Just a heads up, there won't be a choice for this chapter. Think of this one as purely a means of advancing the plot itself.

Everyone watched Kevin expectantly as the hat-wearing boy pondered their current options. It was either deal with the zombie crowd above ground or risk whatever could be in the subway, crawling around in the dark.

Either way it was an uncomfortable choice to make, but, in hindsight, this choice was pretty clear to him.

"Let's go take the subway." Kevin said. "It'll probably be pretty dark down there but we should be fine with our flashlights."

"Okay, but what if there are zombies down there, too?" Nazz asked.

"I guess we'll have to keep as quiet as possible and try to avoid using our flashlights too much. It'll keep attention off us and save power." The quarterback explained. With just a bit of hesitation, the group descended the stairway into the subway station.

"They're heading down into the subway system." The soldier watching the teens called on his radio.

"Acknowledged. We'll hurry down there." A voice replied.

Just like some of them expected, it was filthy with trash strewn about, graffiti on some of the walls, and a few rats scurrying about. Nazz and Erin shuddered at the sight of the rodents but quickly shook off their disgust. Interestingly, while the subway was eerily silent, it didn't look to be badly damaged or run down. The lights all still worked and the only thing that really seemed to be damaged were the windows to some shops and the newspaper stands scattered around the station were ransacked. Aside from that however, nothing else looked to be in disarray.

"Aha!" Kathy exclaimed as she hurried over to one of the ticket booths and grabbed a subway map, quickly opening it while the others gathered around her. "This map provides us with every route this subway system takes throughout this city. While most of the trains typically have their last stop within this state, there appear to be a few that do exit and go towards different states in different directions. All I need to do is find out which route we need to take and... Ah, yes, here we go! I believe I've found a route that will, at the very least, lead us out of the state and further East."

"Nice! Let's not wait up!" Matt nodded. There was a bit of a hesitation when the teens all jumped down onto the tracks, even with the chaos that their world was plunged into, jumping onto the tracks still felt incredibly risky.

The eerie calmness of the station was replaced with an unsettling sense of danger the moment the teens all walked into the tunnel. The overhead lights only illuminated so much, and once the last light they gave off faded away in the distance, the pitch black of the tunnel took over. Even though Janyse turned on her flashlight and illuminated their path, the darkness was still much too encompassing to ignore. The only sounds echoing through their path were their footsteps and the occasional squeaking and scurrying of the rats.

"Man this place is giving me the creeps!" Tony mumbled.

"You're telling me..." Keenan sighed. "Something just doesn't feel right about all of this."

"Well, yeah, there are zombies and druggies all over the place." Matt couldn't help but chuckle.

"Besides that, I mean." The birdwatcher rolled his eyes. "We haven't run into anyone down here, and I doubt we're the first people to think about coming to this place."

"That makes sense." Erin hummed before petting her dog. "Coco hasn't sensed anyone else nearby either. We've been quiet enough for her to hear another person and even then she'd react to their scent before any of us."

"So there's really nobody down here?" Jonny asked.

"Well most of the people here probably got out of the city, if not then they either didn't make it or turned into one of those drug addicts. Not sure which of those two is worse." Janyse explained.

"Hey, there's light up ahead!" Tony called out.

"That must be the next station." Kathy replied. "We can take a rest there for a minute and see if there's anything worth scavenging, but we should move on as quickly as we can. Try not to wander too far."

"Yeah." Kevin nodded before pointing to the tunnel ahead of them. "But if something happens, head to the next tunnel."

The next station looked a little bit cleaner than the first one, though not by much. Just like the first station, this one was also conspicuous by its unsettling silence. Despite the ominous atmosphere, the gang took a moment to stop and catch their breath.

The newsstands in this station were thankfully not completely cleaned out and Erin was thankful that there was some beef jerky that was left that she could give to Coco, she even let Tony feed her, which he seemed rather excited to do. Keenan and Kathy were on lookout, keeping a sharp eye out and listening carefully for anyone or anything that tried to attack. Kevin sat with Matt and Janyse, helping themselves to some snacks from their supplies while Jonny sat by himself, leaning against the wall as he took Plank out of his backpack.

