(Anne Marshall belongs to AquaDestinysEmbrace!)
(Chris Rudy, Misty Rudy, and Chelsea Jernigan all belong to Chris Rudy!)
(I DO NOT own The Walking Dead, Code Lyoko or any kind of names or brands that appear in this story. I do own all OCs unless specifically named as they appear above this message.
"HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!! PLEASE!!!"
Ulrich's screams from the distance caused almost everyone at the campfires to stop what they were doing, gather their guns and blades and flashlights from the RV, and run like hell into the dark forest to find him and Yumi. Even Aelita hobbled out with a knife as quickly as she could, though she was slower than the others thanks to her still-healing wounds. Anne was the same way.
In the span of just a few seconds, everyone went from being relaxed and happy to deathly worried and afraid. What the hell was going on in the forest?!
As they ran, they could clearly hear Ulrich crying out and screaming endlessly about Yumi.
Clearly something terrible had happened...
"SOMEONE HELP!!! PLEASE!!! OH GOD, ANYONE!!!"
Dylan was the first to reach where Ulrich was. He got to his friend a bit before everyone else did, and he already had a pistol loaded and ready to fire.
When Dylan aimed his flashlight and his .45 towards his friend in case this was a walker attack, he felt his heart stop when he realized that it wasn't. It was something which was far worse than that...
Instead of seeing Ulrich struggling to hold off a walker, Dylan saw his friend desperately trying to get Yumi free from... from a noose...
... Yumi hanged herself ...?
"NO!" Dylan exclaimed with horror as he dropped the gun and flashlight and hurried over to help his friend get Yumi down from the tree. Even with their combined strength the two simply couldn't get the rope undone.
Ulrich tried desperately to cut the rope which hung his girlfriend from the tree, but it was only now that he realized that the blade was dull - so much had happened over the last weeks that he had simply forgotten to sharpen it. Now he was paying the price.
The boy let out a scream of fury mixed with frustration before he tossed the useless knife far off into the trees, where it would probably be lost forever. Then he desperately started trying to pry open the noose with his bare hands again. It was wrapped so tightly around Yumi's throat...
Several of the others finally reached the two teens. None of them were possibly prepared for such a sight to befall them...
Screams and shouts of horror ruled the day as Dale, Andrea, and Anne all hurried forth to help Ulrich free Yumi from the noose.
"Hold her steady!" Andrea grunted as she tried to pull the noose open, ignoring the painful rope burns she got on her palms from doing that. A life was on the line after all.
Anne was holding the unconscious teen up by her legs, trying very hard not to let her fall. "I'm trying!" she barked back as he heard his heart pumping in his ears. She couldn't believe this was even happening right now!
"I'm getting her down! Hold her steady!" Andrea barked back as she struggled. "Just hold her stead- dammit, I just said 'hold her steady'!"
"I said I'm fucking trying, Andrea!"
"Try harder, Anne!"
Meanwhile, the noises caused a couple of snarling walkers to stumble out of the trees towards them. Some people hurried to form a perimeter to keep the walkers back and protect those who were working on freeing Yumi from her noose. A few walkers was nothing to worry about, they just prayed that there wasn't a herd in all that darkness...
After several moments of effort, Yumi was finally freed from her noose. Together, Ulrich, Andrea, and Anne took Yumi and carefully lowered her from the tree.
"Yumi?! Yumi, please say something!" Ulrich begged as he helped lower Yumi to the ground below them. Tears were rolling down the sides of his face as he was forced to confront the possibility that he may have lost the love of his life.
Kyra escorted Aelita to make sure she would be okay. The pinkette was still recovering from the gunshot wound suffered weeks ago, along with the battering she took from that mess at the bar in Senoia, but she refused to sit still when any of her friends were in trouble.
Seeing her seemingly-lifeless best friend laying in Ulrich's arms was almost too much for Aelita to bear.
... No ...
... No, Yumi wouldn't have given up like that... there was no way she would...
Yumi was the strongest of all the Lyoko Warriors. She's survived the worst that XANA could throw at her... she couldn't have tried to do something like this...
Yumi couldn't have ended her own life...
"Is... is...?" Aelita couldn't even say the word as tears rolled down the sides of her face. "is my best friend dead...?" she finished the question in her mind.
"Aelita, don't even think of that as a possibility..." Kyra quietly urged Aelita, correctly guessing what she was thinking. Kyra then gently took one of the pinkette's hands into her own and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Although Aelita appreciated the gesture from Kyra, she couldn't hold back her worry for Yumi. She simply nodded silently to her Canadian friend before turning her attention back over to Yumi, who she was praying was still alive...
Yumi was the closest thing Aelita had to a sister... she can't be dead...
Ulrich desperately leaned his ear against Yumi's chest in an attempt to find any signs of life, then he leaned it against her mouth. A heartbeat, breathing - any kind of noise or sense which would confirm to him that he hadn't lost the girl he loved...
