard. "Let's try it again."
"No, she won't crack. Not that way at least."
Richard cocked his gun.
"We don't need her," said Richard. "Her daughter knows where their van went. They headed north. I wouldn't even be surprised if they went back to Albany!"
"Most likely. But she's dangerously unpredictable. For all we know, they could be lying in the bottom of the Hudson River."
Jason snacked the gun from Richard and hit him in the face with his elbow. Causing him to fall to the ground, and George helped him up. Sherry couldn't help but smile at this.
"What the hell was that for?" hissed Richard.
"Are you an idiot, if we kill her now the others will most likely be killed. She's not dumb enough to kill her only leverage," replied Jason.
"Like George said there probably already dead. If not will find them."
Sherry looked at George and smiled. She looked down in the floor, appearing to stifle her laughter. Richard wiped his knuckles on his clothes. George looked confused and irritated by Sherry's expressions.
"What's so funny?" asked George.
"Your stupidity. Why would I kill the kids? I need them alive," replied Sherry.
"You see," said Jason.
"What are you talking about?" asked Richard.
"Did you even try to hold a real conversation with my daughter?" asked Sherry. "Try doing it this time. Maybe you'll find out what I want. Nothing that you guys do will make me talk. Go ahead. Talk to my daughter. Try to actually care about her."
"I do care about her," said Jason.
"As if you do," said Richard.
"I do, actually. And when you talk to her and don't believe her, then talk to your wife. She'll say the same thing."
"David, we're going to go downstairs and talk to her daughter," said George.
"Got it. I'm going to stay here and watch her," said David as he came out of the corner of the room with his arms crossed.
"David, I need to talk to her in private. Can you give me a minute," asked Jason.
"Sure."
David allowed Jason a few minutes alone with Sherry.
"Alright Sherry me need to have a serious conversation," said Jason.
"Because you know what I'm planning," replied Sherry. "I know you know this because you know the future."
"...So who told you? Our better question who'd you force to tell you?"
"Richard's wife. But let's cut to the chase, what do you want to tell me?"
"Look listening to me and listening to me good. George doesn't care about taking you down anymore. He's just trying to survive he doesn't care about you at all. So, when you had back to where your keeping are people let them go and stay away from us. This will end with you dead if you don't. I'm only saying this for Vonda's sake, she will hate when she finds out you lied about changing. Do we have a deal?"
They both stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Find... I'll let them go."
"Good. Alright David I'm done."
"Okay then," replied David.
Richard, Jason, and George knocked on the wooden planks that contained the ladders for the attic. Sergei opened up the attic and lowered the ladder down to the floor. Richard, Jason, and George climbed down the ladder. Once both men and teenager got out of the ladder, George told Sergei to close it. Sergei lifted the ladder back into the attic and closed the attic door.
"Did you find out where the kids are?" asked Sergei.
"No. Where's Vonda?" asked George.
"She's outside with some of the others."
"Is Missy out there?" asked Richard.
"Yeah. She's keeping watch."
Richard, Jason, and George walked down the stairs in the house that closely resembled the former Loud residence. They saw Lori, Luan, Wavehead, Dana, Luna, and Sam downstairs. Lori looked at the two men and teenager and jumped up from the couch.
"Did she say anything about where she kept them?" asked Lori.
George shook his head.
"Not yet," said Richard.
Richard, Jason, and George exited the house and saw the rest of the group hanging around a small campfire. They were outside in order to have the last pieces of their innocence preserved. Many of the children did not need to hear the sounds of Sherry being interrogated harshly. Especially Vonda. Missy sat on top of the RV, when she saw Richard, Jason, and George approaching her. Vonda was below the RV, staring at her bow. Missy climbed down the RV.
"Did she say anything about where the others are?" asked Missy.
"No. She just mentioned something about you guys knowing what she wanted," replied George.
"Have any idea what she's talking about?" asked Richard.
"Is she talking about my idea?" asked Vonda.
"What idea?"
"There's something important that she needs to tell you," said Missy.
"When I was talking to… her, she told me that she wanted a life with me. However, she knows that I would choose you guys over her, so I came up with a plan. I want us to give her a second chance. A fresh start."