With a quiet sigh, the nature-loving boy turned to his wooden friend with a small smile.

"Hiya, Plank! How're you holding up?" He asked, giving Plank a smile as he sat in silence, looking back at the drawn on face of the board. "Nah, I think we still have a bit more to go before we're out of the city. I didn't forget how that old cardboard city really changed you, buddy! ... Yeah, I miss being back home, too. But we gotta keep moving. ... Hahaha, yeah, this is one problem Captain Melonhead wouldn't really be able to help with."

"Has he always talked to a piece of wood?" Kathy asked as she joined Kevin and his Peach Creek friends.

"For about as long as I've known him." Kevin sighed. "Jonny's definitely a weirdo and he can be really annoying at times but he's a nice kid."

"But talking to a wooden board as if it were alive is something you might expect from a child. Jonny looks like he's around eighteen. That can't be normal!"

"Yeah, we figured he'd grow out of it by now." Janyse shrugged. "But, honestly, I think he isn't as crazy as he comes across as."

"For sure." Matt nodded. "Some of the things about Plank just don't add up."

"Are... are you implying that piece of wood is supernatural?"

"We're in a world with zombies that can put themselves back together, roving gangs of psychos causing chaos, and drug addicts that have gone off the deep end while looking like they should have collapsed under their own weight." Janyse replied. "I think a psychic wooden board is somehow not the craziest thing we can encounter."

The four turned their gaze back to Jonny, who was giggling at something Plank 'told' him.

"You're killing me, Plank!" The nature lover chuckled. "It's good to know that you're still the same old Plank! ... What? ... What do you mean 'something's coming'?!"

"Everyone, I think I hear something coming!" Keenan called out. The group was barely able to huddle around each other before a small platoon of U.S. soldiers entered the subway from across the tracks of the group and from the same tunnel the Canadians had entered the station from. Jonny tried to scramble Plank back into his backpack, but could only get him into his bag with the board's drawn on face sticking out of it before the sounds of engines revving made him freeze. All eyes turned to the tunnels as several humvees sped into the station, stopping right where the survivors could see them.

Kathy could feel her blood run cold and a chill go down her spine as she watched a man step out from one of the vehicles. The man was noticeably older than the rest of his squadron, his hair was already stark white and while his men were standard military fatigues, he wore a black suit with a white dress shirt and a blue tie. His beady, brown eyes cast a cold glare on the group as he looked between each of them before his gaze landed on Kathy.

"You!" He called out, his voice nasally, yet stern.

"Me?" The bespectacled girl replied, her eyes widening.

"You're to come with us immediately. If you do not, we will be forced to take more drastic measures."

"She's not going anywhere with you, Superintendent Chalmers!" Matt scoffed. The man sneered at the name before his attention turned to one of his men placing a hand on his shoulder.

"General Dobson, sir, should we simply 'remove the obstacles'?" He asked.

"Hmph, these are children. We should have expected some rebellion from them, but they're not smart enough to realize the situation they're in. They'll come around... and don't touch me." Dobson then feigned a smile as he looked back at the gang. "Now, children, I'm sure we can communicate like adults here. Just let your friend come with us and we can all end this zombie issue."

"You really think we're stupid, don't you..." Nazz remarked with a glare of her own. As the two groups began a verbal back and forth, Jonny looked around at all of the soldiers, the General, and his friends. He suddenly turned his head back towards Plank, who was still hanging out of his backpack. Jonny was about to say something before Plank appeared to silence him, the boy's attention turning back towards the crowd of people. A smile grew on Jonny's face as he took one last look towards Plank. Slowly, Jonny crawled on his hands and knees away from everyone and towards a hallway leading out of the station. As the voices grew quieter, Jonny took Plank out of his pack and gave him a wide grin.

"That was genius, buddy! I can't believe you noticed that nobody was looking at us!" He said, his smile wavering. "But what do we do now? We can't just leave everyone there! ... Really? You think so?"