But he heard absolutely nothing...
"She's not breathing!" the normally-stoic Ulrich called out to his friends, drawing a few gasps and looks of horror from many of them. The poor boy's tone of voice made it clear that he was more or less panicking. "We've got to do something! What do we do?!"
"You know what you have to do..."
Everyone turned to see Shane approaching the grief-stricken teen. The blood of everyone ran cold when they saw he was carrying his shotgun...
"Only a matter of time before she turns into one of them now." Shane announced to Ulrich and everyone else around them. "She's gone and she ain't comin' back... but there's still one thing that can be done for her..."
Shane's eyes narrowed at the teen in front of him. "You understand what I'm sayin', don't you?"
His eyes widening with horror at the implied suggestion from Shane, Ulrich looked away and desperately started trying CPR on his girlfriend. Chest compressions, breathing into her mouth - anything and everything which he hoped could get Yumi to show any signs of life and prevent... prevent her euthanization...
He couldn't let Shane shoot her...
Not her...
He couldn't go through another barn situation again...
"NO!" Ulrich shouted at the shotgun-wielding sheriff deputy as he worked as hard as he could to try and revive Yumi. "We- We gotta preform CPR... we've gotta restart her heart! Get her breathing on her own again!" his voice was riddled with fear and desperation. He couldn't let Shane end her! He couldn't watch him blow her head apart with that fucking shotgun in his hands!
Ulrich only stopped talking for a moment to breathe some more air into Yumi's mouth. He soon broke off to resume the chest compressions.
"I'm not just gonna give up on Yu-!" was all Ulrich got out before he suddenly felt something grip his shirt collar tightly and pull him away from Yumi's body. He didn't need to look to see that Shane had grabbed him.
"I'm not giving you the choice, kid!" Shane sternly told the teen as he moved him away from the girl who he knew was already dead and gone.
"What the hell are you doing you psychopath?!" Ulrich thrashed in the deputy's grip, but he couldn't get himself free no matter how hard he tried.
Shane wasn't even phased by the teen's struggle. "Gettin' you away from a threat - that's what the fuck I'm doin'!"
He was a strong teen, but he wasn't any match for Shane's strength. Soon Ulrich was taken several feet from Yumi - for his safety, at least according to Shane.
There was some others in the crowd who thought that Yumi might already be dead and that she had to be taken care of. But even so, no one could fathom why Shane couldn't even give Ulrich a chance to say goodbye to her at least!
"This puts us all at risk!" Shane growled as he tossed the struggling teen to the dirt below them. He then turned his attention to everyone around them. "We all know what has to be done! We have to do it now before she's up walking around again!"
"Like how you did at the barn, you monster?!" Anne growled. How dare he do that to Ulrich!
"Fuck you! I ended a threat!" Shane looked furious as he spoke. "Christ, this isn't about any goddamned emotions! It's about common sense!"
"Jesus, Shane! Give the kid some time at least!" Dale protested. "You don't have to do this!"
Shane pumped his shotgun and raised the barrel up, tightly gripping the pump and the handgrip. "The hell I don-"
Suddenly, Ulrich leaped up and he socked Shane right across the face in a fit of rage. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM YUMI!!!"
Unfortunately this wasn't enough to stop Shane, and he retaliated by kneeing Ulrich in the stomach as hard as he could. The deputy allowed the now-wheezing boy to fall to the dirt. Ulrich was clutching his stomach, trembling from the fresh explosion of pain there. Ulrich was seeing stars.
"Sit down!" Shane demanded the teen to do as he was told, then he turned his attention back at the others. "Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you all?!" he demanded to know. "This is how we live now! This is how we all do things now!"
Shane started walking toward Yumi as he switched the safety off on his shotgun. He aimed the barrel down towards her seemingly lifeless face execution-style.
The others could only watch it all unfold. The Lyoko Warriors were trying to think of a way to stop him without risking him turning his gun on any of them.
It seemed like no one was willing to charge at Shane and stop him - especially over a girl who for all intents and purposes was likely dead already.
... well, almost no one, that is.
"Yumi's dead! We have to do this for her." Shane spoke as he pressed the shotgun against Yumi's skull. His finger moved onto the trigger.
The trigger of the shotgun was only slightly pressed inwards before Shane's finger suddenly froze. He stopped because he felt something cold touch the back of his head, followed by a sound which he knew was a pistol's safety being switched off.
"... if you pull that trigger and murder my friend, I'll pull mine and I'll murder you." he heard Aelita's threat very clear, though a part of him couldn't believe it.
Everyone, including all the Lyoko Warriors, could only watch this play out in a stunned silence.
... Aelita drew a gun on Shane? Aimed it at the back of his skull?
