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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 11, 2013 11:59:37 GMT
the Walking Dead: The Will to Survive
Act I, Low Sky at Dawn
Darkening Clouds
The sun came over the many building in the south, glistering over the glass like water. It was summer in Georgia; the heat was almost
unbearable in Savannah. River Street was crowded like you would not believe. I was here with my best friend from Colorado, he was on
vacation and his family trusted me with him, something I was not sure they should have done. I always call him Dthly Chill; it was his
gamer tag on Xbox 360 and it’s a lot cooler than his real name anyway. Anyway, I was in the crowd some distance from the hotel, I just
could not stay there forever, you can only talk to your friends for so long before you go mad. It was amazing; with the boats moving,
birds flying and landing on the river, and the waves slowly rolling around, I knew this is why I came. Then, the downward spiral began
just like that, I do not remember how it happens but I do vaguely remember hearing a gunshot before getting trampled by all those
people on River Street. I woke up sometime later, I did not know what time it was, four, five, seven o clock, all I know was it was
late and no one was around. Everything looked strangely destroyed; there was a trolley on its side in rubble. The birds were gone and
there was blood only a few feet away. I did not know what to think so I went down the road and saw a dead body with someone nearby. I
yelled for them but did not come close, I got closer and closer until it turned around. It was dead but it was moving, even eating
what was left of the body. It got up and walked toward me, I did nothing as I just stared back in horror. It grabbed me and pulled me
down so I kicked it and started to crawl away but it kept coming. I kept crawling until I backed up into a car or something. I saw to
my left another dead man, there were no weapons on the body but there was a glass shard hanging from the car window. I grabbed it, by
hand started to bleed but I had to ignore the pain as the creature approached with its mouth opened like a shark. With all my strength
I jammed the glass shard into the head of my enemy, it dropped dead, I did not dare try to pick it up. I did not know what it was, it
looked like a zombie from all those voodoo stories one of my friends would talk about. I did not know what to think, should I be
terrified, should I be scared that the dead are coming out of the ground. I then remembered Chill and the rest of my friends, still at
the hotel; it’s has been hours, I got to go look for them. I turned around just to see another ‘zombie’, more and more started to
follow him and soon enough they was a wall of rotting flesh walking toward me. I ran down an alloy way being chased all the while. I
got to the end the alloy just to see more zombies coming down the only way out. I was trapped, I tried to jump onto the balcony just
feet above my head, but it was too heavy to pull myself up. I looked down to see my only salvation, a manhole cover partially open. I
grabbed the side and pulled and pulled, looking at the wall of dead coming closer and closer. I came open just as they were in arm
reach of me. I jumped down, ignoring the ladder next to me; a zombie fell down the hole and died, splattering blood all over my shirt.
The rest of this “mini hoard” of zombies did not come down; they just looked down with a dead stare and slowly walked away.
Prelude to hell
At this point, you might be thinking why I should even care about this story and there is no backstory. Well there is a story, and I
will tell it. My name is Tyler, I am a high school student from Ohio who gets above average grades in everything but history, I am
smart but an Einstein I am not. So here is how it all started, I was in my hotel room just watching the news. The major stories were,
prison break was happening in a nearby county, four prisoners had gotten away, and a mechanical administrator at the air force base
near Macon had stuck her commanding officer with a wrench for something, I did not care. That was all the new said and that’s all I
cared about. I turned it off just as it started talking about riots going on across the state. I was not the only person here in the
hotel, which was a five star hotel by the way. Chill was here obviously, he was wearing a nice fedora he bought the day before with a
leather jacket he has had for some time. My school class had come to Savannah but it really was not that big of a class, and by not
big I mean three people. One of the class mates I have is a good friend named Noah, he is 13, but he is fast as all hell, he always
wins races. He is fun to be around but he does want to dominate everything. There is only one other person that did come to the city,
another friend from my class. Her name is Melina; she is a nice person good to be around but does not like to talk to most people,
somewhat shy I guess. Before you even start yes she is my friend, but not my girlfriend, you have no idea how many times I get called
out on that. My teacher was here for only a short time, he did not stay because he had trust in us, most likely not a good idea. So I
wanted to go and see River Street, so I put on a long green shirt, gray shorts, and some sandals, you know the rest. The room number
was 212 and it was in the middle of the long hallway. I walked down the blue carpet and down the stairs to see the river, I got more
then I wanted.
Under the angel of death
As I walked in the empty sewer system I thought to myself, what has the world come to, zombies all around eating people, this must be a
dream. The sound of gunfire above my head made me realize this was not a dream. There was very little light in the tunnel, only cones
of light would shine from tiny cracks above. The sounds of rats moving around made it more tense; at any moment something could grab
me and kill me as quickly as I breathe. I always had been afraid of the dark, even when I was young the darkness always scared me.
Every so often I would see shadows along the walls, following me like candles, I did not know if they were real or just my fears
getting to me, I just kept walking toward what was ahead. The tunnel was still going on and on, I was nowhere near the end, the sounds
of footsteps were getting louder and louder. I was reaching the breaking point, I swore I saw cracks get bigger, my own footsteps were
sounding like earthquakes, and I could see something at the corner of my eye and it was not a zombie. A ladder came out of the
darkness; I grabbed it and climbed as fast as a man can climb. The man hole opened into another world, a very different from what I
had seen a few hours ago.
The Smell of Burning Bread
I climbed out of frying pan and into the fire; I turn around to see the city burning. Gunfire was in the distance, the screams of soon
to be dead people were everywhere and a few buildings were on fire. I believe the market as burning, as I could smell the unmistakable
smell of bread burning. As I watched this home away from home die, I knew no one was leaving this city, alive or not. I starred at it
for some time, I lost track of how long I watch the death of a once amazing city I had always wanted to see. The hotel was not too far
away from where I stood. As I turned around a zombie grabbed me and started to pull me down onto the ground. I was near an alleyway
so I tried to push the zombie into the wall, it would not move. I was too weak and it was way too strong to be moved, I kept trying
but I knew it was for nothing. I excepted my fate, knowing I would become just mindless husk for eternity, as the zombies face was
about to bite into my neck, a loud shot rang out. My sight went red, I could see nothing and I fell to the ground and laid still. I
started hearing voices, not whispers but real words. I could see vaguely to shadows over me, as I wept the blood from my eyes I could
see them. They were not military or friends of mine, or anything I had seen before. One of them was a man, 38 or so, with a large
shotgun resting over his left shoulder, still smoking. He was wearing a black shirt with a gray vest, a red double crossed tie, and
some very dark pants. His right hand had a large hand warp with some blood on it. On his right hip was a very large revolver with the
hammer pulled back. He had very dark hair and green eyes, and he was looking at me with a slight smirk. The other one was woman who
could not be older than 20 with a very long blue skirt, with a small blue petty coat. She had very dark brown hair that was very
short, almost like it had been cut. She was not wearing any make-up at all, which is really strange. Her eyes were as blue as the sky
and she had a brooch hanging from her neck with a diving bird on it. They said nothing as I got back up, I thanked them for saving my
life, and they still said nothing back. The man said to me “You can walk can’t you, you are lucky I was here to save your life.” I
told him in a smart ass voice “I did not need the help, I was fine.” He said back “You’re not the only person today, who refused my
help, I am sure they are dead now.” I was going to say something back when the girl asked me “Where were you coming from when this
happened, is your family here in Savannah?” “No, my friends are in the Hilton hotel down the road over there.” The man said back
“well it’s just good we found you when we did, I have just seen to many people die today and over the years to be happy.” I ask what
their names are, as I never trusted someone that I don’t even know what to call. In a proud voice the man said “My name is Booker
DeWitt, the woman beside me is Elizabeth, and we are the only thing keeping you from being six feet under, from now on you better be a
bit quicker on the draw.” I said fair enough, we all started walking toward the hotel. Booker told me to get a move on as the day
won’t stay burning for long, and then like that we at the hotel doorstep, not knowing if anyone was even alive.
Hotel Impossible
As I walked up to the door, the place seem to look the same as it had hours ago, but a few things were different, the windows were
boarded with wood, and the front door was both locked and barricaded. I was just started to realize how odd the two survivors were,
they looked like they were from a different time era. The shotgun was lever action, which is strange because they don’t make many of
those. The revolver looked like something from the 1890s, and the outfits on both of them were early 1900s style. I was not
complaining, but it just felt odd like I was reading yet another history book. The lock looked like it was made of hard steel, too
strong for a bullet, but they did not seem fazed. I just started leaning on the wall, looking at my watch hoping something would
happen. I saw Booker give a node to the girl, and just like that she got on her knee and put a pin into the lock. Just as fast as I
had seen the pin go into the lock, it was out and lock fell to the ground. I looked with surprise and shock and said “how the hell did
you do that?” All she said was “I have a lot of spare time.” I just nodded and said yay whatever, the barricade was just a bookcase
pushed against the door, it got moved without much effort. The lobby was dark, the lights were out and there were dead body’s
everywhere. The glass windows were all broken, the clean tile was red from the blood, but the lemonade and cookies were still on their
stand in the corner. The air was filled the smell of lead and decomposing dead, I had no weapons to use and it was hard to tell if
they had been shot in the head. The lobby was mostly a square with two flights of stairs at both ends, a large chandelier hung above
the desks, tilted like it also had been shot. I turned to my saviors and whispered, “Hay, do you have anything that is silenced.”
Booker told me that nothing he carried was quiet, but that we did not have to worry. We went up the stairs without incident, after the
stairs, there was a door to the main flight of stairs, near a soda machine. We walked up the stairs to the sixth floor, I was about to
collapse from the walking, I was not in the best of shape let me tell you. I told them that the room was 212, and that it was in the
middle of corridor. We were at the door to the room and there was no sound inside, I put my hand in my pocket to get the key card but
there was nothing there, I must have lost in on River Street. I started walking away when Booker kicked the door down and pulled his
shotgun out.
Reunited
I ran back to see all my friends on the ground with their hands up, Chill was there and the moment he saw me he yelled out “Holy shit,
Tyler where have you been and why is this asshole trying to kill me?” I told in a slightly mad voice “He is not trying to shoot you,
he is trying to save you. “ Ok then, next time can you not kick the door down and almost crush me in the middle of a poker game, let
me finish this hand. I got three of a kind, beat that Noah. By the way, were the fuck have you been, you told me an hour and it’ past
6.” “Sorry Kyle but I have a Full House.” “Goddammit, you had a card in your sleeve literally didn’t you.” “Maybe, maybe not, but I
want won anyway.” I told Chill calmly “Yes I am late, but did the calendar say ‘July 24 the world will and end and zombies will kill
us’ because if it did then this is your fault for not telling me.” I then asked why you were even here, he tells me “I said we should
stay here and wait for rescue, only that plan did not count on mister 1893 kicking the door down.” “Where is Melina, is she still
here?” “Yes she is still here, they even made me the leader of this group; I knew playing all those hours of Battlefield 3 would pay
off.” As soon as he said Melina came out the shadows, she was good if not a little shaken. Chill said “So who are these people and do
they have a plan on how to survive.” “My name is Booker DeWitt, the girls name is Elizabeth, and yes we have a plan if you follow
three rules. One, I am the leader not you which means you go where I go and nowhere else. Two, if you see anything if it be supplies
or one of those creatures just tell Elizabeth, don’t try to handle it like it’s a video game. Three, do not complain at all, I am not
a part of your family and I will never be, think of me as a military officer or a drill sergeant and nothing else, is that clear?”
Chill said back “yes, but what is her role, she has not even said a word, she mute or something, the only use I see is to look pretty
and do nothi- he did not finish that sentence, Elizabeth slapped him across the face telling him “I am a nice person, but no one calls
me useless or a whore, I doubt you know what geography even is or how to the stop the flow of blood, so think twice before you say
something so dumb.” “Okay then, message understood welcome to the team miss.” Booker said “any last questions before we leave.” Noah
came up and said “Does the base we are going to have power or something so I can play some Call of Duty.” “Not in this world or any
other will we be play video games and no we have a zero amount of power.” I looked down on the floor to find a flashlight, I grabbed
it and turned it on, it was dim like the batteries were dying but it would be enough to get me to are destination. We started to walk
down the stairs in the darkness when something grabbed Booker. It was a zombie and it looked like he was done for, when at that moment
he punched the zombie in the face, but it did not sound like a punch at all. There was a loud motor sound and blood was going
everywhere, when I put the flashlight on him he had a spinning hook the size of a hand on his arm. Chill freaked out and yell “Shit
man, that thing reminds me of the fucking chainsaw from Gears of War” Noah asks were in the world did you get that monster of a weapon.
He politely said “sometimes you can’t believe the things you find people use.” The rest of the hotel had nothing jump out at us so we
walked for some time to a parking garage were the camp was.
The Crew
The day was winding down, and I was about to meet the rest of the crew, and if you though the leader was odd just you wait. I came
into the garage and I saw some tents with a tire in the center with gasoline canisters nearby. The group came out of the tents and
there were four of them, there was one of them in 1920s clothing with an Irish hat. The other three were military; one was a US marine
with the desert uniform in his mid-40s. One of them had a beret, he had a large sack on his back with small lettering on the front,
and he looked Russian, I had no idea what age he was. Finally there was an old man in his 60s, with a blue uniform and a sword on his
hip, his uniform was Japanese. This was the crew and they were all interesting to no end. Booker called out and they all got in line,
he yelled out “These are the members of the group, the one with 1920s clothing is Albert Arlington, you might remember him from the
news as the recent escaping prisoners. The American soldier is Tank Dempsey American war hero. The Russian is Nikolai Belinski, a
soldier that will do anything for vodka, pretty much average Russian in a nutshell. Last but not least we have General Takeo Masaki,
Japanese officer and strategist that thinks before he fights. Welcome to the family you can warm up by the fire or just go to sleep
it’s your choice.”
The Dearly Departed Goodfellas
I sat on wooded box near the ‘campfire’ of sorts, which was really nothing more than a tire set alight, maybe not the wisest of choices
but I did not care. I glanced a bit to my left and looked at Arlington, there was something not right with that man, and it was not
the fact that his cloths looked like something from one of those old gangster movies my dad would make me watch. He saw me and said in
a slightly squeaky voice “Hay kid my name is Albert Arlington, but you can call me Al or the Weasel, You know why don’t we just tell a
little bit about ourselves, not like we are going anywhere, I will go first. Gather round ladies and gentlemen because you will be
here for a while. I was from Brooklyn New York, I lived on the nicer side of town, not that shit you see in the movies, and unlike
most gangsters I attended college and passed, surprised? When I was looking for a job afterword’s, my dear friend from my
neighborhood by the name of Michael ‘Finn’ O Leary told me how to get money fast, and I more than ever wanted money fast and easy and I
was told this was the best way, and that my friend was the Mafia. Now I grew up watching the great gangster movies like the Godfather
and other greats, so I wanted to be unique and be remembered, for better or worse. My plan that made me unique in the mob world was
that I would wear 1920s clothes and use old fashion tommy guns, if it kills it works. Besides my job was not to kill people, I was the
beat the shit out of you guy, and the money handler due to my smarts, and no I did not wear my gangster suit when I was doing money
handling. I was also a con man that got a lot of extra funds for the family, granted it was not a shit ton of money, but ever bit
helped. The main hitman for the group was a man named Billy Handsome, I don’t know why they called him that but he got the job done
pretty well, the cops still have no idea exactly how people he killed. My friend Finn was a racketeer that handled gambling, he did
his job well enough I guess. The Don of the family was a Sicilian named Salvatore Deluca; he was the man of beer drugs and gambling, I
respected the guy but at the same time feared him. I was riding the money wave, I had no wife or family but I was getting there, but
the lure of money is stronger than love, that and I was not really the person that wanted long term relationships. I once stole a man
entire wallet once, it was in the subway waiting to catch a ride and I was bored. He turned around and asked my who took it; I put on
a happy simile and pointed at a business man with a large suitcase. By some extreme luck he believed me and ran right at the guy, and
beat the shit out of him, when this was all happening I just booked it and ran. Later I told Finn what had happened, he said
“Arlington, how the fuck did you weasel your way out of that.” That’s how I got the nickname and I still have it to this day, not that
it matters anymore. A few weeks later I was giving a large job that handled a lot of money, how could I resist? That job was to help
rob a bank in Los Angeles, It all went smooth for a little bit, until the bank teller, who was a real hardass and did not want to
comply, pull a weapon and shot me in the leg, he did not live long enough to celebrate that fact. The cops showed up and I was to
slow, they got me for one count of heist and murder. I got a life sentence and was sent to the state prison in Georgia of all places.
The prison was rough but my friends were not far behind, Finn got ratted out by his wife, Handsome botched a hit and Sal was caught
with a firearm on him of all things. I had nothing to do so I thought of how to escape this prison, I had always dreamed of doing it
as a kid. After a month I thought of a plan that was insane but if it worked I would both get out and history books everywhere, also
one of my great dreams. I thought of making a plane, made out everyday items that would be built on the roof and we would fly away. I
told the gang and they thought I was crazy, but Finn thought it could work, so I started making a blueprint with chalk. I needed five
items to get working; I needed rope, clothes, an engine, a power source and some leather. We needed the wardens key to get to these
items, one more challenge for my mind. Finn worked in the machine shop, and he had to get the key or make one to get to the next step.
I came up with a plan, we got Billy to swap with Finn at machine shop, and we wait till four o’clock when the warden checks the shop.
Billy got his attention while I quietly pick pocketed him; when I was done Billy hit him with a wrench, starting a battle with the
guards. I gave the key to Finn, who started molding a copy of the key. He made it as fast as he could while the fight was going on,
when he was done he handed it to me so I could put the real key back on the floor. The fight ended as fast as it started, the warden
had a bloody nose but it was worth it. Billy got a month in the hole or as they called it, salutary confinement. He got to the work
over the weeks getting the supplies; I got the rope from the dock because I got the dock job, priceless I know. Over a 5 month period
we got all the items, we stored them in a small hole in each of our cells, waiting for the right time. That day was yesterday, July 23
during a thunder storm. It was lights out at around 9:30 PM and are guard Stanley Ferguson was doing his rounds. He was one of the
few decent guards, perhaps because he had a family but who knows or cares? He walked by Deluca’s cell, he started talking to him. He
said in his think accent “How you doin’ tonight Ferguson? Family good?” He tells him “They’ doing great, Mr. Deluca. My boy Tommy?
He’s almost six.” “Aint that swell?” Deluca kept drinking from his coffee as Ferguson went by. He pasted by Finns cell with him on
the shitter, he asked “Hey Finn, got that tip for Saturdays race yet?” “I’m workin’ on it, right now.” At that moment I started to
yell in pain to get him to come over, he walked by Billy as he told him “You gonna shut him up? Or do I gotta do it?” Ferguson took
his baton and hit his cage bars telling him “You know the rules Handsome. No talking.” He went to my cell as I laid on the ground in
pain crying for help, he said “God damn it Arlington.” I said in a swirl voice “You got to get the doctor I need help, it’s serious.”
“This better be for real.” As he came over I grabbed my knife, all it was is a piece of glass with black tape for a handle, I found it
in the yard. I stabbed him in the throat, blood went all over and he hit the ground dead. I did not hate the guy, it was all
business, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was the only guard that night in are cell block so we were on the home
run. I got his keys and unlocked the cells to my friends, they got out and grabbed there items. We silently opened the contraband
room and suited up with are guns and outfits, happy I made that stop. We soon made a mad dash to the roof, one of the guards heard us
and start looking around, and it was not long until he found the body. We started putting the parts on to the plane, the Icarus as I
called it. It resembled a homemade Wright Brothers plane, all the way down to how it flew, I was not sure if it was air worthy but
there was no time left. The engine started and all four of us jumped on, it was not soft but it worked. The wind pushed my plane into
the air and like that we were soaring like an eagle. The guards faces as we flew away were worthy of a hall of fame as they could do
nothing to stop us. We got far and it looked like we were in the clear, we were above the trees as happy as could be, until Mother
Nature turned into a bitch. A gust of wind hit the plane, tearing the clothes right off, I had not thought of wind being a problem.
We went down in the middle of a forest; I had no idea where we are or anything other than we are fucked. Then everything went downhill
from there even more. Deluca was pissed at me; he said that it was my entire fault and that we would all die because of me, he Billy
to turn on me. Deluca told Billy if he kills me they both will make it farther then if I am alive, so Billy ran at me with his knife
draw. Finn held him back but Billy turned his knife on him instead, stabbing him in the chest. I grabbed a rock and in a rage smashed
him in the face. There was a loud crack and he fell dead but Deluca was still there, and he had Fergusons pistol. He fired a shot and
it hit me in the shoulder but it did not stop me. I stabbed him with the glass knife in the chest; I pulled it out and continued to
stab for a minute. I yelled at him, "I knew you never liked me, so you thought it was the best time to turn on me, why?" "You were
unpredictable, I could not have that while in charge, I paid the teller in advance in hopes he would kill you, I wish you had died in
that bank you scum sucking son of a bitch." He was barely alive so I grabbed the handgun, put the barrel in his mouth, and said “Pop
goes the Weasel mother fucker.” I smiled as his brains went all over a nearby rock. I turned to Finn, who was still alive, he told me
“I bleeding out, I don’t want to go back to jail, I might not even make it. You got to shoot me friend, it’s the only way you can
help.” I took a deep breath, promised that I would survive, and ended his sorrowful life. That was the last bullet I had but I kept
that snub nose revolver as a weapon, just in case. I made one last look at him; he was resting ageist an oak tree, he looked like he
was resting. I gave a salute to my departed friend and walked away, not looking back once. I walked through the trees for hours; I
went to sleep under a weeping willow while the heavens wept for both of us. The next day I was on the outskirts of Savannah, by this
time this was breaking news everywhere. Almost the whole country knew my face so I thought I would not make it far. But I did not
count on the apocalypse happening, I did not plan for this but I made it farther then I thought I ever could. In the city I was
checking into a hotel, the Marsh House I believe, and that guy over that Mr. DeWitt, he found me and told me that for my safety I
should head to a garage, this garage. Well he was right, as the whole city went to shit not long after; it’s good to be alive isn’t
it? That’s the end of my story for now, any questions, because I am not going anywhere for some time and you are going to have to put
up with me for quite a bit.”
A break for drinks
I stood there say and doing nothing for a little bit, I had no idea what to say but I knew one thing. This man was in many ways
similar to characters from various gangster movies, pretty much life imitating fiction. Noah seemed happy he said “That was a great
story, can you teach me how to stab something to death?” Arlington stared at him for a moment then saying blunting “No, not today not
tomorrow never, that clear!” I looked around and saw everyone was still there, I asked if anyone want to say anything else. Arlington
agreed and said “Yes that would be fun, hay Dimwit you got anything interesting?” He said back “My name is DeWitt Arlington, Booker
Dewitt, get that right next time ok!” One of the Military soldiers, the American, Dempsey I believe, said in his gruff voice “Don’t we
get a chance to tell are story? It may be short but it’s good.” DeWitt said back “Why not, you can go after me since I am the leader
of this little group.” “You know what, I tell me tale at a later day, I’m going to get another tire, be back in a minute.”
The Clash in the Clouds
“So as I said, you all know my name, but you know nothing about me. I am 38, and have seen and done things that can never be redeemed.
I had a family, I was the only child but my life was good for some time. My mother was Native American, I did not mind but people
would always antagonize me because of that. I knew the Sioux language and English; I was talented and did well in school. My parents
died when I was 16, it does not matter how they died, just the fact that my only family was gone like that when I was still in school.
This was the first incident that would ruin me, it did not end there. I had no idea what to do what to do with my life, so when I was
seventeen I lied about my age and joined the military. I had always dreamed about the military, it’s were I thought I would belong, it
was not to be. I came in with no friends so the only thing a cared about was training for battle. I was a natural at shooting guns
and went through boot camp without many problems. Before I go further into my story I have to say something, I will not tell you which
war I fought in, it’s personal and no one will ever know, it does not even matter as war never changes, there all the same. You join
because it’s cool and before you know it your best friend is on the ground with a bullet in his head. I was part of a recon group; I
had to recon areas and then join the main group. One of my squad mates was a soldier by the name of corporal Jonathan Banes; he had
no family left also and like that we soon the best of friends, the only friend I had in the military. The missions started becoming
more of the same, the life was easy and though I could do this my whole life. A year after deployment we had to attack a small town in
the middle of the plains, it looked like it would be an easy day. The houses were made of wood and were very rudimentary at best;
there were about three hundred people in the village. The first thing that went wrong was that most of the inhabitants were civilians,
and there houses were being hit first. I saw a group of civilians near a house that was in the line of fire, so I went over there to
get them to safety. They were agreeing with us and it was going well until there was explosion and I fell to the ground. Everything
was static, I could hear nothing, I looked around for my friend but he was no were to be found. I looked down on the ground and saw
his dog tags and bits of him all around. My commanding officer came by me and mocked me in the middle of the battle for not saving
some of these civilians; he then brought up the Native American part of me. I was seeing red, the only friend I had was dead and
command was being asshole. I saw people in another house and shot at them without hesitation, they fell and started running and firing
at anything that looked human, there was a woman and child hiding by a house, and all I did was shot and stab them like they were
combatants. I even burned a man alive, his screams for help still echo in my mind. I did not even realize I had been shot by one of
the few enemy soldiers there. After the fighting died down I took out my knife and started scalping the people that I had killed. The
solders around me were disgusted and one even threw up, I did not care. The battle was labeled a victory but I know it now as a
massacre, out the 300 people that lived there, none made it out alive that day. Only 20 were enemy soldiers. I was giving the Medal
of Honor of all things, what a tainted relic that thing must be by now. I left not long after that the ‘battle’ and went back to New
York; I had no idea where to go again. I joined a mercenary group were I thought I was doing good things, I was sent to break up
strike’s for major companies, the pay was good but the work was terrible. I once fired my gun at workers at a rather large strike,
several and the rest of my group started firing to, the massacre repeated itself. I was racked with guilt from these two massacres so
I turned to religion for help. I went to a river were a local church was baptizing people, I joined in. I said yes to all things they
asked, but at the last minute I thought to myself how would a little dunk in the water cleanse the sins I had done. I ran off and did
not come but I could hear the priest yell that was to be dammed forever, he was not wrong. I hated my job, I could not quit but I felt
that is was losing my soul, or whatever was left. I was stuck at the train station once; I had to break another strike but the train
was late, that day I met my future wife, a year from that day we were happily married, I thought my life was changing. Not long after
I quit my job and became a privet investigator in New York and we moved into a better house. Something later I found out I was about
to have a baby girl, I named her Anna, I was on top of the world, but my ugly past was about rear in’s head back into my life. The day
Anna was born I was late to the hospital do to work, I came there to find out my wife had died during childbirth, the baby had lived
but that moment just broke me. I started having memories of those massacres I had done, I had repressed them the best I could but now
nothing could keep them down. I sank into a deep depression were the only thing that kept me going was Anna, even with her I spent a
lot of my time at bars, drinking and gambling my life away on horse races. Less people wanted help for me, so I started making less
money so had to move out into a very small house with three rooms. A year later I did not have the money to pay off my drinking and
gambling debt, I was afraid someone like Arlington would come by and beat all the money out of me. One day a man told me that I could
repay the debt by giving my only child up. I did not want to but it was my only choice, I could do nothing as they walked away with my
baby. I regretted my choice almost instantly and ran after the man. He was in an alley way with another man, much older with a long
beard; there was a hole in the wall of a building that looked unstable. I punched the man in the face but he did not let the baby go,
he jumped through the hole just as the building collapsed. The building fell on the baby’s pinky finger and cut it off, that was all I
had left of my daughter. The police found no bodies so she had to have survived, but I knew it was the last time I would see her. The
drinking and gambling became worse, I had thoughts of suicide all the time, I had no right to be alive, I branded myself a failure in,
not deserving life. The lives of the people I had taken could have been better than mine, the priest was right. My life was going
down the toilet and to make matters worse my debt had not even been repaid; I was still in the danger zone. 20 years passed with my
life sinking deeper and deeper, I was about to give up and hang myself when the same person I had handed Anna over to came to my door.
I wanted kill him so badly and was about to when he told me that my debt would be repaid and my life would become better if I kidnapped
a girl from a city. I don’t know why I agreed but I did, not knowing what was in store for me. He and his sister rowed me to a small
light house off the coast of Maine. I brought the family revolver with me along with a box with my name on it. It had ammunition, a
picture of the girl when she was ten, and a code for the light house. I walked through the light house to find the person I was told
would bring me to the city, he was dead with a knife in his chest. His eyes had been cut out and were on floor bleeding profoundly, a
note on the wall said stop him from entering the fare city. I felt sick knowing yet another life had been taken because of me, I
reached the top of the light house and put the code in. The sky flickered red and the door opened all I found was a chair with the
roof missing, I sat down thinking about what to do when the roof closed. A loud voice started yelling out ascension, I quickly
realized I had been tricked and that this lighthouse was not a lighthouse at all, more like a shuttle. It went up yelling out 5000
feet, 1000 feet, 1500 feet, I was about to pass out when it went through the clouds and I saw something I would never forget. A city
in the sky, floating above the clouds, I had no idea why this happened and still don’t but for a moment, I knew my life had changed. I
might sound insane but there was really a city in the clouds. It landed in a park, I had landed in the middle of the city of Columbia,
I learned that it had been created back in 1893 during the world’s fair, it had left the country ever since. The date was July 8, the
day they had left the union; it was a Holiday for them. The city’s style was more early 1900s; everything from buildings to clothes
and technology seemed to be from 1912. The city seemed almost perfect with everyone I met being nice, something was wrong here. I
have had a rule that I have followed since my first day in the military, either you draw first when something is not right, or you
don’t get to draw at all and I was pretty sure I would need that skill soon. The city was in its most basic form, hundreds of floating
islands with buildings, connected by lines of wire. I learned it was ruled by a religious dictator that went by the name of Farther
Zachary Hale Comstock; he had been the leader for 30 years. The people talked about him like a god, and the religion was manly
worshiping the founding fathers of our country. At the entrance to the fairgrounds I got letter that told me not to pick 77, I went by
the raffle and picked a number and guess what, it was number 77. I won this lottery and what do you think my prize was, money, fame,
no it was ability to toss baseballs at an interracial couple until they were dead, you can imagine the horror having just learned what
the secret was. I instead tried to toss the ball at the announcer, but before I could the police grabbed me, yelling out I was
someone called the False Shepard, one of them came by with the Skyhook the same thing I am holding now. I over powered the officer
with my strength and pushed him into the hook, let’s just say it did not end well. It started a long battle between me and Columbian
police department. I may not have had a good at living life, but I damn good at taking lives. Long story short I found out the city
is manly racist because there leader said it was the American idea and that its gods will. I made it to Monument Island, the place
where the Lamb otherwise known as the girl I had to rescue was being held. I going to say this sounds like a fairy tale but that’s
really how they held her, strange. I broke into her home, she was not what I would call happy at all, but I convinced her by pure luck
that this was the right thing to do. I learned that her name was Elizabeth and she was quite an interesting person. She had a free
willed almost childlike spirit but she was also somewhat mischievous. She had a biting wit and sarcastic humor; she called me out on
my mistakes without hesitation. She possessed a massive amount of reserve and determination as she was able to focus on her goals and
move past stressful situations without many problems. She is a fountain of information, ranging from lock picking to geography to
medical treatment. However she is reckless and does not think plans through, she is also very naïve. She had a great distaste for
killing, and won’t kill anything wither it be a bug or not. We got off the island and ended up on a small beach, how a beach works in
a floating city is beyond me. At this point people were on the lookout for me so we had to more careful, it was not ease. There was a
dance on the beach with Irish music, I could not keep her away from it and she danced there for a few minutes, she tried to get me to
dance but I, don’t, dance, ever! I had found out she had a huge love of Paris, maybe because of all the culture and heritage but she
could not stop talking about Paris. So I lied and said that one of the many zeppelins was heading to Paris, she lit up like a
Christmas tree, she ran off toward the tickets booths. She went to the ticket booth not far from the beach; there was no line so
before you knew it we were getting the tickets. The man giving ticket was saying strange things that were very suspicious but I did
nothing as I did not feel like killing anymore. He pulled a knife that stabbed into my right hand; I shot him with my revolver before
pulling the knife out, everyone in the station pulled a weapon and started shooting. One of the grabbed Elizabeth, she kicked him in
the face before running off without me. The police in disguise pose no problem but one of them dropped a lever action shotgun, I
grabbed it and still have it to this day, if it hurts it still works. I ran after Elizabeth and found her in a gonadal trying to pull
the lever down, she was not strong enough. She pushed me back calling me a murderer and a bad man, I just told her “You think that
those people would just give you like that after keeping you for 20 years, you either draw first and survive, or you don’t get to draw
at all, I was slow this time but I won’t be next time.” She realized that she was wrong and wanted to do something to help, she
starred at my hand which was bleeding all over my revolver, she grabbed a hand warp and wrapped it around the wound, she told me “If
you ever get hurt, I will try to find something to help, from here on out we have to be a team.” We started to walk through a place
called Soldiers Fields, Disney land of the sky really. One of the places was an area known as the Hall of Hero’s, a museum full of
information that has been twisted to what Comstock wanted it to be, not the place I would normally go to. I would have kept walking
but my former commanding officer, Capitan Cornelius Slate was in this area, and he had declared open war ageist the city for some
reason. At this point I found out about the ongoing civil war, the Founders were the people who were running the city, and the Vox
Populi, Latin for voice of the people, were the lower class people fighting for equal rights or so I thought. I confronted Slate in an
exhibit dedicated to the massacre I had committed 20 years prior, only this time the information was all wrong. To them, it was a real
battle and Comstock was a great hero that saved many lives, you already know the truth. I started having the memories resurface again;
the only thing keeping them down was the job at hand, Elizabeth knew something was wrong. She looked at me with her blue eyes and told
me “From the look in your eyes I know you were there, the horrors you saw, I am sorry for you.” I replied “I don’t need forgiveness;
it was an event that I wish had never happened, I try every day to forget my actions that day, you try living with that much guilt.”
She did not seem happy about what I said but she carried on regardless. We walked by an exhibit dedicated to Comstock’s now dead wife,
when it mentioned them having a child. I put to and to together and figured that Elizabeth was the daughter of the great and holy
leader of this city, this was why they were trying so hard to kill me. I found Slate in the center of the exhibit, he told me that
Comstock had stolen his military career and tarnished it; he always took his job to seriously. He told me that I was still the same
person I was 20 years, he thought that the man he called the White Ingen was still in side of me, I wanted to prove him wrong. He had
come here to die, he wanted me to kill him and his soldiers before Comstock’s men kill him, he was clearly not all there. A large
fight started with his men attacking me and Elizabeth, they all died except for Slate. He was wounded but he did not care, he handed
me a his handgun and told me to shoot him, I wanted to prove to him the old Booker DeWitt was longer alive, so I just walked away and
left him alive. I and Elizabeth walked out of Soldiers Field and onto the First Lady airship, I put in the location to New York and
sat back, I just did not count on Elizabeth knowing what longitude and latitude lines were, she knew I was lying and that we were not
going to Paris. I felt strangely guilty for this, but when I tried to help she pulled a wrench and hit me in the head. When I woke up
the airship had been taken over by the Vox, they told me that if a gunsmith in the factory district would help them, I would get the
air ship back. I was at the docks in the factory district and Elizabeth was nowhere to be found. I found her a little farther up the
docks, she was still very mad at me for lying to her. She did not seem to care what happened to me, the only reason she was still with
me was I was the only person that could get her out of this godforsaken city. We made our way to the gun maker but before I could talk
to him, a dockworker pushed me off the dock, and who of all people saves me, Elizabeth. I apologies for lying to her, normally a
person would have rejected it, but she for some reason she did not and pulled me up. We made to the gunsmith and asked if he could
make the guns, he agreed as he wanted to do this for some time, I asked Elizabeth “Do you think this is the right thing to do?” “What
could go wrong, they are doing these for equal rights and Liberty’s, they remind me of several characters from the book Les Miserable.”
As we walked out I felt very tired, the day had been very long and taxing, so we slept in a small shack in Shanty town not far away.
The next day I awoke to gunfire everywhere, I thought the police were after me again, in turned out that the first batch of guns was
made that quickly. It was open war; people were being shot so we ran back to the factory district. We came in just in time to see the
owner get shot in the face; we walked by the gunsmith to see what he was doing only to find his body on the ground. Elizabeth looked
very guilty telling me with tears in her eye “This is all my fault, if I had done nothing he would still be alive, why did I compare
these people to the great literary saviors.” I hugged her trying to comfort her; I could not believe I was becoming friends with
someone I would soon get rid of. The leader of the Vox was a young woman named Daisy Fitzroy, a smart person but also a brutal person.
She justified her actions by saying that the Founders are like weeds, and the only way to kill them is pull them up by the root. I saw
her in a small building holding a small child with a pistol in the other hand, Elizabeth freaked out. She told me to push her up into
the ventilation shaft; she came out and stabbed Fitzroy in the back, killing her. The look on her face was indescribable, she knew she
had screwed up big but did not know what to say, I told her the airship was right over there, which made her feel very slightly better.
We got onto the airship and set the course for Paris, Elizabeth ran into the back room and did not come out for five minutes. When she
did I noticed she had cut her hair, tosses her old cloths for cloths that matched her mothers. Everything was going well when the
airship started nose diving into the ground, it had been sabotaged or something and it crashed in the middle of Emporia, the market
district. The house of Comstock was nearby, and we both had one thought on are minds, kill this maniac and leave. The walk there was
uneventful and almost no one was guarding the house, I turned around to the see the entire city ablaze. We found the man in his
office; he had no weapon and was standing over a fountain of holy water. He asked Elizabeth to talk with him one last time, he wisped
something to her but she pushed him back telling him that he was wrong about something. They both started grappling with each other so
I ran at him and grabbed him. I was smashing his head into the fountain yelling “This is what you would do to your daughter, trap her
like a rat and watch as times goes by, you think I am just a plague that will kill all!” I started drowning him in the water and
before long the great leader of Columbia was dead. Elizabeth seemed surprised about something, she would not tell me what so we
boarded the Hand of the Prophet, his airship. I put the coordinates to New York and we started flying away from this hell in the sky.
I knew something was wrong and asked what he said; she slowly turned around and told me “How do you get over you forget the horrors you
have seen.” I told her “You don’t you just live with it for the rest of your life, I still have not after all this years.” “What was
your first kill like, did you enjoy it like Comstock said you did, or did it bother you.” “That man was a both a monster and a fool
but he was not wrong, I was did not care when I struck down my first victim, but now I regret it and there is no way to make it right.
“There were many things you cannot fix, the murder of innocents, the loss of loves ones, did those chapters ever truly end?” “They
never ended, to this day if I was to change one thing in my life I could never pick; it would not make anything better.” “Do you know
what happen to Anna? They never found the body; life meant little to you after it. Why did you sell your only child, the worst that
would have happened to you would have been far better than what happen.” “How would you know what was best, if I had not done anything
I would have been killed, I did not like it but I had no choice, it does not even matter anymore. “Really, it does not matter anymore,
do you really want to know what Comstock told me, he told me all of your crimes, and then told me that this partnership is a lie.
Because of you I lost 20 years of my life in this city father, this is what happened to your only child, she became a helpless prisoner
and a pawn in a larger game.” I looked back with shock and horror, I was speechless. “This is what you did with your life; your life
was made of pain and misery, you are a man made for war but little else, you can’t love anything, not even your own daughter.” She
started crying so I hugged her and tried to make since of what had happened. I told her “My life has been on a tear for twenty years,
if you someday find a way to forgive me then life can begin again, I ask nothing more and nothing less than a chance to redeem myself.”
“The man I see now is not the same man I met back in the tower, I have nowhere to go so what choice do I have? I at least expect to
see a puppy when we get home dad.” “ Call me Booker; I do not deserve that title.” After that we left that city and headed back to
New York, those people paid me well and called me a good man, I did not believe them. I bought a large house that better than that
shack on Bowery Street. My work as a private investigator started making money since half of the city wanted me after knowing about my
exploits in Columbia, and I even started writing a book titled “The Angel Columbia” you might even find it in a library if we ever go
past one. Things were going well and Elizabeth started to like me again, until this happened. I look at in an optimistic way, every
person I save is one step to redeeming me, and I am still not a religious man in anyway. I will defend you to my dying breath but that
does not mean I have to like you. On a somewhat happier note I still call Elizabeth by that name and not her real name, I guess that’s
her name now. I going to bed now and I recommend you do the same.
Food
I had no idea what to say after hearing this story, Chill was out like a light, he seems tired after a long day. Noah fell asleep half
way through the tale; he never pays attention to anything if it depended on his life. Melina was talking with Elizabeth for some time
and I did not pay any attention at all to what they were talking about. The bedding was somewhat rough, what do you expect when you
are sleeping in a car garage. I did not sleep all that well, I woke up two times from some terrible dream I cannot remember anymore.