Jonny continued down the hallway, looking carefully for something before coming across a metal door. The young man grumbled to himself as he found that the door was locked. Thankfully, with his wooden friend guiding him and a bobby pin he picked up some time ago, the door creaked open.

"There we go!" Jonny said aloud with a forlorn smile on his face. "It's a shame Rolf isn't around anymore. Doing that might have earned us a lock picking badge. What's this room, though?"

Jonny entered the room with his usual sense of curiosity overtaking him. It was a small space with various pipes lining the walls and a panel on the wall opposite of the door he had just entered from. Plastered on the panel in bright yellow was a sign warning that behind the panel was something that brought the risk of electrocution.

"Are you sure we should be here, buddy?"

Jonny turned his head back to his wooden friend, waiting for a silent response before replying with an "Okay" and opening the panel, revealing what appeared to be the station's circuit breaker. The switches appeared to be properly labeled with switches providing power throughout the entire station.

"Don't move!"

The sudden voice made Jonny jump as he turned around, coming face to face with just one soldier aiming an assault rifle right at him. Jonny was about to scream in shock but Plank must have told him something since the boy remained quiet, turning his head ever so slightly to the wooden board just behind his left shoulder.

"I said don't move! No funny business!" The soldier repeated. Jonny followed his orders as he looked down at the legs of the soldier, his eyebrows raising in intrigue when he noticed the man's knees wobbling ever so slightly. The sight pushed Jonny to laugh out loud.

"Don't move! This is your last warning! You really don't want to get on my bad side, kid! I'm as tough as King Kong!"

"Huh?... What's that, Plank?" Jonny then turned to look the man in the eyes, the boy still keeping his typical smile. "Plank says, you're trying to act like King Kong when you're not even tough enough to call yourself a spider monkey. Hahaha, that's harsh, buddy!"

"That's it, you asked for it!"

Despite the man's trembling hands, he pulled the trigger sending a volley of bullets towards the wood-loving boy, who narrowly avoided the assault with a swift dive to his right. The spray of bullets blasted the circuit breaker, sending sparks around the room before the panel exploded shutting off the power throughout the station...

"I'll only say this one, more time." Dobson sneered. "Hand over the girl or we'll take her by force!"

"Not a chance!"

"Well then you've given us no choice. Men, fire at wi-"

A sudden explosion rang out through the station as all of the lights began flickering for a moment before turning off completely. With the entire station blanketed in darkness, the survivors did not waste any second in creeping towards the next tunnel.

"Did they plan this?!" They heard a soldier call out.

"What?! How could they do that?" Another asked.

"That girl's a super genius, isn't she? She probably had something ready!"

"Enough!" Dobson called out. "Planned or not, neither she nor her friends could have gotten far so quickly, they're likely still close by. Find them!"

Jonny stood over the unconscious form of the soldier who had ambushed him, a flashlight in one hand and Plank in the other.

"Are you alright, Plank? That was a really risky move? ... Yeah, it is lucky that you have such a hard head! ... Are you sure? ... Alright Plank, I trust you."

Jonny put his companion back into his backpack and grabbed the man's rifle before turning off his flashlight. It took a moment before his eyes adjusted to the darkness, but even then he was still barely able to see even a foot in front of him.

"Alright, Plank, you're my eyes right now. We gotta make sure the others are okay. They said to meet us on the tracks going into the next station, right? T-Those other army guys are probably still there, and they've gotta be angry, too..."

The rifle in Jonny's hands began rattling as his hands shook. Beads of sweat began dripping down his forehead as he grabbed the railing of the steps heading down into the station. The sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs beside him made the boy flinch but after some silent reassurance from Plank, Jonny continued down the stairs and back into the now pitch black chamber that was the station.

The room may have been dark, but it was far from silent as Jonny could hear the frustrated voice of General Dobson barking out orders to his men, who were scrambling to find flashlights or Jonny's friends.

"I think if we stay quiet, we'll be in the clear, buddy!" Jonny whispered as he slowly crept onward. He almost froze completely when he saw a stream of light illuminate part of the station.

"I've got a light here!" One of the soldiers said, the sweat already pouring out of Jonny felt like ice as he tried to dive towards one of the station's benches.