Even Shane himself couldn't help but feel a bit surprised at this turn of events. And after a moment, he finally spoke:
"This how you 'thank' someone who saved your life, Aelita?" the deputy asked with a noticeable tone of mockery and sarcasm in his voice. As astonished as he felt internally, he was only showing an expression of amusement on his face.
"Just put the shotgun down, Shane. Don't make me ask you again..." Aelita warned with a deep glare directed at the back of his head. She pressed the barrel of her pistol more firmly against his skull to illustrate her point.
Aelita had ended a man's life once already... Whether or not she was justified in doing so is irrelevant, because either way she would bear the guilt of what she did in that bar in Senoia for the rest of her life - however short or long it will last in this new world.
... but if Shane blew Yumi's head apart, Aelita wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in his brain. She wouldn't dare let anyone kill someone she loved and cared for.
If Aelita had to kill to protect the last living people she truly considered family, then she'll accept that she'll have to live with that guilt too.
"I don't get you, 'Lita. Any of you." Shane said to her and to everyone around them - even Lori. "What's it gonna take to show you how serious everything's become now? Was Atlanta not enough of a lesson for y'all? Was the Quarry or the CDC?"
A low chuckle escaped Shane's lips. "Or... how's about the barn?"
That last example made the Lyoko Warriors furious. Rebecca took a step forward and she had a look of rage on her face. "You fuck-"
"I ain't finished!"
Shane's comment drew fire from Rebecca as well as from Dylan and several others, but he didn't give a shit since he was too pissed and stupefied at them to care about what they think. But in spite of what he said, Shane didn't have a chance to continue his rant.
Suddenly, a sudden raspy breath was heard from Yumi as she shot straight upright, her eyes wide from shock and confusion as she coughed and gasped uncontrollably.
"Oh Christ!" Jennifer exclaimed with shock, having been caught completely by surprise just like everyone else.
Aelita was taken aback so much that she pulled her gun away from Shane's head. As a surprised Shane aimed his shotgun towards the back of Yumi's head since he thought she was a walker, the gun was harshly kicked out of his hands by Robert before he could fire.
The deputy was pissed at that, though he quickly realized his error - a single glance made it clear that Yumi wasn't dead and reanimated.
The boy and the deputy gave each other a heated stare, each silently warning the other not to go further. The two then looked back towards the teen who clearly wasn't dead.
As Yumi struggled to regain her breath, Ulrich wrapped his arms around her out of both a sense of relief and a sense of protection from Shane.
She was okay... she was alive...
Yumi was alive...
As she gradually started to remember what she had done to herself, and as she started to realize what must have happened since practically the entire farm had shown up all around her... Yumi could only tiredly glance up at Ulrich as tears welled up in her eyes.
He found her... he saw her... he knew exactly what she had done.
Words couldn't begin to express the amount of shame and disgust Yumi felt toward herself. She wanted her end to have been private. She never wanted Ulrich to see her like this...
"... I'm ... I'm sorry, Ulrich ..." she raspily whispered to him.
"Shhh, don't talk... its okay..." Ulrich assured Yumi as he worked to help her up to her feet. "It's all okay now..."
Yumi didn't reply to Ulrich. She was helped to her feet but her knees were very weak and wobbly, so Ulrich had to wrap one of her arms around his shoulder so he could keep her upright. Chase hurried over to give him a hand with the other arm.
As Yumi was stood back up with lots of support, Ulrich turned to face Shane with a fire in his eyes.
"You see this?" Ulrich growled at the man who had almost killed his girlfriend. "She's alive, Shane... she's alive, you bastard!"
Shane glared at Ulrich but he said nothing. Not a single word left his lips after everyone realized he had almost killed a living person... a friend.
Shane had almost ended one of their own...
Something like this couldn't happen again.
One by one, the group began to make their way back to the farm. Ulrich and Chase started leading Yumi toward the farmhouse so that Hershel could check on her where there was light. Kyra stayed with Aelita and helped her walk her way back to the farmhouse as well.
Aelita didn't let Shane hear her exhale a shuddery breath now that this was over. Nor did she let him see how her face had turned pale at the horrifying realization that she had almost just committed another murder...
Everyone else just went back to whatever they were doing before this whole thing happened, though now everyone was likewise very shook up.
However, Shane lingered behind. After everyone left, he went to get the fallen rope which Yumi had used in her suicide attempt. He was deep in thought as he picked up the rope, taking a good long look at it.
What he tried to do just now ... it was to protect the whole group... Surely everyone will understand that once they all cool down, right?
You just couldn't afford any second-guesses in a world as fucked up as this one has become. Second-guessing gets you and everyone you know killed now...
Shane had a deep glare on his face as he suddenly turned and started following the others back to the farm. He had quite a lot on his mind as he walked in both silence and solitude, contemplating everything that had just happened with Yumi...
Yeah... yeah... he was going to shoot Yumi to protect everyone else. Especially Lori and Carl...