I woke up around 8:00 to see everyone eating bread right where they had been yesterday. I sat next to Chill and started eating the
bread that was right in front of me, it was sourdough, I hate sourdough but I ate it because I was starving. Booker told everyone “We
are going out to scavenging for supply’s and a better place to live in, this garage is both small and unprotected, Arlington you coming
with me, Dempsey, Masaki, Belinski, you are in team two. Elizabeth you are going to stay with are guests, keep your eye on the small
one, he could be trouble.” You could see it her eyes that Elizabeth wanted to come with him, but she said nothing and started talking
with Noah. Booker handed Dempsey a small radio as they walked out, he turned around and said he would be back in a few hours, and like
that he was gone.
In a State of Decay
Booker started walking out with Arlington, he held his prized revolver with his right hand and pointed out that the battle for the city
was still going on. Arlington asked “Is there anything we can do, or is this city just fucked?” “The military will won’t hold for
much longer, with the amount of soldiers and supply’s they have, two days is the best case scenario.” “How do you know these things
exactly?” “I don’t, Elizabeth took a good guess after seeing what they are capable of.” They walked down the main road with nothing in
sight, only the wind kept them company along with the sounds of gun shots in the distance. “Where did you learn how to scavenge
Booker? I don’t suppose the military taught how to survive in a city full of undead.” “They did not, when you are in a floating city
that is hell bent on seeing you die and you only have two guns you have to learn how to scavenge or you die, and as you can see right
now I am still here.” “Sorry I asked, what should be looking for as there are a lot of places to go.” “We are going to try to find a
supermarket and hope it still has food, I am going to clime that radio tower and find see if there is any else in the area.” He
started to clime the tower, he had no fear of heights after what he went through, but the tower was old and withering in the wind when
he started to go up. After two minutes he reached the top of the tower, he could see quite far into the city. He pulled out his
binoculars and started scouting out what was were, he was a Kroger’s up a block, but what got his attention was a house about two miles
from the garage. It had a stone wall around it, a large front and back lawn and he saw no movement anywhere. He climbed down the
tower slow as a snail, but seems to be happy, something Arlington had never seen in the short time in the group. “DeWitt, you look
happier than a man who won the lottery, what did you see up there.” “I saw are food source and it’s very close, but better yet I saw
are next base of operations not far away.” “Well that’s just great; maybe we might survive this after all. “I would not go that far
yet but it’s a step in the right direction.” “You know what I could go for right now, a New York porter house steak that is medium
rare with seasonings. I have not had one since prison, and after eating that shit and flying the coop I deserve something good. You
know there was this stack restaurant only two blocks from my house in Brooklyn, I believe it had a really simple name, Tommy’s I
believe. Anyway the spices they would put on the steak was amazing.” “Arlington, shut up before the dead get their own New York
porter house.” They made it to the supermarket a little bit later, the radio crackled to life with the sound of Dempsey’s voice, “
Hay guys, we just found a gun store that has not been touched, we going in out.” The market was empty with the lights still on, the
sound of undead groans was nearby but not in the store, they went ahead and started looting the place. Arlington went to the pharmacy
and grabs as many pills as he could, pain pills, sleeping pills everything he could grab. Booker went into the canned food area, he
came out with five cans of soup, five cans of fish, and some meat, he then grabbed two bags of potato chips, and he knew that the new
members would love that. Arlington starting grabbing some food to, he did not have a lot of space in his pack but there was some
space. He grabbed some fruit of all things, saying “I always loved fruit when I was in New York, all the apples are on me Booker.” As
they started to leave Arlington went back to the pharmacy to cheek if he missed something, he found another door he missed the first
time, it was locked. Booker looked at the door with wide eyes and said, “Arlington, don’t open that door, the alarm system is still
on.” “Don’t worry, I can pick a lock pretty well.” Booker stood there for about three minute as Arlington picked the lock on the
door, when he did open it the alarm went off just like Booker said it would. Booker yelled to him, “What the hell was that, I told you
the alarms were still on and yet you still tried to open the door!” “It was a risk I had to take; you never know what could be beyond
that door.” “I don’t care what is over there, get your ass out or we are going to die.” The sound of glass being shattered was all
around them. Booker turned around to see a mob of zombies had made it into the market; he grabs his shotgun and told Arlington, “I can
only hold for so long, if you are not done in two minutes I am leaving with or without you. His shotgun tore open both the head and
stomach of the zombie, he pulled the lever back just as one lunged at him, he smashed it’s head open with the barrel of the gun.
Arlington was freaking out as he knew that Booker meant his words, he looked down to find a small metal box and bolted out of the room.
Booker had switched to his revolver and had just put the barrel in a zombie’s mouth when he saw Arlington. He ran with him out the
back door and out onto the street, when they got to an alleyway he turned around and hit Arlington in the mouth. “Do you know how
stupid that was; I did not know any collages accepts people like you.” “Get of my ass, I did just find you a box of supplies that
might save lives, you know you need to lighten up some days.” Booker saw the size of the box and told Arlington “I don’t give a damn
never do something like that again, or it’s not just the zombies you have to worry about.” “I understand, now let’s go check out your
base so we can go home and burn yet another tire.”
A calm port in the middle of the hurricane
They reached the house without much time wasted; it had a tree just inside of the confines of the house, looking over the gate with a
great view of the area. In the tree was a small tree house, a good makeshift guard tower. Arlington was just staring at the tree
house before uttering “I had a neighbor who had a tree house when I was kid, I always wanted to live in that house so you got a thumps
up from me already.” The wall was in good shape, in could be climbed over but with some wire it would be safe. The yard was very
large, perfect for setting up some facilities. They continued to walk around the place, there were no zombies to be found, everything
seemed pretty good. They walked into the house, it all looked about right but the owner was nowhere. They walked into the dining room
and saw a steak still on the table, Arlington ran over and grabbed the steak as Booker grabs his revolver and started walking up a
flight of stairs to a bedroom with the door open. Booker walked in to find old man on the bed, barely alive with a small bite on his
hand. Booker knew what had happened, he had been bit by a zombie and would be dead soon. Arlington walked in with the steak still in
his hand saying with meat in his mouth “You find anything good in here, this steak is so damn good you want som- what the hell happened
here?” “He has been bit, he is alive but only just, I do not think he is even awake.” The moment Booker said that the old man quietly
uttered the word Crawford before dying. Arlington then started searching his body, Booker angrily told him “What the hell, you almost
got us killed before why risk your life?” “It takes a few minutes to come back, I will be fine, besides money is never not useful.”
He continued to search the body until he found the old man’s wallet, it then sprang to life and grabbed him. Before it could bite
Arlington Booker shot in in the head with his revolver, he coldly told Arlington “You owe me now.” They walked out with Arlington
still in a bit of shock and Booker in a slightly mad tone, “I am not even going to question your stupidity so forget it. Do you have
any idea what Crawford means because I have a no idea.” “ How the fuck is I supposed to know, I have been in this blasted city for one
day why would I know the area or its leaders or anything.” “Let’s just head back to the garage and tell everyone to move to that
house.” “For once I agree with that plan besides. It has a garden and there is still a bit of that steak.”
Hours Before
Chill looked barely awake, he looked over at his new baby sitter and then looked at the floor. I was sitting there still eating the
bread that I despised; I asked Elizabeth “How long will Booker be gone?” She responded quickly “Knowing Booker, he won’t be gone more
than two hours.” She got up and walked toward an old radio that had been lying there for some time. “Clearly you four are tired and
have nothing to do; I am going to fix that now.” She grabbed a wrench that was under a car, and started opening up the radio, we had
no idea what she was doing. Five minutes went by and just as we were turning away we heard the sound of music and voices. She got it
working, god knows how but it was playing. I ran up and asked “How did you do that?” “With 20 years of nothing but a bedroom and few
rooms what do you think, I studied as many subjects as I could. History, Science, geography, medicine, fixing stuff you name it I
could do it, that radio was not even a challenge.” Chill looked up and asked “Then I guess you have played chess before right, I saw a
box over there so I was thinking…” “Chill, you have not played chess before in your life; the closest you ever came was watching
chess.” “How hard can it be, it’s just like Checkers with different pieces right?” Elizabeth agreed and grabbed the box and started
playing chess. It seemed surreal, playing chess with a radio playing modern music; if I did not notice the rubble and destruction
around me then I would not guess the apocalypse was even happening. Chill lost in about five turns, give or take, maybe less, you
should have seen Chill’s face after he lost that fast. We all were laughing at Chill for about a minute, he got up and said “Can you
shoot something straight and kill, since I know I you did not practice on that.” Elizabeth had never fired a gun her whole life, she
had only killed one living person and she was horrified at just the thought of doing it again. She told Chill “Have you honestly ever
killed a person? Because I have and it’s not like in your games where there is a little bit of blood and they are unredeemable. I
grabbed those scissors and stabbed Daisy right through the throat, I knew the human body well, but in the haste I thought it would not
kill her. I saved a life at the cost of another, she may have wanted us dead and she was a monster who wanted to see Columbia burn,
but I feel pity for her. I cut an artery and blood gushed all over me, I watched her bleed to death quickly but I know it was FAR from
painless. I never like murder or war or anything like that, so no I have never shot a gun in my life.” “ I am sorry for bringing it
up I just like to dominate things, games to conversations, I met no disrespect.” Noah came over and said “He never admits his
mistakes; he is really a soft heart when you know the guy.” “ At a point I got over the idea that you must hate people that kill
many, Booker killed his way through Columbia but I understood why, I guess I just do not like the sight of blood. It’s just a fear we
got to get over some time or another. I guess I should stay positive right now, it always was would I would tell myself in the tower
some days. I know a few songs and there is a guitar around here somewhere if you want. “Nah I think we are fine for now, maybe later
when Booker comes back.” Do you ever wonder what this place was like before all of this, as it intrigues me that at one time there was
a minor band, a professional chess player someone from a tire store all within sight of each other.” I nodded and started walking to
the radio; do you think there could be any news on this radio Elizabeth? “There could be something, the military does Morse code
during situations but I can understand it. I use to play a game so I could memories how Morse code works it, I would sing it with the
words being small dot large dot and stuff like that, that was back when I was 15 so that’s not going to happen today.” She got on the
radio and started turning onto different frequencies, she found the frequency and started to write down the letters and before too
long she had the massage. She said it a slightly depressed voice, “The military is pulling out and evacuating people on the Talmadge
Memorial bridge with helicopters. It’s too late for us to get out but we do know were the army is.” “So we are not going to leaving
anytime soon, shit, I know this happens all the time in zombie related stuff but I never thought it would happen in real life.” Chill
walked over to the radio and turned the nob to a heavy metal station, and started talking to Noah about games. I did not care so I
walked over to the door; it was still shut with no sounds of walking anywhere to be heard. A minute went by and I heard footsteps
coming, so I opened the metal door and when it lifted I found a gun pointed at my face.
Walk Among the Cobras
I could clearly see the man’s face, it was not Booker, and it was not Arlington, I knew nothing other than he had a Barrette pointed at
my face. He walked into the room and started talking to us all “Well this was a stroke of luck, plenty of supplies, several people
and one woman; this is going to be a fun night.” Chill turned around slowly, more scared then I had ever seen before, he said slowly
talked in a stuttering voice, “Who the hell are you, and what do you want.” “I am the man with the gun; I make all the rules, now I am
only going to say this once, are you older then 14, and you girl, are you at least 18.” We all nodded as fast as a human could, he sat
leaned ageist a car and kept talking in his southern voice, “ Well then, Crawford is going to love this, you are all coming with me
now, except the girl, how old are you.” “I am 20, what do you want from me?” “Well then god bless the stars above me, I found some
tail, good tail to, this is how it works, the world has gone to hell, the army is going to be gone really soon and there is no real
world order left, and man don’t have anything they want anymore, grilled food, football, but woman are still an option, and you are the
lucky lady today. I am not dumb, there must be others looking for food, how many are there, Crawford might want living people, but
dead people still have uses for him.” Chill looked around for a second, he saw a revolver on the ground and grabbed it and pointed it
at his enemy. “All right kid, you got me with by balls down, you won’t pull the trigger, I can see that look in your eyes that tells
me you have never killed living person.” Chill was visibly shacking; he dropped the gun on the ground in seconds. “Well I it’s time to
leave now, get in the truck.” We all started walking, one at a time, I swear I could see a tear in Chills eyes, he knew he was pretty
much dead already, we all felt sorry for Elizabeth, all I could think of was, was how Booker was going to take all this news. The
truck was relatively small; it was red with headlights on top, just what I wanted to see at that moment. Noah and Melina got in the
back and Chill and I got in the front, fearful of what was to come. That guy stayed behind with Elizabeth, he would not take that
long, I guessed. “Well now that everyone is in the truck how about I get my beak wet now, any questions?” “What is your real name, it
means nothing I just want to know.” “Well my girl my name is Nate, now what is your name miss 1896, if we are going to be formal.” “My
name is Elizabeth, can we get this over with now.” “Well I might be a nice guy but nope, it’s been way to long so this session is
going to be extensive.” I started talking to Chill to pass the time, “what do you think of this shit.” “What do I think, I think we
should run for it, at least we will have a chance.” “We can’t, he locked us in there, so we might as well just start doing, something,
and does Rock Paper Scissors work?” “Why not, we are all going to be dead anyway, rock paper scissors shoot, god damn it, paper just
sucks.” “Quit complaining, it’s this or you could join mister I want tail back there.” Back in the garage, Elizabeth, was quickly
looking around the room for something, I mean she did not like to kill things, do you really think she would like sex? She saw a
bottle of vodka, the Nickolai’s, pride and joy, she smashed the bottle into Nate’s face. She ran off so fast I never could catch up to
her. I saw Nate run into the truck, his face bleeding badly with glass shards in his cheek, he started the car without a second
thought. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and drank it while driving after Elizabeth, “That bitch, my fucking face, well I will find
her, and I will get, my, tail.” He pulled out his handgun and shot at Elizabeth, he hit her in the shoulder but she kept running, she
ran into an alleyway and like that, she was gone. Before I could say anything both Noah and Melina jumped out and ran down that
alleyway, Chill and I jumped out to, I landed on the road at an odd angel, but I ran off into the alley. That guy in the truck ether
did not care or was too lazy, he just drove off, but not before yelling out “come on, we were just starting to know each other.” I
found everyone else and was dumb founded about what to even say; I just starred at Chill, not knowing what to say, or how close one of
my group members was way to being raped. After five minutes of just doing nothing, we started walking back to the garage.
The Cold Summer Winds
When we got back to find everything still the way it was, that guy Nate was nowhere to be found. Elizabeth was still in shock; Chill
started telling her everything is going to be okay. Time pasted, and time pasted, it felt like days had pasted, but it was really just
hours. Just as I started to fall asleep when Noah heard footsteps, Chill grabbed that revolver again, determent to pull the trigger
again. The door opened and it revealed Arlington and Booker, I was never happier. Arlington dropped whatever he was holding, a box of
something and yelled out “Wow, put the gun down kid, who the fuck do you think you even are Clint East Wood?” “Sorry we are just a bit
jumpy after what happened, why did it take you so long?” “Well for one this box of meds in one reason, and we found a better safe
haven.” “What the fuck happen to all of you, you look worse than I did after my first week in jail, and that was a hard week.” I
could not even say anything, so Noah, mister silent, told them, “When we were waiting some, guy found us and… and …and almost raped
your daughter.” “Holy shit, I take it back, you look worse than I did after that first week.” “Elizabeth, are you okay, did he…”
“No, I got away; he is still out there somewhere.” “Then we got to go, now, pack up everything and let’s make a run for the house,
it’s not far.” “Booker, the military is pulling out now; we need to help them, somehow.” “Get me the radio, were are Dempsey and the
rest?” The radio crackled to life, we could hear the deep voice of Tank Dempsey.” “What the fuck do you want now, we got the guns and
ammo, we are fine.” “Change of plans tell Takeo that he will take the guns back to a house near the garage, Arlington will show you
the way, make your way the bridge, we need to help the military.”
Bridge Over Troubled Water
“Fuck, just more work for us, Nikolai ready your shotgun; we are going to save the army’s ass.” “Whatever you say Dempsey, let’s go
now before the zombies come down on us, not that it would be a bad thing.” The bridge was not too far, but time was not on their side.
“So what do you think of the rest of our group Nikolai, because I think the guy with the hook is okay, the gangster is sketchy, and the
new kids seem fine I guess.” “I would agree, except Al is better once you know him, and share a drink, it never hurts.” “Whatever,
you and your vodka, can you Russians even live without that stuff, or is it something you take from the cradle to the grave.” “It’s
something I like a lot, everybody liked in where I lived, but I would always say if it’s a happy day drink, if it’s a sad day, drink,
you can’t go wrong.” “What do you think of this city anyway; all the church bells make me feel like I am trapped here.” “Where I
lived, you would be lucky to even have one church; this is way too many for anyone to know what to do.” “I have been thinking of names
for these zombies other then, well zombies. What do you think of maggot whores, freak bags, puss buckets, and zombitch, which do you
like?” “ I would go with all of them, but I would pick out freak bag, I called my pet rat that back in Russia.” “Okay then, because
we are going to test it out real soon. Do you think I would look more badass with my current army uniform, or an older version like
World War 2 or 1?” “I think an older outfit fits you better Tank, desert colors does not fit in such urban areas.” “Alright then, on
the way back let’s just go raid an museum or something, they won’t miss it.” They reached the bridge, there were three helicopters in
the center, soldiers were getting on as quick as they could, and the zombies were right behind. Dempsey flipped the safety off his
M4A1 rifle, and opened fire on the horde in front of them. He ran toward the helicopters, he yelled at the top of his lungs to an
officer “The Calvary is here captain, how long you need?” “Five minutes tops, there very few of us left anyway.” Dempsey turned
around and faced the horde of zombies with a slight grin, one of them tried to grab him but it only tasted his bayonet. He emptied a
magazine into five zombies in seconds, everything was chaotic, zombie all around, shouts and screams filled the air as think as lead,
blood was flowing like a river, this was a losing battle. Dempsey put his M4 back on his shoulder as he took out his combat knife. He
ran at a zombie, he ducked under its flailing arms and then stabbed it in the back of the head. He then stabbed a zombie in the throat
before pulling out and stabbing in into the forehead of another zombie, he then pulled out his Remington 1875 revolver and shot the
zombie he just cut in the head. He fired off the last five rounds in the cylinder before putting it back in his coat, he saw another
zombie near a exposed pipe, he ran up to it and back handed it in the face, he grabbed it’s head and slammed it into the pipe, causing
burning steam to cook it’s brain. Nikolai loaded another shell into his shotgun; he fired it at a zombie that had pinned a soldier to
the ground, its head came clean off from the impact. Dempsey grabbed a zombie by the throat and crushed it’s skull with his large
hand. Nikolai grabbed a rock and smashed the zombie that had grabbed onto his jacket, he was getting tired fast, but he did not care.
Dempsey then turned to Nikolai and tossed his revolver to him, fully loaded. Nikolai then shot two more zombies in the head before
tossing it back to Dempsey. He then put his hand into his large backpack and pulled out his ax, he swung it at the leg of a zombie,
cutting it clean off before slamming it into its head. One zombie lunged at Nikolai, he blocked it with the ax before swinging it so
hard at the zombie’s head that it split in in half down to the neck. He then threw the ax like a boomerang into the head of another
zombie, he pulled out his shotgun and killed two more as he retrieved the ax. Dempsey threw his only hand grenade into yet another
crowd of zombies, body parts rained around him and one of the zombies was still crawling toward him, he stomped on its head with his
boot. Dempsey saw one last zombie on the bridge, he had no ammo left so he ran at it, and kicked it off the bridge, he saw it fall
like a stone into the water below. The helicopters were almost done, only one remained and it was starting to take off when one last
soldier ran toward it flailing his arms. He ran at it yelling at it to wait a second, the captain lowered his hand to pull him up, but
he slipped and fell right next to Dempsey. He dusted himself off and yelled to the helicopter, “Thanks for leaving me here to die
fucker; I hope you rot in hell along with everyone in Bravo Company. I would say thanks but that would mean I give a shit, and right
now my chances of living are about as good as telling the president to fuck off.” “What the hell is your problem; we just saved your
ass from the dead.” “You ‘saved me’ from nothing, I wanted to leave this city, and now it seems I will die in the city I hate more
than my ex-wife, go fucking figure.” “You could join us, we have plenty of vodka and a safe shelter, and it beats talking about how
much your life sucks.” “I could do much worse than spend the rest of my dying days with a commie drunk and a southern dumbass, why
not, we are all going to die anyway.” “Let’s get a move on Nikolai; we don’t have much until more zombies find us.” “You call them
zombies, hah great, my life must really suck if hearing the name zombie makes me laugh like a little girl. My name is Sergeant Erick
Tan by the way, and don’t you even dare salute me, we got better things to do then that.” “How the fuck did you lose, you had
helicopters and automatic weapons, how did you lose to the fucking freak sacks?” “ There are so many reasons as to why we just lost;
number one would be we underestimated them. We can in expecting riots; we got a lot more than that. We thought the same thing,
walking corpses, this will be easy. Command thought is was so easy they did not even bother to reinforce us with tanks, just Alpha and
Bravo Company and that my friend, is only 50 soldiers, for the second largest city in this state, and to top it off when we got here
are officers just sat around with their thumb up there ass and did nothing for a few hours. Then are ammo did not arrive on time, and
no one knew that sound attracted them faster than a hound dog on a pork chop. I believe we lost half are guy’s the first day, and
after that we have been just trying to get out of this city, and now the score is ten made it out, 39 are dead, and I am the lone
survivor, just how I wanted my summer to go. At least my commanding officer died, she was a bitch you know, she always made sure we
followed orders no matter what; she did not care what happened to the civilians, and she wanted was a city clear of undead, I hope the
zombie that got her ate her slowly. Can we get a move on, I am not a fan of walking around with only six shots in a Beretta.” “Are
friend is right ahead he will get us to are destination, and will you shut the fuck up, I thought you were army.” “ You better have at
least five bottles of wine and a soft couch, and then we will stay friends okay.” “Before we go any further, there is a museum over
there and my friend here thought I would look even more badass in an old time army uniform.” “You can’t be serious, you are going to
risk your life just for a uniform, I thought you marines at least had a brain, and yes I can tell you are a marine just from that
uniform you got there.” They went into the museum anyway, it did not take long for Dempsey to find his target, an World War I American
uniform. He picked up a chair and broke the glass, it seemed the power had gone out in the building, and grabbed the uniform.
“Nikolai, put my old uniform in you backpack, anyone got a mirror?” “You expect me to have a mirror, what am I now your stylist, just
look at the glass.” Dempsey took one look at the glass and said, “Damn, I do look more badass, thanks for the idea Nikolai.” “No
problem, just as long as you give me a taste of your whiskey.” They walked out slowly toward the garage, where Arlington was waiting.
The Warmth of the fireplace
The walk from the garage to this new safe zone was longer than I thought it would be, I was tired by the time I saw the stone wall. It
was late and Chill was about to fall over from all the walking, we all went to the bedrooms in the house, there was enough space for
all of us. The power was still working, I don’t think it would last for more than a day, unless we have a generator and that makes a
shit ton of noise. Chill, Noah, and Melina, went to sleep quickly; there rest of the group was down stairs in the living room talking
about stuff, I may have been tired but for some reason I got out of bed and went down stairs. They were all talking about something
with someone new, Arlington called me over, “Hay Tyler, meet the newest member of are slowly growing group, meet Sargent Eric Tan.”
“This place is even better than what we had down town, and it has a lot more beer to. Well Dempsey, you may be a marine, but you kept
up on your side of the bargain.” The radio was near the window, Elizabeth turned it on and it started talking about the situation in
Georgia, “the situation is all cities are as follows, Atlanta, stage 9 catastrophe, Athens, stage 9 catastrophe, Albany, stage 8
disaster, Savannah, stage 9 catastrophe, Macon, stage 9 catastrophe, once again Savannah is now a stage 9 catastrophe.” “Well shit,
seems the army is losing at every corner, good job.” “So this means that the city is fucked, why are we still here, nobody is coming
to save us.” “Where else are we supposed to go, if we stay here we might be able to ride out the storm.” “Good luck with that DeWitt,
you keep talking while I drink this bottle of wine, now where were we, right we just talking about how Arlington once forgot to pay a
bar tab in a seedy bar.” “I left my wallet back in the car, but the bartender thought I would just drive off if I got to the car, and
he was right I would have done that. So anyway we are arguing and the other patrons got up and left and before long me and him we all
that left. I just gave up trying to be civil and just smashed a bottle in his face and ran, I never came back ever since.” Well
remind me never to ask you to mix my drinks, I can do it myself.” “Really Tan, you can mix drinks?” “Well kind of, if you count
mixing a bottle of Coke with a Whiskey, I recommend you try that combo if you kind find those two drinks.” You got any other story’s,
as I feel so bored that I could just sit back on this seat and fall asleep like I am watching a Yankees game.” “Arlington, you can go
to sleep after you hear this story. Okay so this one time in Afghanistan, I just got off the plane and was walking toward the FOB when
a RPG came out of the desert winds, I laughed it off as luck and started doing my patrol. Well as you can believe I did not get along
with the Marines that well, and after I did my patrol I went to get a drink. I walked into the bar and asked for a Whiskey bottle, and
one of the Marines asked for some change to get something from a vending machine, I had shit so I told him to fuck off, he did not
leave me along so I socked him in the face and walked out.” “I fail to see how this is interesting Tan, you almost got hit by a rocket
and hit a soldier, great service.” “Shut up Arlington you don’t know shit about telling a tale, anyway the next day that Marine got
his friends together and tried to ambush me in the hallways, only thing is they mixed up the Major as he wore cloths similar to mine,
you could hear them getting there asses torn off, it was great. I never met a Marine that I like, always thinking they were better,
and that they should lead the way and do everything, Dempsey here is the only decent one I know.” “ That is just swell guys, you two
are thick as thieves already, you better not expect me to clean up the couch Tan, I am not your Maid.” “ Calm down Elizabeth, do you
really think I am going to do that while Booker over there watches me with his revolver in his pocket; I did not survive three tours
overseas just to be killed for being rude, I mean Booker would never do that, would you?” “ Well if you make a move on Elizabeth, then
just maybe I will.” “Okay, I will just go to bed before I do something that, I will clean the Wine tomorrow, and we will talk again
Arlington.” “Sure, why not, it’s not like the dead will stop us from talking.” I started walking back upstairs, my watch said it was
almost eleven thirty, I walked into the room to see Chill and the rest sleeping the same way I had left them, so I got into bed and
closed my eyes, it did not last long. The door opened roughly five minutes later, and Booker walked right in and sat down next to my
bed. “Do you have any fears that mess with you a lot Tyler?” “Strange question, I have a deathly fear of ghosts, I don’t know why but
every time I am in an old looking house, and strange sounds happen, I start breathing unevenly, I sweat profusely, it’s been a problem,
why does it matter?” “Just something I want to know, if we are going to be working and dying together, we need to know more about each
other.” He then pulled out his revolver; it looked like it had been cleaned recently. “This revolver has a long history, most not
something you should be proud off. In the year 1861 my great great grandfather bought this newly made Colt 1851 Navy revolver from a
gunsmith outside of Richmond, he was a second lieutenant in the Confederate army. I can’t even count how many lives that gun killed,
from Manassas to Sharpsburg to Cold Harbor, he was there, and so was this gun. When the war ended he kept it as a hunting weapon, and
1868 he gave it to his son, he went on to fight in the Indian wars, this gun was used at Wounded Knee, the horrors I can’t imagine. So
ever since then this revolver has been passed down from generation to generation, and the amount of lives it has taken is uncountable,
it almost feels like it has a bloodlust, a ‘need’ to kill something when it wants to, it has been called a good luck charm and a bad
luck charm, even the Confederate museum in Richmond wanted it. I modified it a little bit over the years, I made use modern ammo
instead of the old mini ball and paper, loosened the trigger up a bit, and to this day it still kills. One of these days I am going to
give it to Elizabeth, she won’t like it but it has to happen, she will be the first woman to have owned this gun, and that day might be
coming soon. You might be asking yourself, why did Mr. DeWitt just go on and on about a gun, well the answer is simple, you are going
to be using it now. We are going out scavenging, you need to learn and there is no better time than the dead of night.” Just like
that, I was out of bed and into the streets, Booker told me we were heading to the old district of Savannah, and to make matters worse
a storm was coming down on us, I had no idea what horrors awaited me inside the building we were going to.
The House
It was around 12:00 PM when we arrived at the destination, the walk had been surprisingly uneventful, something I was glad of. The
target was an old house, even older then the houses around it, the door was barricaded in with plywood, and there was a hole in the
window. Booker used his Sky hook and tore the plywood off the door and like that, it opened with a loud moan. The moonlight shined
it’s light in front of us and all we saw was a large lobby like area. Booker handed me his revolver while he took out his shotgun, he
signaled me to head over to a small closet near the door. As I was walking toward it the door closed behind it, the wind had picked up
and the sound of thunder was coming ever closer. The closet had nothing important, just some coats and hats; I looked out the window
to see the clouds rolling in fast. Booker found a candle on a table; he lit it and carried it with him, dispelling the darkness around
me. As I went over to the piano in the corner it sounded as if a soft voice called out as the winds struck the windows, it sounded
like a voice saying “you do not belong.” I dropped the revolver after walking by, it was undamaged thank god, as I picked it up it
suddenly got colder for some reason. I walked into the living room only to find no TV, and a body with a bullet hole in his head and a
large hole where his heart should be, I yelled to Booker what I found, he silently told me “We are not along here, no walker could do
this, keep your eyes open and finger on the trigger.” There was a fireplace where a TV should be, with a large portrayed of a young
woman in a 1800s style dress. There was a smaller picture below that, with a man behind the woman, a father maybe? It was just then I
heard a loud banging sound, dust fell from the ceiling and I good see the look in Bookers eyes like something was going wrong. The
first floor had been checked, nothing of any use had been found yet so Booker went up the stairs into library, I stayed behind in the
living room. I walked into the kitchen and found one of the cabinets bleeding; I opened it to find a human head, torn clean off. I
found no food in the other cabinets. I looked out the window to see the storm was upon us, the rain was hitting hard, the wind howled
like a caged dog; the thunder shook the building to its core. I turned around ready to go upstairs when I heard the sound of glass
shattering, I quickly turned about face to see everything the same, except the picture I had seen just minutes before was all fucked
up. There were no eyes in the people’s faces only blood, I had no idea what to say, so I ran up the flight of stairs quick as could
be. I found Booker sitting in the library, with the candle on the table. I felt safe in this room for an odd reason, I started
checking the books for some reason, I was bored and scared at the same time. I found nothing that could aid us; most of these books
were old time classics, Mark Twain mostly. I left the room and went into the bathroom, I opened the cabinet with a mirror on it, I
found some pain killers, better than nothing I guess. As I closed the cabinet I jumped back at what I saw, instead of my own figure in
the mirror I saw someone else’s, a woman in a black dress, eerily similar to the one in the portrayed, with tears going down her left
cheek, I turned around with my finger on the trigger and what did I find, nothing. I heard a dropping noise, like a bathtub being
filled with something other than water, I turned and saw blood going over the edge of the tub, I closed the door and ran. I heard a
loud banging sound come from the front door, as if someone was trying to get in, with my hand visibly shacking I walked into the
guest’s bedroom. On the bed was another body, this one with the head missing, there was a head lamp above the body, it swinging even
though there was no breeze in the room. The panting behind the bed was almost off, I checked behind it to find a box of bullets and a
human heart! The bathroom nearby had the windows covered in more plywood, and the tub was also filled with blood. As I left I heard
that faint voice say “what is dark and under the bed.” I started to walk faster and faster toward the library, but when I got to the
stairs I saw the shadow of someone hanging; only there was nothing there. I ran into the library to find Booker still sitting the same
way I had left him. “ I asked him, is there something I missed or am I losing my mind, shit is happening left and right, you don’t
happen to know anything about that do you?” “Yes I do, this house is one of the oldest houses in Savannah, it has a dark past that
most people would like to have forgot about. This house was owned by a woman by the name of Lucy Bell Jane, this was her family’s home
from the day she was born in 1835 to when she died. Her family was one of the richer family’s in Savannah, and when she was 25 she
married the local judge, everything was going well for her. That peace was broken when her husband died during the battle of
Sharpsburg, he died on the field of battle and she was never quite the same. She moved out after the war ended and became a member of
the mining town of Calico California. There she married again, this time to a train robber, don’t ask why, and she became of the
Madame of a brothel named the Dixie Rose. Life was going well again until her second husband was gunned down by a sheriff in 1872; she
left Calico and went back to Savannah. When she came back she only wore a black dress, never anything else, people called her the lady
in black and the black widow. For whatever reason, even I don’t know, she started killing people for fun. She would go to a bar, get
someone drunk, get them to come home with her, and when the victim was in bed with her, she would stab them repeatedly in the heart.
This went on for five years, until one of the people she killed happen to be a police officer, they arrested her and put her on trial.
Not all the money and wealth in Savannah could save her from the gallows; she was the only woman to be hanged in this town. People
most of the time avoided this house, it was said to be cursed and haunted. It is unknown how many people she killed, but the police
found 15 sets of watches in the closet. This is why we are here, first we needed some supplies and I thought no one would have come
here, and what better way to get over your fears.” “This is bullshit, we need to leave, all I could find were painkillers and bullets,
let me guess, the door is shut tight and we can’t leave can we.” “ And I was starting to believe you were slow, we have to survive the
night here, or find another way out, good luck, I will stay in this spot.” I was panicking, trapped in this house, we are dead, how
did those other people die in here, ghosts can’t kill people. I walked toward one of only two doors left up here, they both were
bedrooms. They were both locked, I started walking away when I heard a blood curdling scream, the door became ajar just like that, I
worked up enough courage to open the door and I found a body with a huge knife in its chest, and a person standing over it. She slowly
turned around, it was that woman again, she pulled the knife out and walked toward me, I was so terrified that I just stood there, like
a deer in headlights. She touched me and I pasted out from everything, I heard a loud voice yell wake up and like that I was up again.
My watch told me it had been two minutes since I had opened the door, the body was gone and so was the knife, the woman in black was
also gone, on the floor was a note with the words you’re my Huckleberry. I went back to the library, Booker looking at all the books
in the collection, I grabbed Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer on the shelf, and stuck in between the pages was a key. I opened the last
remaining door, it was Lucy’s room, I was unsure of what I was to find. I found another body slumped ageist a table, a journal still
in his fingers. I heard the voices talk again; they whispered “this is my house.” There was a blood splat in the middle of the bed,
but when I put my hand in it, it felt dry as a desert. The storm was raging badly outside, the glass was cracked from years of
disrepair and small drops of water was coming through. I turned and looked at the closet, nothing but black dresses, I was so pissed
that I had found nothing that I picked up the book and threw it at the closet. To my amazement the book hit the wall and made a small
hole, it was hallow. I kicked my way through the door and found skulls, so many skulls. There were bones everywhere; the walls were
soaked in dry blood. I backed out slowly with the gun drawn before turning tail and running. I went back to the good old library and
sat down with the journal in hand, it had the name Xavier Rehayem on the front. “I found safety today, one minute me and my friends
are walking down River Street and the next the dead have come back, thank god we found this house. It might be old and decrepit but it
works; now if only we good find a way out of here, the main door will not open. I sat down in the library, it appears there is a lot
of books here, and being a scholar of books myself, I started reading many of them, my friend Caleb kept talking about seeing strange
things happen but he always was a crazy one. So I believe it’s day two of the apocalypse, and Caleb is not faring well, he is rambling
on and on about how something is tormenting him, I myself heard strange things yesterday but it’s just an old house, shit happens. We
found a good amount of food in the kitchen, I put it in the basement for safe keeping, nothing will be able to take it now. A hour ago
I saw something odd, while in the bathroom I saw a shadow follow me, I am sure it was not Caleb or the others screwing around again,
maybe Caleb was right after all, something evil resides here. I don’t know what time it is, it’s getting dark from the looks of it;
something went wrong, very wrong. Caleb, he snapped, he grabbed a knife and stabbed Henry in the heart, he then ran after Charles and
tore his head off, Cany tried to fight back but he did not make it far, I saw his body get torn apart before I made it to his bedroom,
now the door won’t open. If anyone is reading this, GET OUT, there is an evil presences here, and it has driven my friend mad, lord in
heaven, please teach me how to die.” “Booker, I may have found some food and that could help are group, it’s in the basement, you go
down there while I put this book back.” I went back into Lucy’s bedroom and put the book back next to Xavier’s body, I noticed
something under the bed. I got on my hands and grabbed something from under the bed, it was a large Bowie Knife with dried blood on
the blade, must have been her weapon. As I left the room for the last time the voice started moaning and screaming, I just ran down
the stairs into the room with the food and maybe a way out. I found Booker down in the cellar with a box of food, canned food, then
the door slammed behind me, we were trapped once again. Booker looked at the decaying wood and hit it with his Sky hook; it fell apart
to reveal a tunnel heading south I guess. It was real tiny, even claustrophobic at times, I heard a human yell to us in an echoing
voice, “I will kill you, the mistress wants your blood” and before I could do anything this thing ran at me with a knife. I fired a
shot at its head, the revolver flew out of my hand, but I need not worry, so did the creatures head. It was the friend that was
described in the journal, he had lost his mind, we were in the clear so we followed the tunnel for some time, the storm above was still
screeching all the while. Just as we reached the end ‘she’ appeared behind us, her soft whispery voice yelling out to us, I pulled out
the revolver and shot at her, it went right through her. It was a dumb move but it was my instincts that did it. She was floating
there with no legs, just staring at me, with tears coming down her pale white face. She started coming toward me, slowly and then
faster, and faster, and before long I was running faster than I had ever ran before. We made it out of the tunnel, it led back into
the old part of town, and when I turned around she was not there. I sat down of a bench, I normally would have cared about getting
soaked in the rain but this, this was a special moment, I did not give a shit. I turned around and in the nicest of voices told
Booker, “You are an asshole you know that, this was your plan and it almost got us killed.” “We did walk away with some stuff for the
group did we not, and you fought your fears instead of doing nothing, be proud of yourself.” “Whatever, let’s get back to Elizabeth
and the rest.” I checked my watch before walking back, it was 3:00 AM, we have spent three hours in that house, and it was three hour
I never want to go through again. I handed Booker his prized revolver and we started the like hike back to the house, and a warm bed.
“You know Tyler, I would not have done this if I did not like you, remember that in the future, what I am doing for you now might seem
like hatred, it’s really appreciation.”
Training Day
At 5:00 AM we made it back to the house, Arlington was on watch in the tree house; he saw us and yelled out, “What the fuck, I was just
about to tell everyone that you were dead, about damn time what took you?” “Long story Arlington, I might tell you tomorrow but for
now let us in so we can just rest.” “Alright, it’s not like I am a harden criminal or anything, go right in Dimwit.” “I would correct
you, but I am too tired for this shit.” We walked into the house, everyone had long since gone to bed, something I was looking forward
to. I got into bed for the third time in a six hour span, and finally went to bed. I was still sleeping at what I guess was 9:00 AM,
when another loud banging sound started happening right next to my head. My heart stopped for a second only to find out it was only
Booker, with a hammer putting plywood on the window. Chill fell out of bed grumbling like he always did, he got up and asked “What the
hell is this shit, we need more sleep then that.” “I almost died last night; you gave me only four hours of sleep?” “Real shame, you
know what else is a shame, the fact the apocalypse had happened. In the name of your survival you are now in boot camp, you people
need to start learning how to shoot and survive or you are going to be a rotting maggot filled corpse, do you want that!” “We are so
fucked Tyler, I could not even clime the god damn rope in gym class.” “ To get you up to speed, we are covering all windows in this
house, we need to make sure in the event of a breach we have only a few chock points they can get it, and if we are being shot at this
wood might save your worthless lives.” We all got up out of the bed; Chill was just scratching his head, hoping this was just a bad
dream that would end soon. Noah was the closest to almost looking happy; perhaps because he did well in gym maybe, I have no idea.
Melina was not happy at all, but she did not complain, a trait nether me or Chill could gain. We walked down the stairs we were
briefed on what was going on; I could see the other members of our group constructing stuff. “We must all do are part to make sure we
survive, if you are paying attention you can see Tan and Dempsey working in the yard over there, Elizabeth is upstairs setting stuff
up, and Arlington is sleep because he earned it yesterday, you four have not. We are currently building a workshop to repair are
weapons, a radio room inside, and medical area, are training area has just been completed just in time. From now on during training
you will refer to me, as Sargent DeWitt, I am not your friend, you will hate me, but it will be for your own good. I spent sometime in
the army if you remember; I am more than qualified to be your drill sergeant and train all you in how to survive, rank in file now!”
We all went into a row of four, only thing is I could not stand straight after all that shit last night, and it did not go well for me.