George scoffed. Jason rolled his eyes. Richard looked confused.
"Wait. You didn't let me finish. She's not going to come with us. Definitely not. But we should let her go. Leave her alone. We can go our separate ways and never let her see us again."
"Why should we do that?" asked George.
"She's my mom!"
"She might be your mother, but she's not your mom. Before the apocalypse ever happened, what were the chances that you were going to see her again?"
"I might've never called her mom, but she still cares about me. She cares enough about me to leave us alone."
"And how do we know that? You guys didn't reveal where we were going, right?"
"Actually. We did. I did," admitted Missy. "She interrogated us for our destination."
"What! What did she do to you?" asked Richard.
"Nothing really. She threatened to shoot Becky, though. So, I had to tell her."
"Why should we trust her, then?" asked George.
"She wanted to know our location for a peace of mind. She fears you. It might not look like it, but she fears for her life because she knows you're going to try kill her. Besides, threats are kind of weak for her standards. Kinda expected her to rough me up a little. I guess she didn't want to look like the villain."
Richard looked at his fist and noticed that it was bruising. He frowned and looked at his wife.
"What makes you think she deserves a second chance, Vonda?" asked George.
"She only wanted to make sure that my father and I were financially secure. She wanted to pay for my tuitions. She cared about my future. Just because that future can never happen again doesn't mean that she doesn't care anymore. The whole reason she joined the Piranhas was because of me! I feel like this is the only thing I can do to repay her. It's not much but she would appreciate being let free."
"What if she decides to terrorize other people?" asked George.
"With what men?" asked Vonda.
"She doesn't have that many men anymore," said Jason.
Richard and Missy walked towards Carol. Vonda continued to stare at George.
"If it helps with your decision, I just want to let you know that we were waiting for my dad. My dad, who she believed was still alive. She knew that I loved him, and so she had this COMPLICATED plan that was going to reunite us all together. However, Lynn was able to convince her that… he was not alive anymore. And that's why she freed me."
Richard and Missy walked back. Richard had bandages wrapped around his knuckles while Missy held his arms.
"She's right. I can explain the plan to you if you want me to," told Missy to George.
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Woah, hold on. What plan?" asked Richard. "I thought Vonda already explained it."
"A different plan," said Missy.
Lori and Luan walked outside of the house. Lori carried her AK-47, a knife, and a flashlight. Luan was ahead of her with Benny's katana since Lori's makeshift cane slowed her down. They walked towards the front yard while Luan tied her hair into a small ponytail with one of Leni's hair ties. Two strands of hair stood out, but she didn't mind it, as long as it didn't block her vision. The empty road showed no signs of nearby roamers, so both girls ventured on a little further. Luan unsheathed the katana and walked inside an empty house.
"Why now?" asked Lori. "We can do this at another time."
"I'll feel better knowing that I can use this properly," replied Luan.
"I would feel better if you did this at daytime," said Lori. "Come on, Luan. It's literally pitch black in here!"
"Turn on the damn flashlight then! I have to learn how to use this as soon as I can!"
Lori stunned by Luan's change in her personality. However, she knew that Benny's capture evoked Luan's negative side, so she decided to leave it alone and listen to her younger sister. The flashlight revealed an empty and narrow hallway that led to the living room. Luan and Lori walked into the living room before pausing upon hearing a noise coming from the kitchen. Luan slowed down her pace and stuck closer to Lori as they both approached the kitchen. The noise grew louder.
"Do you hear that? That sounds like a… roamer," whispered Luan as she started sniffing the air. "Smells like one too."
Luan held the katana tighter and faced towards the kitchen. Lori pointed the flashlight at the kitchen and moved it around. Luan gasped and stumbled backward into Lori's arms. Goosebumps chilled both girls as the flashlight revealed the source of the sound.
Tiny spots of dried blood that stuck to the floor seemed as it was going to be a permanent stain. In the ceiling, a rope was tied on a chain that once held a chandelier, now holding a body of foul smell and diseased flesh. The roamer growled as it hung in the air with a noose around its neck. Once the roamer caught sight of the light, it started groaning louder and it raised its arms. A bite mark on its left arm was shown through its torn sweater. The rope moved slightly like a pendulum. The roamer became more and more aggressive.