Christ, even Rick would've understood had he been here to protect them like he should be doing. But instead he was off on a wild goose chase for nothin' - just a few people who weren't too important for the group's survival to begin with. Rick should be here to defend his wife and son like a man, not be out north and leave them at risk...
And if everyone didn't like that he would've euthanized Yumi... so what...? Shane wasn't just gonna sit there and risk Lori or Carl getting bit...
The deputy knew deep down that he was completely justified in trying to euthanize Yumi... justified in putting the members of the group before all others...
Just like how it went with Otis at the school... and just like how it went at the barn...
... and if it comes to it, whether again with Yumi or with someone else... he'll do it again ...
"WAKE UP!"
That loud order from Troy's mouth wasn't what woke Verity up from what little sleep she had gotten since she and Odd were recaptured many hours ago. No, it wasn't the screaming and shouting - it was the hard kick to her stomach from Troy's steel-toed boot immediately after that which did the trick.
Verity wheezed and coughed after she felt Troy's boot practically rearrange the insides of her stomach. She trembled from the searing pain in her belly, but she still did exactly as she was told. Last thing she wanted was another kick like that, or even worse...
The poor girl shivered and covered herself as best she could as she stood up. She was freezing terribly...
When she was recaptured... that monster Carver took her clothes as punishment. Hers as well as Odd's. They were both bare for all to see and Verity hated every moment of it...
Aside from the wheezing and coughing, Verity didn't make another sound as she forced herself up to her feet. She would face her captors head-on and she would show them no fear. Verity knew she had to be brave or else she'll be like sheep to the wolves.
The raven-haired girl was kept at gunpoint by Troy in her little 'cell' for several moments until another person came inside. Carver...
Now with a bandaged shoulder, an injured Carver was grinning at Verity as he stepped into the tiny closet she was now being kept in. His evil grin was met with a look of utter hatred and loathing from the poor shivering girl.
"Hope you slept well, Maya." Carver said with a cheerful tone. One that existed only to mock her and all that she was going through thanks to him. "Sorry to say that room service is unavailable right now, so you and your dipshit of a friend aren't getting breakfast today." he joked.
Though she was still in great pain from the kick to her gut, though she was still very afraid, and though obviously uncomfortable with her lack of clothing, Verity still felt defiant enough to roll her eyes at the mockery from her captor. She even found the will to give back a bit of that same kind of mockery herself.
"How wonderful." Verity replied dryly to her insane captor. "I'll have to give you a bad review on Yelp for that, y'know. I can already see it: 'Owner acted like a pompous ass to his guests as he held them against their wills and tortured them. I give it one star.'"
Carver moved closer to Verity, alarming the young girl. A shiver ran down her spine as Carver reached out to brush her hair. It was... disturbing.
"C'mon, Maya..." Carver smirked at the girl, his other hand going to her shoulder to touch her skin. "Just tell me what I want to know and I'll make sure you live like a queen here."
"'Queen of the psychopath's shitty hardware store' doesn't have a good ring to it, sorry..." Verity might've been sarcastic on the outside, but internally she was terrified. She was starting to worry about what Carver and Troy's intentions were here...
"Bitch has a mouth on her, huh?" Troy chuckled with amusement. In some small way he could respect an idiot like her for standing up for herself.
Carver ignored his trusted right hand's words as he started slowly advancing on Verity. The scared girl was forced to back up step by step until she was pressed against the concrete wall behind her. Verity's stomach churned when Carver's eyes met hers.
As she glared at Carver, she felt his hand slide up from her shoulder to her cheek. Verity immediately socked him in the jaw as hard as she could for that, but the bastard didn't even flinch. Instead, he started to chuckle at her reaction to his touch.
"Feisty." Carver pulled his hands away from the poor girl, at least for now. "C'mon, Maya, I'm starting to lose my patience with you... Just tell me where all of you are stay-"
"I ain't telling you shit you fucking freak! How dare you touch me!" a furious Verity growled. "You're going to have to kill me before I'd ever give away my frien-"
Suddenly, Carver raised his fist and he slammed it into Verity's face. The poor raven-haired girl fell backwards against the wall, pain exploding from her now-bloody nose as Carver stepped closer to her. Verity hadn't even recovered before Carver's hand went to her throat, giving it a harsh and air-blocking squeeze. The fury she felt was immediately replaced with terror.
Verity's eyes bulged as Carver began to choke her. The helpless girl clawed at his hand in a desperate attempt to free her throat, but it didn't work. Kicking and hitting him didn't work either. Carver ignored every ounce of defiance which she could put up against him.
Her life was in Carver's hands and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
She was completely at his mercy.
"I have all day... I have all month... I have all year to get the information I want from you..." Carver told the captive teen, glaring darkly into her eyes as he choked her. "But how I do that is up to you, Maya. Now, you can either tell me what I want to know, or I'll do things to you that'll make you wish the walkers got you first."