I kind of got beaten down verbally was verbally beaten down. After my ‘fuck up’ we had to run laps around the house, you might think
it’s easy as it’s just a small house enclosed by a stone wall, how hard can it be. It was terrible; the sun was beating down on us and
we could not stop, if someone slowed down for five seconds or less we would continue to run for another hour. To make it worse we had
no water, we got one sip if we did not slow down for ten minutes, and Chill screwed up badly. He tripped over a blade of grass, sad is
it not, so he was out there for another hour? By some form of luck I did not slow down, after an hour we stopped and were told that
the work had been done for the day, I went into the living room and just sat there on the couch, I just starred at Noah without saying
a word. Every so often I would glance over at the window to see Chill being tortured by the sun; I would have laughed if I had not
been running with him. When he did come it he just fell flat on the floor, Booker walked in behind him. “Everyone today other than
Chill has done a good job today; it’s not as hard as you thought is it not? Tomorrow we are going to do a little teaching on how to
fire a gun, something I know all of you want to do. For now you can just sit there for a hour, Chill, for failing to do the most
minimal order one could even do, you must get back out there and help Tan and Dempsey build that workshop. He got up with and slowly
walked back out the door, his face soaking in sweat. I just laid on the couch before drifting off to sleep, and this time no one got
me up or tormented me.
Medical Needs
I got sometime later, Noah and Melina where out in the yard working on something, and Chill was sitting on a chair, Booker and
Elizabeth were in the room, it was 1:00 PM. “I thought you would never wake up Tie, good news is the workshop is almost finished and
the radio room is ready, not that it matters that much.” “Bad news is we need some medical supplies, blood bags more pills that sort
of stuff, and I would like to have a medical area up and running in the case something goes wrong, there is only one place that we know
that will have it. Are Lady of Hope hospital, in downtown Savannah, it is ground zero of the infestation. Elizabeth just might have a
plan, it’s risky but it could work.” Elizabeth then put a map of Savannah on the table, she pointed at the hospital. “Going through
the front door is a bad call, no way we could survive it for long, fortunately we might have another way it. Fire escapes are unlikely
to be working at this time; they are unreliable so that leaves one option. There is a bell tower right next to the hospital, if
someone was able to reach the top of the tower, they could be able to jump across the gap onto the roof, bypassing most of the walkers
inside. Does anyone have a map of the inside?” “I got one, it was our first target when we arrived in town with the rest of the
unit.” “Good, you would then have to go down a flight of stairs into this hallway, you must then search each room for the equipment,
which would be as said before blood bags IV tubes, saline, stuff like that.” “ Now since I am the leader of this group, we need three
people who are willing to fight their way through all those walkers just for medical equipment. “I am going, I am good at getting in
and out of situations, and because of my gangster skills I will be able to fight them off.” “What do you say Tan, you willing to risk
it all?” “Yes what more do I have to lose anyway, that and I am good at spotting targets.” “Well I am going to, a good leader leads
by example; now let’s go out now while it’s still bright.” I looked at my watch, it was 4:00 PM, and like that three members of our
group went out the gate and into the burning inferno.
The Long Walk
Dempsey was instructed to ‘protect’ us until we got to the target, it was a long walk, Arlington shouldered his Tommy gun and walked
slightly ahead of Tan, he turned to Tan and asked, “How is life in the army, I always wanted to know what is it like.” “Well most of
the time we just sit in are tents jacking off, but every so often we just take a swim in some really small and remote lake. It’s not
really that cool, in my line of work all you do is just sit your ass down in front of your base, and do nothing until someone takes
your turn, and every so often something shoots at you.” “Okay, if the world goes back to normal remind me to never to join the army,
even if it’s a good way to pick up woman. Booker I might have fucked up badly last time but I swear, this will go much smoother than
last time.” “That better be true Arlington, it would be a real shame if you were to screw up and put our lives in danger again. I
never asked this, but what is your criminal record, not that it matters anymore.” “Normally I would be untrusting and not tell you,
but as you can clearly see there are no cops around here anymore. Well I told you I shot a bank teller that one time, but I also stole
five cars, got caught with drugs, attempted murder, some arson here and there, I once kidnapped someone. I once was told to kill a
fellow member because he was thinking of ratting on us, I straggled him with some piano wire in a back alley and no one ever found out
who killed him. There is also so smaller crimes that are really not worth talking about, as you can clearly see I have an extensive
record, happy?” “Somewhat, the fact you did not hesitate means that you are both trusting of us and you do not feel guilt at what you
did.” “Well as I see it, I killed an asshole to tried to be a hero, and an untrustworthy person in a world where trust is all, I
honestly don’t care what I did, it’s all in the past. I got a strange feeling that you don’t trust me, I did not turn on the people
that had my back, so what if I killed some innocent person, I trust you guys and that is all that matters anymore, Booker you have
treated me better in just a few days then Sal ever did in all the years, you went through some hard shit and lost a lot, but you have
proven yourself to be a good leader, I am on your side.” “Good to know I can trust you, we might not have been friends on day one, but
you have grown on me a little bit, just try not to do something stupid like get us killed over a box of drugs.” “Really he did that,
and to think I was starting to have faith in humanity again.” “ Are you ever not sarcastic and snide about anything Tan, hell at least
I am optimistic, and I saw my only friend get killed by someone I trusted, and Booker is never sarcastic, unless I missed something.”
“It’s just the way I cope with things, you know that, Booker copes with it by being all tough, you act it by trying to be cool, and I
just make jokes all the time, it is what makes me what I am.” “Sorry I asked.” They soon walked by a group of zombies, Dempsey in his
always trying to show off turned to Arlington and said, “Bet you five bucks I can kill those zombies in style better then you can.”
“You’re on, you go first, I am waiting.” Dempsey walked toward the zombies, there were ten of them, he would only be able to kill five
of them. He took out his combat knife and stabbed the first one in the chest, before grabbed the handle a pulling the knife up, all
the way into its head. He then turned to the next one and tossed in into its eye, he walked over to it, he twisted the knife as he
pulled it out. He found a saw blade next to a hardware store, he threw it at another zombie and watched as its head came off. He then
ran to a zombie with his knife in hand, he stabbed it in the stomach and pulled out its intestines, he then pulled them out and wrapped
it around the zombie’s neck, he put so much pressure that its head came out. He turned to the last zombie, it was military and still
had a grenade on its belt, he walked over to it, pulled the pin, kicked it into a window and slowly walked away as it exploded. “Beat
that Arlington, doubtful.” “Can I barrow your revolver for a moment Dempsey, I promise not a scratch.” “Fine, take it, but only for
one kill.” Dempsey tossed Arlington his revolver, and Arlington started walking toward the last five zombies in the road. He threw
the pistol up in the air and caught it by the barrel, and proceeded to smash the zombie in the face before putting the gun it the
zombie’s mouth and pulling the trigger twice. He walked up to the next one and did an uppercut to the zombies face, he then stomped on
its face. He saw a lead pipe, he grabbed and smashed another zombie in the face with it. He took a glass shard and stabbed it in the
chest repeatedly before stabbing it in both eyes. Arlington then took out his Tommy gun, and cut the last zombie in half with the
sheer amount of bullets. He walked back with a smirk on his face and told Dempsey, “ Okay, now where the fuck is my five dollars.”
“Deals a deal Arlington, here the money, it’s been fun knowing you, I am heading back home, you might want to get a move on before more
show up.” They reached their target soon enough, like Elizabeth said there was hundreds of walkers in front of the hospital, no way
through there. “Okay, Tan you get on top of that hotel and spot for us, Arlington you come with me.” ‘Yes sir, and by the way if we
happen to die, you were a better commanding officer then I ever had.” “We will make it through this; don’t talk like that, here my
radio, just radio in if you see anything.” They approached the to the bell tower, it was open for some reason, not that it mattered.
Booker went first with Arlington slowly walking behind, both had their weapons locked and loaded. The tower was somewhat small; all it
really was is a spiral staircase all the way up. There were no walkers in the stairs; it was strangely silent as they ascended the
tower. Tan got to the top of a nearby Country Western with little problems; he pulled put his binoculars and started scanning the
horizon. There was nothing of note at the moment so he radioed in that the roof was all clear. Arlington and Booker reached the bell
tower, Arlington was tired so he asked Booker to go first, he agreed. The jump was quite far, eight feet give or take, it was also a
bit windy at the time. With a running leap Booker jumped the gap, his Sky hook dug into the hard concrete as he pulled himself up.
Arlington just sat there, looking at how far the fall was, before yelling, “Can you toss me the hook, I have a pretty good feeling that
I won’t make it without it.” “Sure, just don’t lose it, they don’t make them like they used to.” He tossed the Skyhook to Arlington;
he put it on his wrist and ran toward the hospital. He jumped and dug the hook into the building like before; only he lost his footing
and started to fall. Booker caught him at the last second; he got up and gave the hook back, sweat all over the handle. “Remind me to
never lend you anything I own to you in the future.” “So you do have a soul that was the first time you have smiled in three days.”
“Arlington, I could see that shit all the way over here, lay of the Spaghetti next time man it just might kill you.” “I thought I told
you this morning, I am Irish not Italian.” “Whatever, I see a ton of movement through the windows, this is where it gets tricky, if
the map I have is correct, there should be a supply closet right next to the staircase on hallway five, which is right beneath you.”
“Thanks for the heads up Tan, keep me posted if anything changes.” “Yes Sir Mr. DeWitt, from what I can see this might go well.” The
door to the main building was ajar, as they walked into the building the lighting started to dim, when they reached the floor it was
almost pitch black, the growls of the dead around every corner. They could not tell which room was the storage room, so one by one
they started checking rooms, they were all normal med rooms. They reached the staircase, there were no walkers in the hallway but they
were close, really close. Arlington was slowly walking into the staircase when he saw a flashlight, it was pretty beat up but it
worked, he grabbed it and saw he had missed the room but just a few feet. He quietly told Booker that he found, he nodded and started
to check the other rooms for anything. Arlington put his hand on the knob and slowly turned it, it was locked and the key would like
be on the first floor, not an option. He walked back to a filing cabinet he remembered seeing in one of the rooms, and sure enough he
found a bobby pin. He liked to brag about how he once stole a car by using a bobby pin, so he went to work on the lock. He knew that
if he put too much pressure it would ether snap or worse, attract all the walkers just a few feet down the stairs. With the luck of
the Irish on his side the door slowly opened, he found all the stuff and more, so he started putting it in a small computer bag he
found back at the house. As he was about to walk out of the storage room he herd the distinctive sound of a pistol slider being pulled
back, he turned around to see a man with a leather jacket and baseball hat pointing a Colt at his face. He whispered the words “Those
supplies belong to Crawford and its people, you have five seconds to hand it over or you are just going to be another biter.”
Arlington started to hand over the supplies when he lunged at his attacker; he was then hit in the face with the gun before being shot
in the knee. He walked over to his limp form and put the gun to his head. Arlington just stared at the man, with his classic not
giving two fucks attitude; he then saw the all familiar outline of the Skyhook go right through his opponent’s chest. Booker put his
hand out and pulled Arlington up, his leg was fucked so he put his arm around him and started to carry him back, Arlington still had
the supplies in his pack.” “Tan we need backup, Arlington has been hit, there are dead coming right as us.” “What happened, from here
it all looked peachy.” “Some guy shot Al in the knee, how did you miss that?” “There was a pickup truck down on street level but it
was so beat up and old I thought it was just junk, I guess the fire escape still works. I am coming; you are going to need to hold
your position until I can get a ladder of something. He put the radio back in his pocket just as the room filled with walkers,
hundreds of them shambled toward the two with only one intention. With his shotgun in hand he fired of a shot, it hit a few of them
but they kept coming as if nothing had happened. Booker then flipped the shotgun to get another round in the gun, he shot it at a
walker without any eyes, it feel to the ground without its head. He could not just turn tail and run as Arlington was too heavy to
even run, and there were so many walkers. He fired another shot from the shotgun, the spread hit at least three other walkers, the
windows turned from its pitch black outline to being covered in blood. He fired one last shot at the horde, he needed to reload, he
started walking as fast as he could, he looked on as even more and more walkers just came from the stairwell. He was able to pull out
his revolver and fire a shot at the wall of flesh, it was not as effective but it was enough, he reached the door to the roof, he
slammed it shut and locked it. He ran to the edge and put Arlington down; he put four more shells into the shotgun. “Albert if you
have anything to say now would be the time, we might not make through.” “I never drank a bottle of Guinness Stout, and I am fucking
Irish, *cough*, I guess I regret never saying I am sorry to my mother went I was sent to jail.” The radio crackled to life, “Guys I
might have found a way to get you out, there is a ladder in the pickup truck, I might be able to carry it but it will take time.” “Get
to it; I only have 8 shells and 18 bullets left.” “I thought you were a cop once Booker, the first time we met in that hotel, I was
thinking of killing you, I sorry, I always wanted to eat Spaghetti with meatballs, it might be American but it looked so damn good.
Tell the others when I am gone, tell them to find somewhere out there in the wastes, find a bottle of Irish whiskey, and drink it in my
honor.” “Arlington, you are not going to die you hear me; you are going to get across that gap if it means I have to throw you over!
You are not going to die, just because the situation is shit does not mean we are screwed!” “Okay chief, if this is going to be Little
Bighorn then I might as well go down fighting, hand me my gun so I can die for something.” “ Here take it, remember, take a deep
breath before firing, you want to him as many as you can.” “Yes sir Mr. DeWitt, you can count of me for a little bit.” “ Okay
prepare to fire on my mark, not a second before not a second after.” “Commander I am in the staircase, how are you doing?” “There
about to break down the door, get up here now!” Booker faced the door, his shotgun loaded for what was to come, he saw the door start
to come off its hinges, he looked at Arlington before turning back to the door. “Alright, fire on my mark, READY, AIM, FIRE!”
Arlington opened fire on the walkers as the door came down, it was tearing them apart and they were dropping like fire. Booker fired
his shogun at the walkers, limbs were flying everywhere. Arlington stopped to reload as Booker fired another deadly volley of buckshot
into the dead, an arm happen land next to Arlington. Arlington fumbled to put the drum magazine into his gun, he put it in one of the
walkers clawed at the air inches away from his face. It was somewhat bald with its gums missing, its claws scratched him before its
face flew off the building along with the body from the sheer amount of bullets, blood was all over the jacket where the claws hat
struck.
Battle Wounds
Arlington put the rest of the mag into the main train of walkers. Booker had to pull out his revolver once again, he started to drag
Arlington by the collar to the north side of the building, right next to the tower, he was sitting at the extreme edge. “If Tan does
not get here in two minutes we are dead, TAN where the hell are you!” “I am almost at the hatch, just give me another minute.” Booker
put his other hand on the hammer; instead of going for accuracy he just stated fanning the hammer to make the revolver fire faster. It
helped but some of those bullets were hitting the walker’s chests and necks, not the head. He quickly started reloading the shotgun as
fast as he could; the closest walker started getting closer and closer as he put the shells into the loader. Just as it was starting
to grab him it’s head exploded, Booker turned to his left to see his revolvers barrel smoking, and Arlington holding it. “We are even
now okay.” He loaded the shotgun and fired another volley into the horde as Arlington did the same with his Tommy gun. Booker fired
off the last three shells in his shotgun, it was dry and there was nothing he could do, Arlington’s last mag emptied and they both knew
they were in the shit. Tan got up from under the hatch and fired at the walkers with his M21 sniper rifle, he started to push the
ladder into place. He put it in place as Booker fired off the last bullet in his revolver; it was unstable as shit which meant only
one person at a time. Booker just grabbed Arlington and shoved him onto the ladder; it creaked and moaned as he crawled across.
Booker pulled out his last resort, the Skyhook, he started cutting anything that got close to him, but it was not enough to get them
back. They cornered and surrounded him, he had no choice but to run onto the ladder, Arlington was almost on the other side when Booker
just ran across. By some miracle it did not collapse when they both reached the end, Arlington turned around to see three walkers on
the ladder, about to reach them, he saw the ladder shake before falling down the chasm below, it even hit a few walkers when it hit the
ground. Tan locked the hatch just in case anything or anyone tried to come after them. They went down the staircase slowly; Tan
turned to Booker and said, “So if the army was still around do I get a Bronze Star or something.” Arlington looked at his jacket with
a blank stare and said “Booker, I think you should know I think one of those things got me, this blood is not mine.” “Do you feel any
pain that would be a good sign to see if you were bit.” “No offense but I took a bullet to the knee, I can’t feel shit.” They got to
the bottom of the staircase, they closed the door and put Arlington ageist the wall. “Should have known my look would run out, just
hand me your revolver DeWitt, it will be fast.” “No, I am not going to let you die, it was scratch, those are not like bites right?
We don’t even know if you were scratched, that is what we will find out in a second.” Booker was not a doctor, Elizabeth would know if
he would make it or not, but they had to be sure now, was he scratched? Booker opened up Arlington’s think jacket around where the
blood was, and he found a claw like scratch on the jacket, but not his skin. “Arlington, you are the luckiest man in Savannah right
now, if you had not worn that jacket you would indeed have been scratched.” “Really, when we get back to the house I am going into
that fridge and drinking that whiskey Tan drank yesterday, fuck ya!”
The Hallow Man
They came back at around 5:00 PM; Dempsey was on watch when he let the three warriors in. They ran in a put Arlington on the newly
finished medical area. I was just sitting there, talking with Chill when I noticed they had returned; we helped carry him on the bed.
Elizabeth walk in and asked, “Where have you been hit Arlington, It really matters where you bit the bullet.” “In the knee, and I will
kill whoever makes a Skyrim reference, I am looking at you Noah.” Noah was about to say something but I just looked at him and he
stopped whatever he was doing, he just walked out and sat on my side of the couch. “What type of bullet was it, these small details
matter Albert.” “I think it was hollow point, I shot my fair share of those things, I almost feel pity to those souls now.” “Okay, I
will be back in a minute, Booker come with me.” “What is his odds Elizabeth are they good?” “Normally I would say yes, but hollow
points are meant to cause extreme tissue damage, pain and death, we need to preform operation now, without any ascetics.” “What about
the painkillers Tyler got yesterday, or the box of drugs Arlington found in the supermarket?” “The painkillers on not strong enough,
and the box only has drugs that calm the nerve, we have nothing that will help with the amount of pain during the operation.” “Maybe I
should do it; you don’t have a good track record with blood.” “I can do it, daddy’s little girl is not ten, I can do this and I do not
see Mr. Tan over there stepping in to do this.” Alright, I’ll go get see if Arlington got a scalpel from the medical supplies.” “Tan,
do you by any chance have a scalpel in the bag, we are going to need it real soon.” “Why yes I do, right here in fact, hell is it okay
if I watch, I always wanted to see the real thing after watching it be done on TV.” “That’s a no then.” “No I was just fucking with
you, god everyone in the unit got it, I help if you need it, by the way here is the doctor’s knife.” Chill was looking at the
collection of movies and TV shows on the rack next to the HD TV, I went over to him and said, “You might want to go outside for a
little bit, it’s not going to be pretty.” “I tell Noah and Melina, but I am staying for this, not that I going to have a bucket of
popcorn and a coke, but I need to learn how to do this one day.” “Suit yourself, I guess I will stay to make sure you don’t run away,
like that time you first saw a cow get killed.” “Shut up, I swear a fly got in my throat at the same time, I believed you and your
girlfriend when talking about all those ‘horse’ adventures.” “She is not my girlfriend, sure she might be a girl and is also a friend,
but she is not my girlfriend.” “Sure, I know you care, maybe even as much as your Fallout 3 character.” Booker walked in with the
scalpel in hand, he whispered to Elizabeth, “I found one; you think this will go well.” “Well, there is only one way to find out now
is there.” “Hay guys, please tell me that you found something that will reduce the pain, because I really hate the feel of pain you
know.” “We have some minor pain killers for afterwords but for now you are going to have to tough it out, I am sorry Arlington but
there is no other choice we have.” “Wow wait, there has to be a way around this, are you telling me your daughter is going to jab a
knife into my leg, without any pain relievers, are you serious DeWitt! God, if Sal was here right now he would be laughing his ass
off,*takes deep breath* fuck it lets just get it over with now, I for one enjoy life.” Sargent Tan walked in before saying in his
sarcastic voice, “normally I would be telling you that it won’t hurt a bit, but it’s a sin to tell a lie so, it’s going to hurt a
fucking ton, who needs gas to knock you out when pain will do it for you.” “Tan, as Willem Shakespeare once said, fuck it, and in my
most humble of words, go fuck yourself.” “Just so you know you are not the first person who told me that, and won’t be the last at
this rate, I hold you down while Miss DeWitt here does the rest.” “We ready Elizabeth?” “One can never be truly ready for what needs
to be done, so let’s get this done so that are Irish friend here gets to drink another day.” “That is not funny, I don’t even drink
that often, where in the living hell did that stereotype even come fro- WHAT THE FUUUUCK.” “Sorry Arlington but a man can only take so
much bitching for so long.” “It’s in there deep Tyler hold him down.” “JESUS, MAKE IT STOP.” “Just think of how all much stronger
you will become because of this Arlington.” “AHHHHHHHHH GOD DAMMIT.” “Dthly Chill, go get Dempsey and the rest, we might need some
help over here.” “On it T.” “You found it yet Elizabeth; there is only so much room where it could be.” “Nothing yet, wait, I think
I see something.” “DEWIIT, YOU FUCKER, DO SOMETHING!” “Sorry friend, if are medic Doctor Sanders was still around maybe, the best I
can do it just make you coffee.” “I GOT IT; just put more pressure on the wound!” “I think Mr. Arlington has been knocked out by my
poor sense of humor, yep he will be fine.” “Do you ever shut up Tan?” “Nope, someone asked that five years ago and I think you know
the answer by now.”
A fun evening with friends
I walked down about ready to throw up, I mean I had watched SAW and that scene from Dead Space 2 but the real thing is ever worse than
can be described. Booker walked out and started talking to Elizabeth. “Do you think he will make it?” “That was never really the
question Booker; it was more how much damage has been done to the flesh and can he walk again. Well the good news is amputation is not
needed thank god, bad news is he won’t be walking around for a little bit, a month at best. Crutches could get him moving much sooner,
about a week but going out to find food is out of the question for some time. The main worry is infection, the bullet was not clean at
all, thank god he found some antibiotics that could help with that part, it’s all a waiting game now.” “Well it’s good to know that he
will make it that is all that matters now.” Dempsey ran in along with Nikolai, “GODAMMIT, were too late, well I am sure the fridge has
a beer left.” Tan walked by with his M21 shouldered, “Sorry, the last whiskey is for Arlington, he kind of called that back in the
hospital.” “What the fuck, well then next time we go out I am calling your M21 Tan.” “That is not how it works; besides the power
kind of went out yesterday if you somehow missed it, so it’s up for grabs.” He walked away grumbling to himself “This is why I hate
fucking army, just because they handle all or are weapons does not mean they own it.” “Everyone, as leader of this group I am here to
tell you do not worry about are friend Albert Arlington, he recently took a bullet during a run for medical supplies, he will survive
due to Elizabeth and her amazing medical skills. Now to lift the burden of what just happen, yes I can see you over there Tyler, you
look almost green, I will treat you to some music.” “Music? You the mighty Booker Dewitt can make music? I may have been army for
five years but this is something.” “Elizabeth, go find my guitar, me and my daughter are going to sing to you, my friends and extended
family, a song that we wrote after escaping Columbia. There is something called fate, it we all have it, and there is way to brake
it’s chains, or is there?” “Found it, you ready Booker?” I am ready, on the count of three, one, two, three.” “ There are love ones,
in the glory, whose dear forms you often, miss. When you close your, earthly story, will you join them in there bliss. Will the
circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? Is a better home await in, in the sky in the sky? In the joyous days of childhood, off they
told of a wondrous love, pointed to thee, dying savior, now they dwell with him above. Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and
by? Is a better, home await in, in the sky, in the sky. You remember songs of heaven, which you sang with childish voice, do you love
thee, hymns they taught, or are songs of earth you choice? Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? Is a better, home await
in, in the sky, in the sky. You can picture, happy gatherings, round the fireside long ago, and you think of, tearful partings, when
they left you here below. Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? Is a better, home await in, in the sky, in the sky. One
by one there, seats were emptied, and one by one, they went away. Now the family, is parted, will it be complete, one day. Will the
circle, be unbroken, by and by, by and by. Is a better, home await in, in the sky, in the sky.“ “That was something, this might sound
quite assholeish, but what does it mean?” “It means whatever you want it to mean, it bears the semblance to old time religions hymns,
but to me and Booker, it means something more meaningful.” “Like what exactly, I never was a poet as you can clearly see.” “To some
it’s a song about nationalism, to others a song about family and your own past, to a few it’s just a religious song. To me and Booker
it’s about are adventure in Columbia, you can believe whoever you think the words refer to.” “ I am quite surprised, this coming from
a hardcore marine I was not expecting you of all people Booker be able to play the guitar so softly, like a violin.” “I’ll take that
as a complement.” “Is there anything else you could play, that was better than quite a few movie concerts I have been to.” “Give me a
moment, Elizabeth go check if there are any other interments in the house.” “On it Booker.” “You do know that you will have to play
that again when Arlington wakes up right?” “I know, only thing is I love to play music when we have time, strange as it sounds coming
from me.” “Booker, I found something you might want to see.” He just crossed his arms like he always does and said firmly, “What is
it Elizabeth.” She walked over with what looks like a record player, only it was much older, it was an old time phonograph. “I check
if we any songs, not likely but you never know, I always wanted to play those things when I was a kid, excuse if I act like I am
geecking out or something. Within a minute sergeant Tan came back with one of those old time music disks. “Here, it has a message on
it the cover; you might want to read it Booker.” “To someone we know, Mr. DeWitt, never forget Time and Fate, Constants and Variables
rule the world, R L.” “This can be real, someone knew we were going to be here, and left this music for us? That makes no sense.”
“It does to me, I know who this is from, it’s from the Luteces. Those people that guided me through Columbia, they always knew what
was soon to happen, but they messages of warning were always vague and mysterious. Let’s play it anyway, it’s has been sometime since
I heard that type of music.” I winded it up and it started playing old time music, the type with the voice sometimes being hard to
understand and piano music in the background. “Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back, even while we sleep, we will find you
acting on your best behavior, turn your back on mother nature, everybody wants to rule the world. It’s my own design, it’s my own
remorse, help to decide, help me make the most of freedom, and pleasure, nothing ever last forever, everybody wants to rule the-
there’s a room where the light won’t find you, holding hands while the walls coming tumbling down, when they do I’ll be right behind
you, so glad we almost we made it, so sad they had to fade it, everybody wants to rule the world. I can’t stand this indecision,
married with a lack of vision, everybody wants to rule the- say that you never need it, one headline why believe it? Everybody wants
to rule the world.” “Okay, that was great in all, but one small question, how the fuck did I just hear a Tears for Fears song in a
phonograph?” “They must have found it in Columbia, they seem to like to copy music and make it their own, if that makes any sense
Tan.” “Okay…you know what fuck it, play that thing again I think it’s somehow even better than the 1985 version.” “It’s a warning for
something, the Luteces were always sly in how they told me information.” “Okay then, I am going to go to bed now, I have had more than
enough shit to last a week,” “You do know it’s 5:00 PM right?” “You know what Tyler, I feel like going to bed also, Melina, Noah and
myself think it’s not a bad choice.” “Fine, I guess Takeo is on watch tonight, well you better get to it Tac, I am not giving you my
gun.” “Understood Dempsey, I will help this honorable group the best I can.” “Don’t give me that shit; you know what I don’t care
just try not to get us killed by your silence.” I had no comment, I thought it was strange to have 1985 song sung with a 1912 vibe,
but hay it was pretty damn good, maybe even better. So went upstairs to my room, sure enough Chill was already trying to sleep; it was
not hard with plywood covering the windows.
The Tale of Two City’s
I slept pretty well for some time, before I was rudely woken up AGAIN, but this time not by Booker DeWitt. I heard music, badass
sounding music, I got up slowly to check the window, Takeo was not in the tree house, it was that three minute transition period for on
watch, but what I did was see was a car. It was playing familiar music, and then the driver got out, the headlights illuminated his
face like a ghost, it was Nate. I panicked and to where Booker was sleeping, in one of the first floor bedrooms. I kicked the door in
and before I could say anything he grabbed his revolver and pointed it at my face. He lowered the moment he saw it was me, he asked
“What is going on now, you look like you just had come back from the haunted house again.” “It’s him, the guy that almost, you know,
in the garage.” He just got up without saying a word, he pulled the hammer back on the revolver and walked outside.” “It’s about damn
time someone came out, I was just about to start honking the horn.” “wait a minute man, let’s not be too hasty, I did nothing to you.”
“NONTHING, you threated my group, tried to kidnap some of them, and then went after MY DAUGHTER!” “That was your daughter, well then
don’t take it the wrong way but that is some fine tail you got there” Booker just took his revolver and hit Nate across the face with
the barrel. “Give me ONE reason I should not just blow your brains all over that car.” “I can see we got off on the wrong foot, my
name is Nate by the way, I came by to give you an offer.” “What kind of offer, and why should I trust YOU of all people now.” Nate
turned off the radio, took he his blue trucker hat off, and tossed his gun on the grass behind Booker.” “You know if I wanted to kill
you, I would have come with other people, let’s just talk peacefully, the past is the past.” I come from a settlement not too far
away, it is run by a man named Crawford Oberson, you might have heard of him, he used to be the principle of the nearby school. Anyway
he has made a community made up of most of the survivors of Savannah, he appointed me to look for survivors. We have clean water,
electric that powers lights and equipment, and enough supplies to last a month. look man I am sorry, hell I thought she liked me, but
that is another story. We are not asking you to join us now, we could trade with you so you start to trust you, then when you are
ready you can join.” “You make a convincing argument, but I can’t just turn 180 after what you almost did.” “Okay then as an act of
kindness here is a generator that runs on fuel, it will last a month. Well I am going now, and thanks for not wasting a bullet on me,
real nice of you.” “Booker, what was that, I could hear you yelling all the way in my room.” “It was nothing Elizabeth; it’s just
something we are going to need to worry about in the future.”
End of Act I
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 11, 2013 12:04:07 GMT
Act II, We Remember
The Generator
Booker turned to Elizabeth and told her “That guy that grabbed you back at the garage came here tonight; he said he was sorry in his
special words, before asking him to join his group.” ‘We can’t do that, we are surviving well enough on our own, besides I can never
trust that man again.” “I agree, but I think we need to wait it out for a week, at the very least he gave us this generator and a
month’s worth of gas.” We took it into the backyard, we hooked it up and turned it on, it was loud as shit and it was going to attract
some walkers, but because we had barbed wire on the wall, we were safe. The power came on in the house, something I was already
starting to miss, we walked in and celebrated are good fortune. Tan walked up to find Arlington awake, grumbling to himself about how
much pain he was it. “Great, how fucked am I, do you need to cut my leg of without pain relief AGAIN!” “No, you will be able to use a
crutch in a week, and being walking around in a month.” Terfuckingrific, well at least I still will have my legs, I noticed the power
is back online, I guess asking god for power paid off?” “Long story short we got a generator and it’s powering up the house, pretty
sweet it is not.” “So, your telling me that I could just turn that TV over there on, and the HD TV on down stairs WITHOUT power bills?
Quick go check if my favorite movie is in the collection downstairs, it’s the Departed by Martin Scorsese.” “Why not, it’s your
version of ice-cream, sure what the worse that could happen?” Tan ran down and checked the shelf for a movie, he wondered to himself,
why was he even doing this, he knew Arlington for roughly a day, he guessed it was just his nice side being active again. He brought
it up to the med room and put the DVD into the TV, “Fuck it, I have nothing better to do, I am going to watch the Departed with you,
it’s been to fucking long anyway. I have to ask why is this your favorite mobster movie, why not Godfather like everyone else?” “What
can I say, it was a little modern then other mob movies, I can say that the mob works like now a days, and who can hate the staff
sergeant?” “You got a point, I am going barrow this chair for the time being, even after being in the army for years, I will stand for
two hours.” So they just sat there, watching the Departed, while at the front gate Dempsey and Takeo were on watch, there were a lot
more because of the generator. “How do you think we got here anyway, how did we, some of the greatest badass warriors in history get
to this point?” “Dempsey, we might have gotten stuck here because of the ‘moon’ incident we had not too long ago.” A Walker started
to claw at the gate; Dempsey kept on talking while at the same time he pulled his revolver out and shot the zombie in between the eyes.
“Right, how did I forget that part, anyway I wonder what happened to are ‘forth’ member, mister asshole German who you promised would
kill one day.” Maybe the settlement that Mr. DeWitt talked about, who knows where he could be now, if I find him, he will taste the
steel of the honorable.” “Got that, god do you know how many times you have said that, is it a tradition in Japan, to say honorable
this and that, god it gets annoying after sometime.” “Dempsey, it is a tradition, we always say that with everything, just look at a
bowl of soup, the instructions says honorable at least five times.” “Fucking hell, I was kidding, I had no idea that is a thing, well
back on subject I think we should give it a week then meet these people.” Chill was in a real happy mood, he was in the basement, and
found a Xbox 360 in working condition, he had a couple of games in his backpack, among them included a few Call of Duty’s, Battlefield
3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Left Four Dead 2, and a few other games. Noah was wide awake, the sound of power got him up and working like he
was drinking coffee, thing is he really sucks at Battlefield, and guess what they were playing. “Hay Noah, wonder if anyone else in
the world is online right now, probably not.” “Well, maybe there is one other person; we can’t be the only person this lucky, right?”
“You know what, I go get Black Ops 2, let’s play a little multiplayer even if it’s overpowered bullshit half the time.” Noah came
walking by and asked me to play a little bit of Black Ops 2, well you think I would say no to that, the game might suck by multiplayer
standards but it is fun sometimes. I started playing free for all mode, and kicked all there asses with easy, might be my fast
reflexes, or my years of gaming, one of those two anyway. Chill was so pissed like he always is; he got over it real fast though, we
kept playing for what seemed like hours. Booker sat on the bed in his room, he pulled out his revolver, he just looked at the words on
the side of the barrel, ‘property of Booker DeWitt,’ he took out his cleaning kit from his personal box, he started cleaning it like he
always does every night. Elizabeth was out in the living room, playing with the kids perhaps, he did not care. He took off the
Skyhook, it was in good condition, he put in on the nightstand to his left. His bedroom had only one window, and he himself had
boarded it up, there was a bathroom to the left of the bed, pretty standard room. He checked all the ammunition he had, he had a
little over 100 bullets for his revolver, and about 80 shells for the shotgun, he was not worried about the dead. He kept thinking
back to that guy Nate, how even though he had ran after his daughter, the place he talked about could save all of their lives, like
Elizabeth said, in about four days he and only himself will go to Crawford and check it out. He put his gun back in the holster, and
started to go to sleep, until Nikolai walked in, drunk as ever. He then passed out on the floor, right next to his bed, with a annoyed
look, Booker picked up Nikolai and dragged him to couch, he saw Elizabeth playing Xbox with Tyler and his friends, he had told Noah
back in the garage about how they would never let them game, but he was both to tired and they were having too much fun to just pull
the plug. He walked back into his room, he locked the door so no one could come it, and fell asleep, knowing that soon enough a big
day would come.
The Ride to Hell
Four days went by fast, it was morning, and Booker DeWitt knew what had to be done the moment he got up. He put six bullets into his
revolver, he put his Skyhook back onto his arm, and he walked out to the front gate. Dempsey on watch, there were no walkers in sight
for some reason, maybe because the generator was off but he had no way to be sure. “Hay Mr. DeWitt, I noticed that in one of the runs
we made we found some targets from a shooting range, and there are no walkers in sight, you get the picture.” “How could I not
Dempsey, I got a few hours to kill before Nate shows up, I can fire a few rounds, let me guess five bucks for who can shoot
straighter?” “Like you read my mind, I say you set it up in the backyard and we shoot from up here, nothing passes time like having a
beer with friends, and shooting shit.” They soon set the target up, they were really far, at about 50 feet, I could not see them
without my glasses, and they were on the nightstand. Dempsey went first with his Remington 1875 revolver, “You might want to just give
me the money now, your gun is out dated by 24 years, this is not even going to be a contest. He fired his six shots at the target; he
walked toward them to find a nice group of 4 bullets in the chest, with two in the head. “Beat that DeWitt, I doubt you can, nothing
beats a marine in a uniform from the Great War, nothing.” Booker walked up to the tree house, he pulled out his revolver like he
always does, he took a deep breath, and slowly pulled the trigger six times. He walked to the target without saying a word, he pointed
to the target, there was a hole in each eye and in between, one in the chest where the heart would be, and one in the lung. “Five
dollars Dempsey, I don’t have all day to wait.” “How the fuck did you, I don’t even know how you did that, I will give you credit,
that was badass. Here is your five bucks, not that it has any use anymore. I have to cigars left in my bag, you want one?” “No
thanks, I prefer to die by bullets and undead creatures instead of cancer.” “Suit yourself; we are most likely going to die long
before the church bells start ringing.” Time pasted, and time pasted, before long my watch said it was 12:00 PM, it was time. We
could hear the sound of the winds blowing ageist the buildings, it felt as if time itself had stopped for just a minute. A moment later
we all could hear the sound of music, Dempsey knew who the artist was, it was Dan Sartain, one of Dempsey’s favorite singers, he would
have been high fiving Nate’s hand if he had not known what he almost did. He turned to see Booker with all his weapons visible, “Get
in paco, time to meet are crew of survivors.” Booker got in; he dreaded being away from Elizabeth and the group, all Nate would need
to do is just pull a pistol he can’t see and it’s over. “Lighten up a little bit man; it won’t be that, I don’t even know what your
name is friend.” “My is Booker DeWitt, I am the leader of the group that lives in that house.” “Booker DeWitt, quite the strange
name, but I am not here to judge. Want a nip of this whiskey I found, they are at a premium now.” “No thanks, I don’t drink unless
it’s for something important.” “Well now is one of those moments, come on I risked my life for this junk, suit yourself. I got some
advice for you DeWitt, you want to hear them?” “Do I even get a choice?” “Nope, not at all, this is my car and my rules and I say you
have to hear everything I say. That daughter you have, what is her name?” “Why the hell should I tell you that.” “Well I am sorry,
maybe I will just tell Crawford that you don’t want to live in safety forever.” “Fine, her name is Elizabeth are you happy.”
“Elizabeth, she is quite something, I mean that is a pretty name I must say, my favorite color is blue you know. I got a thing for old
time dresses, I don’t know why but I do, her rack might be pretty small but the tail makes up for that, good work with that one I must
say.” “Do you want me to put a bullet in your shady, sleazy head, because you keep talking like that about the only family I have left
and you won’t be having much use besides being a speed bump.” “Sorry it’s the way I cope with things you know, maybe sometime I am a
little, forget it.” He turned on the music and turned the volume up; the music was not to Bookers taste let’s just say. The car
stopped at a large gate, he stuck his head out and yelled to the guard with a large assault rifle. “CANY let me in, we have a guest
today.” “Is it the one Crawford wanted to meet?” “Yep, who the hell else would it be, let me in, you owe me for beating you at poker
last night.” “Fine, just remember that if it’s not the guest then tread real carefully.” The guard let the gates down, he walked up
to the car and said, “Okay, I am going to walk you to Crawford, so everyone knows who you are. My name is Cany Dance by the way, don’t
even ask how I go the name. I am in charge of all the other guards, I get the distinction of guarding the front gate.” Booker noticed
that he was armed to the teeth, he had a black vest that was bullet proof, he was carrying a M16 rifle and he had two Beretta M9s in
each pocket, he had pale gray eyes with dark black hair, he was unique person. Booker saw how the whole operation worked, they had
enclosed the whole square with fences and stone walls, they had a lot of members, 50 plus from first sight. Their main operation was
in a school near the center of Crawford square, it was really large and the lifeblood of the community. Cany showed Booker the
bedrooms, they were all bunk beds like you would see in summer camp, it was surprisingly comfy and allowed more people to stay, it was
smart. Nate showed Booker the nurse’s office, he introduced him to the staff. “The head doctor is Doctor Walter Ashe, but he prefers
to go by his nickname, doctor Logan, don’t ask why. Are back up doctor is over there, his name is Dr Conrad Vernon, he has a small
group that came here to Crawford, quite helpful. Lastly we have are nurse, Miss Malinda Hutchinson, personally I think she is the best
of the three.” The nurses office was small, with only enough room to handle one person at a time, it worked I guess, there was power
here, just like at the house, only lights were not the only thing it powered. All the equipment was being powered, it worked a lot
better than are medical area back at the base which made Booker happy to no end. Nate turned and told both Cany and Booker, “Well I
got to go do a little inventory down in the mechanic shop, see you later, I hope YOU Booker DeWitt, becomes a new member real soon.”
Cany walked Booker to the heart of Crawford, the leaders office, it had a very strong looking guard in front, Cany walked up to him
like he was a friend and said, “Ryan Bauer, how you doing today?” “ Pretty well I guess, the coffee was a little strong but I am good,
are friend here wants to meet Crawford.” “So this is are guest, Crawford he is here.” Booker turned to the door and heard a deep
voice say, “Good let him in, I am ready to begin.” The guard got out of the way, Cany turned and saluted Booker before walking down
the hall, and Booker stepped into the office of the most powerful man in Savannah, and maybe even Georgia.