Luan and Lori watched with horror in their eyes as the roamer growled loudly in the dark house. Lori found herself unable to move the flashlight away as she continued to face the hanged roamer. Luan shivered as her stomach started to twist and turn. She closed her eyes and remembered what she came to the house for.
"Lori. I'm going to slice the rope off."
"Why? You can just stab the roamer through its skull. It's not that high. Or just leave it alone."
"I'm not butchering roamers. I'm trying to learn how to defend myself with a weapon that Benny entrusted me with. Now, keep the flashlight pointed at the roamer.
"Luan moved closer to the hanged roamer. She raised her katana and cut the rope like she would cut cake, with ease. The roamer dropped to the floor and Luan quickly jumped back. Luan stumbled to Lori's arms again.
"Are you alright?" asked Lori.
"I want to kill another one," said Luan. "I need to kill another one."
"I think I had enough. We both need some sleep. I don't remember the last time we were able to keep our eyes shut for more than ten minutes."
"But–"
"You're going to tire yourself out even more, Luan. It's stupid. It's reckless. Get some sleep."
"Fine. We got a long day ahead of us, right?"
Lori looked around the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets. The cabinets were almost empty. She sighed and walked away from the kitchen.
"Right."
All the adults and Vonda were upstairs, below the attic. David was rubbing his chin while looking at the floor.
"Come on, David. It's not like I haven't talked to her alone," complained Vonda. "What will she even do to me?"
"Oh, nothing bad," replied George. "But she will play tricks with you. Mess with your mind. That sort of stuff."
"I'm not fooled so easily. I'm not going to fall into her manipulation. But I do want her to listen to me."
"Yes," said David. "You can go upstairs. If anything happens, stomp the floor."
Vonda nodded as Sergei opened the attic door with a broom. The ladder swung downwards and was locked halfway into the air, until Sergei pulled the ladder down to the floor. Vonda climbed upstairs and noticed how dark the room was. The lantern flickered softly as the girl slowly moved towards the woman in the chair. Sergei closed the attic door.
"Hello, my daughter. I'm not going to stay alive much longer, right?" asked Sherry.
"That's what I came here for," said Vonda.
Vonda inspected her mother's face, noticing how bruised her jaw was, how bloody and cut her lips were, and how tied up she was. She felt a tinge of sympathy for her.
"About that second chance. I want you to know that the offer still remains open. It's still there. Have you made your choice?" asked Vonda.
"I have. But I don't think David and George want me to take it. Look at what they did to me."
"They did that because you're being too stubborn. You don't want to reveal where my friends are. But that's actually what I just wanted to talk about. I'm thinking that if you tell us where you're keeping them hostage, we'll let you go."
"There's a reason why I'm being quiet about where they are. Revealing their location would not do me any good. You need to understand that these people don't want me to be alive. I caused too much pain in their lives. I caused too much pain in yours."
"Isn't it better to take the chance? The longer you wait, the less my group is going to trust you. Don't you understand? They probably don't want you alive, but I do! And they respect that!"
Sherry looked at her daughter and shed a tear.
"If I tell them where I'm keeping the others, will they let me go? They're not going to keep me captive any longer?"
"Yes, I promise," replied Vonda.
"I never had the chance to tell you, but Vonda… I love you. Thank you for the second chance."
The attic door opened, and Sergei lowered the ladder down to the floor once again. Vonda climbed down the ladder, where the adults remained. Vonda fixed her red hair that reached her shoulder.
"That was quick."
"There was not much to talk about. But I got what I wanted to hear. She will take the second chance as long as she is released after she tells us what we want to hear. And what we want to hear is where our friends are, to which she will reveal. Are you guys okay with those conditions?" asked Vonda.
The adults looked at each other.
"This whole thing seems… too easy," said Richard.
"We'll give her the second chance," said David.
"What! Why?" asked George. "You know what will happen if we let her go?"
"Do you know what will happen if we don't let her go?" responded David. "Our people are going to die. We need to know where they are."
The adults remained silent.
"I'll ask her," said David.