Carver then leaned in and brought his lips close to her ear. "And trust me," he whispered. "I can be very creative when it comes to breaking you and your friend..."
Silence followed after this. A terrified Verity continued to resist, but she wasn't succeeding in freeing herself. Carver was just too strong. Verity was choked for so long that her face turned blue, and her world gradually started to turn black all around her.
But before she could slip into unconsciousness, Carver suddenly let go of Verity's neck and allowed her to crumble to the floor.
He wasn't killing her... not yet at least.
The teen coughed and gasped for air as Carver simply stood there and watched her. He was like a hyena watching its prey... It was clear to Verity that Carver had more plans for her, and she absolutely dreaded what they could be.
Verity didn't fully recover from her experience before Carver told Troy to get her back upright again. Troy went to her like he was told to, and he roughly grabbed her by the arm yanked her up to her feet. The teen trembled in fear as Carver turned and walked to the door.
Troy pushed her towards him and made her follow him by pressing the barrel of his AK against her spine. Any wrong move and he'll make sure she'll either die or never be able to walk again. Both prospects terrified the fuck out of her.
Carver simply grinned as the trio left her cell together. Then, he said something which made Verity's stomach drop.
"How's about you and I go see your friend together, Maya...?"
Ulrich and Yumi silently laid in their tent together back at the camp, Ulrich behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. He was holding her tight, as if she'd be lost to him forever if he dared to let go...
She almost was lost to him today... Yumi came so close to taking her own life...
Ulrich's face was clearly marked with destress and anxiety. Yumi... her face was blank and emotionless. Who could even guess what kind of thoughts were going through her mind right now.
It's been a few hours since Ulrich and the others had brought Yumi back to the farm. Hershel was kind enough to check up on her. Aside from the injuries on her neck which were caused by the rope, he was certain she'd recover.
Physically, Yumi was going to be totally fine, and after a few weeks all signs of the suicide attempt would fade from her skin.
Mentally, however... well, that was a whole different question altogether. And who knew how it could even begin to be answered.
As he held her, Ulrich looked down at Yumi and assessed her visible injuries. Her neck was so red and bruised from the rope which had nearly ended her life. It served as just another reminder to him of how close he came to losing Yumi...
... if he found her just a couple minutes later than he did, he probably would have ...
"... Yumi-" Ulrich began to say something to her.
"Even if I could talk about it... I wouldn't want to." was Yumi's quiet interruption. Or, rather, it was all she could say after trying and failing to kill herself.
Ulrich went silent again, knowing that he just wouldn't get through to her - not right now at least.
For now, all Ulrich could do was lay there and hold her in his arms, to try and make her as comfortable as he could while they contemplated everything that happened today...
Yumi needed time... and she needed help.
She needed help...
"Unngh... fuck..."
Far away from Carver's settlement, Nick was busy trying to collect himself and keeping in what little food he had in his stomach.
He wasn't sure where he was or how he got in a ditch of murky water and corpses, but he knew that he had to get the fuck out of it. He couldn't stay in this.
With great effort, and with pain shooting across his whole body, Nick bit down a scream as he pushed himself off of a couple of bodies, then crawled forward to another corpse which was soaking in water nearby. Although he had to get out of here, he had to check to see if any of the bodies had something of use to him...
In the shirt pocket of a pacified man, Nick found a slightly-dulled pocket knife. It was one of those cheap flimsy ones you'd find in a dollar store or a gas station, but it'll help keep him alive for now...
Although he was desperately thirsty, Nick refrained from drinking the clearly-contaminated water under him and the corpses. It'd probably kill him quicker than a walker bite ever would.
Clutching his newfound knife between his teeth, Nick used as much strength as his bruised and broken body allowed to keep crawling towards the embankment which led up to the road next to the ditch. It was hard work and it was extremely painful on his hands due to some of their fingers being broken by Carver, but Nick didn't give up.
As he crawled over another corpse, the body suddenly latched onto his left leg and weakly tried leaning forward to bite onto him. Luckily for Nick, the creature was missing its other arm...
"Fuckin'... let go... of me..." Nick softly groaned, trying to kick the undead hand off. But when that didn't work, Nick took the pocket knife out of his mouth and he stabbed as hard as he could into the walker's skull to end the creature and be done with this.
He didn't stab hard enough on account of his weakened body, so Nick was forced to try a couple more times until the creature finally was pacified. The hand limply released him from its grasp, never to be a threat again.
Satisfied about as much as he could be in this situation, Nick took back his knife and reset the grip between his teeth before resuming his crawl.
Nick ignored his weakness and his pain to get past all the bodies, and then again to ascend up the embankment.
With a few final exertions of strength, Nick made it up to the road and he flipped himself over to lay his back on the asphalt, allowing the knife to fall out from his mouth. He decided to toke the precious moment of peace to catch his breath and rest for the moment.