A Meeting of the Minds
Booker wanted into the office, he looked around, it had no windows, it was somewhat small, it had a large desk in the center, behind it
was a tall man with black hair, a coat, and a mustache. “Sit down Mr. DeWitt, we have been expecting you.” “How do you know my name,
I only told Nate that once?” “News travels fast in Crawford, I am also perceptive enough to see your name on the revolver you clearly
own. How rude of me to not introduce myself, my name is Crawford Calhoun Oberson, former principle and now leader of the Crawford
district in Savannah. Why are you here today Mr. DeWitt, are you thinking of joining us?” “I don’t know, on one hand I want to join
so my group can survive longer, but on the other hand I do not have a good track record with your people. That guy Nate, he tried to
rape my own daughter, and another member shot and almost killed one of my most trusted members for no reason” “There is always a
reason something happens, the only variable is how valid the reason is. Nate is a little bit hard to control I hear, I promise you
there is no one else like that here in Crawford and if he was to do that again, I would have to kick him out. That member that got
killed wouldn’t happen to have been wearing a hood?” Yes he was, why does it matter?” That was one of our more untrustworthy members,
don’t worry I won’t string you up for killing him, it was in self-defense anyway. Anyway if you want to live here you must prove your
worth, I am sorry but since we have so many members we need to know more about you, other than your name.” “Well you know my name
already, I served the US army for a year, I was a private investigator in New York, I have survived the loss of family and friends, I
am good at killing things in basic words.” “Where are you from Mr. DeWitt, I need to make a file with all the details, every member
has to have a file about their medical records, past experiences you understand.” “I was born and raised in New York City, my family
is from Marietta, is that enough information Crawford?” “Please just call me Oberson, people refer to my last name often because our
settlement is called Crawford, funny coincided. Since we still have internet here I will just look up all the other details, I get
Cany and Nate to walk you to the cafeteria, we have some good food down there. I must say, the rumors about you seem to be true Mr.
Dewitt, it will be an honor to have you with us if you decide to join.” “Thanks Mr. Oberson, if what you say is true, then me and
might group will be coming soon.” “How many members do you have,?” “Ten, four are teenagers that are really good at building and
maintaining, they will fit well here.” The door opened and another man walked in, with a military uniform, Booker got up and walked
out into the long hallways. Cany and Nate came by and walked Booker to the cafeteria.
The Smell of Ribs
Booker walked into the cafeteria and saw just how massive it was, it could likely hold about 100 people if it needed to, but there was
only 50 people here so that was not a problem. Cany walked up to the chef handing out the food and asked, “Andrew, what is todays
special, as I could go for something meaty after standing out in the heat all day.” “You’re in luck, todays special is meaty ribs, we
found this in a truck near the supermarket today, help yourself. Who is that sitting next to Nate, is he a new member?” “Not yet, he
is the leader of a new group that Nate found, quite the interesting one.” “Well give him these ribs, nothing convinces a man to join
faster than good comfort food.” Booker sat down beside another man reading a book, he had a white jacket and a green shirt beneath
it, he was Asian. Booker was just sitting there, waiting for Cany and Nate to get the food, he personally thought this was not a bad
place, Oberson was not like Comstock, Cany was pretty nice for a guard, and he still hated Nate for obvious reasons. The man to
Bookers right turned around and asked him, “I can see you’re waiting for someone, should I just get up and go to another table, if so
I am okay with that.” “No its fine, well since it looks like I might be joining soon I might as well ask what is your name, I have
not seen anyone else here that is from Asia, no offense.” “None taken, my name is Oliver, Oliver Oberst, no I am not related to
Oberson, hell I am not even from Savannah.” Where you from anyway if you’re not from around here?” “I am from Macon, quite a long
way from home, you from around here sir?” “Call me Booker, and no I am from New York, I know that feeling to be away from home with
no way of truly knowing if anyone you know is alive, you know.” “I have a brother from Macon, I don’t know where he is either,
getting out was so hard, the road was stuffed with cars, people could not even open their doors and the amount of noise was defining.
The walkers they, they started attacking the cars, the people inside were safe, they could not break through the glass, but people
panic and make mistakes. I hitchhiked a ride with a family off four, when the walkers attacked the car one of them pulled a pistol
and shot at them, it only let them into the car. I saw that there were no walkers on my side of the car, so I broke the window and
leaped out, when I turned around I, I saw that everyone had been eaten, the mother the father and the two kids, gone. I kept walking
for what felt like days until I was found by a patrol in this city. I am so sorry if I depressed you with my story, all I want to
know is where my brother is, family matters.” “Yes it does, family is all I have left anymore, this world has taken my friends, my
parents, my wife, even my hopes and dreams, all that remains is my daughter and the small group I have left. Well I can see those
guys coming with food, you want a little bit?” “I am good, I’ll just leave you to talk with your new friends. Cany sat down and told
Booker with a smile on his face, “ You’re a lucky man Mr. DeWitt are chef Andrew Burns just gave you a free dish of fresh pork ribs,
they don’t make them like they used to right.” “Sure, I guess, Nate why did you go after my daughter, just tell me straight to my
face why?” “Why so serious Mr. DeWitt, you need to lighten up a little bit, and I am sorry if I went after your daughter, I guess
it’s been way to long since I had a girlfriend or anything, I like you so can we just let that stay in the past, I am sorry.” “It’s
not something I can forgive in a day, but if you truly mean it, then I guess we can be on better terms Nate.” “That is all I ask,
just a chance to show that I am not an animal, you going to eat those ribs because they look mighty tasty.” Booker took a bite out of
the ribs, he liked ribs, just looking at the ribs reminded him of Arlington and his love of New York steaks, for a moment Booker
thought of no one but Albert, hoping that he was okay at the moment. “It’s good meat, I should know as New York made some of the best
meat a man could ever eat.” “I agree, the only time I was in New York I never wanted to leave after trying there street hot dogs, I
hope it’s safe there now.” “Me to Cany, me to.” As they were talking Booker noticed the man in the uniform walk into the cafeteria,
he asked Cany, “Do you know that guy over there, I saw him walk into Oberson’s office when I left, he important?” “That guy, I don’t
remember his last name, all I know is his first name is Edward, he must be someone important, I see him walking around with Oberson
all the time, I think he is in charge of all the guards.” “I though you told me that you in charge of all the guards.” “I meant in
charge of all the guards in the outer areas, like the front gate and all, I think he is the security chief, as least he dresses like
he is.” He walked over to Booker and asked him in a rather think German accent, “DeWitt, Oberson wants you in his office now, he has
finished the file and wants to talk to you.” “Okay, I’ll come right now, Cany you stay and finish those ribs with Nate.” “Yes sir
Booker, we will do are best to defeat the rib threat.”
There will always be a Lighthouse
Booker walked into the office of Crawford Oberson, he was sitting there with a large folder with a photo of Booker on it. He got up
and closed the door and asked Booker to take a seat, he sat back down and opened up the folder. “Well I finished making a file on you,
and you are quite the interesting person, you being in a large massacre, getting the medal of honor and you losing your wife and child.
Well it’s all in order except for one part, you said your family is from Marietta, well I checked the records and it says there was a
DeWitt family there, and that family also had a Booker DeWitt under it. Only there is a slight problem, this ‘Booker’ is listed as
being born on April 19th 1874, now clearly you are 38 and not 139, care to explain? “I don’t know what to say, maybe because the
apocalypse has begun information has become inaccurate?” “I would say the same thing, except it mentioned that this ‘Booker’ was
present at Wounded Knee, and that massacre killed 300 Indians, you said that 300 civilians died in the massacre you were at, and there
was no Medal of Honor giving out in the last century to anyone named Booker DeWitt, there was a Medal of Honor giving out to a one 18
year old Booker DeWitt at Wounded Knee. I checked all the current and past mercenary groups and found there was a Booker DeWitt in the
Pinkerton’s agencies and was present at the Homestead strike. This Booker DeWitt also had a daughter named Anna DeWitt and a wife that
died during childbirth, and was kidnapped in 1893, and this ‘Booker’ supposedly found the floating city of Columbia in 1912. You said
you were a private investigator, and there is records of the same Booker DeWitt being a private investigator, hell the cloths you are
wearing matches the cloths you wore in a photo dated 1911, care to explain all of these coincides?” “How do you know all these things
Oberson?” I told you, I am a perceptive man Mr. DeWitt, I never miss small details, now I am not even going to ask why or how you are
here in this time period, but honestly to me it does not matter. After reading the information I think you are a prime candidate for a
new member of Crawford, what do you say Mr. DeWitt?” “I’ll think it over, I have seen the members and it seems nice and all, but I
have to talk to my group, they are my family at this point and they deserve to have a say in this.” “I understand, you believe in the
idea that family is all, I get it, well we have nothing else to talk about, I hope to see you again soon, you would have a better life
here, I promise you that.” Booker got up and started to leave, Cany saw him and walked him to the gate. “You enjoy your stay here Mr.
DeWitt, you thinking of living here?” “I will talk it over with my group, we will see, I never asked you what do you of Oberson Cany?”
He took Booker to a small side of the building where no guards were and whispered, “To be honest, he get things done, and I don’t have
to do much, but there is just something off about him, when I first came here my wife was beside me. When we got in we were checked
for bites, they said they found a scratch on my wife. I did not see it, I checked myself and could not find it, they took her out back
and shot her, I don’t know if she was scratched or not, Oberson said there was and it was done. Don’t tell him that I said that okay,
he would believe I blame him and want him dead, I do not I just wanted to know and found it strange that I was never shown.” “I see,
well I have seen my fair share of crazed leaders wanting nothing but power, I don’t think Oberson is one of them, I mean he was a
school principle and I see kids around here, nothing that I can see wrong.” Nate walked by and told Booker to get in the car, he got
in the passenger’s seat and looked out the window as the school got smaller and smaller, he turned and looked at Nate just drinking his
bottle whiskey before just resting his eyes for the first time all mourning.
Home Sweet Home
Booker woke up to see Nate still taking a sip of his whiskey, and they were in sight of the house. He got up, dusted himself off from
all the crackers and alcohol stains and got out of the car. Nate tipped his hat and yelled, “Hope you enjoyed your stay at Crawford,
please come again soon.” “ I might, just give us sometime okay.” “Fine by me, see you round DeWitt, I am going to go get more
whiskey.” Elizabeth came running out of the house yelling Bookers name, she hugged him as Dempsey and the rest of the group got came
to watch.” “Booker, how was Crawford, is it safe, does it have power, is it really what Nate said it is?” “Elizabeth, it has power, a
wall, top notch security, and great food, it is a decent place to say the least. I am just glad to be back, what time it is Tyler?”
“It’s 4:25 sir, you have been gone for quite some time.” “How was everything while I was gone, I can see things did not fall apart
while are leader was away.” “It has been fine Booker, Dempsey did all the guard work and got to kill a few walkers, Nikolai was just
getting to know everyone, and Tan was talking with Arlington the whole time.” “How is the Weasel anyway, how is his statues, can he
walk yet?” “He has made great strides in the past four days, he is well enough to use the crutches he got from the hospital.” Good to
know, I am honestly not sure what to do, on one hand if everything is right then we might just be able to survive through all of this,
but on the other hand it is a little too perfect, other than Nate everyone seems a little too nice. I am putting it to a vote, I
abstain, Elizabeth?” “I think we should try it, maybe be cautious like leave some guns or food in case we have to leave but I think we
should try it out for a week, Dempsey?” “I say let’s do this, if there is a problem we will just fight are way out, we can handle it,
Takeo?” “No, we have made a good run of it, and are leader is fair, there are so many moving parts and pieces that can and maybe will
cause problems, Nikolai?” “I am with Dempsey, let’s try this, what is the worst that could go wrong we lose some food, Tan?” “I am
not sure, I will vote whatever Albert says, we have become great friends in such a short amount of time, I’ll go get him.” Chill got
up from the couch and walked into the yard, he said, “I think we should stay, I have read enough about people that when shit gets real,
they can and will do unspeakable acts of violence and worse, Booker won’t kill people for fun I vote no, Noah? “I think we should go,
I am not sure we have enough food or space for ten people, let alone for years, if something goes wrong we leave, you said this place
is fair, Melina?” “ I don’t know, I am not an active of this group, I abstain.” Tan came down with Arlington’s hand around Tan’s
shoulder, like those old Civil War pictures of wounded soldiers. Arlington spoke up, “I vote no, this might sound silly and trivial
but what if the remnants of the police is there, they want to put me back in jail or worse yet kill me, I might sound paranoid but I
have gone so far just to be killed by someone that still believes in the law, Tan?” “I say no, the guy that shot Albert was from
Crawford, just because the leader said that he was loose cannon does not mean there are others like him.” Booker looked at me, and
spoke with a speech like voice, “You’re the swing vote Tyler, what do you say this all comes down to you?” “I don’t know, I want to
abstain but I don’t have a choice, I agree with Dempsey and Elizabeth, let’s try this for a week, let’s leave half of are guns and food
here in case something goes wrong, if nothing goes wrong we get the guns and food, but if not then we get are stuff and just move on.”
“Okay then, it’s settled, we are going to Crawford for a full week, if by August 7th we see something that is not right we leave, now
pack your things, half are guns and ammo stay along with half of are food, everything else we take with us, let’s get a move on we
might get there by sundown.”
After Ten days in the Desert
I turned around to see the house, the sun was setting behind it, the rays shined on the house like a fading flashlight, I was sure this
would be the last I would see it. Booker was at the head of are column, with Dempsey and his friends behind Booker. Tan was still
helping Arlington walk, he was getting better slowly but for now he needed help from his new friend. It’s funny, he had only known him
for five days yet they acted like they had known each other for years, it must have been all those mobster movies they watched for
those days were Arlington was restricted to staying in bed. They watched Departed, Goodfellas, all three Godfathers, all the great
ones worth talking about. Now it seems they are almost brothers, who would have thought that an army soldier and a mobster would be
friends? Anyway Elizabeth was right behind Arlington and Tan, she had a pistol in her hand but we all knew she would not use it, we
knew her to well. Then me and my friends were at the back of the column, I guess we were in the safest position is something was to
happen but I don’t know for sure why we were at the back. It was getting late and we all knew the moment the sun goes down we would be
easy prey to walkers or anything or anyone. The city was still pretty even after a week, sure the fires on day one had burned some of
the buildings, but there were some parts that looked as if the undead had not risen. There were very few if any walkers in the area,
which was strange as I remember there being so many only seven days before. We found a few walkers roaming around, I saw the look in
Dempsey’s eyes, he was going to do that challenge he did the day Arlington got shot. “I bet ten dollars that Takeo can kill those five
walkers and look cool doing it.” “Well I already lost five dollars, I am keeping it, you can take Tan’s money though, he never spends
it on anything.” “Good luck trying to find something that money can still buy, your still on though, care to explain how an old
Japanese guy can kill those walkers in ‘style’.” “ I will gladly show you, Takeo please go kill those walkers so that your dear friend
can become ten dollars richer.” “I’ll do it, but not for money, rather in the name of putting those wayward souls to rest.” Takeo
took out his Katana and walked toward the walker, it noticed him and started walking toward him to. He put his hand on one side of the
blade, and pressed it ageist the walkers neck, it’s head fell out with ease. He threw his Katana into the eye socket of the next
zombie, Takeo just slowly walked toward his sword with no sense of urgency, He raised his sword and chopped the next walker in half
from the head down to the chest, he then walked to the second to last walker and just started slicing it apart. He cut so fast it was
hard to see where he hit until the blood started pouring out, he cut its arms off, the head, hell he cut the thing in half straight
across the waist. Only one walker remained, Takeo just turned around and without even looking jabbed the katana into the chest of the
walker, only he did not stop there. He grabbed its head and threw it over his shoulder, it landed on its back and Takeo just pulled
the sword out, along with the walker’s undead heart. He then rammed the blade through the walkers jaw, he walked back to our group
while swinging the sword in the air to clean the blood off. Tan was in disbelieve, it was all surreal to him, he turned to Dempsey and
told him, “I should have known not to gamble money when you are making the bets.” “Well it’s a little late to realize that Tan, now
where is my money?” “Here, I don’t know what use you have for it but you can take it off my hands.” After that nothing really
interesting happened, it was just all ten of us walking through Savannah to get to Crawford, the only other interesting part was when
Elizabeth wanted to sing a song to keep are hopes up. She asked if anyone had any good songs, and Dthly Chill of all people says he
would want her to sing Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel. Elizabeth did not know any of the words, so Chill you I would like to
mention does not like to teach anyone anything, wrote down the words on a piece of paper. Elizabeth sang the whole song, it really did
keep are morale high as we made it to the gates of Crawford. The sun had just set when we made it, Booker yelled to Cany Dance to open
the gate. “Well when you said told me that you were going to think it over, I was not expecting you back a few hours later, must have
been the pork ribs.” “Booker, you had pork ribs, you know I love ribs and steak, why did you not tell me.” “Because I was quite sure
you would talk about it all the way, and now we are here, shut up and follow my lead for just a little bit more.” The gate opened and
we all walked in just to be amazed at how good this place was, running water, working lights and power, a wall and plenty of guards, I
knew we would be safe here.
Solace
The place was beautiful, the guard Cany gave us a small tour, Chills looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, I had
never seen him so happy without saying a word. “As you can see, security is are top concern here in Crawford, nothing gets past the
wall. We have a fully functional cafeteria, are special today was ribs shame you missed it by only a few hours. We have gymnasium for
working out and playing games, it does not get used that much but it works. The nurses office is are medical station, we have three
members there, I am sure your friend will be running a marathon in no time with are care.” “I’ll be the judge of that; I personally
want Elizabeth to be the medical professional as I trust her the most.” “Really, so the girl is really adept at healing, good to know
I will inform Oberson soon enough and I are confident she will get the job. Anyway we are going to the theater area; Oberson was going
to give a small speech about surviving a full week into the apocalypse. By the way here are your journals, every member of Crawford
needs to have journal to document your thoughts.” We walked into the theater and saw most of Crawford was here; so many people, men,
woman, and children were in most of the seats. Booker found some for us, it was more packed then I had expected, by luck the man
sitting right next to Booker was the man he meant hours before, Oliver Oberst. “So I can see what choice you made, I can’t blame you
it’s hard to pass up this place.” “Can you believe it has only been seven days, it feels like months already since I have read the
local newspaper.” “I know I would give anything to go back to the old ways, even if it meant my own life.” “I know that feel, when is
Oberson going to give his speech?” “Real soon, we have been here for quite some time already, I here he gave pretty good speeches when
he was principle of this school.” The theater became real quite all of a sudden, then a man in military uniform walked out on to the
stage, he seemed pretty high ranking but I knew that was not an American uniform. Behind him was a man in a black suit and tie, I
guessed was the leader everyone was talking about. The man in the uniform went up to the podium spoke up in his German accent, “People
of Crawford, I proudly present your leader and savior, Crawford Oberson, the man who has single handily created a community that will
be able to ride out the storm of undead.” The man went to Oberson’s left, and stood there like a bodyguard, even though his bodyguard
was to his right. “People of Crawford, I am proud to say we have survived are first week in the apocalypse, the Bible itself said we
could never survive but we are proven it wrong. I can’t say that every day from now will be flawless, but we will carry on through the
ruins of the world where many others failed. Sacrifices will be made in the future, but it will all be for a good cause, life will
find a way no matter what. Years from now when the world gets back to normal, they will write about how the brave and courage’s
members of Crawford survived while the city fell around us, we will all be hero’s idolized for generations to come. Everyone must do
their part to make that future a reality, but I have faith that all of you can create that future, now get out and explore, survive,
and thrive in the name of humanity.” Everyone got up and clapped before leaving and going back to whatever they were doing previously.
Booker got up and walked to Oberson who was talking to a few members of Crawford, he saw him walk towards him.” “Mr. DeWitt, good to
see you back in are lovely community, I assure you that the choice you have made was the right one.” “You told me you need a file on
everyone, well I have my nine other members, do you need to interview any of them?” “No, just write down their names and if any stick
out I will interview them, here take my pen.” Booker wrote down all of our names and handed them to Oberson, Booker writes all of his
documents really fast.” “I see, well two are noteworthy, send Albert Arlington and Tank Dempsey to my office as soon as you can Mr.
DeWitt, the files will be made soon enough.” “Good to know, that speech was pretty good, who wrote it?” “I did, most politicians have
speech writers, I do not believe in it, it shows they can’t think of creative words that express what the speaker wants to say. All
those words were written by me, if need be I could show you all the rough drafts I have made in my office.” “I see where we sleep, as
some of my members have been walking for hours.” “Tell them to head to the dormitory wing, Cany will know where that it, room 223 is
yours, I must warn you that you will sharing that room with a family of two.” Booker walked to his fellow group members, they all
looked happy except Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo. “What is wrong now Dempsey, did someone pickpocket the 15 dollars you have won?” “No,
that man that was with Oberson, I know him and he is not to be trusted. The man in the uniform, his name is Dr. Edward Richtofen, he
used to be a ‘friend’ of are before he betrayed us for his own personal goals, I don’t like the fact he is here.” “I see, well I guess
maybe in the morning I will talk to Oberson about this, remember we have to last seven more days, and just because one person from your
past that is untrustworthy is here does not mean that we should leave. I don’t like Nate but I am willing to push that aside in the
name of protecting are group and you will need to do the same.” “Yes sir understood, it’s just odd you know, I will get over it real
fast.”
Time Will Tell
Cany walked everyone to the dormitory’s, it was late, my watch said it was 8:00 PM, we had to hand in are weapons, something Booker
did not want to do knowing his family ties to that revolver. The room was large, it had desks, a bathroom with working toilets, a
shower, and six bunk beds. The other family was already asleep, so Cany flipped the light on and off repeatedly until they got up.
“Booker, meet your roommates, go easy on them they have gone through quite a lot.” The family in front of me was to woman, one was 20
with blonde hair, the other was 14 with much darker hair I guess, I am not good at looking at someone and guessing age. We all just
stood there not saying a word, Booker broke the silent, “So you two are the ‘family’ Oberson talked about, well we are you new
roommates, exactly what relations do you have?” “She is my sister, nothing more nothing less, are parents are, gone you know.”
“Sorry to hear that, what are your names?” The older one spoke up, “My name is Molly, my younger sister’s name is Hilda, we have been
here for only three days.” Arlington spoke up, “Well this is our night here, don’t worry it’s going to get better here.” We all got
just stopped talking and started picking which bunk bed we would be sleeping in. I took the lower bed in the bunk right next to the
door, Chill was on the upper one. It all went as you would expect, Booker and Elizabeth shared the same bunk, Dempsey and Takeo, Tan
and Arlington, Molly and her sister, Noah and Melina, only thing was there was no bed for Nikolai. He complained for half the night
until he just fell asleep on the floor. I slept pretty well for the first time in a week, I woke up around 9:00, not tired as hell
and not woken up by someone. I got out of bed to find that only Nikolai was still in the room, not that I blame him sleeping on the
floor sucks, I looked around and saw Arlington eating ribs with Tan, the rest of the group was also there. I walked over to
Arlington’s table, I had not seen the guy look so happy in far too long, and all it took was food. “Tyler, glad you could join us, I
found out the chef had some ribs left over from yesterday, it is incredible here take a piece.” I took the rib and ate it, it was
really juicy and meaty, just the way I like my ribs. “See, I can tell you loved it, I don’t know what the hell Tan is talking about.”
“All I am saying is the ribs are good, but not to die for, I just don’t see it.” “Tan you’re not from New York that is why you don’t
appreciate good well-seasoned ribs.” “I will say we are lucky they even have ribs left, I guess refrigeration has saved quite a few
types of food that are not canned.” I asked them what they are going to be doing after finishing dinner, they responded, “Well I am
going to report to Oberson’s office, he wants to talk to me for some reason imagine that, and Tan is now a guard after they learned of
his past military experiences, in other words he got screwed over.” “Well after your leg heals you are going to have to out
scavenging again.” “Which I am good at beyond a doubt, what happened was just bad luck nothing more nothing less. Anyway, I hear
Booker is going out looking for stuff with Nate, go figure there, Elizabeth is working in the nurse’s office, and Dempsey is going to
Oberson’s office right after me, and your friends are going to be cleaning the hallways, I am going to love your face after you clean
the whole school.” I got up and walked toward my friends to tell them the news, I told Chill and all he did was slam his head on to
the table and sit there before getting up and talking about how much shit that is. Arlington got up and told Tan to finish those
ribs, as he did not want them to go to waste at all. He walked down the hallway to Oberson’s office.
Arlington’s Day Arlington walked into Oberson’s office all too similar to how Booker entered just a day before, the door closed behind him and Oberson
asked him to take a seat. “Ah yes, Albert Arlington, do you know why you have been called today?” “No sir I do not why am I here
instead of resting?” “Cut the bullshit we both know why you are here, now I will ask again do you know why you are sitting before me
today!” “Yes I do, you want to talk to me because of my ‘noteworthy’ past.” “That is correct, by luck no one knows who you really
are, maybe because the past is the past, maybe because they forgot the name, hell maybe they forgot what you look like, but I don’t. I
know for a fact you escaped with three other prisoners that you knew well, I am not sure a prisoner can be trusted here. Tell me, I
always wondered how did you escape and why is your three friends dead?” “ It’s simple, over six months I created a plane out of normal
everyday items, and I murdered a guard to get the keys to release my friends.” “This is all correct, I am surprised you are so
compliant with your past, you do understand I could throw you out for being a former mobster?” “Yes I am fully aware, I just don’t see
how I should be judged on my former actions, my current actions matter more. Anyway we started up the plane in the middle of a thunder
storm and the strong winds tore the plane apart. My former boss tried to kill me, he never liked me and did not trust me. Finn was
the only one that sided with me, he got shot in the chest by one of the members, I crushed his skull in with a rock and shot the other
guy in the face. I put my friend out of his misery and walked for some time before I slept under a tree, the next day I reached
Savannah and now we are talking is that good enough?” “That is quite the story Arlington if only that, a story, how did it really
happen.” “Excuse me, did you just doubt my honesty while I am being interrogated, I told you my friends all died that day what more do
you need.” “This is not an interrogation, if I wanted to do that I would have Nate and we would not be talking, you lied about your
friends, I had a friend that was a reporter in Savannah, and when he found the body’s there was only one bullet in Finn O Leary’s body,
and there was a bullet in Billy Handsome’s head, not a crushed skull, how did they really die?” “Why does it matter, they are dead
now does it matter how they died?” “Normally I would tell you not really, but trust is important in Crawford, and I know you lied to
me, spit it out Arlington you told me the past is the past.” “Alright you want the fucking truth then I will give you the fucking
truth. When the plane crashed Sal blamed me like I said, only when he was threating my life and trying to convince the others to kill
me I drew first. I shot him in the head, the others thought I had murdered him for no reason, so they went after me. I fired a bullet
that hit Billy in the jaw, I then turned to my childhood best friend Michael ‘Finn’ O Leary, I tried to talk him down but no matter
what I told him he shrugged it off. I had no choice, I wanted to live no matter what, so I did what I had to, I shot my best friend in
the head between the eyes. I am not proud of it, I am not gloating about it, look at me I am a grown man who has killed human beings
before and I am trying my best not to cry. I am so going to hell and no matter what I do it won’t make a blind bit of different, do
you want me to admit that I have lived a sorrowful life filled with sin and misery, because that is the truth also.” “Arlington, you
can stay in Crawford, you told the truth about what you did when could have said nothing. I am not a judgmental man, I am a man of
action, and my act today is to keep you here, now please get out of my office as I have other people to talk to.” “Thanks, I don’t
know what to say, I will say you are a better leader then Sal Deluca ever was, I hope I stay here for a long time and outlive this
nightmare.” Arlington hobbled out of Oberson’s room; he was busy writing down something in his journal when the next guest entered.
Dempsey’s Day
Dempsey walked by Arlington in the hallway as he went into Oberson’s office; he took a seat just like everyone in the group before him.
“Tank Dempsey, American war hero, it is an honor to have you among us.” “Okay stop with the pleasantry’s Oberson get to the point, why
am I here instead of going out and getting food or ammo?” “I’ll keep it short, yesterday when I was looking up information on you to
put in the file I walked by the Savannah heroes hallway. People that are noteworthy are there, from the city’s founder to the present
when I noticed something odd, when I worked here I never really paid attention to who was on that wall. I looked and saw a Medal of
Honor, and it was labeled Tank Dempsey, that was not mentioned in your file, why?” “I was being held captive by are ‘enemy’, yes I
know you don’t hear that happening often. All I did was escape while killing my captors and saving the only other man there, it was
not gallantry it was something we all would have done under the circumstances. When I got back command put me up for the medal and I
won it, but I felt undeserving of such an award knowing younger men have done braver things when they had the option to do nothing. So
I sent it home here, and I guess my family or something put it here I don’t know, my real family is the army, not those people that
mascaraed as my parents. Now they are dead and I don’t give a shit about who they are or what they did, is this what you called me
for, to congratulate me for earning something that was not rightfully mine!” “Yes I did, knowing each members strength and weakness is
half the battle, and now I know, you may leave now sergeant.” “About fucking time, before I go I must ask this one question, I
noticed that man who is with you all the time, when did he show up?” “Richtofen, ah yes him, quite the interesting person to say the
least. He is not all there, he talks about cutting open peoples spleens for whatever reason, I honestly don’t trust him and would
prefer to kick him out if he was not so useful. He is both head of security and science, which boils down to experimenting on dead
walkers to find out why they have come back and his security is second to none.” “Okay, has he talked about me or any of my friends,
because he used to be a member of our group before he back stabbed us.” “No he has never once talked about being in a group, he ether
forgot about you or he thinks is does not matter anymore, you’re in the clear stop worrying so much.” “Okay, now if you excuse me I
have a date with that vending machine down the hall, it’s been way to fucking long since I had a Coke.” “Forgot to mention this
yesterday, in a few days we are going to be throwing a party to honor Crawford surviving a full week, try not to miss it.” Dempsey
walked out into the hallway and like he promised he found a vending machine with a Coke in it. He broke out the five bucks he earned
off Arlington and put it in waiting for is soda, it jammed half way. Let me tell you, even I don’t know how pissed Dempsey was at that
moment, words can’t express it, he kicked the damn thing until it at long coughed up his drink. He then just slowly walked into the
sunlight drinking a Coke, he went over and started talking to Cany when he saw Booker in Nate’s car driving toward downtown, he felt
sorry for what he was about to go through. “So, what do you know about the ‘party’ Oberson is going to throw?” “Not much other then
we found a wedding cake still somewhat fresh yesterday; I assume we are going to be eating that.” “Why not, it has been way to long
since I have had cake, are you army Cany, because you hold your gun like a marine.” Cany threw up his arms and said in a joking tone,
“Well you got me; I was a marine for a couple years. I always wanted to be a Ranger but when I found out just how hard it was I aimed
a little bit lower. I honestly did nothing noteworthy during my service, so Dempsey what is your job now, guard?” “Nah I am going out
to look for shit, now I am just waiting for them to fill up the car with gasoline, god how long does it even take?” “Quite some time,
we are sadly not a gas station it takes time for some reason.” “Well shit, I guess I am stuck here looking at the slowly burning
horizon, better, I might as well get comfortable.”
Takeo’s Day
It had been a real slow morning for everyone, Arlington was in the nurse’s office because of his foot, and Dempsey was stuck waiting
for his car to get filled with gasoline. Booker was stuck with Nate, and Nikolai was still in bed after getting no sleep yesterday,
only Takeo had a decent morning. He got out of bed long before everyone else; he made his own coffee by using machine in the
cafeteria, and sat down as ordered soup. He was assigned to be a guard, most likely because Oberson did not like the idea of someone
around the age of 60 getting supply’s, his post was the front gate like most guards, it was a dull morning but Takeo did not care, the
beauty of watching the sun rise was enough to make it up. He was handed a bolt action rifle and lawn chair, all he did for hours was
sit there at the horizon and watch for walkers that would never appear. Time pasted and time pasted, Dempsey came out with a bottle of
Coke in his hand, he talked to Cany about how long it was taking. Knowing that nothing would happen Takeo just got up and talked to
Dempsey. “Takeo my friend, don’t tell me your job is watching the wall all day is it?” “I am afraid it is Dempsey, I can’t complain
but I do wish there was something more exciting in store for me.” “Well I’ll tell you what, when the truck gets filled up why don’t
you take a ride with me, nothing else important is going to happen and besides, we always need two people per search right?” “Fine, go
check on the car, I am not going anywhere.” Dempsey came back and told Takeo, “Shit it’s only half full, well might as well talk about
something, hay Cany you got anything to smoke?” “Yes I do, you both want one, I never use them but it would be a waste to never use
them.” “I’ll be fine; I prefer dying of old age instead of cancer.” “Suit yourself, hay Takeo you are like 60 something, how was your
military career, how did you become a major general?” “Well I did join up when I was 17, no one really cared, I guess I got a head
start being in wars Japan was not technically in. I was with the Americans in Vietnam; I was technically apart of the US army but with
a Japanese rank. It may have been selfish to go and fight instead of stay at home and try to heal the country, but I could not resist
the urge to fight. Everyone in the unit hated me, it was only 20 some years since Pearl Harbor, and by luck the sergeant’s father was
at Pearl. We fought through the war, it was not a fun experience but an experience none the less, at one point I saved my sergeant
after he got him by a sniper, they all routed and left him except me. After that day he respected me as a warrior that was helping
instead of an observer from a foreign country. When the war ended I went home, not much happened for some time really, just staying in
the military for a long time helped me become an officer. I believe it was in the 80s, when the Cold War was dying down I met this
soldier who would soon become one of my closest friends. Her name was Isabell Tanaka but she preferred being called Izzy, yes I know
English first name Japanese last, I am not here to judge. She was 19, maybe younger, and she was trying to graduate flight school of
all things, she was real pretty to, she could have easily been a modal or actress or anything along those lines, but instead she
answered the call just as I had decades before. She did not have parents, so I became a father to her. She was really gifted in
flying a jet, hell she even wore those flight suits that Zero pilots had during World War 2, she graduated top of her class. After
sometime the Gulf War happened, so me and Izzy went to the Middle East, almost mirroring what I did in Vietnam. To be honest it was
nothing to write home about for me, all I did was just command soldiers; it was more of Izzy’s show. She shot down five aircraft
during the whole war; she was an ace after only one war, a good start. I got to the rank of colonel and for some time nothing
happened, by the 2000s I was a general and by dear friend was a group leader, otherwise known as a captain. I was a part of the second
Gulf war or whatever you prefer to call it, when we pulled out I believe I was thinking of retiring after all those long years, and
then I walked into a bar in Texas and met a young hot headed marine and a drunk Russian, and here we are now. I may have just made my
life story longer then it really is, you would think being a major general of the Japanese army is interesting, but it really is not,
sitting at a desk sucks. To be honest if I had the choice I would rather be in Japan right now with you guys, who knows what is going
on there now, god I hope Izzy is okay she was always the first to jump feet first into anything.” “Sorry I asked, you really know how
to bore a soldier to death you know, I’ll go check the gas it should be good now. Okay it’s almost filled just give in another minute,
I have one question, if your whole career is nothing noteworthy then how the hell did you kill those walkers with style?” “Well I did
forget one chapter, one of our guys got blown up by a grenade trap in Vietnam once, and I sort of went crazy with that sword, when I
came home I learned how to use it, how to be the sword, stuff like that. I am a better military planner then I am a fighter, but I
will still fight to my last breath before any of you die. As they said in World War 2, death before dishonor so take solace in the
fact that if you get shot or something, I won’t run, I will try to save you even if it means my own death. You’re a great friend
Dempsey, my life would not have been so much fun without you.” “Gee thanks for your heartwarming story, I think the gas is filled now
let’s go burn some rubber!” “Alright, just so you know I can drive a car a lot better than you think.” “I’ll be the judge of that.
“I just remembered something I was going to tell you, the name Takeo means warrior in English.” “You’re an asshole you know that,
that was easily the most interesting information and you forgot it, glorious.”
Booker’s Day
Booker got into the car with Nate, he turned around to see Dempsey waving sarcastically, he knew just how much ‘fun’ this was going to
be. Like every other time, Nate turned on his radio and of course it played Dan Sartain, he just sat back in the chair and hoped the
destination was not too far. Luck was on Bookers side for what seemed like the first time in his life, the spot they had to scavenge
was apartment building not far from Crawford, according them Oberson the closest buildings must be searched first. Nate turned the to
the car keys out of the ignition and walked to the door, it was locked obviously, but that did not stop him. He kicked the door in and
grabbed his gun, he signaled to Booker to be silent and follow his lead. There was nothing on the first floor other than a closet,
nothing but shoes were inside. They both slowly walked up the long twisting staircase to the second floor, they found nothing of use,
it appeared someone had been there long before they came. They walked all the way to the third floor, Booker and Nate agreed that if
there was nothing on the third floor they would just leave empty handed. Booker took point for once, and when they got to the third
floor they saw another person standing there. Nate aimed his gun at the person, who did not have a gun or any weapon to speak of, Nate
asked, “Who the hell are you, do you know if there is any food here?” “My name is Nick, I used to live here before all of this, please
just don’t kill me, I’ll do whatever you want.” “Good, now where is all the food, I know you did not just live here without food.”
“They are in my backpack, it’s all canned soup and little else, sorry.” “We come from a community not too far away that has fresh
water, power, and a wall, why don’t you come with us?” “For starters tell your friend to lower the gun, I don’t work well under
pressure.” Nate lowered his gun real slow, he did not want to lower his gun but he did it anyway for some reason. “Okay, it sounds
like a good place and what other choice do I have, stay in this decrepit apartment, when can we go?” “Right now, come on Nate lets go
home.” “Wait just a moment, what is your full name?” “Nickolas Vickers, why does it matter?” “I remember you when I was a boy, you
stole my bicycle when I was ten.” “Does it really matter anymore, I was a dumb kid can we just leave now.” Nate turned around and
told Booker, “Well I do believe we should get a move on, the daylight is burning fast.” “Thank god, I was starting to think help would
never arri-.” Booker watched as Nate fired his gun into Nick’s chest, all while he was still staring at Booker with a smile on his
face. “I knew I would meet that bastard one day, well now let’s get a look at his stuff.” “What the hell was that, you can’t just go
around killing people, you don’t know how many people are even alive in Savannah anymore, I thought it was your job to recruit people,
not shoot them.” “He was not fit enough to join anyway, trust me I should know after a full week.” “You don’t know that, Oberson
never said kill people that might be able to join Crawford, what do you think he will say when he learns about this!” “He won’t, from
this day forward this man never existed, we found canned food in the cabinets and that was all.” Booker looked at the body, it was
starting to move again, slowly but impossible to not notice. “At least let me put him out of his misery.” “Hay I don’t care what you
do to his body after he is dead, just remember to get moving in a minute.” “He pulled out his revolver and pointed it at Nick’s head
and whispered, “I am sorry I could not protect you.” He fired off a shot before walking out of the apartment, Nate with that creepy
smile still on his face. “Shit happens some days, you’ll get used to it soon enough.” Booker could not even look at Nate, he just
looked at his own reflection in the rear view mirror, all he saw staring back in the cracked glass was the eyes of a broken man.
Elizabeth’s Day
There was not much work in the nurse’s office the first day Elizabeth started working there, there were really only two things she even
did other than talk to the other doctors. First was checking up of Albert Arlington, which went well for him, the diagnosis was in
another week he could walk again, with a limp but still a lot faster than Elizabeth had guessed. The only other person who walked in
was this little girl, she had the flu, it was nothing serious but her parents wanted it to be checked up on. She was around 13, her
name was Abigail, the whole checkup felt routine after only one day, no one else walked in, to say it was a slow day was an
understatement. So like any sane person would do when it’s a slow day, she talked to the other doctors. “So, how is been so far this
week?” Vernon spoke up first, “When you see your daughter get eaten alive in front of you while you can’t do a thing, I am pretty sure
I would classify this week as being shit.” Doctor Logan went next, “I did not have a family, so pretty good, could be worse I mean we
are still breathing.” Hutchinson spoke last in her English accent, “I am with Logan, it was confusing at the start but high tide has
ended, it is all smooth sailing from here.” “I see, what else do you do when nothing is going on?” “We just sit around, I have a
group of ten me included, they come by sometimes.” “I have one question Dr. Vernon, we have these roommates, their names are Molly and
Hilda, you don’t know anything about them do you?” “Not much, I know they both witnessed there whole family die, beyond that I got
nothing, go easy on them.” “I will, where are you from Vernon, local?” “I live here, but I am not from here, I am from Alabama, my
family still lives there, I just hope they are okay.” “Hope is all we have left, the dead can take love ones, your home, your will to
live, but hope is something that never can be taken.” “I’ll keep that in mind, sorry if I am rather cynical, it was just my way,
believe me people hated getting stuck with me.” Hutchinson was looking at Elizabeth for a good minute before asking, “I noticed you
are not wearing makeup, why?” “I guess I just believe that it’s not for me, that and Booker always thought only prostitutes wore
makeup, even though it’s clearly not true.” Just then Booker walked through the door, he looked like he was in a state of shock. “I
should go, just tell me if anything happens, you know where I live.” Elizabeth walked out and talked to Booker, “What happened to you,
did you get bit while you were out there?” “No, we were out there searching and we found a guy, he wanted to join Crawford but that
guy Nate knew him. He had stolen his bike when he was ten, and during the conversation he shot him for no reason.” “It was not your
fault, how would you have known he would shoot him, you are only one man.” “I know, but I could have done something, I just stood like
a deer in headlights as an innocent man was gunned down, I guess death follows me around every corner. If anything ever happens to me,
don’t die trying to be a hero, you are all I have left in this world, I lost you once and I will never lose you again.” “I understand
Booker, what do you think we should do?” “We should leave soon, after the party we are going to leave this place.” “If that is what
you want, Arlington will hate that but I am okay with it. Things will get better I know it, it can’t always be doom and gloom
forever.” “I guess you’re right, while on the way back I noticed there was a library still around, I found this for you, your birthday
is tomorrow but since you hate it when I am depressed you get it early to make up for it. It’s a book on the history of Paris, along
with a ton of pictures, I never forgot how much you love Paris.” “Thank you so much Booker, what a thoughtful early birthday present.”