"Good, see if you can find more." Another soldier replied. The stream of light flashed around the room for a bit. Jonny felt like he was going to wet himself when the light shone on the bench he was hiding behind before it suddenly moved away.

"Damn, those kids escaped!" General Dobson growled. "Find those flashlights and GET THAT GIRL!"

Jonny shivered as he began moving again, now opting to crawl on all fours in order to avoid getting spotted. It took a minute, and Jonny could hear Plank growing more nervous as well, especially when more flashlights began turning on, but he eventually reached the entrance to the next tunnel. With a sigh of relief, Jonny began running as fast as he could. He ran into the wall of the subway tunnel by accident, but the sudden shock and lack of noise made him realize that he must be alone.

"Do you think it's safe now, buddy? ... Alright, let me see that flashlight."

With a soft click, Jonny smiled to himself when he saw the tunnel illuminate in front of him. He may have been alone, but at least he could see. The path in front of him curved slightly to his right, but after that it seemed just be a straight line forward.

"Well, at least we still have each other, right buddy? ... Hahaha, yeah! Come on, let's go find the others!"

The rest of the group kept running until they saw a bright light that had some yellow and brown mixed in. Nazz, Erin and Matt feared the worst when everyone entered the light as the three of them tightly shut their eyes.

"Oh man..." Kevin sighed as he tried to catch his breath. "That was way too close!"

"What happened back there? How did the lights just go out like that?" Nazz asked.

"No idea. But let's just appreciate the fact that it happened." Janyse sighed.

"Those guys were after you, Kathy." Tony noted. "Why?"

"Yeah, that was really sketchy." Matt added.

"I wish I knew, fellows. If I had to make an educated guess, it would be for my intellect, but one would assume military personnel have people much more intelligent than I am. The second reason is... much less pleasant."

"Well, what is it?" Kevin asked, half expecting Jonny to make some sort of comment on par with Ed's line of thinking about how they wanted Kathy so they could suck out her brains or build some sort of giant robot. Except... there was none.

That was when Kevin began to look around, a hint of curiosity on his face as Kathy went on.

"Well, when I mentioned that they likely have more intelligent personnel, I thought of my dad. He's much smarter than I am, as he is a mechanical engineer." Kathy said, a sorrowful smile on her face as she remembered her family. "What I fear is that they want me in order to use me as a bargaining chip against him."

"You really think that's what they're planning?" Erin asked.

"I'm not certain, but I'd rather not find out."

"Uh, guys, where's Jonny?"

"General Dobson, sir, what's our next course of action?" One of the soldiers asked as many of the men either piled back into their vehicles to await further command or continued searching with industrial strength flashlights.

"Our next course of action? WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR NEXT COURSE OF ACTION IS?!" The man snapped. "Those brats clearly aren't here. They've obviously found some way to escape! I want men scrounging every station, every street, every alleyway, every building even remotely close to this subway system! I will not let those kids get the best of me!"

"Should we get the Black Hawks deployed, sir?" The soldier asked.

"No, no..." Dobson sighed, wiping his face and trying to calm himself down. "We don't need to bring in any high-capacity vehicles yet. They may have gotten away from us, but that doesn't mean they have the firepower to actually stop us. My primary concern is figuring it how exactly the power went out like that. That girl, Katherine, she may be smart, but I doubt she would plan far ahead enough to anticipate our arrival and the timing of the blackout was far too coincidental for it to be a freak accident. No, that was deliberate, but not by the hand of the girl."

"Sir, I found Corporal Kong unconscious in this station's maintenance room." Another soldier said as he approached the General with a third soldier in tow that was rubbing the back of his head in pain.

"It was that freaky kid with the wooden board, sir! He made me fire at the circuit breaker!" Kong pleaded.

"A child made you lose our target?"

"Yes, sir. He's likely part of their group. He talks to a wooden board with a face drawn on it."