Nick had been kidnapped, beaten, tortured, starved, and almost killed... but he focused on the fact that he was still alive.
After several minutes, Nick forced himself to sit upright and he took a look around at his surroundings. All he saw was the highway and a fuckton of trees on each side of the road. Who knew where he was...
Too weak and too much in pain to use his legs at the moment, Nick did the only thing he could think of to get himself moving - he grabbed his knife and began crawling on his hands and elbows down the road. Yes, it was very desperate, but he literally had no other option. Plus it didn't help that he didn't even know which direction he was going, or where he was going in general.
As he crawled, he remembered some stuff which happened as he was taken out of Howe's Hardware...
Odd and Verity helped him escape, he knew that... but what happened to them? Were they still out there somewhere...?
And more importantly - could he even find them?
Nick continued his crawl and ignored how bad of a shape he was in. He had to find some shelter and figure out what he was going to do next...
"Stop it... just... just think of something else..."
Over in Odd's cell, the cone-haired boy was suffering badly right now. He cringed as he held his hands to his aching stomach. Even the pain from his face didn't compare to the pains coming from his stomach... or the worse pain that still radiated from his ankle.
His ankle was tended to by Carver's guys after he was knocked out, although it was clear they only did the bare minimum for him before they brought him and Verity back to Howe's Hardware. He didn't know who gave his ankle attention after his return but he woke up to see it was at least stitched and bandaged.
At least he had that going for him. But whether they were kind enough to disinfect the wound was anyone's guess...
Having gone without any food for two days even before the failed escape attempt, Odd was feeling the hunger in his stomach very badly. Carver and his guys weren't feeding him or Verity - one of many punishments for the pair trying to get their freedom back. Almost as if having his clothes taken and being left to freeze in a tiny concrete closet wasn't bad enough. Even the previous room he was held in was better than this one.
It didn't help that one of Carver's guards came down to check on him. By 'check on him', the guard had actually brought with him a small grill and he was using it to cook up something tasty to eat - bacon, Odd guessed by the smell.
The guard must've been trying to torture him through hunger. It was cruel, and it was certainly working - even more so since its been days since Odd ate anything...
No matter how hard the boy tried, he couldn't ignore the smell which had completely filled the closet he was being held in, and his hunger seemed to grow minute by minute. He was going to go insane in here. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this hungry...
Odd resorted to literally begging his own body to stop the hunger from hitting him again like this. Obviously, his act of desperation didn't work at all.
It got to the point that he even briefly considered hitting his wounded ankle in the hopes that a shot of pain from there would make him ignore his stomach, though he was wise enough to decide against it in the end - not like how he bit down on his hand in the forest...
The boy glanced at his left hand, cringing at the sight of the visible wounds made by his teeth. It distracted him from the pain of that bear trap in the forest somewhat, but it was still a dumb move and the sight of it only made him think of walkers now.
Walkers bite. Not people. You should be well aware of that by now, Odd Della-
Another pang of hunger suddenly hit Odd. His stomach was hurting badly by now...
"Stop. It."
Odd's mind began wandering back to Kadic Academy's cafeteria despite how hard he resisted. He thought of all of the yummy foods which the school chef Rosa made for the students...
Mashed potatoes and gravy... creamed spinach... fish and chips... chicken pasta...
Tomato salad... breaded fish... meatloaf and tater tots...
Burgers and fries... pepperoni pizza... turkey and gravy...
... crispy bacon ...
Thinking of the old days at Kadic usually brought great comfort to Odd in this terrible new world... but not this time. The memories of delicious food was torturous.
"Stop... it..."
Another loud rumble of defiance came from Odd's stomach at yet another self-plea. The boy groaned at the pain and discomfort which hunger brought, and all he could do was just sit there against the concrete wall and hope that this hell would be over for him and Verity soon.
Odd worried endlessly for his friend. Who knew what those monsters were doing with Verity right now...
He only hoped that Verity-
Suddenly, the door was kicked open. Odd had no time to react before Troy came in with a gun in his hands, and soon he had the barrel of it pressed right against Odd's face.
"Follow me or you're gonna lose what little brains you have left, kid." Troy warned with a deep glare. Looking down the barrel of a loaded assault rifle held by a guy with anger issues proved more than enough to ensure the boy's cooperation. However, Troy still felt the need to grab Odd by his hair and literally throw him out of the closet.
After Odd landed on the concrete floor of the hallway outside his closet, he looked up to see Carver standing with his terrified friend. That psycho took her clothes as well?!
"Up! Up to your feet!" Troy barked, pressing the barrel of his rifle firmly against the back of Odd's head.
"Just do as they say, Odd..." Verity urged him to not react to her present state. She knew how infuriated Odd must have been by her treatment at Carver's hands, but she didn't want him to risk getting his head blown off. She didn't want another friend to die.