“I do what I can some days, now let’s go eat something I am sure you are hungry after working for some time.”
Nikolai’s Day
Nikolai got out of bed, it was late, the sun had gone down not too long ago. Booker and the rest of the crew were sleeping, he got up
to see a new bed, most likely for him, he went out into the hallway, he was not tired and all the guards were outside. He noticed that
Noah was not in his bed, odd but Nikolai did not care, he wanted to drink some vodka, you know Russians, they can’t get enough of that
shit. It was being stored near the kitchen, in storage, he creped out slowly into the long hallways, hoping that no one would see him.
He walked by the nurses’ station, he saw Noah next to the door, talking to a girl about the same age as him. Noah got waving his hand,
“You did not see anything here, this never happened Nikolai.” “I get it already, I have been married to many times to count, don’t let
me get in the way of your girlfriend.” “She is not my, forget it you already know, meet my first and at the moment only girlfriend,
Abigail Winthrop.” “Good to know, go back into are wing or go to a closet I don’t give a shit, just don’t get caught.” Noah agreed
and slowly walked back to his room, his girlfriend in tow. Nikolai was close to his target, the storage room was down the hall, hear a
crescent shaped room, only catch was the key was in Oberson’s office, he had retired to his room a while ago so finding the key could
not be that hard. Nikolai opened the door slowly, he opened the desk drawer to find documents and another random junk, he found the
keys at the very bottom beneath the files. As he walked back to the storage room, he noticed that Oberson’s room was close to his
office, ether curiosity or just being a dumbass made him look through the key hole in the door. Inside was the man himself sleeping,
along with the English nurse, a mistress or something, Nikolai did not care, all he wanted to see was just how big the room was.
Oberson did not notice a pair of tired beaten down eyes looking through the key hole, and Nikolai was happy about that, he went to the
storage room and put the key in, the alarm did not sound. He went into his thinks, and found his knapsack full of vodka, he took a big
swig out of the bottle before putting the cap back on his. He slowly walked back to his room, sure that with a little alcohol in his
blood he could sleep through the night, on the way back he walked by Cany Dance’s room, the light was out like no one was there.
Cany’s Day
The lights were out in Cany’s room, but he was not asleep, he was at his desk with a dimly lit candle, he had a pen and was writing
something in his journal. “Diary entry, date August first, tomorrow is a big day, Oberson is throwing a party for surviving a week.
He will be there, Richtofen will be there, and I will be there sitting right next to him when he is giving his speech. Tomorrow during
the speech I will shoot Oberson through the heart, I know he killed my wife without reason, I won’t survive and all members of Crawford
will think I am an insane assassin. He killed the only person who ever mattered to me, without checking, I know that nurse he has did
not know for sure, no one can take a look at someone and say they are bit. My family is dead, my wife is dead, my friends are dead, I
have nothing left other than sit around looking at a wall all day. Oberson has no idea I am after him, he won’t suspect a thing, if
anyone is reading this now then I am sorry I did it, but you don’t just kill someone on the because maybe they got bit. I am so sorry
Annabelle, I am sorry I could not do anything as a school principle put you to death, I will right the wrongs that have been done.”
Cany put his diary in the bed frame, no one had to know before it was time. He cleaned his Colt 1911, he made sure that when he pulled
the trigger, it would not jam. He had no idea what the speech was or how long it would be, all he knew was when there was an
opportunity he would take it and now look back. He put the gun in his under his vest, he put the vest on the desk, blew out the
candle, and went to bed ready for the tomorrow.
Balloons and Cake
Booker got out of bed, it was 9:00AM, the party would not start until at least 5:00PM. It was also Elizabeth’s birthday, what a
wonderful combination, he got and waited for everyone else to get up. “Everyone, after the party we are taking a vote to see if we are
going to stay or not, we have some time to kill so if you were planning on doing anything important then do it now.” Arlington got up
first, “I got the message, now if you don’t mind I am going to go great breakfast.” Everyone walked into the cafeteria, it was packed
with everyone wanting to eat. “Today’s special is my personal favorite, spaghetti with meatballs, trust me I made this stuff it is to
die for.” “DeWitt I think my Irish luck has come back, I love spaghetti with meatballs, my father barely considered me Irish after
eating all this Italian food but who cares?” Arlington took a huge plate full of spaghetti with some meatballs and walked back to the
table. “I forgot to mention happy birthday Elizabeth, what are you 21?” “How did you know that Arlington, I told no one that.”
“Sorry, I read your journal when I got bored, I read nothing else I swear on the life of this great food.” “Arlington, why do you
always find a way to not follow my orders? You better not have read anything else in that journal.” “Trust me everything else was not
interesting, anyway Tan what do you think of this food?” “I agree with you, this is to die for, I remember this one time during boot
camp, the drill sergeant gave us spaghetti and meatball, then made us march ten miles, let’s just say no one kept the food down.” Noah
came out of the dormitory’s last, his girlfriend still in tow, Arlington took one good look and said, “You got somewhere Noah, tell me,
how much money did it take to hire her, ten dollars? I am kidding it was a joke, so I can see where you have been, and Nikolai smells
like vodka so I got a good idea where he has been.” “Just so everyone knows, the party is not going to be in the cafeteria, it will be
in the dining room near the gym.” “Thanks for the tip, my navigation skills could never have found that.” “Well I for one am going to
go check out the dining room, I want to pick my spot before everything starts.” Tan looked at Arlington with a smirk and said, “You
do that Arlington, you do just go on and do that I will be right behind you.” Time pasted, and time pasted, the day went on with
nothing noteworthy happening. The dining room was packed with people, all of Crawford had shown up to attended. Security was even
higher than normal, all the guard were standing around the table, it must have been important to not have someone do something stupid.
Noah was sitting next to his girlfriend, I did not care that much about that fact, Booker was next to Elizabeth and so on. I could see
Oliver at the far end of the table, I could see Molly and her sister in the middle, everyone was truly there that day. Dr. Logan was
sitting with Vernon and his group of ten survivors, they seem like good friends. Arlington was just talking about how the cake would
be wonderful, Chill was mocking Noah’s girlfriend, mostly because she was pretty, and I just sat there saying nothing. After sometime
Oberson walked in, the German was next to him, the nurse was also nearby, and Cany was not far behind. I could see Nate along the side
of the wall, Booker was clearly not happy he was there but he get his hatred under wraps. Oberson went up to the podium and took out
some papers, his hand written speech. The room echoed with his booming voice, People of Crawford, the time has come to say goodbye to
the world we once knew. Survival is all that matters, we going a week has shown that we are not a rabble of simple minded individuals,
but rather a community of hardened warriors. There is no turning back now, we must turn are back on the world we once loved, we must
look to the future without a second thought. Today we celebrate are survival and mourn the loss of those who did not, but today is
also important for another reason. Today we change, today we take more strides toward surviving, today in the name of surviving we
must be a little more careful with food consummation, with use of power, I assure you this is for the common good. You might hate
change now, but one day you will thank me for doing this, change is happening here and now this moment.” Just as Oberson finished his
speech, I saw one of the guards stab a man in the throat, I then saw all the guards start stabbing and shooting people at what seemed
like pure random. I saw Chill just freeze up, I grabbed him and pulled him to the ground, Noah just stood there in complete shock.
Nate just started shooting people, an old man in the chest, a woman in her 30s in the back of her head, and finally he fired a bullet
that hit Abigail in the lower chest, Nate finished her off with four shots to the chest. The main door was closed, we could not
escape, more and more people were dropping left and right, I looked up to see Cany pull out a pistol and aim it at Oberson, the nurse
stabbed him in the leg with a kitchen knife before he could pull the trigger. Noah looked to his right, he saw that his girlfriend was
dead with five bullets in her, he collapsed to the floor, just staring at her dead body, I could do nothing. Booker and the rest had
no guns, they could do nothing but stand there and watch as people died, the air was filled with lead, blood, and the sound of dying
men, and woman. After five minutes the sound of gunfire stopped, I got up to see mass carnage everywhere, people dead in every corner
on the room. Oberson walked over to us, roughly half of the people were dead, Oliver was sitting at the end of the table, blood all
over him, with a dead body on his plate, he was beyond shocked. There was a dead body in front of Oberson, he kicked it to the side
and walked up to Booker DeWitt. Booker DeWitt, the deeply flawed man who had seen some of the worst humanity could offer, was throwing
up when Oberson started talking to him. “From now on there will be only rationed food, no use of cars unless needed, do you
understand me!” “Why, how could you, a catholic school principle do this?” “It’s the apocalypse, it is kill or be killed, and I don’t
plan on dying, only the strong survive, people like you are going to follow my orders to the letter.” “And what if I refuse to do your
work, the work of a psychopath?” “They it gets real simple, I will round up your group, and slowly kill them until you submit, I will
kill your friends, I will torture you, I will violate and kill your daughter, do you understand DeWitt, DO YOU HEAR ME!!!” “You were a
good man, you were understanding, what the hell happened!” “Survival, for the last few days I saw nothing but wasted resources, for
five days I foolishly let the weak into this place. People thought I was a kind man, they were right for only five of the past seven
days. I have been coming up with a plan to make sure Crawford will survive for years to come, and this was the first step.” Elizabeth
was still in a state of shock, never had she seen so much blood and death, she tried to look away but Oberson did not want her to miss
out on his grand scheme. He grabbed her and held her, a knife inches away from her throat. “ELIZABETH, put her down you traitorous
fucker!” Booker hit one of the guards and took his gun and pointed it at Oberson. “That is not a wish choice Mr. DeWitt, I expected
better from you.” “Put her down, I swear I will shoot you in the head without a second thought and without any remorse.” “You forgot
one detail, you kill me and you all die, don’t be stupid you are better than this.” Elizabeth looked at Booker, she yelled to him, “Do
it Booker, you have to stop him, my life is nothing compared to the lives you will save.” “Elizabeth I… I can’t, I promised your
mother I would never lose you before she died, your all I have left in this world.” “Yes you can, Booker it’s okay, it is okay, just
pull the trigger and let me be at peace, look at the faces of your group over there, they are your family just as much as me.” “Mr.
DeWitt I am giving you three seconds to put the gun down or your daughter will die, choose wisely.” Booker looked at the ground, he
tossed the gun over to Oberson, “Wish choice Mr. DeWitt, you can have your whore of a daughter back.” He pushed Elizabeth toward
Booker, he caught her, deep down he knew he had screwed up in the name of family. “Today we started with 150 survivors, today we end
it with 70, everyone return to your rooms and get a good night’s sleep, everyone but Cany, you are coming with me. I turned around to
see Dr. Logan in tears, the man looked hardcore, but deep down he was not a bad man. Nate was in the corner, bragging about how good a
shot he is, Oberson told him that he was supposed to shoot an older man, not the girl, Nate did not care though. I got into bed and
tried to sleep, seeing nothing but bodies and a river of blood, our blood.
The Downwards Spiral
The light was flickering, a small fly was hovering near the light bulb. Cany Dance looked, he was strapped into a chair, he looked to
see Oberson and the Hutchinson talking. “Good for you to join us Cany, tell me why did you try to kill me?” “We both know why
Oberson, don’t play dumb with me!” “I did not kill your wife, she was bit and it was the right thing to do, the past is the past
Cany.” “Lies, I saw no bite wound, you did because it was your heart’s desire to kill someone, and look at yourself, both of those
hands are dripping in the blood of children.” “I had to be done Cany, we would run out of food long before the dead die off, this was
a message to show that change has happened.” “Change, you call a massacre change, you are one fucked up man were you always like
this?” “No, out of the bottom of my own heart I let over a hundred people join Crawford, when I was told we would run out of supply’s
at the rate we were using, I had to make changes. More changes will be coming, we need the best men to survive, not the weak, we can’t
waste bullets on them ether, by the end of this week we will be the strongest settlement in Georgia.” “What do you want from me, I
have no useful information, I can only tell you that open slaughter is not what the people want, they will revolt.” “I am afraid to
tell you that won’t happen; over the years I have learned that loyalty is no match for raw power, it is always better to be feared then
to be liked, this is truth not option. What do I want from you Cany, I want you to suffer, as an example for what happens when you
betray me, Hutchinson, bring out the knife.” “Wonderful, you brought your personal whore with you, if you expect her to fuck me to
death I sadly must tell you it won’t work.” Hutchinson took one look at Cany, before stabbing a knife into the palm of his hand.
“FUCK, is that you best you got Oberson, I have seen worse shit in the Middle East, the people of Iraq did far worse than that.” “I
have not yet begun Cany; you are going to regret ever trying to end my life.” Hutchinson walked toward Cany, huge scissors in hand;
Cany was trying to get out of his chair when the scissors clamped down on his fingers. In seconds his thumb, his index finger, and his
ring finger were cut off, he could do nothing as the same thing happened to his left hand. “Do you want the feel of sweet death yet
Cany, because you are going to want it real soon.” “ Go to fucking hell you cock sucking bastard, you and your fucking mistress.”
“Nurse, I believe it is time you use your scalpel on Cany, he really needs it now.” “What the fuck, get away, what are you doing?”
Hutchinson took to a doctor’s scalpel, and stabbed in slowly through Cany’s left eye. He screamed like a pig being butchered in a meat
market, but none of it moved Oberson, he just stood there in the darkness, not saying a word.” “Okay, kill me, you want me to fucking
say it then I will, end it now I know both of you sick fuckers want it more than ever.” “You are right, I do want you to die, but you
have not suffered enough, come with me Cany, we are going to take a walk to the wall where you will truly understand the meaning of the
words pain and suffering.”
The Wall
By orders of are ‘supreme’ leader Crawford Oberson everyone was forced out into the courtyard to witness something important. We would
have run away if there were not so many guards, Oberson walked out with a person behind him. I figured out it was Cany, he looked
like shit, his fingers were missing and bleeding one of his eyes was gone, and his face was bleeding all over from all the beatings.
“People of Crawford, today is a new day, one with security a top priory. This man here, Cany Dance, tried to shoot me in the head
because he believed I murdered his wife a 8 days ago, she had been bitten so I had put her down but he did not believe me. For days he
planned my murder and only hours ago he attempted it, thanks in part to Edward Ricktofen I am still alive and breathing, something I
can’t say about Cany for much longer. Normally I would just shoot the man, but this is a warning to anyone that believes that I must
die.” I saw a large pillar, the type that is used to hold up docks, I already knew what he was going to do. “As punishment for your
crimes Cany, you will be slowly impaled on this wooded pillar until death, do you have any last words?” “Yes I do, when you go to hell
I will be waiting there, I hope your ready when that days happens, may god pray that it happens soon.” Booker just looked at the
ground, he had seen too much death in a day to witness a friend die so slowly, Elizabeth followed suit. Nate came walked out and did
the horrifying job, he did not complain nor bat an eyelash. I looked up to see Cany on the pillar, it went right through his stomach
and he was both screaming and crying as loud as a man could yell, I would not wish that type of death on my worst enemy. We waited for
what felt like hours, it had only been five minutes until Cany Dance, head of security at the gates of Crawford was dead. Someone in
the crowd asked if they would bury his remains or even put him out of his misery when he turned, Oberson did not answer the questions,
he just walked back into the building. Before too long we were told to come back into building, I could not even dare close my eyes
that night, I kept seeing Cany slowly die over and over in my head, it is a god awful nightmare that never truly left me.
The Morning After
We went back to are rooms, no one wanted to sleep in the slightest, no one really could sleep anyway. Albert sat on the bed, he
scanned the room before setting his eyes on Elizabeth, he told her, “Happy birth day Elizabeth, you want your present, how about
witness the death of over 70 people, that will make you happy.” “Albert it has been a long day, will you put a rest to it.” “Sorry
DeWitt, you want a beer or something, you are fucking 21, have you ever even tasted a beer before?” “No Albert, I have never in my
life tried a drop of alcohol, where would you even get it?” “It was a joke, and I should not be surprised, you really are some type of
fucking saint, you never drank you never smoked hell you have never went to bed with someone, I bow down to your pious ability’s.
Sorry about that, I just saw a man I ate food with only hours ago get impaled on a pillar, I mean he just one upped Jesus on shitty
ways to die, and how could we forget the massacre, what the hell I thought we were in Savannah not New York or Chicago.” “I was going
to vote on staying in Crawford or not but after such an unexpected event I don’t think I need to ask do I?” “No sir, why should we,
unless you’re a fucking dumbass, but even at that nope. Can I ask you something, you said you saw 300 people die, why the hell did you
throw up after seeing only 70, you have seen worse things.” “Things change Albert, I had not seen such carnage in years, I don’t know
why ether, but shit happens sometimes and even you don’t understand why they did, it is best not to question it or even think about
it.” “Great, also you must be so proud that your daughter was asking for you to kill her, great parenting.” “I did what I had to do,
what would you have done if you were in my place?” “Honestly, I would have took the shot, he was an evil mother fucker and are lives
were pale to what would be saved.” “Well you don’t care about your family, hell you still have a family, I have nothing else beside
her, think about that for a minute.” “Fine I see your point, now can we attempt to get some sleep tonight?” “We won’t sleep at all,
but to hell with it why not?” I went sat there looking at the window, the sight of downtown Savannah just yards away, I stood there
looking for a way to escape, I saw no way out. Booker got out of bed, it was late at night and everyone was still asleep except for
Tyler, he was just looking out the window, he was still in shock. He walked out into the halls, no one was out there, he wanted to
have a few minutes to himself. Booker heard a strange sound coming from the hallway, he heard a voice talking. “My name is Crawford
and I kill people for no reason. My name is Nate should be executed for murder.” Booker knew that voice, he rounded the hallway and
saw on the ground a corpse, one from the massacre but hovering just above it was Oliver. He was playing around with the tongue; Booker
guessed that after seeing so much death he had lost it. Oliver looked up at Booker, tearing the tongue on the corpse. “Hi” he beamed,
smiling for some strange reason. “Oliver, are you alright?” “Have we met before?” Oliver asked, as if he did not remember the two
days he had known Booker. “On any account, nice to meet you, what is your name?” Booker said nothing, he did not understand what was
going on, he slowly walked to Oliver, who suddenly without reason took out a knife and stabbed Bookers left hand. Oliver opened up the
closest window and jumped out, climbing onto the rooftops. Booker watched on as Oliver slowly disappeared into the night’s sky. “I
need to get some sleep; this is day keeps getting worse.” Booker went back into bed, his hand was had stopped bleeding. The sun came
out sometime later, I was still looking at the window, I had not gotten a second of sleep, Booker was right. Albert got out of bed
first, he put his almost trademark hat on and just waited for everyone to get up. “Guys, I just thought of a plan to get us out of
here, you remember Nikolai smelled of vodka a couple days ago, well that means he broke into the storage locker and drank some.”
“Arlington is right, he smelled pretty fowl a couple days back, your point is?” “My point Tan is he snuck into the Oberson’s office
during the night, somehow found the keys, and got into storage, we can do it again.” “So you are saying sneak into his office in the
middle of the night, when guards will be patrolling, grab a key, get are stuff, and leave, you are more suicidal then I thought
Arlington.” “Don’t give me that shit Booker, we can do this, we just need to wait until nightfall.” Dempsey shrugged, “Why not, I
have done much dumber ideas before, I am in.” “Alright, as leader of this group I see no other choice, no one else has a plan and we
need to leave soon, let’s just do are jobs and around eight we do this.” “Sounds like a plan Booker, well I am going to stay here due
to the leg and all, see later guys.” Everyone went to their posted duties, nothing really interesting happened except for something
Tan over heard in the hallways. He was walking to the gate when he heard that one of the new rules was no one with cancer can stay.
Tan overheard Vernon talk about his whole group had cancer, but they were all in remission, clearly not good enough. They said that
they would round up all of them later that night, which meant the group had a window of time. Time pasted, and time pasted, in the
blink of an eye it was 8:00PM, nothing makes a day go by faster than nothing interesting happening. Like the guards said they rounded
up Vernon, Brie, Boyd, Clive, Joyce, and five other group members, they were going to suffer the same fate Cany had just gone through.
A guard told them to go out into the courtyard, they have a very small window of time to get there shit and escape hell itself. Noah
was picked to be the man who gets the keys, his small frame and quickness would help more the Nikolai. Takeo and Chill went out into
the courtyard to give them some time, the rest of the group slowly walked into the hallway and waited for Noah to get the keys. He
opened the drawer when Nikolai had looked the two days before, it was not there. Oberson had the key, Noah figured that out really
quickly, the only reason it had been there a couple days back was because he was in bed with Hutchinson. Noah whispered back to the
group, “It is not here, I repeat the key is not here, we are boned.” “Fuck, anyone else got an idea; the guards will be here any
moment looking for us.” Elizabeth looked to Arlington and told him, “I got a plan; anyone got a paper clip or a hairpin?” “I got a
paper clip; take it I know what you are thinking.” Elizabeth took the paper clip and jammed it into the lock, even with her skills at
locking picking it was a slow process. Booker heard the sounds of footsteps close by, he knew that if that door was not going to open,
they would be all dead. The door opened but an alarm went off, everyone ran in and grabbed their stuff, the guards rounded the corner
only to meet a Dempsey’s throwing knife in the throat. Booker shot the last one in the neck; they bolted for the door, the sound of
footsteps all around them. They reached the courtyard, they saw five of Vernon’s group members were had already been impaled, Nate was
about to kill Boyd when he saw the group escaping. They hid behind a pickup truck, no keys inside but good cover from bullets. Chill
and Takeo ran for the truck, the guards fired off a few shots but all they did was slightly graze Chill. Oberson was outside, he
looked pissed off, he ducked behind a tree, knowing Booker would take a shot if he could. The guards kept firing at the truck, slowly
flanking them from the side, Arlington turned and told Booker, “Guys run for the gate, I will cover you with suppressing fire.” “You
will be the last man behind, you might not make it back, you do understand that right?” “It is a risk I have to take, go now before
they flank us completely.” Tan turned to Arlington, “You’re a good man Arlington, you might have been a fucking mobster but you were a
great guy, see you on the other side friend.” “I will be there; you better still remember how to run ten miles in ten fifteen
minutes.” Arlington stood up and fired his Tommy gun at the guards, he was standing on the far left of the pickup truck by the back
tires, the guards hid behind a park bench, they were pinned down good. Booker ran to the fence and boosted Elizabeth and Tyler for the
wall, he looked back to see Arlington firing off another magazine. Dempsey looked back at Arlington, he turned and tossed his M4
yelling, “Arlington catch, don’t forget to return it later okay!” In the middle of the confusion Vernon and his group made a run for
it, Nate and the rest of the guards were too busy being shot at to notice or care. Arlington pulled out the M4 Dempsey had tossed him;
he fired it off seeing just how much better it was at suppressing the guards. One guard got up and fired one handgun bullet right at
Arlington, it hit the glass on the truck, shards were everywhere and it badly cut his left hand, he did not even notice he had been
wounded. Arlington looked around, he saw Chill, Takeo, and Noah was still behind the truck, he took a deep breath and ran to a nearby
tree, yelling, “RUN FUCKING RUN!!!” Arlington started hobbling for the gate as fast as he could, shoot back but not as effectively
because of the angel he was at, the guards were now shooting back. Arlington made a running jump and grabbed onto Bookers hand, he
pulled him up over the wall, he stood on the wall for a few seconds shooting at the guards, he hit one in the arm and another in what
he guessed was the lung. He pulled up Takeo, the Japanese officer fired back a few shots before dropping over the fence, Chill slipped
a little but he made it over the wall, Arlington saw Noah running faster than he had ever run. Arlington held out his hand, Noah made
it to the tree, he stood there for a moment before making the final dash to the wall, Nate grabbed one of the guards M16’s and took one
good shot at Noah. Nate pulled the trigger, the bullet hit Noah in the chest, he fell face first into the soil, still alive.
Arlington could do nothing, if he jumped down no one could pull him up, he looked down at the ground and jumped off the wall, leaving
his fellow group member behind. Nate slowly walked toward his fallen prey, like a hunter walking to a wounded deer. Noah was crawling
toward the gate; Nate put his foot on his back, smiling like he always does, and put three bullets into his spine.
The Long Road Home
Booker looked back at his group; he saw most of them were still running, Tan stopped for a moment and said, “Should we wait for Albert
and Noah, I mean he is wounded.” “Fine we will wait five more minutes, if he does not show then we have to move on, I am sorry but we
can’t risk getting caught out in the open.” “Alright, fair enough, he will be here in less than five minutes, he has been through
worse.” They waited for about two minutes before a shadow appeared on the horizon, Dempsey pulled out his revolver and was about to
pull the trigger when they saw it was Arlington. “Albert you made it, I knew some low lives could not bring you down, where is Noah?”
Arlington said nothing; he just gave a blank stare at the group, his hands visibly shaking. “He, he did not make it.” “What, how did
this happen?” “He was running toward the wall, I was ready to catch him when a bullet him in the chest, he fell face down into the
dirt, dead. I could not have done anything, I wish I could have done something but it was far too late.” “Shit, so we are now a
fighting band of brothers with the strength of ten members, just what we need now. Well get a move on people, we have quite a ways to
go before we reach the house, and when we reach the house, we need to dig in hard.” “Got DeWitt, Albert you think you can fight?" “I
did just save your ass with that covering fire; I will be fine just look out for yourself. Dempsey almost forgot, here is your M4A1,
would have been a shame if I had to carry it all the way.” “Yep your goddammit right about that Al.” They kept on walking for some
time, Chill would normally be complaining about all the walking, but he stayed silent the whole way back, he had never lost a friend
before I guess. We walked all the way to the house, not saying a word after getting Arlington back, no one really wanted to talk about
losing a group member, half of us silently blamed us for Noah’s death, we had wanted to become members of Crawford and look where it
had gotten us. We reached the house around 10:00AM, we all wanted to sleep but we had no choice but to prepare for an onslaught of
Crawford, they knew where we lived, and they wanted us dead, no one leaves Crawford alive.
The Old Guard
Nate walked over to Oberson; he was not in a happy mood. “I got one of them Oberson, the rest got away.” “How did this happen, we
were just getting rid of the cancer survivors and this happens, how did all of you let ten people get away? No matter, Nate you still
remember where they live right?” “How could I forget, they live in the downtown area in a house with a large stone wall and a gate.”
“They are likely fortifying it as we speak, we need to go and attack them now. Nate inform Edward Norton to prepare the Vetus
Praesidio.” “I have always wondered, what do those words mean?” “It is Latin, for the old guard, now go inform Norton to prepare for
battle.” “Yes sir Oberson, they will be ready soon.” Five minutes later a man in heavy armor walked out, he was wearing a helmet with
the eye slots glowing red. “Nate you have never seen the Vetus Praesidio have you, well they are the most trusted and veteran soldiers
I have, they use police riot armor with helmets that have night vision built into the eye pieces. They use standard issue M16s with
44. Magnums as a backup weapon, the armor is surprisingly mobile yet offers superior protection. We have around 30 members, this is
the first time we are fielding them.” “So you are saying we will crush Booker DeWitt and his ragtag soldiers?” “They won’t survive
the night.” “Sir Captain Norton reporting for duty, who is the target?” “A man named Booker DeWitt, he is hiding out in the downtown
area, make sure he does not survive.” “Yes sir, we will insure this man is dealt with immediately.” “Good, Nate you are going with
him along with Edward Ricktofen, don’t get in the way of these soldiers.” There were four military Humvees at the motor pool, all the
soldiers along with Ricktofen and Nate got in, the gate slowly opened and they sped off toward Booker’s base of operation.
The Eye of the Hurricane
Everyone was busy working on the house, trying to create some type of fortification that would help them survive Crawford. Tan fixed a
M249 SAW on the second floor window; he had found it in the road on the walk back. Arlington was boarding up the other windows so no
one could get in, Elizabeth was looking at a map of the compound, trying to come up with some strategy that will help in some way.
Chill and Tyler were looking for a way out in case they get overrun, the shed at the back had a small back door leading to the street,
but to get in the shed you would have to run out into the open. Booker was checking there ammo supply’s, they had five magazines for
the M249, four drum magazines for Arlington’s Tommy gun, about 40 bullets left in Bookers revolver, and roughly ten magazines for the
M4A1, it was not a lot. They could not do much about the gate, it was solid steel, but they could not reinforce it in time. Everyone
walked back into the house, Booker asked everyone, “So we have done all the preparations we can?” “Yes sir, we found a way out if
surrounded, we have boarded up all the windows, and Elizabeth has a strategy.” “Good, well now we just wait, it won’t take that much
time for them to come.” “As a token of our friendship guys, everyone gets a sip of my vodka.” “Well now we are all going to die,
because Nikolai never ever gives anyone his vodka, we are dead.” “Dempsey keeps your hopes high; we just might make it through all of
this.” “Sure whatever Arlington, we might as well have a toast, one last hurrah. You know what, we are most likely going to die
anyway I might as well tell you this, I earned a medal of honor and I never even told you guys.” “Why, did you earn it for the wrong
reasons like Booker over there?” “I just felt like it was not as heroic as the people that landed on Normandy beach, or fought at
Gettysburg, I just want you guys to know.” “Well that is awfully nice Dempsey; we are really fucked because American badass is being
nice. It has been tearing me apart but I have to tell everyone this, you might not like what I have to say. Back at Crawford when I
said Noah got hit and died, he really did not die; he got wounded near the wall. It felt time was slowing down; I could see I had two
choices, jump down and sacrifice my life for Noah, or jump down and live. I could have saved the guy, I just quickly thought that when
Crawford comes you will need me more than him, I am sorry. “Sorry, you think just saying sorry is enough; you left my friend behind
when you could have done something.” “Chill comedown, he might have died anyway, getting shot in the chest is likely fatal.” “What
the fuck do you know Tyler, you failed biology class your option is worthless.” “I feel bad for leaving him but I had no choice, would
you have preferred I died for a child?” “Yes I would have, you talk about living a sorrowful life and wanting to make things better,
but every time you have a choice to set things right, you choose poorly. “Enough of this, we are all together in this group, we don’t
need fighting now.” “I am not backing down, he left one of my friends to die and I can’t get over that in just an hour.” “Then what
will it take boy?” Chill grabbed a knife from a table and ran at Arlington; I had never seen him this pissed in my life. The two of
them started fighting back and forth, with Dempsey and Tan trying to hold back Arlington and me and Melina trying to hold back Chill,
everything had degraded down to this. It was in turmoil, everything was going wrong until I heard a gunshot ring out in the room. No
one felt dead, it sounded like Bookers revolver, I quickly looked to my right to see Elizabeth holding Bookers revolver, smoke still
coming out of the barrel. “Enough of this, we live and die as one, don’t we have enough problems? Your friend is dead Chill, he was a
nice guy but trying to murder Arlington is going to you nowhere, if we are survive we must work together. Booker I believe this is
yours, give a speech.” “I don’t do speeches, but since it was your birthday yesterday I will this one time. People of Savannah, we
have fought long and hard to survive, we have lost friends, family, we have lost almost everything, but we can’t take it out on are
fellow members. Crawford is almost at are gates, we can’t relent and let them all slaughter us like farm animals, like blades of
grass, we will stand up and fight back. We will not give them an inch, we will drown in our own blood before we surrender to Crawford,
I see people from Savannah, from New York, from Ohio, from even Kyoto and Moscow, we are a band of brothers who won’t lie down when
told to. My brothers and sisters in arms, who will stand with me!” All members of the group stood up and yelled with pride that they
will stand and fight ageist overwhelming odds, they knew very well that they could all be on deaths door within the hour, but they were
determined to survive. “You sure that was not your first speech Booker?” “I am sure Elizabeth, I am also sure we will outlast are
enemy.” Spirits were soaring high as the American flag on the 4th of July, we were all confident we would win, Nikolai looked out the
boarded up windows and saw the gate was slightly open, we could not let the gate remain open in the face of the enemy. Nikolai ran to
the gate and closed it; he turned around and started to walk back when a bullet passed through his lower body.”
Farewell to Friends and Family
Captain Norton pulled his face away from the scope on his rifle, he pulled the bolt back on the rifle, he scanned the horizon for
another target. “Fuck, Nikolai has been hit; we need to go help him.” “We can’t you will be the perfect target, there is nothing we
can do.” “Fuck you DeWitt that is something I can do.” Dempsey ran to his down friend dragging him toward the door, he looked up to
see the muzzle flash of a sniper rifle, the bullet hit the glass and slightly grazed Booker, Dempsey quickly closed the door behind him
and put his friend down on the floor. “Elizabeth, Nikolai has been hit, do something!” “I’ll do my best but I can’t guarantee
anything under fire.” Tan looked out the window, “They are coming, and they don’t look like the normal unskilled guards ether, I got
the M249 upstairs, the rest of you cover the first floor!” Tan ran out to the second floor, he grabbed the M249; he looked down the
iron sights, and opened fire on the soldiers below. The man body of soldiers were trying to get through the gate, one of them had a
welding torch, the type you would see at a construction site, Tan saw his target and let loose a burst of bullets at the man. He fell
to the ground wounded, he fired another burst at the other soldiers, dropping one of them, they ran off after losing one soldier. Tan
scanned the rooftops, looking for the sniper that had shot Nikolai, he saw no human shaped figure, he did hear the sound of tires
burning though. Without warning he saw a Humvee smash through the gate, one of the soldiers threw a smoke grenade into the yard. Tan
started firing of shots at anything that looked like it was moving; it was hard to tell if he was hitting any of them. Dempsey loaded
his M4A1, looking for a target through the white smoke, he saw a large figure through one of the windows. Tan yelled out to Booker, “I
see some targets to the left side of the house, I need some support!” Booker bolted to the eastern side of the house, Dempsey was all
alone, he did not notice nor care. The figure busted through the window, he was wearing riot armor along with some high tech helmet,
Dempsey fired his M4 into the target, he fell down to the ground but got up a minute later, the bullets were not killing him. Dempsey
was reloading his M4 when his enemy got up and grabbed him, he knocked rifle into a corner before slamming his iron fist into Dempsey’s
chest. It hurt him badly, he fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of his lungs, his vision was blurry, everything felt slow. Tan
reloaded his M249, he saw yet another human like figure, he fired at it and it died, Tan took a good look at it through the smoke and
saw it was a walker, more problems. Dempsey slowly moved his hand; the soldier took out a revolver, one much larger and modern then
his or Bookers. Dempsey put his hand onto his tool belt and pulled out his knife, he stabbed the soldier in the neck, blood went
everywhere. He slowly got up, he was still in a daze, he knew that one of his lungs had been crushed; he slowly started to walk
upstairs when there a loud crushing sound. Booker saw another Humvee had crashed through the eastern wall, Booker took out his
revolver and fired a shot at a soldier, it did nothing, he fired two more shots into his enemy which resulted in the soldier falling to
the ground, Booker went over to finish his enemy when the soldier kicked Booker in the legs, he feel down and his enemy rose up. Takeo
ran at the soldier with his Katana in hand, he stabbed him right through the helmet before helping Booker up to his feet. Dempsey was
half way up the stairs when something came to him, this soldiers were Rangers, the tactics were more advanced than normal Marines.
Tyler, Chill, and Melina had been ordered to hide in the basement where it was safe, we were all bored but knew we had to remain safe,
Chill had other plans. Dempsey was almost up the stairs when he felt a hand grab him by the collar, he fell down the stairs; he looked
up to see the familiar face of Edward Ricktofen. “You, you spineless worm, I knew you had something to do with us!” “Your right
Dempsey, but I just helped Oberson do his job, I have been waiting for this day quite some time, to see you and the others crushed like
a bug under my boot!” “Go to fucking hell you Kraut!” “I see, so this is the way it has to be, well I can play that game to.”
Ricktofen took Dempsey’s knife and stabbed him in the chest, near the neck.” “You feel that Dempsey, not all of your American bravado
can save you now; I will make you witness your friend’s death, before I take you back to Crawford when the real fun begins. Come my
friend, tis not too late to see a newer world!” Ricktofen twisted the knife out of Dempsey, and started dragging him away to the front
door, Dempsey’s was about to black out when he heard a gunshot and he felt his body fall to the floor. Chill had come up from the
basement and found his M4; he had fired a shot at Ricktofen, hitting him in the throat. He ran over to Dempsey, I came up and helped
drag him into the basement. The smoke had gone away at that moment, Tan could clearly see dozens of Rangers all around him, he looked
down the iron sight and just went full auto on his enemy’s, striking several of them. Captain Norton saw Tan in the window, he tossed
a M67 grenade into the window, Tan did not see in with all the adrenaline in his body. Booker saw the explosion, he ordered Takeo to
cover the main room, he ran up the stairs to see sergeant Tan bleeding everywhere. “I’m okay, just get the others, we are taking heavy
fire and I have not been able to kill many, I fear we are losing this battle *cough*, go I will be with you shortly.” Booker ran down
the stairs, he was about to get into the basement when he saw a Ranker walking down the stairs. He pulled out his revolver, he clicked
the trigger, nothing happened. Elizabeth had been in the back yard, trying to be save Nikolai like Dempsey had told her. She had
stabilized the Russian, he was not it the clear yet though. she looked through the window to see Booker walking up behind a Ranger;
she knew he had fired off his six shots. She saw a 44. Magnum on the floor next to the door, she ran to it and yelled “BOOKER CATCH!”
Booker turned around to catch a 44. Magnum, he emptied four bullets into the Ranger, “Just like old times Elizabeth.” He ran down the
stairs to see me and Chill hovering above Dempsey, he was alive if only just. “What happened here, how did this happen?” “He had been
stabbed by the German; I thought it would be best if we kept him down here.” “We got to go, we are being overrun, the enemy is
stronger than we could have thought.” “Alright, you help me carry him okay?” Arlington had been guarding the shed the whole time;
they thought that because he was wounded he could not fight in the open. Arlington checked the door to the street, there was no one
trying to break in. He turned around to see Booker, Chill, Melina, and Tyler carrying Dempsey, he waved to show he was still there.
He turned around to see the barrel of a Ranger pointed in his face, he raised his hands up just as a walker grabbed the Ranger. He
knocked his helmet off and bit him on the neck, Arlington fired his Tommy gun into the walker, he looked out to see a large horde of
walkers coming slowly. “Guys, we need to go NOW!!!” Chill laid Dempsey on the floor, Tyler and Melina were still in the yard, Captain
Norton saw them and fired off a burst. It hit me in the shoulder and Melina in the leg; she dropped in to the ground in the middle of
the backyard. Arlington without question ran and picked up the wounded team member, determined to not repeat what he had done hours
before. Takeo ran over to the shed, everyone was accounted for except for Tan. He slowly walked out the back door, he reached the
shed and told Booker, “There is at least 25 Rangers still out there, the moment they notice we have stopped firing they will have known
we have left, someone needs to stay behind to make them believe we are still here.” “I’ll do it, I left Noah to die and this should
make up for it.” “No Arlington, it should be me, you’re not the man running on borrowed time.” “No, I won’t allow it, you are more
valuable than me, we both know it.” “Look at me, I am covered in my own blood, I think several of my organs have been ruptured and I
have no feeling left in my right arm, I am done for. It has been an honor knowing you guys, all of you, Arlington you were like a
brother to me these past couple days, don’t give your life up over something as petty as losing another member. If this ever blows
over, or you find a settlement that is not Crawford, you better build a statue of me in my honor; now go the time to say farewell is
over.” Tan turned around, knowing what was to come next, he walked back into the house, one of the Rangers tossed a Molotov cocktail
into the house, Tan saw the body of a Ranger, he grabbed its two M67 grenades, the body had a 44. Magnum, five bullets still left in
the chamber. He went to a window overlooking the front yard, Captain Norton, Nate, and the remaining 25 Rangers were there. “Drop
your weapons now, we can end this peacefully.” “Bullshit, if I am going down I am taking all of you with me!” He opened fire with the
last magazine in his M249, he fired and hit three soldiers, he then aimed for Nate who was sitting in the Humvee. The bullet proof
glass narrowly saved Nate’s life, Tan fired the last shot at Captain Norton, it hit him in the arm. He pulled out his first hand
grenade, he threw it at the Humvee, Nate jumped out just as the vehicle exploded. Nate was slightly burned, two of the Rangers was
dead, and Tan had only the magnum left, he took a deep breath and jumped out the window, firing off the magnum. He killed one more
Ranger before they returned fire, striking him all over his body, Captain Norton went over and fired a bullet right into his head. He
looked at the body, he admired his bravery even though he was the enemy. He saw something in his hand, he looked down just as it
exploded, Tan had pulled the pin on the grenade. Captain Norton was dead, the rest of the Rangers searched the area for the remaining
survivors, they did not find them.