The lantern flickered as David stood in front of Sherry. Sherry gazed at David's face, waiting for him to start the conversation. David kept his arms crossed while he looked down at the woman.
"Where is Benny? Lynn? Lucy? Becky? D?"
"Is it true? Will you guys let me go?" asked Sherry.
"Not at this moment, but yeah, we'll let you go in the morning."
"Perfect. Those guys are in a familiar place. Capital of the state. They're in my former headquarters. Albany."
"Can you tell me why you didn't release them in the first place?" asked David.
"I needed to guarantee that I was going to be released. My daughter told me about her plan while we were talking in the boat. I don't need to say anymore, do I?"
"No. That would be all. I'll be watching you all night."
"All night? I can't go to sleep like this! Tied up in a chair and shit."
"Missy! George! Richard! Come up here!"
The three adults climbed up the stairs. David motioned Sergei to close the attic door. Vonda was left alone in the floor, wondering what David called them up there for.
"What is it?" asked Missy.
"Make her go to sleep."
Missy grabbed her AR-15 and thrust the butt of the gun at the side of Sherry's jaw. Sherry was knocked unconscious, with small amounts of blood dripping from her mouth.
"Alright, she revealed the location of the captured children," said David.
"Where are the kids?" asked Missy.
"In Albany."
"Of course," sighed George. "She'll always make us come back to that goddamn place."
"The thing is," said David, "I can't trust her completely. I need someone to follow her. And it won't be you, George."
"Why?"
"The feud that you two have. I know you want to end her, but I can't have that. Richard and Missy, you guys are going to be following this woman. But I need you guys to be quiet about it. According to Vonda, she'll most likely go upstate, which means she'll most likely go to Albany as well. So, if she heads in that direction, we'll just be on her tail."
"When are we going to release her?" asked Richard.
"In the morning," replied David. "Now, George, I need you to drive Lori's van. She's not able to drive it since she's still limping around with her makeshift cane. And not a word about this plan to Vonda. Got it?"
The adults agreed. David grabbed another chair that was left in the attic and sat down there. The other adults climbed down the ladder and out of the attic. The group outside of the house walked back inside. Lori and Luan walked to the backyard where they saw the campfire being put out by Bobby. Lori limped towards Bobby and wrapped her arms around him. Luan watched the two hold each other as they walked inside the house. She followed them before being stopped by Vonda.
"You're Luan, right?"
"Yeah."
"You're alive! I heard you were shot in the head. You know Benny and the others think that you're dead? Except Lynn, she thinks that you survived somehow, and you did!"
"Benny thinks I'm… dead? How was he feeling?"
"He looked depressed. Hurt. He didn't want to talk to us at first. Let's talk about it inside the house."
Luan and Vonda went inside the house. They closed the door to the house. In the back door mat, there was spots of blood, dripped from the katana.
The birds chirped and flew away from the tree near the house as the cloudy skies reduced the strength of the summer heat. Backpacks filled with supplies were thrown into the RV. The back door of the house was opened.
Sherry walked outside with handcuffs around her wrists behind her back. She smelled the dry air and smiled. Vonda walked by her while George held her handcuffs. Sherry rubbed her jaw into her right shoulder, stinging her whenever she pressed to hard against it. George took out his keys.
"Looks like I'm acquitted, right, George? Or fuck the judicial system?"
"You're exiled. Banished. Don't ever cross paths with my group again," said George.
Sherry's handcuffs were unlocked and her wrists were free to leave. She stretched her arms forwards and let out a huge sigh of relief. She removed her small blue leather vest and looked at Vonda.
"This will probably be the last time I see you," said Sherry. "Thank you for the second chance."
Sherry handed her vest over to Vonda. Vonda slowly grabbed it, wondering why her mother didn't want it anymore. Sherry rubbed Vonda's hair and walked away. She grabbed a large stick in the ground and continued walking away from the group, in the direction towards Albany. George swallowed hard as his nemesis was simply allowed to walk away without facing the justice that she deserved. He walked away from Vonda and into Vanzilla. The rest of the group went back inside their house to eat breakfast. However, Vonda and Lori remained in the street, watching Sherry in the distance. Finally, Lori grabbed Vonda's shoulder, and both girls walked back inside the house.