If the circumstances were different, Odd would've done anything he could to beat Carver to within an inch of his life. He may not have the muscles that Patrick or Ulrich do, and his ankle was all messed up, but he would do anything for his friends - even if it put himself at risk.
But... Carver and Troy were both armed. Doing anything to stop these bastards would just get himself killed, or worse...
... or, God forbid, they'll punish Verity instead.
So, for his friend's sake, Odd simply stayed silent and he stood back up to his feet like he was told, though he was noticeably trying not to put weight on his hurt foot. If playing along kept Verity even slightly safe from Carver and Troy, then so be it.
"Atta boy." Carver grinned as the boy did as he was told.
"You fucker..." Verity muttered in disgust. Carver was ordering her friend around like he was a fucking dog...
Carver rolled his eyes and he turned to Troy, gesturing back at the teen who had just insulted him under her breath. Troy understood what Carver wanted, and before Verity knew it the psycho's lackey had walked over to her and slapped her so hard across the face that she crumpled to the ground.
"VERITY!" Odd blurted out as he charged at Troy, only to be met with the butt of his rifle straight to the stomach. Odd collapsed to the floor next to Verity, breathless and trembling from the new explosion of pain in his already-aching stomach.
Odd was struggling very hard not to vomit while Carver went to him and Verity. The psycho honestly looked a little surprised by what he heard.
"Ohhh, so your name is 'Verity' and not 'Maya', huh? You sneaky little liar..." Carver said to Verity with an amused smirk on his face. That girl really did have him fooled over her real name this whole time. He couldn't help but admit it was impressive.
Carver sucked his teeth, then grinned again. "I like that name. 'Verity'... It rolls off the tongue much better than 'Maya' does..." he added before glancing over at Troy. "Don't you agree, Troy?"
"Hell yeah, boss. Used to subscribe to a porn star who went by that name." Troy smirked after his disgusting comment. He also kept his rifle aimed down at Odd's head in case the teen tried anything else funny.
If Odd even so much as twitched then Troy'll make sure that this stupid kid's stupid brains would be splattered all over his stupid girlfriend here. That'd save everyone a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?
Carver was clearly enjoying his dominance over the two helpless captives on the floor below him. Verity tried to get back up to her feet, and he decided to "help" her by yanking her upright by her hair - causing the poor girl to scream.
Odd couldn't keep himself restrained when he saw this.
"Keep your hands off of her you monster!" Odd roared as he scrambled back to his feet and tried to charge at Carver this time. Even the searing white-hot pain in his ankle didn't stop him from trying...
But all Odd succeeded in doing was causing Troy to rush forward and pin him against the cold wall. The barrel of Troy's rifle pressed painfully against the base of Odd's spine.
The two teens were again subdued. And who the hell knew where Nick even was.
Carver roughly lifted Verity up by her hair, causing her to let out a scream from the sheer pain. He kept a firm hold on her after she was up, and as he walked towards the door he said something to both of the teens...
"Let's go somewhere more... private."
A chill ran up Verity and Odd's spines after hearing that. What was Carver planning...?
The two teens would get their answer. On Carver's orders, Troy stuffed rags in their mouths to silence them and then he bound their hands tightly with some rope so that both of the teens will stay nice and close to them both. They've made a good escape attempt once already - it wouldn't be repeated so long as Carver had anything to say about it.
Before they left with their captives, Carver and Troy each made sure to snatch and eat a piece of bacon from the guard who was grilling in the hallway as a quick snack. The guard wasn't happy that he lost a couple of pieces of the precious treat, but he didn't object since either man could easily make his life hell.
Anyway, the guard was left behind as Carver and Troy led Odd and Verity deeper in the store, though Odd was slow and limping because of his ankle.
They took a route which avoided all of the people in the settlement, as Carver knew that they wouldn't appreciate the sight of him leading two nude teens to God only knew where.
And who even knew how his daughters would react... Christ, he's got to try and toughen them up one of these days.
Both Odd and Verity were terrified as they were led into another hallway. It was devoid of any activity, and it looked like it was under construction before the end of the world.
The gagged teens were led to the end of the hallway, then down a flight of stairs which led into a private room of Carver's...
... Odd and Verity's torment had only just begun.
She almost shot him... she really almost shot him back there...
A few hours after finding Yumi in the forest, Aelita was sitting by herself on the front porch of Hershel's farmhouse, gently pushing herself back and forth on the porch swing with her foot. She had an awful lot on her mind right now...
First Otis died to keep her alive... then she directly killed that man, Tony, in the bar in Senoia...
And now... now she almost killed Shane... a member of the group...
Aelita was still coming to terms with Otis's death being caused because of her. And she tried and so far has failed to do so with how she killed Tony in the bar. Now she was just going to have to try and find some way to reconcile herself about what had happened today...
This new world... this terrible, terrible new world...
It was changing her and her friends more than she ever thought possib-
"I thought I'd find you up here, 'Lita."