After You’re Gone
Booker sat down in the middle of a warehouse not far from the house, Dempsey was slightly awake, Nikolai was still out. Booker got up
and walked past all the members, Chill was sitting next to Tyler, happy for the first time all day, Takeo was looking over his badly
wounded friends, Arlington was morning the loss of his close friend, everything was fucked. “Now what are we supposed to do Booker, we
just lost are home, are ammo, and group members?” “We will think of something, I know we can, we have to.” “Speech for yourself,
everyone is wounded, this group is a mangled mess, Crawford will find us soon enough and without much ammo we will all die. We can’t
stay in one spot anymore, we need to always be on the run, and I fear there are no towns anywhere close to Savannah, we have to stay in
this wretched city of the dammed!” “I guess you are right Arlington, we have no choice anymore, we have to stay on the run at all
times, are lives sadly matter more than destroying Crawford, as much as we all wish we could do just that. Let’s just search this
place and then get a move on, with such limited ammunition the walkers we will a major problem.” Takeo got up and told Booker, “This
might sound like we are just putting salt into the wounds, but me and Dempsey decided it should be best if we are to leave.” “Leave,
why if anything else you need to stay, both Dempsey and Nikolai are almost dead.” “We know there is a major risk, but we feel that we
will be safer on our own, we can handle ourselves, you know that better than anyone. Once we are out of the way, your supply’s will
dwindle less, we are leaving Savannah and likely never coming back.” “I don’t suppose I can change your mind can I?” “No you can’t,
it has been great knowing you guys, but we feel that with such few supply’s, people need to leave or die.” “You’re all good men you
know that, here take this radio, it’s the one I gave Dempsey back on day 2, if we by change meet again just call it, I always have a
backup.” Chill got up, “Leaving, well now we are ultra fucked, that leaves us at six members, Arlington pass be that bottle of
whiskey”. Elizabeth walked over to Takeo, “Dempsey will be fine, the stab wound by luck did not hit any organs, his left lung has been
crushed so he won’t be running as often, and Nikolai won’t we eating as much because of the bullet, remember that and good luck.”
Dempsey was awake, he slowly got up and uttered, “Thanks for saving are lives Booker, we would have died without you, good luck and
kill Oberson for me. “I will Dempsey, now go, it won’t be long before we have to pack up and leave.” “So we are now only six members,
that is not good Booker, not good at all.” “We can survive on our own; it has only been nine days how long can this last?” “I don’t
know Booker, from the looks of it; everything is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.” We packed up and grabbed as much
supply’s from the warehouse as we could, from this day forward we had no home, we were now half the size we used to be, and hope, the
only thing this world could not take, had been finally taken that rainy night.
End of Act 2
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 11, 2013 12:14:14 GMT
Act III, There and Back Again
Time and Fate
The sun came through the window, its soft rays lighting up the dank and dark area. It had been three months, three months since we had
fought Oberson and his colony of the damned. Ever since then we have been on the move, we cannot stay more than a week in a single
area and risk having him find us, it’s taken its toll on are group. I got up from the hard floor, my back hurting a little bit from
the rough floor; I noticed that Booker and Elizabeth were gone, out looking for food likely. Arlington was on watch with his Thomson
armed and ready, and my friends were still asleep, save for Chill, who was eating some canned soup we got from a fridge a little while
back. This weeks ‘shelter’ was nothing more than the skeleton of a two story concrete building, it was not much and the defense was
pretty light but it will do. As I walked by the tents, I noticed there were some journals inside Booker’s tent; seeing how they would
not be back for some time I opened them and started reading the entries. “Day ten, we just barely escaped Oberson’s wrath, I doubt he
will be satisfied with only a few of us killed, from now on we must continue to move or we risk capture and death, as I always said,
you either draw first, or you don’t get to draw at all. Day 31, it has been a month since it all began, morale is low, so is food and
ammo, we have not met another survivor in weeks, I can only guess and say all of Savannah has either been killed by the walkers, or
found by Oberson. What could that man even want anymore, he has complete control of the city, majority of the supplies, and an army
of followers, he is greedy though, he never will stop until something or someone kills him, he reminds me all too well of what I saw in
Columbia, it has to end by the barrel of gun, hopefully mine. Day 62, while looking for food in one of the houses I happen to find two
body’s on a bed, they are badly decayed to the point where I assume they died in the first week. There were two, one male and one
female, and from the rings they where it seems they were married. There was a Beretta in the male’s hand, and two gunshot wounds in
both of them, they most likely committed suicide after it all began. They may have made the right choice; if the dead had not grabbed
them then Crawford would have done it for them. I have seen these things happen before, but for some reason it affected me, maybe
because there were married, maybe it was because they could have been saved. If I ever see Crawford Oberson one more time again in my
life, I will make sure he and the rest of his ‘group’ never live to see the glow of sunrise. Day 97, I am not sure how much longer we
can hold out, food is becoming hard to find, and sanity is becoming ever harder to preserve. Today while I was out the bells started
ringing for the first time since day one, I saw a shadowy figure nearby, I might be losing it, or the dead city still has one
survivor, either option is not ideal. Crawford has yet to find us, and I no longer see the silhouette of that one Crawford member’s
car, with its lights on the roof and music playing from inside, it does not mean they have stopped. I am starting to regret not
grabbing a boat, getting as many survivors as possible, and sailing of into the unknown. If we die here in this forsaken city, what
have I accomplished beyond dying? I will not be remembered, I will have lived and died at the same man as was before, and this
‘attempt’ to fix everything would be all for not. My only hope now is some other group finds us so we can escape this city of the
damned, but knowing my luck, it won’t happen for a long time.” I had known we had problems before, but I was unaware of how bad it had
really gotten, I immediately regretted even reading the journal, but some reason, I opened Elizabeth’s journal expecting the worst. I
opened it up to find only a few entries, only the lasted one was worth mentioning. “Day 95, I met a traveller from an antique land who
said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose
frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, tell that sculptor well those passions read which yet survive, stamped on those
lifeless things, the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: and on the pedestal these words appear: “My name is Ozymandis, king
of kings: look on my work, ye mighty, and despair!” Nothing besides remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and
bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away. Ozymandias, 1818.” I got up, dusted myself off from being on the floor, put the
books back in the tent, and proceeded to talk to my best friend, knowing full well that unless help of some form comes soon, we will
become faceless shadows in the Valley of Death.
Men at Work
Albert Arlington was looking out for walkers; they had become a huge problem in the days since Oberson had attacked us and killed
Sergeant Erik Tan, it would have been nice if Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo had not left us, then again if they had not we might have died
from lack of food. Arlington’s leg had healed in the time since the attack, he is just about as good as he used to be, you could never
have guessed he had been shot in the leg. Booker had become more depressed since the events at Crawford, perhaps he blames himself for
not leaving when they could have, I don’t know. Elizabeth had to start going out on scavenging runs, we had so few members there was
no other choice, besides she has become really good at getting food. Chill was roughly the same as he always was, just fewer friends
and I, well I had to learn how to shoot a gun like everyone else. Well since Booker and Elizabeth would be gone for some time, and
Arlington had to be on watch no matter what, I started talking to Chill. “I have to ask, why did you name your gamer tag Dthly Chill?”
“Well I just came up with it, some people thought my personality was cold and distant, and I am pretty deadly at FPS so I mixed the
two, not a big deal.” “What is the food today other than canned soup?” “Canned soup, that is all we have found, that or canned beans,
but trust me the soup tastes way better.” “Do you ever think things will ever get better, I know we have asked that before but what do
you think?” “If you had told me before we had moved into Crawford I would say it would get better, but ever since then it has been
nothing but a downward spiral into hell, it won’t ever change, and even if it did we would be long dead by then.” “Isn’t that
aspiring, well we will get through the day, slowly but surely.” Booker came back after sometime; we really did not do much until he
came back. Chill eagerly awaited the food, “What did you bring back this time Booker; please tell me it was not canned soup again.”
“You’re in luck, I found canned pork, should be alright even if it has been three months.” “Wonderful, I can wait to eat that, having
soup for breakfast lunch and dinner every day just sucks.” “Well it has been seven days, it is time to pack on, go way Melina up so we
can get a move on, we don’t want Crawford finding us. Well it is your turn Tyler to pick the new place, was is it going to be today?”
“I guess we should try the church, seems like a nice safe place.” “I guess, we’ll let me eat some of that pork first, then we can move
on.” We sat down and ate the pork, it was a bit chewy but compared to the soup, it was wonderful. We packed up are guns, food, and
ammo pretty quickly. I took one look back at the building we had been staying in, I did not feel sad walking away.
Knocking on Havens Door
We were on the streets before too long, the church looked a lot safer than a lot of our other campsites. It did not take long to reach
the church, it looked grand standing tall in front of the burned area of Savannah. We opened the doors to the abandoned place of
worship, the bell had not rang in god knows how long. Arlington and Booker were not really friends anymore, maybe because he did not
step in and stop Tan from sacrificing his life. Inside there were body’s everywhere, they were all rotten like they had died on the
first day. It looked to me anyway like a wedding, what a way to go out. We scanned the room, well we could not sleep in the main
room, the side rooms were still an option. There were four, two on each side, I took the room on the far left, Arlington took the far
right. I walked a makeshift bed, some churches had beds, something that works in are favor well. On the bed the bed was another dead
body, wearing a flowing white dress. It really had been a wedding, and it looks like the bride killed herself, ether she was bit or
what it does not matter. Three were three rooms left, Arlington yelled out that he found something noteworthy. Inside the room was a
man, alive no less, something we had not seen in at least 50 days. He was wearing black, a priest perhaps, anyway he was holding his
hands up not saying a word, clearly terrified by Arlington. Booker walked in to see what was going on, “Arlington I see you found one
of the last survivors in Savannah.” “No thanks to you, there is something not right about this man, and it is not his lack of words.”
Chill walked into the room, happy to see another human that was not Crawford, “Arlington try to murder this guy, he might be the only
other living person in this dead city.” Elizabeth walked into the room, happy for the first time in ages, “What do you propose we do
with this man?” “Exactly what you are thinking, I say let him join us, he seems harmless, Arlington lower your gun he might just trust
us.” Arlington did not lower his gun, he looked at the man, not saying a word. “Arlington I ordered you to lower your gun this
insta-” The man fell to the floor, a bullet lodged in his skull, Arlington’s Tommy gun still had smoke flowing out of it like a river.
Everyone was shocked, Chill said slowly, “Wow, it was a joke, you were not supposed to kill the man.” Booker pulled out his revolver
and pointed at Arlington, his finger on the hair trigger.” “What the hell was that, he was a living person not a walker, do you know
what you have done?” “Yes, I put a dying man out of his misery, you should be thanking me.” “What are you talking about he was
clearly healthy, no scratches or anything.” “That is where you are wrong DeWitt, he was bit, I could see it in his eyes.” “You lie
Arlington, you can’t look into someone’s eyes and see death slowly creeping in, his eyes were normal blue not dead gray.” “You don’t
believe me, this is why are group is falling apart, you don’t trust me or anyone else outside of your ‘daughter’, Nate was right she is
a whore.” “You take that back Arlington, I was not the reason Tan died, he was mortally wounded but you did not want to believe it,
you are tearing us apart more than anyone.” “Shoot me, I dare you, you never liked me from the start, you never trusted me because I
was a mobster, I know the thing you want to see is my brains on the wall over there, DO IT!” Arlington turned his gun around and
pointed it at Elizabeth, “If you don’t put your gun down I will make sure the only person you ever trusted will be a bloody paste on
the wall, I won’t ask again, PUT THE GODDAMMIT GUN DOWN!” Elizabeth looked at Arlington, fear in her eyes, “This does not need to end
like this, remember how Booker saved your life when you got shot all those months ago?” “That was a different place and a different
time, that Booker would be trusting me right now, that Booker died long ago.” Chill was the closest person to the body, he started
checking the body for any bites. “Guys Arlington was right, he has a bite mark on his left arm, recent to.” Booker slowly holstered
his gun, “I guess you were right Arlington, don’t ever pull that shit again.” “Certainty Mr. DeWitt, we are clearly ‘friends’ once
again.” I slowly walked out the room, we checked the other two rooms, there were beds with no bodies, it was safe to stay here for a
week. I sat on the bed and closed my eyes, not knowing what the next few days had in store for are frail group.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The date was October 31, 99 days into the zombie apocalypse, and that day would shape are group just as much as day one or day nine.
It was early in the morning, it had been two days since Booker and Arlington had almost killed each other over a man that had been
bitten, tension was high, we all thought someone was going to lose it, only question was who? I was still in bed around 9:20AM when
the bell above us started ringing. It deafen us all, we had no idea why this was happening, we had not heard those bells for 99 days.
Booker ran into the bedroom, his shotgun locked and loaded, he yelled, “Get up, that bell is going to attract all the walkers in this
area, we need to leave now!” “I got out of bed quick as I could, Chill was out in the hall, his eyes red and half open. “Everyone
rank and file, we, are, leaving!” He kicked open the door just as the bell stopped ringing, we looked outside to see a group of other
survivors, there were eight of them running ahead there with weapons drawn. We did not ask any questions, I don’t even think they knew
were present, we saw an older man with a shove wiping the floor with walkers. One of the people, a man with a trucker hat got grabbed
by a crawler, his friend I assume shot the thing and helped him up. He turned around to see his daughter getting swarmed by walkers,
one of the group members who looked like he was 17 just bolted, leaving her behind. He took out his Glock and fired some shots into
the mini horde, Booker pulled out his revolver, hitting a few more walkers. The man in the trucker cap turned around and noticed us,
mouthing something I did not catch, the last walker was about to grab the little girl when the older man stabbed it with the shovel,
telling the others to run. I looked all around, there were walkers everywhere and we did not have the ammo capacity we used to have,
we ran toward the group who was running toward River Street. The man in the trucker hat turned around and yell to everyone, “Move your
asses! River Street’s right up ahead!” The 17 year old kid look on ahead and said in a scared voice, “That’s not all…” There were
just as many walkers ahead of us as were behind us, the man with the trucker hat just looked at the horde ahead and yelled, “Oh, gimme
a fucking break!” The woman behind him looked around and asked while we were still on the run, “Wait, where the hell’s Chuck?” The
black man in a blue suit, who I assumed was the leader, turned around and saw the old man getting swarmed by walkers, the short man who
was limping turn and asked, “Shit! He’s in trouble, we got to help him!” The man with the trucker hat started looking back and forth,
the walkers from behind we getting closer and the ones from River Street were also almost in arms reach. He yelled, “There’s no time!
We’ve got to go, now!” The old man looked on and yelled out to us, “I’ll be fine! Just go!” The man in the trucker hat turned left
into a winding pathway, which led to a really large manor, the gate was not locked, they got it open with easy and closed it just as we
got into the compound. The man in the trucker hat ran to the door faintly yelling, “I’ll get the door.” The short man tripped over a
small curb, his leg quickly started to bleed without warning. The man with the blue suit ran over and asked if he was okay, Booker
helped bring him to his feet. He got up, nodding that he was okay, he wife or girlfriend or whatever the hell she is was not so sure.
She leaned down and said, “You’ve opened up your wound, you’re bleeding! Shit, that’s going to get infected. We’ve got to get him
inside, clean him up!” The man in the blue shirt ran over to the man with the trucker hat and asked, “Kenny? How’s that door coming?”
He turned around with a pissed off look and yelled, “I’m working on it, I’m working on it!” I was looking back and forth at who was
talking, we all stood silent as they argued back to back, the woman yelled back, “Well work faster, would you? It won’t be long before
those things know we are inside, you know they can smell blood?” “Lady, I ain’t the one who is bleeding.” “Let me see if I can find
us a way in.” The man in the blue suit went around talking to each of his group members, assuring them that they would get inside
soon, he turned to us and asked, “Who are you people, are group is going to want to know soon.” Arlington looked back and replied,
“Who we are don’t matter, the only thing that does is getting that door open so we don’t die, do that then we can talk.” The man with
the blue shirt replied, “Okay then, I will get that door open now, then we need to talk.” He walked over to the door and grabbed a
shovel, I just sat there, looking for some way to get it, I mean are life kind of depended on it. The man with a blue shirt looked
down and saw a doggy door, he remarked, “What’s this? Looks like there’s some kind of pet door here.” The teenager looked over at the
door, he replied, “I tried it, that’s locked too.” The man with the trucker hat asked, “Who the hell ever heard of a locked doggy
door?” The short man answered the question, “I have. My neighbor had one just like that. It’s radio-controlled, the dog wears a
collar with a chip in it so the door only opens when the dog gets close to it.” The man with the trucker hat said back, “Well shit.
Every day’s a school day.” The teenager talked back, “All right, so… where’s the dog?” The man with a blue shirt looked behind, he
saw a mound with a cross on it, Arlington spoke up, “Wonderful, I can see where this is going to go real fast.” The man with the blue
shirt walked over to the mound, the short guy warned him, “Hay, be careful. Digging up dead things isn’t what it used to be, know what
I mean?” “Yeah, I hear you.” The little girl who I guess was the man with the blue shirts daughter walked over to the mound, asking,
“What’s buried down there?” “Looks like it has been here for some time.” She complained about the smell before sitting back down next
to Chill of all people. The man with the blue shirt dug up the dead dog, he put his hand on the collar and pulled on it, “Ugh… I can’t
get it off.” He kept pulling on the dog’s collar, the head suddenly fell out along with its spine, the teenager yelled, “Okay, that
was NOT cool.” Another teenager walked over, he was roughly the same age as the other, only he was wearing a black jacket compared to
the other teenager’s white jacket. He walked over and said, “Be, grows some balls one day.” The woman looked at the dog for a moment
and started to throw up, the little girl asked if she was okay, she said back, “I’m fine, honey. It’s just the smell.” The short man
asked, “Are you sure you-” “I said I’m fine, okay?” Arlington looked up and said, I see what the problem is, you are-” “Arlington be
quiet okay, we don’t know these people yet.” “I was just stating something I just figured out from observation DeWitt, you going to
shoot me now?” The man with the blue shirt walked over to the doggy door, collar in hand, he said quietly, “Here goes nothing…” There
was a loud unlocking sound, the man with the trucker hat was extremely happy, he yelled out “Yes! Goddammit!” The teenager asked,
“You see anything in there?” “No. Looks like it’s been empty a while.” The sound of walkers was getting real loud, like they were
just about to climb over the short brick wall. The woman asked, “Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast…” “Okay, lemme see if I can
reach up in there…” “Be careful, man…” The man with the blue shirt put his arm through the doggy door, he tried to reach the handle
but he could not get in range. “Uugh… It’s no good, I can’t get it.” “Here, let me try. I think I can-” Before the teenager could
finish his own sentence the little girl crawled through the doggy door, Arlington was about to saying something but he stopped for
whatever reason. “Clem! Are you okay? Say something!” For a moment all was silent except for the fall winds and the groans of
walkers, then the door opened slowly and the little girl jumped out saying, “Ta-da!” Normally I would have been pissed if that was me,
but the man in the blue shirt just said back, “Good job, Clem!” “Yeah, way to go.” Chill replied. “I did good right?” “Yes you did.
You did good.” The short man got up asking, “Can we maybe have this conversation inside? My leg’s starting to hurt like hell.” The
man with the trucker hat took one good look and said, “Looks okay from here, everybody in.” Booker and the rest got it after all the
other survivors had gotten in, it was dark and dirty but safe none the less, a hell of a lot safer than any place we had stayed since
the old house. We just sat down on several chairs in the living room, knowing full well we would need to explain ourselves soon.
Bedside Manor
We all sat around in the living room, there was a good amount of chairs, the guy with the red trucker hat was checking if the place was
safe upstairs, and the guy with the blue shirt was checking the first floor. We were sitting next to the short guy, his girlfriend I
guess, the other teenager with a matching red trucker hat, and the little girl. We all just sat there, we said nothing to each other
for a minute or so, Chill is the one that started off the conversation. “Nice hat you got there, you related to the other guy with the
hat?” “No, we are close friends though but we are not related. Now let me ask you something, who the hell are you people, I am sure
Lee and the rest want to know.” Booker got up and spoke, “My name is Booker DeWitt, the kids here are Tyler, Chill, and Melina. The
man over there sitting along the wall is Albert Arlington, and this is my daughter Elizabeth.” “I’ll skip to the chase, are any of you
from Savannah, it kind of matters.” “Not really, we did have someone that was, but he is no longer around.” “Dead get him, see it
happen all the time.” “Nope, that was not the case.” “I see, the living got him, we have kind of had that same problem.” “Well we
might not be from around here, but we have been trapped here since day one, does that help?” “Yes it does, it means you know all the
streets and locations, we talk about this when Kenny comes down.” Arlington looked over to the teenager and asked, “Now who the hell
are you people, what do you want?” “We are survivors if you did not see that already, we came here from Macon.” “So the rest of the
state is fucked, wonderful.” The little girl looked at Arlington and uttered the word, “Swear.” “Do you think I give a shit, I ask
this only once, what are all your names.” “Well my name is Samuel, if you did not somehow notice that on my black jacket, the couple
over there are the newest members, Christa and Omid. The man that went upstairs is Kenny, he is a good guy once you know the guy, the
leader is Lee Everett, convicted murderer.” “I have heard of him, they told me that he was going to arrive at my prison, he must have
been one crazy mother fucker to hall of a state senator and kill his ass, even I would not do that.” “Swear.” “It’s okay Clem, so I
am going to take a guess and say you have been to jail recently?” “Yep, I build a fucking airplane out of plastic and flew into the
night’s sky, until he crashed and I had to kill everyone in my tiny group.” “Enough Arlington, what is the girls name, that guy must
be a good father even if he killed someone. “No she is not his daughter, hell all he did was save her from Atlanta, they are about as
close though, and her name is Clementine, don’t know her last name.” “Is that guy over there going to be okay, he looks like he is
bleeding pretty badly.” “He’ll be fine, he took a tumble of a bridge and landed on a train, he broke something and I guess he reopened
his wound from the fall. They are good people, just because they are not talking to you does not mean they don’t care, remember that.”
“Where you from Samuel, we have some time to kill.” “Well Mr. DeWitt, it’s okay I call you that right, anyway I am from Stone Mountain
Georgia, my school took us down because of the local play offs. We were in the band you know, he played trombone I played Tuba, then
it all started. We hid in this school where we thought was safe, and one of the girls just gave up and overdosed on pills, the next
day I woke up to see one of my friends severed head on the floor. We got out of there, it was only me, my teacher, a cocky bastard
named Travis, and the guy upstairs whose name is Ben. Well let’s just say that are teacher was not that smart, he stepped in a bear
trap and screamed until Lee came by, he had to chop his leg off with an ax. Travis got grabbed before we could leave and the teacher
died of blood loss soon after, so it’s only me and Ben left, god why. He is a good kid and means well, but damn is he as dumb as a
rock, really he is 17 and has never drank a beer in his life, live a little god. Well that is my story, not really compelling but you
asked Mr. DeWitt.” “I am sorry to hear that, well we were about finished when you showed up, are group was falling apart and I feared
that one day they would just lose it.” Elizabeth went over to Omid, she knelled down and took a look at his leg. “You do know that
the wound has been infected when it reopened,.” “How do you know that?” “Let’s just say I studied medical help in my spare time, not
quite a doctor but I can help.” “Thank god, Omid you’re going to be okay now.” “Wonderful, I was kind of getting bored thinking about
dying.” Arlington took out his Tommy gun and started cleaning it, he did not feel like getting to know these survivors, he was
cleaning it when a gunshot echoed through the house. “What the fuck was that, I guess this house is not safe after all.” Arlington
ran to the staircase, his finger resting on the silver trigger, he saw one shadowy figure slowly walk down the stairs, carrying
something in his arms. Albert Arlington, the cold hearted mobster who did not feel regret for living a sinful life, witnessed the man
he had heard so much about, Lee Everett, slowly walking down the stairs, in his arms the frail limp figure of a child. It was a
walker, but it was only 8 years old, no one said a word, everyone knew what had happened. Arlington just looked at the body, its arms
still stretching out like it was asking for help, he dropped his gun as tears slowly went down his cheek. Lee slowly walked out the
door to the front yard, Chill looked out as he placed put the child in the dogs grave, forever together. Clementine walked out the
door as Lee buried the boy, she looked visibility depressed, Lee turned around and looked at her for a moment, Christa came and brought
her back inside. I sat there on the chair, looking at a panting above the fireplace, in was a portrait of the family who lived here.
There smiles and happy looks gazing on to a room of mournful souls. I saw the child, petting the dog who was now resting beside its
master, it’s eyes full of joy and everlasting happiness. I felt like the eyes were watching me, judging me for not coming here and
saving this child, even when I looked at Chill I could feel their presence staring into my soul. Kenny came down the stairs, he could
only look at the floor, he was near tears. He sat down on the couch, Samuel put his hand on his back, his hand gesture was that it was
all going to be okay. Arlington still sat near the step of the stairs, he took off his hat and wiped away the tears, I knew that the
sight of a dead child had affected him in some way. Even Booker DeWitt was shaken, he hugged his daughter, hoping that nothing could
ever take her away. We might not have known these people longer than an hour, but this moment made me feel like they were distant
family, coming to a family reunion after years of being gone, they thought the same thing.
Reflection
Albert Arlington slowly got up, his face dripping from the tears. He slowly walked over to the chairs were we sat, we all sat there
still not saying a word. I could see nothing but sadness in his eyes; he sat down next to Booker and looked at the panting, just like
I had. Before too long I heard Lee yelling about something, Lee’s entire group ran out to see what he was yelling about, we stayed
inside. “Arlington, are you okay?” “I’m fine DeWitt, I am perfectly fine.” “You don’t need to keep traumatic moments to yourself, I
have admitted my follies and so should you.” “Since when did you care about me, when you were about to shoot me over not believing
me?” “That was different, if you have anything you want to share with us go right ahead.” “I might as well, won’t likely be alive
much longer at this rate, it is what Tan would have wanted me to do. The way you had to prove yourself to the mob was killing someone,
you all know this by now, I had to kill the chief witness to a murder Billy Handsome had committed. I found him in a parking lot in
the middle of the day; no one was around so I grabbed my gun and riddled him full of holes. I went over and checked to see if he was
still breathing, instead I found out he had an eight year old son. He did not understand what had happened; I could not leave any
witnesses around so I did what I had to. I fired one bullet at the kid, only thing the bullet did not kill him, it hit him in the
hand, he was crying and stretching his arms out to his dead father, hoping he would help. I had to shoot him again, this time it
killed him, the sound of that boy asking for help was the worst sound I ever heard in my life. I just stood there, looking at my
reflection in the cracked glass as the shadow stood over the child like a grave digger, I soon ran way quick as I could. It was a
clean kill, the cops never found out who did it, and I became a full-fledged member of the mob, but that child’s cry’s still haunted me
for weeks to come, I drank a lot of whiskey and did my best to forget the events of that day, and I thought I had finally forgotten it.
That walker boy looked exactly the same as the boy I murdered, we are similar Mr. DeWitt, we both have committed atrocities, we both
years from now we will be looked upon with distain and hatred for what we did. But what makes us different, is you want to change who
you once were, make up for it, I just want to forget my actions and let whoever judge me.” “ You talk like you are a heartless man, a
man who just kills when he wants to, you’re not a bad man Arlington, you made wrong choices with your life but a heartless man would
not have cracked jokes with close friend, he would not have mourned the passing of friends, and he would not feel regret for his
actions. I don’t hate you for what you have done over the past few days, I only want to protect my daughter, you would have done the
same if it had been Tan.” “I can’t just forgive you after a couple of days, but if it is a consolation I don’t want to kill you
ether.” “Fair enough, so we cool for now?” “I guess we are Mr. DeWitt.” “Call me Booker, Arlington.” “Fine, we are ‘straight’ for
now Booker, now let’s get back to work, my actions don’t matter at the moment.” Arlington got up just as Samuel and the rest of his
group walked back in. “So what is the plan, where is Lee and Kenny?” Samuel spoke up, “They went down to River Street to find a boat
so we can leave.” “I have been here since day one, there are no boats left out there.” “I agree, but Kenny is not thinking straight
after yesterday.” “Why is that, what happened to him?” “His family, the only thing that ever mattered to him, died, his wife
committed suicide after his son was bit by a walker, and he had to be put down by Lee, nothing will convince him that boats is a bad
idea, I know there are none left by I go along with him anyway. He will be back soon, don’t worry about it, Lee and Kenny have been
through worse.” “I hope your right, on both there sakes.” Omid was still on the couch, he was not moving, we guessed he was sleeping
but Christa was panicking, she told us to carry him to the second floor bedroom where it would be more comfortable. We took him
upstairs, Ben was downstairs looking after Clementine, something Samuel doubted Ben could even babysit an eight year old girl.
Elizabeth checked on Omid’s vitals, she said, “The infection has spread, he is getting ill fast and will need medical supplies soon,
almost everything worth taking is gone here.” Booker walked upstairs and asked, “Then wear can we get such supplies, we don’t have a
whole lot of time to look.” “We both know where we could find some.” “No, without question we are not going there.” “What are you
talking about, what is this place you talk of?” “It’s nothing; it is just a place that is not an option.” Chill walked in hoping to
help in some way, “I think we should stay here until Kenny and Lee come back, then we should go look for medicine. Anyway tells us
more about yourselves, we have not really had a lot of time to talk.” “Well, we are from San Francisco, we live together, and we have
a small cat. Omid always hated that thing, it likes me though, if he was awake he would say something sarcastic and funny, it is his
way you know?” “I know that feeling, that is you in a nutshell right Chill?” “I guess kind of, that was more of Tan’s job but it
seems I have taken up the mantle.” So we sat around talking about story’s when the dead did not walk the earth, these two people were
both good natured and interesting, time flew by fast and Lee and Kenny did not show up, we were getting more worried by the minute. At
3:00PM we heard the doors open, we ran down hoping it was Lee and Kenny.
Ghosts from the past
Samuel and Booker ran down the stairs, hoping that Kenny and Lee were finally back. Both of them came down only to see Kenny,
Clementine, and a woman Samuel had never seen before. “Kenny what took you so long, where is Lee?” “Is there a bottle of whiskey
around here?” “Yes, there is one on the table right over in the dining room.” “Good, cause I need a sip right now.” “BEN, why is
Clementine with Kenny and not with you.” “I told her to stay put, I guess she ran off when we moved Omid upstairs.” “You think, those
are two words you don’t understand, Lee told you to look after her, and you can’t even do that? What good are you, this is why you got
D and F all the time in school, this is why you could not even talk to a girl let alone go on a date. You’re a failure Ben, the fact
you survived when so many better people died boggles my mind.” “Samuel lay of the kid, he was doing the best he could.” “Alright Mr.
DeWitt, but mark my words, one day his actions will cost someone their lives.” Samuel walked into the dining room where Kenny was
drinking the whiskey. Booker looked at the woman with Clementine, he knew who it was, she was only 20 with a blue hairclip in her hair
she was wearing a red jumpsuit with a climbing pick in her hand. She did not make eye contact with Booker, she knew who he was to.
She was about to start walking out when Booker called her out, “I know who you are, Molly stop.” She turned around, knowing she could
not talk her way out of this. “You know who I am Molly, I was the leader of the group that ended up sharing your dorm, I see you have
changed.” “No worse for wear, I remember you, Dimwit it was right?” “It is DeWitt, Booker DeWitt.” “Whatever, I can see you have
been doing well after your flight in the middle of the night.” “You could say that, it has been getting slightly better today, where
is your sister.” “Why should you care she was not your family?” “No, but for all I know you could be working for Crawford, I know
they still want me dead.” “Take your grubby hand of that revolver Dimwit, do I look like I am working with Crawford?” “No, but you
can’t take chances anymore, not after what they did to age group.” “You want to know, fine if it means you stop asking personal
questions. After the massacre they put in rules, rules where if you did or could not follow you would be killed like Cany. One of the
last rules was people who were diabetic were put to death as a waste of resources, Hilda was diabetic. Remember the doctor, well felt
like he had more power after Vernon left, he had medicine for my sister but there was a price, he would only give it to me if I, slept
with the him. This went on for some time until Oberson cracked down on it, he stopped giving me the medicine, she started showing
symptoms and Oberson found out. I did not want them to take her, we hid in the dorm and held her close, telling her they won’t get
take her away. They got in and tore her out of my arms and walked her to the wall, they forced me to watch her slowly die. Soon after
I left, they had changed the rule so you could leave, but with nothing but cloths, a slow death for most people. I survived on my own
for some time, I guess going to the gym for all those years helped, I found this climbing pick and has ever since been looting what
remains in this city.” “I sorry it came to that, if we had more time I would have gotten you out I swear.” “Part of me blames Oberson
and his council, but part of me blames you, if you had never run away then maybe there rules would not have been as harsh.” “You and I
both know that is not true, it was only Oberson, he would have done everything he did even if we had not run.” “I would like to
believe that, but part of me blames you and there is nothing you can do to change that.” “Guy’s, you want a drink or not?” Booker
walked over to the living room where Samuel and Kenny were both drinking whiskey. “I thought there was only one bottle?” “Well I
guess there was more, take a seat Booker.” “What shall we toast to Kenny?” “Family, never forget the people you cared about for so
long.” Samuel and Kenny clinked there whiskey bottles together, and started drinking.” “You want a nip whatever your name is.” “No
thanks Kenny, I am fine.” “Suit yourself, might as well knowing it is all over.” “What do you mean it is over?” “Samuel you know
what I mean, we, are, fucked. We got dead all around us, that crazy fuck on the radio messing with us, hell if now is not the time for
a drink…” “What happened to Lee Kenny, is he alright.” “Alright as he ever will be Samuel, he got trapped behind two hordes and
jumped down a hole in the ground, he will be fine.” “We need to go looking for him, he is your best friend right Kenny?” “Don’t get
your panties in a bunch whatever your name is, he is Lee fuckin Everett, he will be back soon.” “Samuel did I ever tell you the time
Duck swam with the ducks in a pond once?” “Yes, but DeWitt over there has not.” “Okay, so me and Katjaa were in the park with are
son, he wanted to go play with his friends so we let him. We walked away for five minutes and came back and saw him in the pond with
the ducks swimming alongside them with friends laughing. Katjaa ran and grabbed him but I could not stop laughing, he was having a
good time to, I told him that he was one step closer to his name sake, what a great family.” Arlington walked down the stairs and
whispered to Booker, “You do know that the blonde chick from Crawford is up stairs tearing the place apart looking anything useful
right?” “I see Robert DeNiro is still around, why do you were that shit?” “It set me apart from everyone else, and my name is Albert
the ‘Weasel’ Arlington, get that right next time grandpa.” “Who you calling grandpa, you want to throw down because I fight better
when I am shit faced.” “I am sure that is the case.” “Arlington why don’t you have a seat, Kenny would love to hear your story’s
right.” “Fine I sadly have all the fucking time in the world, I got a few worth telling.” So the four survivors told stories about
their personal life, Kenny started to respect Arlington, maybe because he liked mobster movies and he looked like Robert DeNiro, or
because he knew so much about Arlington after the talk. After sometime Kenny believed Lee was just dead, and was about to tell
Clementine when the door opened for the second time in the past couple of hours.
Day in Day Out
The door opened, it was late around 9:00PM, Kenny and Samuel had lost track of time. Lee walked into the house, alongside him was an
older man, he went over and started talking to Molly. “Kenny, Lee is back.” “About fucken time, he was supposed to fix the microwave,
it is not working.” “Kenny what are you talking about.” “You know what I mean Samuel, he is good as fixin shit him being urban and
all.” “Okay I think you have drank a little too much.” “I know when I am drunk, and I know for a fact I am not smashed yet.”
“Samuel, that man over there, I know him.” “How, you seem to know every woman around the age of 20 and every old guy, you are a
‘unique’ man you know that.” “He will be back down it a little bit, I will have a talk with him.” “Whatever, you might want to take
my whiskey bottle, Kenny might grab it soon.” “Alright, Kenny this is for your own good, you clearly have a drinking problem and I am
going to help.” “It is way to fucken late for that shit head, I got over that addiction loooong ago, I am fine.” Booker went up and
took Samuel’s whiskey bottle, Kenny complained, “That was going to be mine, give that back whatever your name is.” “My name is Booker
DeWitt Kenny, and you’re not getting this bottle.” “Alright Book, you got anything to say?” “What about me Kenny, I was just talking
before Lee walked in.” “Who cares DeNiro, if I want gang story’s I will just watch TV.” “I am not a gangster, there is a clear
difference between gangster and mobster Kenny.” “Yep, what is on the TV today anyway?” “I am done, so Samuel you got a few tales to
tell?” “Not really, other than all those times Ben fucked up, but that gets boring after a while.” Elizabeth was upstairs, Christa
had left the room a moment ago, Omid was starting to look worse, the kids were also upstairs, Chill was talking about something gamey,
it was always game something with him. Christa came back before too long, a much older man also came in. “Doctor Vernon is that you?”
“You know this man Elizabeth?” “I do, it has been way to long, 90 days right?” “89 really, it feels like years.” “Let me take a
look, yep this is a severe infection, he won’t last long, Lee give us some space.” “Alright, I’ll go find Clementine.” “So your
telling me Ben once feel face first in front of the cheerleaders because he forgot to tie his shoes, what a loser.” “I know right
Arlington, he is a walking liability, and I am well aware he is right over there. Sure I am mean to the guy, but when he screws up big
I am there for him, we are not friends but we are not enemy’s.” “Clementine, you up there?” “What the hell is Lee doing now?” “He is
probably looking for Clementine, Ben you wouldn’t happen to know where she is right?” “No, why would I?” “Why would you, you do know
that Lee told you to look after Clementine right?” Lee came down the stairs, yelling out Clementine’s name. “Kenny, have you seen
Clementine anywhere.” “Your back, good job, good job.” “Have you been drinking, where did you get that whiskey?” “Fooound it, things
have never been better since…” “Alright now hand it over Kenny.” “It is my whiskey Lee, don’t tell me when I can drink and can’t.”
“It does not matter, have you seen Clementine?” “Has to be around here somewhere, has to be.” “I have no idea where the kid is, all I
know it was Ben in charge of her.” “Will you chill out Lee she is fine.” “Ben, I am not mad, just tell me where she was last time?”
“She was out in the front yard, she is fine trust me.” “On her own, out in the yard.” “Will you get off my back she is fine.” Lee
ran out the front door, still yelling Clementine, Booker looked at Ben and said.” “You know I have been sticking up for you but you
really have not been thanking me at all.” “Why should he, he is the one and only Ben Paul.” “I’ll go help find her, if any of you
truly care you will come with me.” “I’ll come, he did shoot my son for me, just let me get Samuel’s whiskey bottle.” “If Kenny is
coming then so am I, friends stick together, now let’s go find Clementine.” “Might as fucking well, I still got nothing better to do
so follow DeWitt, could do worse.” The four walked out into the yard, they are Lee and Clementine talking in front of the shed,
pointing at something. “Thank god she is okay, Kenny let’s go back in now okay.” “Wait a minute, I want to see what they are talking
about. They walked over and Kenny’s eyes started smiling for the first time in what seems like ever, inside the shed was a motor boat,
the last remaining boat in the Savannah area. Kenny dropped the whiskey bottle, he feel to the ground spilling the alcohol but he did
not care. Samuel was so happy he turned to Kenny and jumped in the area, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Shit Ya!” They all ran
back into the house, and told everyone to come see what they had found.
All Alone In this World
It was getting late, the group was downstairs, Kenny had found a boat and was fixing it. Apparently we could not discuss anything,
even though we had before when we had voted to on going to Crawford all those months ago. We were in the study room, very close to the
attic where the kid walker was found, it was eerie just being here with only Chill and Melina. “Well since we can’t go downstairs who
wants to start talking about the good old days?” “Chill I don’t want to talk about the old days.” “Come on Mr. T, we have nothing
else to do, and your girlfriend is not going to join in like she always does.” “Fine, I can’t believe I wish we were in school, I
always fucking hated math.” “Why is that you did never tell me?” “My teacher was shit, I once used blank paper instead of lined paper
and she gave me an F, what a bitch.” “You think that sucks, my name is Kyle and I live in Colorado and have to wear a snow hat in the
winner, figure out the rest.” “They mocked you because you have the same name as a character from South Park?” “Well I guess living
without glasses has not made you dumber Tyler.” “For the record I took Japanese and passed with a A+, and that is much harder than
Latin.” “Good point, how the hell did you pass Japanese?” “Always loving and reading about an amazing culture.” “Got it, still don’t
think it was worth it, got any more story’s?” “You remember the students in are classes, god are life was a TV show at times right
Chill?” “Sure was, remember that teenager that sat next to me in English, what was his name Liam I think? Anyway he once got a D on
the test, and he asked for a C, the teacher gave him a 5 page essay about kissing ass.” “I got one, there was this kid in Geography,
Harrison, he always wore a hood, summer through winter he kept a hood on. Everyone always called him Kenny but he did not care.”