"I see..." Dobson replied firmly, nodding at the Corporal. The four soldiers stood in silence for just a few seconds before Dobson reached for his holster and blasted Kong between the eyes with a Desert Eagle. The soldier dropped onto the floor of the station with a thud that reverberated through the station following the deafening bang of the pistol. All eyes turned to the General following the murder.

"Search the city. Search the whole god damn state if you need to! But do not let those kids get away! Leave this trash here and let this be a lesson to the rest of you. I will not tolerate failure of any kind, especially if you have poor excuses like his! Now, GET TO IT!"

The sky began to glow orange as the sun continued to set, casting shadows along the ground that only seemed to grow larger as the sun continued to sink past the horizon.

"Ugh, we can't wait for him anymore!" Kevin groaned.

"But we can't just leave him! He might be lost on the tracks!" Nazz replied.

"But if we just sit here then we risk getting ambushed by zombies, those freaks on the horses, or the army guys. None of which are good options right now." Janyse noted.

"Look, Jonny's my friend too, but maybe... Maybe we should keep moving." Matt sighed. Nazz buried her face in her hands as she began to sob.

"We can't..." She cried. "He's a bit weird, can be annoying sometimes, and talks to a fucking piece of wood, but Jonny's our friend! We can't leave him behind like... Like how we left Rolf!"

The mention of their foreign friend brought a somber silence to the group. Kathy began silently weeping as Nazz's cries only grew louder. Erin tried to distract herself while Keenan and Tony looked down in sadness. Matt and Janyse sat together in silence, unsure of what to say. The only sound that grabbed at everyone's attention was a sudden knock.

Everyone turned to see where it came from only to see Kevin, who had appeared to forcefully punch a tree as hard as he could. The jock let out a frustrated growl as he felt the sting of pain travel through his arm before turning to face the others. His face was red and a look of anger and sadness was plastered on his face. Just like Nazz and Kathy, he was crying as well, his eyes already bloodshot as he quickly wiped at his face, doing his best to remain physical stoic.

"I don't want to leave him!" He choked out. "You're right, he could be a creepy weirdo at times, but he's still our friend and one of the nicest kids in Peach Creek! If I could, I'd have run back in there and look through every track, every station back there and beat the ever-living shit out of those army fuckers if I could if it meant finding him and making sure he's alright. But I can't... I don't want to lose another friend, another person I care about, but we're barely hanging on as is. Waiting around here would be suicide... I won't pretend like I know Jonny would want us to keep moving. I never know what's on his mind, but there's a difference between what we want to do and what we're able to do. Right now, we're not able to save him. We... we need to keep moving."

"Yeah..." Janyse sighed, standing up and grabbing her bag of supplies. "Let's... Let's try to move as much as we can before it gets too dark out..."

With heavy hearts and eyes reddened with tears, the group of survivors pressed on, following the tracks to wherever it lead them...

The night sky began it's ascent above the sky, its light shining gently down onto the tracks leading out of the city's subway. All remained quiet until the peaceful tranquility was broken by the sound of footsteps coming down onto the metal and concrete of the tracks.

"Gee, buddy, that really took us a while. I told ya' we should've taken a left at that last crossing!"

Jonny stepped off of the tracks and took a deep breath, admiring the serenity of the nature around him.

"It's a good thing we're out of that damp subway and dirty city though. That place was making me feel like I was about to get a rash! Hahaha!" He laughed before looking around. "What's that, Plank? You think the others went through here? ... Well we should at least see if they're still nearby. HEY GUYS!"

The nature lover was only met with silence as he looked around for his friends.

"Guys?..." The young man sighed before looking to his wooden friend. "Yeah, I guess they wouldn't just wait around for me. It's okay though, they probably waited a while and knew it was safer to keep moving. At least we still have each other, right? I'm sure if we stick to the tracks then we'll find them again! If not, maybe we'll find some hitchhikers we can hang around! But as long as we're together, everything'll be A-okay!"

A bit of a more suspenseful chapter this time around. Can Jonny last on his own? Will he reunite with the others? You'll have to wait and see!

Sorry this chapter took a while though and if it wasn't as action packed as you may have been expecting. Trust me, the action will pick up later on and there will be another choice coming soon.