The pinkette turned to see that Shane was there, approaching the steps which led up to the porch.
In complete contrast to how he looked, acted, and sounded earlier... Shane had a friendly smile on his face, and his words sounded cheerful and happy. Aelita couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious and crept out by this total 180° in his attitude.
"Shane..." Aelita greeted the former deputy in a neutral tone.
Shane walked up the porch steps and walked past Aelita. He went to lean against the railing and gaze out at the farm, the campsite... and the barn.
"How've you been feeling lately?" Shane asked a question which the pinkette felt was pretty random of him.
"Well, I got shot." Aelita deadpanned. She was doing horribly - how else did he expect her to be? "Add in the fact that a bunch of my friends and teachers became walkers, I have no idea if my mom and dad are still alive, I killed a man, I had to help cut my own brother's hand off, and my closest friend tried killing herself just a few hours ago..."
Aelita took a moment to catch her breath after listing all of those examples off. Then she asked with an annoyed tone: "Does all of that answer your question?"
Shane shrugged. "Somewhat, yeah."
Aelita rolled her eyes and looked away from the idiot by the railing. How could he possibly be so casual after everything he's done over the last couple of weeks?
Several moments of silence followed where Shane kept looking out into the camp. Aelita noticed he was staring at Lori and Carl, who were at a campfire together, but she figured it was just out of a sense of protectiveness for the family of his best friend.
In a way, it was out of a sense of protectiveness... but Aelita had no idea how deep that feeling went for Shane. What his true feelings for Lori and Carl were...
... and what his thoughts on Rick had morphed to lately.
"Why are you here, Shane?" the pinkette finally asked him with a slightly-impatient tone. "Don't you have anything more important to do back in camp?"
"I do, but I've just been wantin' to let you know something, 'Lita, that's all..." Shane began once again, his smile not fading in the slightest. Though now Aelita noticed that he had a strange look in his eye. "About what happened back there? Back in the forest, with Yumi?... How you put a gun against my head?"
"It's a bit hard to forget."
Shane chuckled at the bluntness in the teen's response. True, something like that was pretty hard to forget... especially for him.
To Aelita's surprise, Shane just went silent again, though he didn't look away from her. He just kept... staring at her...
"So... what about it?" Aelita inquired. God, was he just gonna start another argument for no reason?
"Well, you're a smart kid, 'Lita..." Shane smiled softly at the teen. Then his next words got the pinkette's attention. "I just wanted to come and say that I wouldn't try that again if you know what's good for you and your friends..."
That comment made Aelita's head shoot upwards in shock. What the hell did he just say to her?
"... what exactly did you say, Shane?" Aelita's new tone was far less sarcastic and blunt. Now it was fully cautious and hesitant, as if she thought she didn't hear him correctly.
Shane's cheerful expression turned into a deep frown in a moment. And with his next words, he made it very clear to Aelita that she didn't mishear him...
"I think you know as well as I do that you heard me correctly..."
Out of everything that Shane has said or done thus far in the entire time she's known him, Aelita never expected Shane to do something like this. Not when he beat Ed at the Quarry. Not when he almost doomed them at the CDC. Not even when he punched Ulrich and ripped open the doors to the barn, revealing Hershel's secret and bringing devastation to the hearts of all the Lyoko Warriors...
... Shane just threatened her?
... but more importantly, he threatened her friends ...? Her family ...?
Suddenly she felt no more concern over nearly shooting the bastard earlier.
"Shane, let me stop you right there." Aelita interrupted him before he could say more. She abruptly stood up with the aid of her cane and hobbled away from the porch swing.
As Shane stopped speaking and crossed his arms, Aelita carefully made her way over to the railing and stopped there a few feet away from him. The pinkette looked out to the camp like Shane did, but she didn't look at Lori and Carl - she looked at her fellow Lyoko Warriors who were out and about.
"Look..." Aelita began to speak once again. "I want you to know that no matter what, I'll always be grateful to you and to Otis for everything you both did to save my life... but there's also something else that I have to make clear to you from this point forward."
As Aelita turned fully to face Shane, her eyes shot heated daggers at him. And, at least for a brief moment, he could truly admit something to himself...
... he honestly felt a little bit unnerved.
"The next time you force me to put a gun against your head," Aelita said to him with a cold, icy tone to her voice. "I won't hesitate to blow out what little brains you have."
Although Shane held much anger and strength in both body and mind, Aelita matched that with her strong sense of personal courage and bravery. Shane might've been a dangerous man, but he was nothing compared to some of the things which Aelita and her friends had fought over the years...
If Shane wanted to harm Aelita's friends... her family... then he would have to go through her to do it.
Aelita and Shane stood there and eyed each other with deep glares, both the man and the teen not backing down to each other's unspoken challenge.
Then, after a few moments, a clearly-furious Shane finally turned around and walked away without a word, leaving Aelita by herself on the porch.