“There was this one time I gave the teacher a Coke, only I spiked it with Ghost Chili peppers, they had to take her to the hospital and
I got three months old detention but it was so worth it.” “Remember all those stupid hypotheticals like would you rather lose your
legs or your arms?” “Hell yes, torturing you with words was always a highlight of my day. One more, there was this one time I broke
into the head cheerleaders locker and stole all her cloth’s and replaced it with let’s just say, stripper’s outfit, god now that was
a sight.” “How did you do that anyway?” “Tyler, once you play enough Fallout 3 and New Vegas you will want to try the bobby pin
trick, and when you do it works.” “Are you two done talking about school?” “I am in shock, Tyler your girlfriend talked to me for the
first time this whole year, I was about to think you were mute.” “It is not that, I am just a shy person that is all.” “Really, there
is a fine line between shy and borderline mute.” “Do you two ever think about your parents?” “Not really, the two of us just try to
forget stuff like that.” “Well let’s talk about them, remember that time Tyler when you ate dinner at my house, my father thought you
were a date even though I kept telling him we were not. Or the time I slept over at your house and my dad taught me how to use a
condom, even though we were just friends.” “Yep, and that time we went to a movie and your dad made you put on lipstick even though
you hate make-up.” “Why do you two never act like your boyfriend girlfriend even though it is clear as day you are?” “Because we are
not Chill, god you are a good friend but some days you’re like my dog, forgetting what I told her five minutes later.” “I no answer to
that insult, good move Tyler. I still think you are more than friends, you two went on so many trips and never kissed, ether you’re
telling the truth, or you suck so bad at dating woman that Casanova is turning over in his undead grave.” “Well we did not kiss, not
that it matter’s anymore, how did we get so off track Chill?” “Don’t ask me, you were the king of going off track on forums, I am not
dropping it until you tell me Melina is your girlfriend.” “Why not, we got nothing better to do, Melina do you think of me as a friend
or a boyfriend?” “To be honest, boyfriend, you just never had the guts to tell me.” “Owned, Tyler you are like deer in headlights
when it comes to anything, really you need a super flashlight just to get up in the middle of the night to take a piss. Well she just
told you, might as well get it over with, I am just kidding.” “Well since you just told me the truth, do you want to try the next step
Melina?” “Sure, my dad would have killed me if he caught us, but he is not around anymore so I am up a kiss.” “You still remember I
am here right, I was kidding, goddammit my sarcasm is shit for the birds. Fuck it I am going downstairs, go kiss your girlfriend Trod,
don’t let me get in the way. Just like that Chill got up and walked down the stairs, not giving a single shit that Booker wanted him
upstairs.
Return to Your Roots
“Well I can scratch having your first kiss off the list of things I need to do before I die, not that it’s a long list anyway. Well
let’s go back up Chill, he is my friend and all.” “Wait, I have to give you this, remember back in Crawford we had a picture taken of
our group, it was before the party, I want you to have it.” “How long have you been holding on to this?” “Too long, I also have this
small pocket watch, my dad always did love old fashion things, if he was not wearing modern cloths you would think he was from 1895.
You can also have it, something to remember me by.” I opened up the pocket watch, it had a long silver chain with the watch being
bronze, and inside was a picture of a family of four, it was Melina’s family. We walked down the stairs, Chill was getting scolded by
Booker for not staying put, he knew better than anyone that he could not keep Chill locked up for long. Lee was pacing back and forth,
waiting for Kenny to walk in, “Omid’s doing okay?” Vernon was on the couch, “As well as can be expected under the circumstances. I
did what I could for him, cleaned out the wound. But he’s got a real infection, running a fever. Without antibiotics…” Molly got up
from her seat, “Will you quit pacing? You’re making everyone nervous.” Christa looked back at Molly, “Why are you even still here?”
“Hey, if your friend really can get that boat working, you’re taking me with you as payment for saving your asses. I figure that’s
fair enough, don’t you?” Kenny and Samuel walked into the room, Lee asked, “Well?” Kenny looked slightly at the floor, “You want the
good news or the bad news?” “I think we could all use some good news.” Arlington nodded his head, “We need good news more than ever,
if that boat is fucked we are fucked.” “Can you try being positive Arlington?” “Says the man with the fucked up life.” “Good news is
the boat’s seaworthy enough. In pretty good shape mostly.” “Mostly?” “That’s the bad news. Gas tank’s empty and her battery’s dead.
We need to fix both before she’s taking us any place.” Samuel looked over at Ben, “You didn’t just take those parts did you?” “No,
Samuel I did not take anything.” “Good, we just have to be sure.” “Well how are we supposed to get that stuff?” Lee looked over at
the group, “Well, what about this Crawford place? Sounds like they’d have everything we need. Maybe we should try there.” Vernon
looked back and said back in a hushed voice, “Now hold on a minute.” Christa got up and yelled to the group, “Surely we have to try.
If there are people left in this city who are still alive, who still have supplies… what harm can it do to ask?” Arlington looked back
at Christa, “Lady I an’t got time to explain, but that is the worst idea I have heard in a LONG time.” “Trust me, you don’t know these
people. I do. You showing up with a wounded man? Might as well put a noose around his neck. They don’t exactly welcome children
with open arms, ether.” “What the hell kind of a place are we talking about here?” Molly stood up and said in a slightly sad tone,
“The worst kind. But I don’t see what other choice we have.” Kenny looked over at Vernon, “And just how exactly do you figure we do
this?” “There’s got to be some way we can sneak in there undetected.” “There might actually be a way. I know the sewer system that
runs beneath Crawford like the back of my hand. Y’all wouldn’t happen to have a map by any chance?” “Yeah, actually…” “Well that
could have helped around 90 days ago; well that explains why you got out of there so damn fast.” “What do you say Arlington?” “What
do I think? I think we are fucked, this is going to back fire so badly that we should just forget about a boat and go somewhere else.”
“Well if I ever need your amazing planning skills I will ask.” “I think I could lead us through so we could pass under the perimeter
and right into the center, where they keep their supplies. We come up underneath them, take them by surprise, grab what we need and
get out before they even knew what hit them.” “That’s actually not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I mean it’s close. But I don’t
know… maybe it could work.” “I’ve thought about it before, just never had the people to do it. But I think if we all work together,
we could pull this off.” “And what do you want in return for all this help you’re giving us?” Samuel agreed with Kenny, “Yeah, you
clearly are not doing it out of the kindness of your own heart.” “Crawford doesn’t just have what you need for your boat, they’re also
well-stocked with medical supplies. Medicine that my people could use, just as yours could.” “We can do this. We have to!” “You bet
your ass sister we have to do this, otherwise you’re going to be stuck on a wooded pole for the rest of time.” “We should go tonight,
under cover of dark. I’ll go let my people know, give you all a chance to prepare. I’ll be back before midnight.” “Before you go, me
and my crew are in even if Arlington disagrees, under one condition. Oberson is the devil you should know that, if we are going into
Crawford I won’t leave until he is a bloody mess on the floor.” “Fine but do it quick and quiet, we won’t have much wiggle room to get
in and out without being found.” “Well so we are going back to Crawford, about time I always wanted to kill them since Noah’s death.”
“We are not going back for revenge, we are getting the parts for the boat so we can get on and leave this cursed twisted city.” “I
don’t know if the boat is a wise choice Booker.” “Chill trust me, the only other choice is leaving the city without a map and
wondering toward who knows what, this is the only choice we have left.” “You know DeWitt, I you’re going to have to beat me to Oberson
first, I won’t let him live another day knowing he killed Noah and Tan like animals.” “Well then, I guess we know what we are doing
first, we are going to quickly go to his office, and gut him, deal?” “Deal, you know you’re not a bad guy DeWitt, at least when we
agree on something.” Time went on, I checked my watch, it was 12:00AM, Vernon would be back soon. Sure enough he showed up at the
gates with his friend Brie, I remembered her from those days so long ago. We got into the sewers and walked for what felt like an
hour. We came just past the wall, Lee went up first, Booker and Vernon noticed something was wrong. “Lee, there are no guards, the
front gate always had guards, maybe they figure us out already.” “Stay come Booker, I am sure they are just being lazy today.” “About
fucking time, we got a break for once right Kenny?” “Samuel your right, now let’s get through this without incident and I will maybe
find you a beer or something.” I looked over at the door, there was one guard in front of the door, he had a biker jacket and a
bandana. Lee slowly walked over to the guard, he took out a hatchet Ben gave him back at the house, and prepared to strike. Without
warning the guard turned around, only he was not a guard, his eye was out of its socket and there was a bite mark in the neck, it was a
walker!” “Lee stabbed it in the head, he turned around and yelled, “What are walkers doing here?” Molly walked over to Lee and told
him, “What happened here is what happens everywhere, the dead always win.” “Fuck, that means walker Oberson is the next best thing.”
Suddenly a horde of walkers appeared, Booker took out his pistol and fired into the horde, the rest of the group rain inside. Booker
closed the door just as the horde lunged at the door. Arlington looked over at the hallway, he ran down the hall without the rest of
the group. “Arlington, where the hell are you going?” “You know that answer DeWitt, we all know the answer.” Booker ran after
Arlington, the rest of the group went into a classroom, Booker caught up to the running mobster just as he stopped. “You know where we
are right?” “How could I forget, the office of Crawford Calhoun Oberson, the lord high executioner.” “Yep, I don’t care if he is a
walker, I am finishing this now.” “Let me help, on 3, 2, 1, GO!” Booker kicked the door off its hinges, there was no one in the
office. “Shit, there is not blood or any sign he was here, fuck search the room Booker, look for some sign of, anything.” Booker
looked at Oberson’s desk, the files and papers were still there, nothing else was there. “Strange, Nikolai told me there was a Beretta
in the desk, ether Oberson took it or he was just drunk that night.” “Real helpful DeWitt, well I see nothing might as well go back to
the group. I have to say, thanks for agreeing with me for once in my life, you thought I was right?” “I thought Oberson needed to
die, you were able to help so I agreed, simple.” “Whatever, I am not leaving this place until I kill his walker, I hope he is alive
but those odds are not likely.” They both walked out of Oberson’s office, hoping that the man in black was somehow still alive even
after Crawford had somehow fallen.
Fuel for the Fire
Booker and Arlington walked into the classroom the rest of the group had entered. Inside they were all talking, Lee asked Booker,
“What exactly was that?” “My friend here wanted to check in Oberson was still in his office.” “Well did you find anything?” “Nope,
it seems he died somewhere else, shame.” Vernon looked over to Booker, “Well that is too bad, while you were gone we came up with a
plan. There is fuel for the boat in the shed on the playground, which is right next to the gymnasium. Kenny, Samuel, you, Arlington,
and Brie will head over there. Me, Christa, and Chill we will go to the nurse’s office and get the medicine. Lee and Molly will get
the battery, the rest stay here and try to get the armory door open. “Let’s just get it over with soon rather than later.” “Fine by
me, the sooner we leave this place the better we can get on are boat.” Booker turned around and went over to Elizabeth, “I forgot, I
want you to have this while I am getting the fuel.” “A knife, thanks I really needed this.” “It is the knife Tyler found in the old
district of Savannah over 90 days ago, it is a bowie knife, you know what to do if something grabs you.” “It won’t come down to that,
but thanks anyway, now get that fuel.” Booker and the four other members left the classroom and slowly walked down the hallway,
everywhere you looked there was blood, shotgun shells and bullet cases littered the floor, and the moaning of the dead could be heard
in doors that were barricaded in. It did not take long to find the door to the playground, only problem was there were walkers on the
far side of the playground. Booker took point, he slowly opened the door with his revolver in hand, he knew all too well that if the
dead found out where they were, it would be far too late. The shed with the fuel was on the far right side of the playground, near a
swing that swung in the cold fall breeze. “Well this was easier than I thought, Booker get the door open.” “I don’t think it will be
that easy Kenny, nothing ever is.” “Be a little more confident Samuel, last thing we need right now.” Booker went up to the shed
door, he put his hand on the door knob and tried to open it, it was locked.” “Fucking glorious, thanks Samuel look what you have
done.” “I don’t think it was his fault old man.” “Shut you month mob boy, what do you propose we do?” Booker looked the rest of the
playground, the outline of walkers everywhere, “Well using my Skyhook is not an option, to loud, the only thing we can do is find the
key.” “A key, DeWitt are you fucking kidding me, we don’t have time for that.” “Well what other choice do we have Arlington, kick the
door down and have hundreds of walkers pile up on us?” “I guess you’re right forget what I said, where should we look first, Brie?”
“I say we go through the gymnasium and into the cafeteria, it is a start.” “Fine by me, doing something is always better than sitting
around waiting for death.” Arlington took point, there was a walker in front of the gymnasium door, he was about to kill it when
Samuel took out a knife and stabbed it in the brain. “To slow Arlington, better luck next time.” “Where the hell did you get a pocket
knife?” “All the cool kids had one at school, goes without saying the coolest kid had the best knife.” “Good for you, now get a move
on before more show up.” Arlington slowly opened the door, the gymnasium was extremely torn up, bodies were everywhere, but none of
them were walkers, the place where Crawford deposed of body’s maybe? “Well this place has seen better days, I don’t feel like dancing
a Tango in here so can we get a move on?” “I agree this room is a painful reminder of what these people did, lets go.” The brave five
slowly walked to the last door, it was locked from the other side, strange. Booker kicked the door down and on the other side was the
cafeteria, a place full of memories, some worth remembering more than others. “Hey DeWitt, you see that see that table over there,
that is where I ate fresh pork ribs for the first time. It feels like just yesterday I was eating food while talking to Tan and the
rest of the group.” “Why is this place so clean, something does not add up here.” “What was the dead giveaway, the lack of blood.”
“Kenny stay cool, you go check the tables over there, I will go check the counter.” “Alright Booker, it is okay if I call you that
right?” “Sure it is alright with me.” Booker had his pistol ready when he walked over to the counter, he climbed over the counter and
checked the other side. A figure rose up from the ground, only it was not a walker, “ARLINGTON, we got a live one over here.” “Don’t
shoot, I am not a walker, I am just an innocent nurse.” Arlington ran over with his Tommy gun ready and knew who it was immediately.
“I know who you are, your Malinda Hutchinson, the nurse who worked with Doctor Logan.” “Thank god someone remembers me, who are you
exactly?” “My name is Albert Arlington, remember my name as it will be the last thing you ever hear.” Arlington pointed his Tommy gun
at Hutchinson, his finger on the trigger.” “Please don’t do that, I might be a member of Crawford, but that does not mean I liked
them. I was just an innocent woman who fixed up wounded survivors, please let me live.” “I promised a friend that I would make all of
you people suffer, and I don’t go back on my word.” “Arlington, she might know where Oberson is, or how Crawford fell, hell she might
even know where the key to the shed is.” Brie looked at Hutchinson, “It does not matter to me how Crawford fell, only that it did.”
“I am being extra nice today, tell me, WHERE IS OBERSON!” “I don’t know, I locked myself here almost a month ago, I believe he is dead
by now.” “Fuck, how did it fall then and do you know where the key is, ANWSER ME DAMNIT!” “There was this woman, Anna Correa, she was
pregnant and did not want to give up the baby as that was another new rule. So in desperation she killed Doctor Logan and stole his
handgun, she quickly started killing guards. At this point the guards had become extremely lazy so she killed them with ease. She
opened up the main gate and let in a large horde of walkers, Nate gunned her down before she could escape but the damage was done. I
locked myself in here after the first day, the only person I know who made it out was Nate, he got in his truck and drove off, everyone
else is most likely dead.” “The key, where is the fucking key?” “The key to the shed? I have it, the storage officer gave it to me
when everyone was dying. He trusted me for some reason, here take it I don’t need it” “Thanks for being so cooperative, your reward
is a quick death and that is something I don’t want to even give you.” “I beg of you, I had two kids, I did not murder your friend
Erik Tan, I knew him he was a good man. Please don’t kill me, I-I could join your group and help out, I am a nurse after all.” “Like
we would need another doctor, all your good at is looking pretty, say good bye to your life bitch.” “Arlington, I think she is telling
the truth, you talked about wanting to find redemption in some form, maybe this could be your start.” “Like hell it is, she worked
with Crawford Oberson, I have no choice.” “Yes you do, you talk about wanting to be friends again like the good old days, then take my
word and don’t kill her.” Arlington looked at Hutchinson, she was sitting on her knees, her hands up in the air and tears streaming
down her face.” “Go wait in the gym for a moment guys, I have to make a choice here.” “Alright, you better choose quickly, that boat
an’t going to wait all day.” Everyone walked into the gym, Arlington was all alone. Booker’s words kept repeating in his head,
redemption. He then thought back to when his mother had visited him in jail, how she talked about being so disappointed in his
choices, Arlington knew he could ether put the ghosts to rest and kill Hutchinson, or do what something he had always wanted to do,
make a good choice in his life.” Outside Booker was about to walk back into the cafeteria when he heard a gunshot ring out, he lowered
his head, knowing what Arlington had just done. He started walking toward the door when Arlington walked out, with Hutchinson just
besides him. “Why did you fire a shot?” “My gun went off by accident, you thought I killed Hutchinson didn’t you, that’s kind of
funny.” “You’re an asshole somedays Arlington you know right?” “Yep, and I love every minute of it.” “Well it is good you pulled
through Albert, you made the right choice.” “This is swell and all you being friends again but can we please just grab the fuel and
fucking leave?” “Alright Samuel, let’s go get that fuel!”
Key’s to Kingdoms
Booker, Arlington, Samuel, Hutchinson, Kenny and Brie slowly walked out the door into the playground, it was getting darker, everyone
was tired but they could not stop now. Samuel was the shortest member, so he went to the shed and put the key in. “You know if this
key does not work I say we shoot her for lying.” “Trust me, what do I have to gain by lying to you people.” “Good point, just want to
make it clear.” “You’re a scary teenager you know that?” “You think I am frightening, you have not live until you have seen Kenny
lose his shit.” “Put the fucking key in Samuel, we can talk later.” Samuel slowly put the key into the lock, he turned it and there
was a loud unlocking sound. “Shit, do you think the walkers heard that?” Arlington looked behind him, the outline of walkers was
heading toward the shed, “Shit, I don’t think they know we are here, but they heard the noise. Quick, get the fuel and run now!” The
door to the shed opened, there was three heavy fuel cans in the back. Kenny ran up and grabbed one, Samuel grabbed another, and Booker
picked up the last one. “These fuel cans are fucking heavy, god I don’t know if I can make it.” “Quit complaining Samuel, the door is
not far at all.” Arlington looked over at the other side of the playground, “Guys, I think they know we are here now.” “Fuck, well
give us some covering fire or something.” “I can’t do that, it will just attract more of them, waste of ammo.” “Well then fucking
book it, RUN!” Everyone started running for the door, Hutchinson made it first, Brie second. Arlington was at the back of the group,
he kept looking back to see the horde getting closer and closer.” Kenny made it into the building, he yelled for Booker and Samuel to
get in again. Booker reached the gate, tired but alive, he dropped the fuel can to the ground. Arlington ran for the door, he turned
around to see Samuel get grabbed by a walker. The walkers head was dangerously close to Samuel’s left arm. Kenny ran back out into
the playground while Arlington fired off a few shots into the walker. Kenny pulled Samuel up while saying the words, “I an’t letting
my drinking buddy die today.” The three quickly ran into the building, only the horde reached it around the same time. Kenny and
Booker tried to close the door but it was stuck, a walker had gotten his head stuck in between the two doors. Lee came running from
the other hallway, he pulled out his Glock 17 and shot the walker in the head, he then took out a hatchet and jammed in between the
door handles. Arlington spoke first, “Well that went to shit fast you think?” “Yep, it fucken did, no time to celebrate yet we need
to get this fuel into the classroom. The seven survivors carried the fuel into the classroom, Samuel sat down in the teacher’s desk.
“Well that was close, thanks Kenny and Arlington, you really saved by bacon back there.” “Don’t mention it, call me Albert from now
on okay?” “Okay, what a ride, now we need to wait for Lee and Vernon, you did get the battery right Lee?” “I did, but Molly ran off
with it, she said she would be back soon.” “She better be, otherwise we are fucked.” “Samuel, did you get bit back there, we got to
know for sure.” “I don’t think so Booker, but we might want to take a look just to be safe.” Booker checked Samuel’s left arm, there
was blood there but it was not his blood. “Looks like you’re okay.” “Good, last thing I need today is to get bit.” Elizabeth walked
over to Booker, “Well I can you made it back with the fuel, and a little but more than that. You sure we can trust her, I mean she did
work with Crawford.” “I am sure, she cried like a baby when Arlington wanted to kill her, she is trustworthy.” “So… Arlington did not
kill her, why?” “One word, redemption, he wanted some way to make up for his actions and he got a chance back there.” Samuel looked
over at Ben, he was still working on the door, “You still have not gotten the door open?” “Nope, I am not getting anywhere here.”
Samuel laughed, “I am not surprised in the slightest, Kenny you go help Ben, does anyone think we should go help Vernon get the
medicine?” I told Booker, “I’ll go, Chill is my friend you know, I could help in some way.” “Not happening, I say Lee goes, he is the
leader of his group.” “Alright, I will go help Vernon, Christa and Chill get the medicine.” Elizabeth walk toward, Hutchinson, “ I
know who you are already, I am sure Booker and Arlington know to.” “I see your still perceptive Elizabeth, how has life been since you
left.” “Poor, we lost two members, I am sure you knew that by now. We had to stay in isolated shelters that offered no protection
from walkers.” “Sorry to hear that Elizabeth, life did not get better after you left, they allowed us to leave if we wanted to, but
with no supplies at all. Oberson became even more power crazy, if you even challenged his rules or his power you would die. Well
someone could not take it anymore, the rest is obvious.” In the nurse’s office, Vernon had run into a slight problem, one that even
Chill and his quote ‘mad skills’ could not get past.
The Sport of Kings and Liars
Five minutes earlier, while Booker and Kenny’s squad was getting fuel, Vernon, Christa and Chill were trying to break into the nurse’s
office. “Chill, you think you can pick the lock?” “Sure can, back when I was in school it was the sport of kings, breaking into the
lockers of hated people was celebrated.” Chill took out a bobby pin and put it in the lock. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Have some faith Vernon, I have done this so much in Fallout 3 I can do it with my eyes closed.” Chill turned the pin, the door slowly
opened until there was a loud snapping sound. “I thought you said you could do this with your eyes closed.” “I am a gamer for the
love of god, shit comes out of my mouth all the time.” “I will never understand the mass appeal of video games.” Anyone got another
pin?” “Nope, is there any other way to get in?” “Well, I could use a paper clip, those work just as well. Give me a minute to look
around.” Chill got on the floor and started looking for a paper clip, sure enough he found a small stack of papers on the floor, a
paper clip still holding them together. “You better not screw this up Chill, we don’t have much time.” “Cool your jets Vernon, I can
do this.” Christa angrily told Chill, “You better do it real slow this time.” Chill took the back end of the paper clip, he put it
into the lock, he twisted it really slowly again, there was a loud unlocking sound and the door opened. “If video games taught you
that, they might be of some use after all. Just as the they went into the nurse’s office, a door that was barricaded with only a
bookcase started to rumble. The bookcase fell down and the door opened, a dozen walkers flooded the room. Chill quickly closed and
locked the door, Christa took out a Beretta and aimed at the door. About two minutes later several gunshots rang out, the door started
to open slowly, Lee walked in, his Glock still smoking. “Am I glad to see you here, I thought we were royally screwed.” “How is the
progress going Vernon?” “Not well, you see this lock, it’s a combination lock.” “Shit, I guess I could try to pick that lock.” “It’s
not even worth trying Chill, we need the combination or we are going to have to break it down, and that will take some time.” “Give me
a minute, maybe there is something that might help.” “So, Doctor Vernon, how’s death been lately?” “Hard, it just keeps happening.”
“Well I can see your sense of humor has not died.” “I guess you’re right, my peers did always say I was funny at times.” “Lee, you
found something yet?” “I found this tape, there is a camera overlooking the locker, maybe it has footage of the code?” Lee put it in,
on the tape was Doctor Logan and a woman Chill had never seen before, he did not really care about what they were talking about. Chill
just looked at the clock, it was 2:00AM, he started to doze off. Everything felt peaceful and bliss, just what Chill wanted.” “Chill
you awake, CHILL!” “What the fuck Tyler that was my copy of Skyrim, god what times is it?” “2:15, you slept for about fifteen
minutes.” “Well shit, sorry did Lee find the combination to the locker?” “Nope, he said he knew where to find something and walked
out.” “Okay, what do you suppose we do now?” “Nothing we can do, me and Christa have been trying to force the locker open, it is not
going all too well.” “Well I used to have some poker cards, but those got left behind months ago, we could play spin the bottle.”
Just then Lee opened the door, blood on his shirt and a video tape in hand. “Forget I said anything, so you got the tape?” “Yes I
do, I hope you can stay awake through it.” “Hey I was more exhausted then Tired Tyler, give me a break.” Lee put the tape into the
camera, Chill did not fall asleep this time, he just watched it like the rest. He witnesses the woman, Anna Correa, stab Doctor Logan
and take his gun.” “Well I can see how Crawford fell, seems about right that they would be from within.” “I got the code, Logan was
typing it in before being stabbed, I got it now let’s go.” “Give me a minute, there was another tape I found.” “Don’t take too long,
I want to leave as soon as we can. Chill ran down the halls, carrying some of the medical supplies, happy that he had shown of his
‘mad lock picking skills’ and helped the group.
Hatchet of Intelligence
“Lee’s been gone for some time, I should go check up on him.” “I am sure he is fine Booker, don’t worry he is stronger than he looks.”
“Shit the door is still not open, Ben go find something to help with the door.” “Okay, I am not making much progress on the door
anyway.” Ben ran out into the hallway, alone with no weapon. “Well I guess I better go help Ben, Samuel was right, he is not that
bright.” Booker opened the classroom door and ran after Ben, he found him talking to Molly and Lee. “Lee, Clementine is starting to
wonder where you are, we should leave now.” “Ben, where did you get that hatchet?” “I just found it over there, it was lodged between
the door handles.” “Oh no…” The door suddenly bursted open, walkers were everywhere. “BEN, what have you done?” Ben said nothing,
without saying a word he ran back into the classroom. Booker took out his revolver, carefully aiming to make sure he did not hit
Molly, who was stabbing them with her climbing pick. One of the walkers Molly had stabbed got up and grabbed her, she started fighting
back well yelling, “Lee, shoot this fucker!” The walker fell back dead, someone had shot it, Booker had not and Lee was looking around
for who had done it. “Nice shot.” “It was not me.” “Nice shooting kid.” Lee turned around to see Clementine, holding Chuck’s
revolver, they quickly ran into the classroom, the dead on their heels. “What the fuck is going on?” “There’re coming!” “Oh shit.”
“That oughta hold ‘em.” “Sure… but now how do we get out?” Kenny started kicking the armory door, “Through the armory, if we can just
get this damn door open! Come on… damn you!” Everyone started to look around, hoping there was another way out, Arlington yelled out,
“Well now we are just fucked, Kenny kick harder!” “This is all my fault… all my fault.” “Ben, we talked about this.” “No, wait, I
want to know what he meant.” “Kenny, I am so sorry. I’m so sorry, man…” “Kid, this ain’t the best time! Whatever you did, save it
for later!” “It’s been me all along. Putting us in danger. Katjaa and Duck… it was all me. It was all me!” Kenny kicked the door
open, he slowly turned around and said, “Wait a minute… what are you saying?” “It was me who made the deal with the bandits at the
Motor Inn, slipping them supplies. I thought maybe I could keep them off our backs. When it got discovered that’s when they attacked.
That’s when Duck…” “BEN what the fuck, I know your dumb but what the fuck!” “You little pissant! You are fucking dead, you hear me!
Dead! My wife and child, you got them all fucken killed!” “Nice group you got here.” “Not the time, Molly!” “If this asshole thinks
he’s getting on my boat after what he did! He’s out of his mother fucken mind! The boat’s not big enough for all of us. Somebody’s
getting left behind, might as well be this piece of shit right here!” “So…we vote on this, good to see democracy is not dead yet.”
Christa voted first, “Well I vote we leave him. I’m sorry, Ben. I know you mean well, but all I want to do is get back to Omid. And
you put that at risk.” Samuel went next, “Ben how could you do this, I might not have liked you a lot but I trusted you, how the fuck
good you deceive me? I vote kick him out.” Booker went next, “Can’t you see we are becoming Crawford, this is what they did, kill the
weak. He might not be wise but he has a good heart, I vote he stays.” Elizabeth agreed with Booker “I am with Booker, he is not a bad
kid, he is just misguided most of the time, give him another chance.” Arlington spoke up, “Ben, you a one dumb piece of shit, but
Booker taught me a lesson, everyone deserves a second chance, if a mobster that killed people can get a second chance then so can you.”
Chill, Melina and Tyler abstained. Malinda Hutchinson went next, “From what I can see you are a screw up, but aren’t we all at times?
The people I worked for would have impaled you on the spot, as a personal fuck you to Crawford I vote stay.” “Wait, don’t I get a
vote?” “Of course you do.” “Ben’s nice. He’s my friend. We don’t leave friends behind. That’s my vote.” “On second thought, I
think I’m going to abstain. Lee?” “I’ve seen enough of Crawford to know that becoming like them is the beginning of the end, I vote
Ben stays with us.” “What about the rest of us, don’t we get a say in-” The walkers broke through the door window and grabbed Brie,
they started eating her alive while Vernon could only watch. Molly just yelled, “NOW can we go?” “Damn right. Vernon! Come on!”
Everyone ran out of the room into the armory, which was just a part of the bell tower.
Bats in the Belfry
The door would not shut, it was forced open and would not close. Lee was trying to close it when he just gave up, the armory only had
five bullets, we all ran down the stairs. Down at the bottom was the door way out, Kenny opened it to find a shit ton of walkers on
the other side. He yelled, “FUCK!” as he slammed it shut, there only option was to go up into the bell tower. Kenny saw a shotgun on
the floor near a dead guard, he grabbed it and yelled to Lee, “LEE look!” He tossed the shotgun to Lee, it still have some shells left
in it, Booker tossed Lee some of his shotgun shells. Everyone started running upstairs, we watched as the door opened and Lee shot
walker after walker, at one point his leg got stuck so Booker ran down to help him. He got out before Booker got to him, two walkers
jumped at Lee, they tasted two bullets from Booker’s revolver. Lee took out Ben’s hatchet of intelligence, he started stabbing and
slicing his way up the bell tower. He reached the top, we were about to climb out of the tower when I heard the familiar sound of a
Beretta’s bolt being pulled back. I turned around to see an older man in a black suit holding Ben, the Beretta pointed at his head.
Arlington snapped, he yelled “OBERSON!!!” Arlington quickly pulled out his Tommy gun and was about to fire when there was A loud
cutting sound. Arlington fell to the ground, behind him was Malinda Hutchinson, holding a scalpel with blood on it. Booker yelled,
“ARLINGTON, NOOOO!” He turned around and pointed his revolver at Hutchinson, Oberson laughed, “You thought you could trust my
mistress? Mr. DeWitt I see you are becoming long in the tooth if you were dumb enough to trust her.” “Fuck this we, are, leaving and
getting on my boat NOW!” “No one is going anywhere, if you people don’t remember, my name is Crawford, Calhoun, Oberson, never forget
that name!” Booker asked, “Why, why go after us, we did not burn your retched civilization to the ground, Anna Correa did!” “It was
all you’re doing, your sudden departure from Crawford gave people hope, they thought if you could leave, so could they. It was all
your fault, I took pleasure in knowing Noah and Tan died slowly at my fingertips.” “What do you want from us?” “I want to play a
game, a game of pain and suffering for all those who destroyed my legacy! I am going to slowly walk out of this bell tower with half
of your group, you will not follow me, you will not question me, otherwise all of you will die!” “You’re a sick bastard, damn you to
hell.” “Yes, many do try, but none have ever succeeded. I won’t ask again, put your gun down or they all die, starting with this
scared teenager and your precious daughter.” Booker slowly put his gun down, he had been beaten by Oberson once again, history was
sadly repeating itself. “You made the right choice Mr. DeWitt, I guess my teachings rubbed off on you. I can’t wait to take half of
your group, I am taking this teenager, your daughter, the little girl, the woman over there, and the man with the hat. I am going to
start with your daughter, I will take out my frustration by raping the fuck out her, when I am done I will water board her with
gasoline and then light her on fire. I will enjoy every second of it, shame you won’t be there, your daughter was always worthless.
She never went out searching for food, all she was ever good at looking pretty and acting all innocent. You act like a badass, but
deep down you knew you were a terrible father, she never learned anything about how to survive. Come now my little darling, you’re
going to love all the tricks I have learned over the yea-” Oberson stopped talking, he looked down at his chest and saw a huge knife
sticking through it, he slowly fell to his knees while coughing up blood. He fell face first to the ground, Elizabeth was still
holding the bowie knife. She dropped the knife and stood there, breathing unevenly, looking at Oberson before she ran into Booker’s
arms. All she said was, “Nothing besides remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level
sands stretch far away.” Booker responded with, “Ozymandias, 1818. You okay Elizabeth?” “I’m-I’m find, it’s just the shock of
killing a man, I will never get used to it.” Kenny yelled, “Sorry to break up the moment but we need to go, NOW!” Booker turned to
Malinda Hutchinson, she was sitting in the exact position she was before back in the cafeteria. “Booker please, have mercy on me, I am
not a bad woman please don’t kill me.” “Burn, in, hell, you lying bitch!” He fired off one bullet from his revolver into Malinda
Hutchinson’s skull. He turned and started to walk to the ladder leading out. Oberson started to move, but he did not moan, Ben was
still standing there, waiting for everyone else to get out. He grabbed Ben by the legs as he started to fall over the edge, “If I will
die today, I won’t go alone, and I won’t turn!” Lee looked back, Ben was hanging off the edge, Oberson holding on.” “GET HIM OFF ME,
PLEASE!” Ben kicked like a horse, Oberson started to lose his grip, he was too weak after being stabbed. He let go and slowly fell
all the way down the bell tower, he yelled nothing as he plummeted down. Lee ran up to Ben and grabbed him by the hand, Booker ran
down the stairs, hoping to see Oberson hit the ground. He saw him hit the ground, blood went everywhere, but he was somehow still not
dead, he started to crawl, his legs have been clearly broken. Booker readied his revolver, hoping to fire a bullet into Oberson’s
head. But just when he was about to pull the trigger he stopped, put the revolver back in his pocket, and slowly walked back up the
staircase. Lee had pulled Ben up, the walkers were almost there. As Booker walked by he heard a familiar voice call out to him,
“Booker DeWitt…” He looked to his left, Albert Arlington moved his right hand, his Tommy gun still on in his left hand. Booker said
nothing, he grabbed his friend and slowly carried him out of the tower. Oberson was almost to the door when the walkers grabbed him,
he yelled to Booker, who was no longer there, “ COME BACK AND FINISH THIS DEWITT, I KNOW YOU WANT TO!” The walkers soon bit into him,
as they gnawed into the bones of the dictator he yelled out his last words, “BOOKER, PLEASE!!!”
An honest Goodfella
Booker DeWitt climbed out of the bell tower, wrapped around his shoulder was his friend, Albert Arlington who has just been stabbed in
the chest by Malinda Hutchinson. He was not looking good in the slightest, and Booker started to lag behind the rest of the group.
Kenny yelled over to Booker, “What’s the holdup back there?” “My friend here is not looking to well, just go on ahead we will meet
back at the house.” “Alright, don’t take too long, hate for you to miss the boat tomorrow.” Booker started talking to Arlington,
“You’re going to be okay Albert, everything is fine Elizabeth will patch you up.” Arlington replied in a slow gravelly voice,
“Bullshit, I am done for; this is the end for me Booker. I am sorry I called Elizabeth a whore that one time, she is really pretty and
dresses more modest than any woman I ever knew, hell I dated her if you, know.” “You are going to be fine, don’t talk like that.”
“You’re the nicest man I ever knew, but my fate was decided five minutes ago, there is nothing you can do.” “Yes there is, you won’t
die, you’ve been through far worse.” “I am sorry I pointed a gun at you, I guess I blamed you for Tan way too much, I wish I could
make it up to you now.” “You can make it up by stop acting like it’s over.” “I am sorry for what I have done, if I could go back to
when I got out of college, I would now get a normal job, I am so sorry.” “There is nothing to be sorry about everything is fine!
Elizabeth! Come over here; tell me that Arlington’s wounds are not fatal.” Elizabeth walked over to Booker; he slowly put him down
next to a lamp. “Booker, I don’t know what to tell you, but Arlington has been stabbed through the Liver, he does not have much time
left.” “What, that can’t be, I don’t believe this. Is there anything we can do?” “There is nothing I can do to help, not here
anyway, there is only one thing you can do.” “No I won’t do that, he is not done yet, come on Arlington you can make it to the house.”
“No I can’t, *cough* just put me down somewhere and let me die.” “ARLINGTON, you won’t die until I say you can die, and I say you’re
not going to die!” Chill and I heard Booker yell so we walked back to where he is. Chill asked, “Is everything okay Booker?”
“Everything is fine; we just need to walk faster!” They started to walk faster, but Arlington was starting to look pale, he was dying
rapidly and he knew it well. He told Booker, “Booker, stop walking, you see that house over there, that was our house once remember?”
Booker stopped, it was indeed the ruins of the house they had stayed in 92 days ago. Elizabeth walked over to Booker and whispered,
“It’s almost time, you know what needs to be done.” “But, I can’t.” “You can Booker, you can.” They slowly walked over to the ruins
of the house; all that remained was the first floor. The stone walls still had the large holes from where the Humvees had smashed
through. The few remnants of that fading battle were still there, bullets casings were still where they laid so long ago. Booker
walked into the remains of Arlington’s bedroom, he slowly put him down against a support beam. Arlington started talking again, “Funny
seeing the old place like this again, the memories are still here, if Tan could only see me now…” “I don’t know if I can do this
Arlington.” “You can Booker, you were always the strongest member in the group, you will find a way.” “I guess this is the end old
friend, sorry that it had to end like this.” “My life could never have ended any other way, take my Tommy gun, as a memento of me.”
“I will Arlington, I will.” “I can see my family over there, and Erik Tan, it is so nice to see them again.” Elizabeth told Booker,
“He is becoming delusional now, we have no time left, please Booker it’s the only humane thing we can do.” Booker took out his
revolver, and put it next to Arlington’s head. “The sunrise is so beautiful, it is so peaceful and bliss. Goodbye Booker DeWitt, it
was an honor knowing and serving with you…friend.” Booker pulled the hammer back on his revolver, he put his finger on the trigger,
tears slowly crept down his face. Elizabeth slowly told Booker, “Everything is going to okay, it’s all right. Booker reached out and
slowly grabbed Arlington’s hand, he held it in a final display of friendship, he then took a deep breath and fired.” Booker slowly
took a burned blanket and put it around Arlington’s body, “He always hated being cold you know?” He then slowly walked out of the
house, Elizabeth and Booker slowly walked out and back to the group. The crows watched overhead as they left, watching like a silent
vigil for the passing of a good man.
A Long Day at Work
Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth, and the teenagers walked into the mansion, nicknamed by Chill the Bedside Manor. Booker walked in and put
his revolver on the table, he did not look happy. Chill yelled to Lee’s group, “We are back, now let’s get that boat ready!” Molly
walked down the stairs, she told Chill, “Kenny and Samuel on out working on the boat, I am leaving the group. It was good knowing you
people, but I always was afraid of the water, and the capacity limit is low. I’ll be fine, just worry about yourselves.” Booker
walked upstairs, Christa was talking to Omid, he was alive and well thank god. He walked into the study room, Lee was asleep and
Clementine was not there. He leaned against the wall, and looked at Elizabeth. She questioned Booker, “Are you okay, I have not seen
you look so depressed since Columbia.” “You know why, me and Arlington might not have always been good friends, but he was a good man
and deserved better.” “That is not your fault, it was Oberson and Hutchinson’s fault.” “No, I was the one that told Albert that
sparing Hutchinson was a good moral act, he wanted some form of salvation so he took the opportunity by the hand. I killed a good
friend Elizabeth, I hope she burns in hell with Oberson.” “It is not your fault Booker, just be safe out there okay, I don’t want to
lose you." “Likewise, I won’t let anything hurt you again.” Samuel ran up the stairs and told Booker, “Come down quickly, Kenny is
making his choice on who is coming on the boat.” Samuel took Booker and Elizabeth to a small area at the back of the house, everyone
but Lee and Clem was there. Kenny starting talking, “Everyone, as you know the capacity limit is rather low on this boat, I am here to
tell you who is coming and who is not. Lee is still in his room and Vernon is nowhere, so we are starting now. I am coming without
question, it is MY boat after all, Samuel is coming after supporting me and my family every chance he got, welcome aboard friend.
Samuel go get Lee, he is needed here now. Lee and Clementine are also coming, Clementine is like a daughter to me, and Lee is almost a
brother to me. Next we have Dthly Chill, he has gotten along well enough with Clem so I guess you’re up. Last person is, Booker
DeWitt, we need a man who can kill with easy and he seems like a nice enough guy. Say where is Robert DeNiro, I liked that guy.”
Booker told Kenny what happened in a somber voice “His name was Albert Arlington, and did not survive his stab wounds, I had to shoot
him.” “I know how that feels, Lee had to shoot up own son after he got bit, it sucks but we have to live with it no matter what.”
Samuel came running back to the group, tired and exhausted. “SAMUEL, where is Lee and Clementine?” “I don’t know, Lee was in his
room last I saw him but he is no longer there.” “Shit, LEE where are you!” The group started looking for Lee, Christa called out,
“Lee? Lee? You out here? Lee?” We rounded the corner and found Lee, standing with Clementine’s hat. Omid asked, “Lee, where’s
Clementine? She’s not in her room!” Kenny yelled, “Vernon ain’t in the house ether! What the hell is going on?” Christa walked up
to Lee, there was blood on his arm, she asked, “Whose blood is that?” He looked at the group and said, “It’s mine.” We could see four
teeth like marks in his arm, he had been bitten. We were speechless, we had no known Lee that much, but he seemed like a nice guy who
was taking care of a little girl. Christa was shocked, the only thing should could say was, “Oh my God…” “Kenny took one good look
and said, “No way. No fucking way.” Samuel agreed with Kenny, “It can’t be, it just can’t be…” “There’s no time to worry about me.
Clementine’s gone.” Samuel replied, “Gone, what do you mean gone?” Kenny looked around and said, “Who the hell took her?” “I don’t
know. Last night Vernon came to me and offered to take her with me. Said she’d be better off.” “Son of a bitch! I knew we couldn’t
trust that fucker.” “Wherever she is, I have to find her.” Christa asked, “Okay. What do you need from us?” “Clem may not have much
time. We have a better chance of finding her if we all go together. Who’s with me?” Christa told Lee, “We’re all responsible for
Clementine. And in your condition, you may not make it to her in time. She needs our help. ALL of our help.” Omid jumped into the
conversation to, “Damn right. We can’t let you do this alone.” “Thanks you guy’s. I appreciated it. Really.” Booker looked at
Lee’s wound, he had already experienced death only an hour before, he had not slept in two days. “I don’t know, you’re a nice guy Lee,
and Clementine is a little girl worth saving, but I don’t know if I can keep going on like this. I have not slept in two days, I want
to help you, I really do but I don’t know if I.” “You can Booker, we need you, I need you, what does your daughter think?” “I am
going in, Clementine deserves a close knit family, and from what I have seen, you people are just that.” “Damn it Elizabeth, alright I
am coming. I might be tired and broken, but I will do it, so another father does not face the horror of living without his daughter.”
Chill chimed in, “If Booker is going so are we, right Tyler?” “Sure, I know you like Clem, Chill, as a friend I mean.” “Your damn
right, she is sweet and deserves a better life!” Melina joined in, “If you guys think it’s best then I am coming to. You will need
all the help, and as Clem said it herself, friends don’t abandoned friends.” Kenny looked sad, knowing that Lee was borrowed time, he
told him in an emotional voice, “You’ve always been there for me, Lee. Always had my back when it mattered. What kind of friend would
I be if I wasn’t there for you now? Bitten or not, I’m with you to the end. You can count on me.” Samuel joined in after Kenny, “So
can I, I always thought you were a brave man back when you tried to save my teacher, look at you now, not any less braver. We have
seen and been through the worst of humanity, across the seas and into oblivion, I will gladly go with you to hell and back once again
friend.” “How about you Ben?” Kenny disagreed with Ben coming immediately, “You can’t be serious about bringing him, he will get us
all killed.” “Deal with it Kenny, the way I see it, Ben has one more chance to make it right, if he wants to.” “I… I don’t know.
Whatever you think is best.” “That is not up to me to decide, it is up to you.” “You have always been supportive of me, and
Clementine means the world to you, I’m in. I swear by the end of today, I will make it up to you.” Kenny started complaining about
the safety of the boat, “What about the boat, who is going to stay behind and protect it?” Christa told Kenny, “Kenny, if someone
wanted to steal the boat they would have done it already, it’s okay.” “We better get a move on, Vernon’s place in not close at all.”
Booker was putting some bullets into his revolver and shotgun, “It’s far enough for me, no one betrays a group like that.” Elizabeth
looked concerned, “Booker, what are you going to do when we find Vernon?” “I am going to ask why he did what he did, and settle the
score.” The group of ten started walking to Vernon’s hideout, the sun started to shine slightly above the house, waiting for their
return with a little girl in tow.
Out of the Frying Pan…
We got extra ready for when we would find Vernon. Chill found Lee’s shotgun from the bell tower. There were shells still in it and we
were pretty sure he would not kill himself by accident, the guy was not Ben by any stretch of the imagination. Christa loaded some
bullets into her Beretta, ready to take back Clementine. Elizabeth was handed Arlington’s Tommy gun, even though she did not know how
to use it or want to. Samuel took out his knife and polished it, it was more than strong enough to kill a walker. Kenny loaded up one
more magazine into his Glock 19. Lee did the same with his Glock 17, me, Melina, and Omid got nothing. We walked all the way to
Vernon’s place, we were in the sewer system once again, Chill complained about the smell every chance he could. We got to the door,
Lee yelled, “Vernon! Get out here! There doesn’t have to be any trouble here, all I want is the girl! Give her back and nobody needs
to get hurt!” He kicked the door; we walked into the hideout which appeared to be a morgue. There was no one there, Lee walked over
to the table and looked down, he put his hand on his head, he did not feel well at all. We have never had a bit victim, so the group
was completely unprepared. We looked up at a small window, there were many shadows walking by, the moans of the dead were everywhere.
Something had drawn a lot of noise to Savannah, I did not know nor care what did, I only cared about how many there now was. The
sounds started to come from behind, they had gotten into the sewers, we only had so much time to get out of Vernon’s place. Without
warning, the radio Lee had flickered to life, on the other end was Clem’s voice, all she said was, “Lee?” “Clementine! Are you
alright? Where are you? Vernon, you son of a bitch.” A voice responded back, it was not Clem and it sure as hell was not Vernon.
“Hello, Lee.” “Who is this?” “It’s not Vernon, if that’s what you’re thinking. And you should really watch your tone. Clementine’s
fine. But if I were you, I’d choose my next words VERY carefully.” Chill silently whispered to himself, “Dear god, it’s like Saw,
only it is really happening.” Lee responded to the man on the radio, “ What do you want from me? Whatever it is, I’ll do it and you
can let her go.” “I want you to never hurt anybody again. This is not a kidnapping, Lee.” “Then what is it?” “A rescue.” Lee stood
there, not saying anything, not understanding anything that was going on. He just murmured, “He better not fucking hurt her. I
swear…” Lee put the radio back on his hip, Christa walked over and told Lee, “This is bad, but we can deal with it together. We’re
going to need to hurry.” Christa took out look at Lee’s bite, and asked, “How’s that feeling?” Lee, being the tough guy he was, just
told her, “Fine. Don’t worry about it.” Just then walkers appeared near the sewer entrance. Kenny quickly closed the door, we took
out all are guns and aimed at the door, Kenny yelled to Lee to find another way out. Elizabeth looked at Arlington’s Tommy gun, she
looked over to Omid and told him, “I don’t shoot guns, so I think you should fire it.” “Like I would do any better, sure give the
crippled guy a powerful gun, okay I’ll use it.” Samuel looked at Ben and told him, “Good thing there is no hatchet in that door Ben,
otherwise they would already be in.” “Shut up Samuel.” “Well then you should have been thinking better a couple of hours ago, I won’t
ever let you live that down.” Booker’s aim was not steady, Elizabeth asked, “Are you doing okay Booker, you’re not looking all too
well.” “I’ll be fine, I am just tired, just worry about yourself.” I looked at Chill, he was happy holding a shotgun, I asked him,
“So, tell me you have shot those things before right?” “Yep, the shotgun was my favorite type of weapon at the range, I always did
like the Browning 1897 pump action, it is an upgrade from Booker’s lever action shotgun.” Booker looked at Chill and said, “Hardly,
you can pull the lever a lot quicker than you can pump that shotgun, it just takes a lot of practice.” “Well I guess we will see later
once we save Clementine and get to a safe island.” I heard something fall over, I turned around and saw Lee on the ground, the
elevator door open. Everyone ran over to Lee, Kenny asked, “Fuck! Is he alive?” We picked him up and put him on a table, there was a
couple of knifes near him. Kenny looked picked up a knife, he said, “This has to be done…Sorry pal, I got to do this…” Lee woke up
and yelled, “I awake I awake!” Christa yelled, “STOP! He’s awake!” Kenny angrily told Christa, “He’s still bitten! This is about
trying to SAVE him! At the very least buy him some time.” Ben asked in a scared voice, “Do we have to cut it off, though?” Omid
asked, “Do we know it works?” “We don’t know anything.” “Is there going to be a lot of blood?” “There’s going to be a shitload of
blood.” “What if he dies?” Lee got up and said, “Un, hey, I’m laying right here.” Kenny replied, “Sorry.” Christa said, “It’s not
really our call anymore,” “Yeah, no shit.” “What do you think pal?” “Fuck it. Cut it off.” Lee put his arm on the table, Elizabeth
walked over and told Kenny, “You going to have to cut right above the wound, the disease is likely to have spread past that part of the
arm already, but it is the quickest and least painful way to remove the limb.” “How do you know that?” “I studied a lot of medical
related books, trust me we could cut higher, but it would take much longer and be more painful, time is not something we have a lot of.
You think you can do it Kenny?” Kenny looked at the knife, he said, “It was easier when I thought he was out. I can do this…I can do
this.” Kenny picked up the knife, Elizabeth told the rest of the group, “This will be very painful and bloody, if you have a fear of
blood, it is best to look away now.” Ben looked at the floor, Kenny walked over to Lee, knife in hand. Elizabeth started telling
everyone else what to do, “Booker you hold Lee down, Samuel you assist Kenny by sharpening the knife, Christa and Omid, just tell Lee
everything is going to be okay. Now Kenny, you want to cut with the serrated edge of the knife. Go as fast as you can while still
digging in the same spot, it’s like cutting a tree down.” Booker asked Elizabeth, “You think you can handle the amount of blood?” “I
will be fine Booker, just you make sure Lee is held down good.” Kenny took a deep breath, he hovered it just where Elizabeth wanted
him to cut. He said, “I’ll go as fast as I can.” Lee started to say do it quick Kenny started cutting. Let’s just say, it was not
pleasant to watch, I am sure as hell happy I did not need to do anything. Ben passed out from just the sound of the cutting, Samuel
would have mocked him if he was not on the verge of throwing up. Booker got through it, he looked a little green but he was fine. Lee
passed out from all the pain, Christa wrapped up the wound, he had lost quite a lot of blood. After roughly five minutes, Lee got back
up. Kenny was still a bit shocked, he yelled, “Holy hell, we through maybe we lost you. You been out a while, man.” Lee just looked
at the stump that used to be his arm and just said, “It hurts so bad, but maybe now I’ve got more time.” Kenny asked, “Do you think
you’ll be able to travel? You lost a lot of blood?” The door was about to collapse from all the walkers, Lee just said, “Yeah.”
Kenny told him, “Good. The elevator’s open. Let’s go!” Everyone ran for the elevator, Lee told everyone, “I’ll bring up the rear; I
don’t want to bleed on anyone.” No one thought he was being funny, we all started to climb up the elevator shaft. I looked down and
to see Lee climbing up with one arm, it was inspiring to see Lee do so much to save someone that was not even related to him. We kept
climbing, Kenny told everyone to stay quiet, we heard the door collapse below us. The walkers were in Vernon’s hideout, thank god we
were no longer there. I started to wonder where we were, I saw something fall towards us, it was a walker that narrowly missed us.
Ben said, “Oh man, oh jeez…” Kenny told Ben, “Shut the fuck up, Ben.” Lee asked, “Everything okay up there?” Ben replied, “I think I
just peed myself.” Samuel told Ben, “Stop being so much of a pussy Ben, or keep being a pussy I don’t really care.” We climbed by an
open elevator door, we could see dozens of walkers packed together, wherever the hell we were, it was filled to the brim with walkers.
We reached the roof, Lee opened the door with his good arm, it was a rather large room. Booker looked over to a bell tower, he stood
there looking at it for a minute before saying, “I have been here before. This was the hospital where me, Arlington, and Tan got
medical supplies for the group so long ago.” Kenny angrily replied, “A hospital? We can’t stay here, a hospital is the single worst
place to be.” I just looked out into the city landscape, the sun was above us, happy as could be, I looked out and saw Crawford
square, with the school in the middle. A vile reminder that what happens in the past, can never, be forgotten.
…And Into the Fire
Kenny looked down at the street, there were thousands of walkers, he said, “Remember when Savannah was empty?” Christa replied, “Those
Crawford bastards did one thing right, I guess.” Booker talked back to Christa, “That is hardly a consolation, minimum walkers in
exchange for unspeakable horrors.” Ben asked, “Did they follow us here?” Kenny said back, “It sure seems like it. That fucking train
wasn’t exactly discreet.” Lee told everyone, “Clementine’s out there, somewhere, gobbled up in all of that.” Kenny agreed, “Look,
let’s see if we can figure out a way to make it across town. Good?” “Good.” Lee went around talking to the survivors, Booker just
looked out into the sprawling city scape. Elizabeth went over to Booker, she asked him, “Do you really believe the boat is are best
hope?” “What other choice do we have? There are some islands not far off the coast, it will be a better life then trying to scrape by
in the city, like we did.” “What’s the plan Booker?” “We get that little girl back, we get the boat into the water, and we stay
behind. They need that boat far more than we do, and that will be the end, right?” “Right, we just need to get down from here and
back to the house.” “I know how to do it, we need to use the bell tower over there. Only thing is, I am not steady with so little
sleep, someone else needs to get that ladder, and use that bell.” Lee walked over to Samuel, he was just looking around, trying to do
something helpful. Lee walked up to him and told him, “How are you holding up Samuel?” “I doing okay, I know we needed to cut your
arm off, but Jesus… I had no idea it would be that horrible. I remember the first time I had to go to the hospital. I was tried to
slide down the railing on the stairs, all I did was fall off and hit the ground. Funny that I am thinking of that now, after what I
saw today.” Lee walked past a ladder, he looked back at the bell tower, he knew what to do. He picked it up with is one good arm and
walked toward the bell tower, Kenny said, “Whoa, need some help with that?” “I got it.” Lee sundered over to the bell tower, he put
the ladder in place, ready to be crossed. Kenny asked, “You think you should be the one to go?” Ben said, “I’ll do it.” Both Kenny
and Samuel said, “Yeah, Ben will do it.” Lee told everyone, “If we have to decide who takes a risk like this, it should be the guy
who’s got the least to lose.” Booker yelled, “I agree, Lee should go, no one else is able body to do this.” Lee turned around and
slowly walked up the ladder, knowing full well it might collapse without warning. Sure enough as he climbed the ladder, the lock in
the center gave way, he jumped across just as it plumed down. The ladder fell on top of a walker, killing it, but now Lee had no way
back. Omid yelled to Lee, “Holy shit, man!” Elizabeth also yelled, “Are you okay Lee?” “Yeah I’m fine. Was wishin’ I had my other
hand.” Booker told Lee, “Ring the bell quickly, and then jump, the hatch is locked.” “Jump? Are you mad?” “What other choice do you
have, you are still bit.” Lee looked down, he knew had no other choice, he rang the bell multiple times, the walker horde circled the
bell tower. Lee looked back at his group, the gap was at least ten feet long, he told himself, “I’m so fucked.” He walked back to the
edge of the tower, and made a running jump toward the hospital roof. Lee grabbed the edge with his one good arm, Kenny, Samuel, and
Booker ran over to him and pulled him up. Kenny told Lee, “Good goddamn leap, pal.” Samuel agreed, “What Kenny said, great jump.”
Kenny looked over at the fire escape nearby, “Let’s get the hell off this roof!” Everyone nodded in agreement and ran to the fire
escape, and down onto the street. The Bedside Manor was just in sight, salvation with are grasp.
Constance and Variables
We made it back to the manor, we were tired and exhausted but we still needed to find Clementine. There was a walker near the shed
door, Lee took out his Glock and shot it in the face, he did not give a shit anymore. We slowly walked up to the shed, Chill was about
ready to fall over from all the walking, and Booker was not looking good, even though he insisted he was fine, I could see how worried
Elizabeth was just by looking at her. Kenny ran ahead of Lee, he ran to the shed to find nothing awaited him, the boat was gone.
Kenny freaked out, yelling, “What the FUCK?! Come on… just… come the FUCK on…” Booker said nothing, he just kept looking at the spot
where the boat was, he was in shock just as much as Kenny. Samuel was horrified, “ Where’s the boat? Who could have done this, the
man on the radio? Vernon?” Booker told Samuel, “It can’t be Vernon, we knew he well enough after what we had been through, he would
never…” There was a small hand written letter in the corner, Omid picked it up and read it. “Hey guys. Vernon and his crew took the
boat.” “No fucking way! THE INVALIDS!?” “Their actions, uh, contradict your characterization, but, yeah, the invalids.” “I don’t
care if there make a wish was a fucking boat ride. When I find them, I will rip there fucking throats out.” Samuel agreed, “I’m with
you Kenny, those cancers bastards need to pay for what they did.” Booker was still in shock, “I knew Vernon well enough, we were
friends, why would he do this knowing full well this might kill us all?” Samuel told Booker, “Because he is a back stabbing mother
fucker, I guess it’s been to long since someone did that to you Booker.” “Vernon says he feels bad about it. Leaving us… And
Clementine behind. He is also specifically sorry about leaving Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth, and the teenagers behind, how thoughtful.”
Elizabeth chimed in, “He talks about feeling sorry about his actions, I think he is trying to give a reason not to go after him. If he
truly felt guilty about it, he would not have taken are only escape plan.” “THEY FUCKED US!” Omid volunteered to hop over the fence
and open the shed from the other side, Kenny kept acting like this was all surreal, “This is not happening… everything is so fucked…”
“Clementine is still out there.” “So we get Clementine and then what!?” “We get the fuck out of cities. I’m done with cities. We go
into the countryside and make a go of it.” Ben for some reason felt like agreeing with Christa, “Yeah, that seems like a good idea to
me.” “Nobody asked you Ben!” “You just did.” “Don’t get fucking smart with me boy.” Lee tried to calm everyone down, “Everyone keep
it together. Nothing has changed, has it?” “Nothing has changed?!?” “I mean immediately. We stay the course. Don’t turn on each
other.” Booker agreed with Lee, “He is right, we don’t need more problems internally, we fought people just yesterday.” Ben agreed
also, “Yeah, chill out, Kenny.” Samuel lost his shit again, “Chill out Kenny? Ben if there is anyone who ‘chill out’ it’s you, what
have you done that is helpful? This is not your boat, if this was your boat that got stolen you try being chill.” The back door to
the shed opened up, Christa told everyone, “We can do this in the yard.” “Ben I swear to god…” We walked out onto the front yard, Lee
and Christa were talking in the shed. Samuel and Kenny kept yelling at Ben, it had become standard fair at this point. Elizabeth
asked Booker once again, “Are you sure you are okay, if there is any problem tell me I am your daughter.” “For the last time, I am
fine Elizabeth, you don’t need to worry, just carry on what you were doing.” Lee and Christa walked into the yard, it was heating up
let’s just say. “Where the hell do you get off.” “I’m just saying we should ALL chill, not just you.” “CHILL? Lee’s bitten and god
knows how long HE has left, Clementine is, who the fuck knows and we’re robbed of the only hope we’ve had.” “So?” “So Lee should’ve
left your ass in Crawford. We got enough problems.” Samuel took another swing at Ben, “Go to hell Ben, you’re not even worth the dirt
you stand on.” “FUCK YOU, KENNY!” No one expected Ben to lash back at Kenny and Samuel, Lee slowly said, “Whoa, Ben--” Elizabeth
stopped Lee, knowing what Ben was doing was likely for the best, “No, let him.” “I am so, so, SO sorry about Katjaa and Duck, I AM.
And I know I fucked up, but STOP pushing me around and STOP wishing I was dead. That goes for you to Samuel, you never had faith in me
for as long as I have known you.” Kenny was about to say something when Ben interrupted him, “NO! You know how they died. You’ve
said GOODBYE. I never got to see my family again, my parents, my little sister… do you get that? Your family is gone, but at least
you had them to lose. I never made it home. They could be alive or dead or walkers or WORSE and I DON’T KNOW! SO GIVE ME A FUCKING
BREAK!” “Aw, Ben I’m--” Kenny did not finish his sentence, a horde of walkers approached the house. they had ether heard all the
yelling, or they had forgotten about the bells and wandered around, lucky to find us. Kenny yelled, “Mother fucker, they found us!”
Samuel yelled, “Into the house, NOW!” Everyone ran into bedside manor, closing the back door and hoping for the best.” Everyone ran
into the house, Lee closed the door, Kenny asked, “They shouldn’t be able to get into the backyard, right?” We could hear the sound of
the shed door collapsing, Kenny murmured, “Maybe not.” Lee quickly took charge, “Christa! Get on the windows in the front room.
Check the boards. Kenny! Look for weapons! Gather anything you can find! Ben! Move anything you can up against the doors and
windows! Booker! Kill anything that gets inside you got me?” “Alright Lee, got it!” Elizabeth! Help Christa with the windows!
Samuel! Help Kenny find weapons! Tyler, Chill and Melina! Help Ben barricade the doors and windows! Omid!” Omid sat silent,
looking at something. “What is it?” Omid ran to the front door, it still slightly open. “EVERYONE HELP OMID! NOW! Everyone ran to
the front door just as walkers started to grab onto it. Kenny yelled, “LEE, HELP! Cut their fucking arms off!” Omid yelled, “There
has to be a knife around somewhere! Hurry we can’t keep them back for long!” I could hear Lee searching cabinet after cabinet, he
pulled something out and ran to the front door. I saw he had a meat clever, the perfect tool for the perfect time. Kenny yelled
again, “Take their goddamn arms off!” Lee started to hack off the hands that were holding the door back. Lee cut off a hand right
next to Chill, blood got all over him, he did not give a shit though. Lee stopped cutting off arms and hands, we quickly closed the
door, we were finally safe. Omid asked, “Now what?” Lee answered his question, “Shhh. Everybody. We have to hide and then find a
way out.” Christa agreed, “Lee’s right; this place is secure. We’ve patient and then we get going.” Everything got real quiet, then
all of a sudden a walker broke through a window, the back door collapsed, and walkers started crawling through the windows. Lee
yelled, “FUCK! New plan! Get upstairs, GO! Lee readied his cleaver, the walker he was about to strike was Brie, the woman who had
been eaten the day before in Crawford. He paused for a moment, he was shocked to see Brie again. Before he could even kill her again,
Booker put his revolver to her head and blew her brains out. He yelled, “Get upstairs Lee, I’ll cover you!” Kenny yelled for someone
to push a table against the hallway leading to the attic, Lee ran over to Kenny and started to push. Elizabeth was the second to last
person to reach the stairs, she yelled to Booker, “Booker, run there is no time left!” He responded with, “Just go, I’ll be fine.”
“What are you doing?” “Doing what needs to be done, NOW GO!” Booker took out his shotgun and kept firing at the horde of walkers,
trying to keep them from reaching the group. Elizabeth ran down the stairs, yelling to Booker, “No, you not doing this now, I won’t
let you do this!” “ELIZABETH! What did I tell you, get upstairs now! I won’t ask again! It’s far too late for me, if I am going to
die then I will go down fighting!” “You don’t need to die over something petty, COME ON BOOKER UP THE STAIRS WITH ME PLEASE!”
Elizabeth, I love you with all my heart, but I can’t keep going on knowing there is a goal I will never reach. This is the only way I
can make things right again, we both know this well, I won’t let you die with me. Now get the fuck out here, I will miss you.” The
front door was about to collapse, time was running out fast. Elizabeth took one look at Booker, tears in her eyes, she knew she had
only two choices.
Twice Shy
“I am not leaving Booker, I left you for 20 long years, I will never leave you again.” “Goddamn it Elizabeth, I won’t let you throw
your life away like this!” “I won’t let you either, we are family, dad, you were the first thing I saw when I was born, you will be
the last thing I see if you don’t get upstairs! Family is all that matters in life, and I won’t let you throw it away without a good
reason.” “Fuck, I have no choice, it is my time Elizabeth, there is nothing you can do.” Kenny yelled, “We don’t have much time, get
up here now or your both going to be dead!” Elizabeth started to softly sing that song she sang long ago, a song sang in happier
times. “Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? Is a better home await in, in the sky in the sky?” She started to close
her eyes, excepting her fate along with her father, when Booker slowly turned around, his expression a mix of happiness and sadness.
He grabbed his daughter by the arm and ran up the stairs, just as the door collapsed. By this time the whole group was at the back of
the hallway, guns pointed in the direction of the incoming horde. Kenny asked, “What the fuck was that back there?” Booker answered
his question, “Devotion, bravery, denial, something difficult to explain.” “Well explain later, we have to get out of here first.”
Lee told everyone, “We can’t let ourselves get trapped.” Kenny told everyone, “Let’s get as many as we can. And when we see an
opening, we go for it. How many bullets do you all have?” Everyone started yelling out the amount of shots they had left. Christa
had three, Lee had five Omid have four, Ben have two, Kenny had three, Chill had five, and Booker had three shots left in his revolver.
He looked over at me and handed me his shotgun, it had two shells left. Kenny told everyone, “Ya’ll know where to aim.” The wait was
the worst part, it took what felt like hours for a single walker to come into view. For a moment no one shot, we had no idea who was
going to take the shot and we did not want to waste ammunition. Lee took the first shot, it hit the walker in the head, for a moment
we could hear nothing but the sounds of the growling dead. Without warning, the arrival began, they started to flood the hallway, all
of our guns started to go off. It was a mess, we could not tell if walkers were dropping with one bullet or two bullets in them. I
fired off a shot from Bookers shotgun, it had a huge amount of recoil, I almost dropped it after one shot. I started to hear the
distinctive sound of a gun out of bullets, I fired off my other shell when Kenny yelled, “Fuck, where do we go now!? There’s no
goddamn opening!” Booker yelled, “UP! TO The ATTIC!” Lee pulled the rope down, the attic ladder fell down right in front of us. We
all ran up the ladder, quick as we could, I was the second to last person up the ladder, Ben went up last. Kenny quickly pulled the
ladder up, we were now trapped in a haunting location from only a day ago.
There Ain’t No Way
Chill and I sat down, it had been a long day and we wanted to rest. Kenny was panicking still, “That could’ve gone better.” Elizabeth
asked, “Everyone okay?” “Well you dad just wanted to die, and Lee is still bit.” Christa told Kenny, “Shut up.” Kenny responded
with, “Whatever, we got to keep moving. Think there’s any chance we get Clem and catch up to those goddamn thieves?” Lee wondered
also, “I don’t know, maybe?” Omid looked out the window, he told the group, “Well, we’re not going through this window. No latches,
no roof access and thirty feet straight down.” Kenny asked, “Anyone have any ideas?” Omid walked over to the corner of the room, “I
bet this guy would. He’s got a resourceful air about him. Dixon Kent the III, Industri--” “OMID!” “CHRISTA! I’m just trying to
lighten the fucking tone.” Everyone kept looking for some way out, Lee kept assuring people that there must be a way out. Kenny threw
out another idea, “We could wait for the house to clear out and stick to the high ground.” Lee started to cough rather violently,
Elizabeth went over and told him, “You’re not looking great. Your temperature is way above what it should be.” Lee started to lose
his balance, he told Elizabeth, “I’m okay--” Just as he was about to tumble, the radio on his hip started to work, and there was a
familiar voice on the end. “Lee, Lee, Lee, I’m okay, I’m where my parents--” Lee grabbed the radio just as it cut off. Kenny asked,
“What the hell did that mean?” “She’s at the hotel where her parents were staying; he hasn’t moved her.” “We need to start thinking
about more than just Clementine when it comes to our…urgency’s.” Omid asked, “What do you mean?” “How the hell do we get out of
here?” “Stop it. We can’t panic.” Kenny asked, “Do you think that worked Lee?” “I… I don’t know. I hope so.” “I think we need to
have… an ‘adult’ conversation about what happens if Lee takes another spill like he did at the hospital. We could be looking at a
Larry situation here.” Christa asked, “Who’s Larry?” “It don’t matter.” “I think it’d be best if we just worried about getting to
Clem right now.” “We’re not gonna do her any good if you’ve attacked us.” “That isn’t going to happen.” “How do you know that?”
“GUY’s! I don’t know what happened before Omid and I showed up, we can cross this bridge when we get to it.” “Lee, I’m not advocating
anything here… but how is this not a thing?” “My arm is not the issue . I’m not the problem. The five hundred walkers in the house
and no door in this room are goddamn PROBLEM!” “Yeah, maybe at the moment… but who’s to say when it becomes an issue. And at that
point, there may not be any time left to deal with it! You’re gonna listen to ME! We will get Clementine back, with or without you!”
Samuel did not know what to say, “Kenny, calm down, this is not a Larry situation, trust me.” Lee yelled at Kenny, “I’m sorry okay!
Fuck! We can’t do this!” “We’re going to have to!” Chill pointed his shotgun at Kenny, “Back off, we are not killing one of our own,
I still have one shell left.” Everyone started to back up, everything was going to shit. Kenny picked up the bust Omid had been
talking to before. Instead of hitting Lee with it he turned around and tossed it at the wall. Nobody said anything, the silence was
broken by Omid saying, “You ruined that dude’s face.” Chill laughed a little, “Good one.” Kenny went over to the wall and pulled out
a rotting piece of wood. “It’s corroded to hell.” Christa took one look at the wall, she said, “ What’s on the other side of this
wall, a thirty foot drop?” Omid told her, “No, this mansion butts up against the one next door.” “Well I’ll be damned.” Lee grabbed
a coat rack and start to hit the wall, it was starting to fall apart. “This wall ain’t shit.” “Is this really possible?” Kenny
grabbed the coat rack, “Yeah. We can do this. We’ll work in shifts. Omid, Christa and I. Lee, you rest. We have to work fast.”
Lee told Kenny, “I’m sorry I lost my shit back there.” “Sure, pal. I know.” Lee start down on a small couch, Christa, Omid,
Elizabeth, and Booker were sitting there. Lee, Tyler, Melina, Samuel, and Kenny were trying to tear the wall down. Christa started
the conversation off, “I’m glad you told us you were bitten, it would have been easy not to.” “Yeah, well.” “We probably would’ve let
you go alone if you hadn’t told us. Which would have been a mistake. Omid told Lee, “If I were you I would’ve been scared shitless.”
“I am.” “And, when it happened?” “I panicked. But now… I just feel it inside me. Like the day before you get the flu.” “That’s
horrible.” “It’s so weird; I keep doing a double-take on your arm, expecting it to be there.” “I’m hoping what whatever’s in their
bite is gone too.” “What do you think the odds are of that?” “I don’t know. I know everyone ‘s wondering. Even if it just slows
down the process, I’d be happy.” Elizabeth joined in, “I can’t say for certain that you will live, but at the very least I am sure it
slowed down the viruses.” “Your smart Elizabeth, do you know why getting bit is a death sentence?” “I do, the walkers do not have a
unique virus, they just have dozens of other viruses due to them being walking corpses. When they bite you all those viruses overwhelm
your system. So theoretically you could survive getting bit, it’s just unlikely due to the lack of supply’s we always have.” Omid
asked, “It’s been bugging me for some time, what happened back there, at the staircase?” Booker told everyone listening, “It’s a long
story, but since we are going nowhere for now we have the time. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say, my life has been shit. A
long time ago, I murdered a lot of innocent people in the name of our ‘country’ and it has ruined me. Overtime things kept getting
worse and worse for me, I was about to just give up. Then everything turned around, it was starting to look good, but I desperately
wanted some way to redeem my actions. Every night I could not sleep, trying to think of a way that could help. I am not a religious
man, hell I did not believe in a god then and I sure as hell still don’t. When all of ‘this’ happened, most saw it as a curse, the end
times had come. I saw it as an, opportunity, to firmly graph want I wanted to badly. Ever since the first day, I have been trying to
rescue as many survivors as I could, we began with eleven, when you arrived, we were down to six. I believed that the boat Clementine
found was the best way to guarantee a better life for you people. But Vernon ruined it all for his own selfish reasons, I saw no way
we could all escape from this city. So I tried to give up, believing that death was the only way to escape by horrible deeds. But
Elizabeth did not agree, she was willing to die along with me if I did not try to carry on. I am glad she did, I see how foolish that
plan was, it must have been a mixture of depression and exhaustion that made we think it was a wise choice. You don’t need to worry
about me, it won’t happen again, I will protect you people with my life, I can promise you all that.” Lee told Booker, “Okay, I was
not expecting that but, okay.” Omid asked Lee, “So when we get this guy… What do you think?” “We find out who he is, and why he did
what he did.” “The entire time we were at the hospital I could sense you think you’re as good as dead.” “I was bitten, Christa.”
“But you cut it off.” “What good is it to around that workin’?” “What good is it for you to give up?” “I haven’t given up yet. I
want you two to look over Clem when you find her.” “Stop it.” “I want you to hear me out.” Omid looked over at Ben in the corner,
“What about him?” “We gotta support him. He’s only a kid still; it’s easy to forget that.” “He lose his shit like that often?”
“No, that was a first.” “It’s good that he did; Kenny couldn’t pull that shit on me.” “He killed his family you know.” “Well, it
seems like it got through to Kenny. Whatever that’s good for.” Kenny and Samuel slowly walked over to the couch, “All right, I’m
outta gas. You look good and rested.” “Sure, if you don’t count an infected leg.” “You want me to do it.” “Nah, hon, you can hop in
after me.” Booker got up from the couch, “It’s me and Elizabeth’s turn to also, you keep talking we will be back soon enough.” Kenny
and Samuel sat down, Kenny started talking first. “Shouldn’t be long now. It’s good we’re forced to take a breath. That, uhh…
feelin’ any better?” “Still feels pretty recently chopped. So, no, Kenny. It feels ‘bout as good as you’d expect.” “I mean, do you
think it worked? Did it- did it help at all?” “I feel like a man who got bitten. So take that for what it’s worth.” “I still can’t
believe you went and got chomped. Just… fucking hell.” “At least he told us.” “Took some brass. I don’t think I woulda.” Kenny
leaned down and put his hand over his face. Christa asked, “How are you?” “I’m… I don’t know how to answer that.” “I’m sorry. You
lost more than anyone. Well, as much as anyone here.” “Lee’s family’s gone, too.” “It’ll be all right Ken.” “Why you acting like
what’s happened ain’t happened? Anyway, I appreciate it, from all of you. A lot of us have lost families.” Kenny looked over at
Ben, sitting in the corner not saying a word. “Maybe take it easy on him from here on out.” “I’m angry as hell.” “Not at him.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” “You heard him outside.” “I did. I never really thought about it that way.” Kenny looked down at a box
containing something, he leaned over and picked up a bottle of whiskey. He uncorked the bottle as he began to talk, “This guy tell you
much about what we have been through?” “Bits and pieces.” “Before ya’ll we had this woman, Lilly, with us. Lord knows where she is
now.” Me, Chill, and Melina started to walk over to where the Kenny and Lee were talking, I heard the name Lilly. “Wait a minute, do
you mean the Lilly who worked at Werner Robbins air force base?” “Yep, same bitch, how did you know that?” “She was on the news all
100 days ago, I like to remember happier times you know?” Samuel started up his own conversation, “You want to know how me and Kenny
became the best of friends? You have to have wondered how a high school kid became friends with a badass redneck. This was how it
started, me, Ben, another student name Travis, and are band teacher Mr. Parker were in the forest. Let’s just say are teacher did not
look down at the ground that often. He stepped into a bear trap, and we could not get him out, he screamed and screamed for help. The
first person I see come running was Kenny, unfortunately walkers started to arrive soon after. He provided covering fire as Lee tried
to get him out. Lee had no choice, he chopped his leg off with an ax, Travis got eaten because he was even dumber then Ben, and they
brought us to a Motor Inn outside of Macon. When we got inside that woman, Lilly, the she-devil herself, starts bitching about why
there are new people in the group. She started pointing fingers, saying that we should have been left behind to die, and Kenny here,
who had known me for a good five minutes, starts yelling at Lilly in my defense. He told her that this kid looks helpful, more helpful
then her sorry ass, and said that he would give me a rifle long before she gets one. I was stunned, a complete stranger had stuck up
for me, no one I never knew well would stick up for me but Kenny did. Soon after I started agreeing with him, I thought he should be
leader of Lilly, and before long we were bros for live. That is my story about how Kenny became like an older brother, it might not be
an epic, but it’s how it went down. “Thanks for telling everyone that story Samuel, now let me get back to my story. Anyway, we had
to… make some tough calls with her dad. He was built like a brick house, and one day he fell on the floor from a heart attack. Me and
Lee, made sure he did not turn, we have been brothers in arms since day one, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. Well, cheers.”
Kenny took a sip out of that bottle of Parsecs Whiskey, he handed it to Samuel, who took a large sip of it. Samuel handed it back to
Kenny, telling him, “Parsecs Whiskey, your favorite right Kenny? I might not be old enough to drink, but fuck it the world has ended.”
Kenny handed the bottle to Lee who took a swig without much thought. Kenny looked over at Christa, expecting her to grab the bottle.
She sat there, doing nothing, until after about a minute she grabbed the bottle and took a huge swig of that whiskey bottle. We sat
there, saying nothing, I looked at my watch, it was 4:00PM, it was midday and Clementine was still missing. Omid yelled, “I’m through!
No walkers on the other side. Things are starting to look up.” We all walked through the hole in the wall, out from one horrible
memory and into another bad memory for another important group member.
Written In Stone
We made it into the mansion next door to Bedside Manor. There was not a single walker in the room, only a sight Booker remembered all
too well. There were two bodies on the bed, a husband and wife from the look of the matching rings. Each had a bullet in there head,
they had shot themselves long ago. Booker looked depressed and I remembered why, in his journal a couple days before, he wrote about
finding a similar sight, it had to be the same one. Both Omid and Christa, along with Booker and Elizabeth embraced each other, happy
to still be a family not torn apart by the cold claws of death. Kenny looked pale, he turned away saying, “God…” Lee asked, “How
could they do this?” “It’s what Katjaa did.” “You did everything you could.” “No, Lee. She left me… my son… people that cared
about us… I forgive her, but it don’t make it any less wrong. You don’t just end it cause it’s hard. You stick it out, and help the
folks you care about. So let’s figure a way outta here and get that little girl.” Kenny walked over to the gun the dead couple were
holding, he said, “Got at least one shot left.” Everyone started searching the room, Elizabeth asked, “Booker, are you alright, I’m
sorry I keep asking you but your wellbeing matters to me.” “I am fine now, honestly, it was just shock being in this place again,
don’t worry about me.” Lee was in charge of finding the way out of this room, it was not as hard as the attic let’s just say. There
was a door leading to a balcony, it was very close to a building we could jump to. Kenny told the group, “Looks like we can stay off
the streets all the way to River Street if we’re careful. So let’s go.” Lee took the first jump, even with only one arm. The
balcony creaked and moaned, but it did not give way, Omid and Christa went next. Samuel went next, Chill quickly jumped the gap as
fast as he could. Melina went next, lady’s first I guess, I jumped next, all that was left was Booker, Elizabeth, Kenny, and Ben.
Booker went first out of the four, Elizabeth went after Booker. Kenny went second to last, no one noticed it but Kenny’s jump
destabilized the balcony. Ben got onto the railing ready to jump when it collapsed, Ben screamed all the way down into the alleyway.
Kenny and Samuel looked down at him, Kenny said, “Me and my fuckin’ mouth…” Samuel was both surprised and shocked, “I… I just killed
Ben, holy fucking hell. I did not like the guy, but I did not mean to kill him.” Omid yelled, “Holy fuck! What are we gonna do?”
Kenny made one look at both Lee and Samuel before running to a ladder. “Kenny, Samuel, and I can handle this.” “Dude let me help
you; you’re already hurt. Even more reason we don’t need to risk it. You worry about her. And if this goes bad, you might be
Clementine’s last hope. Booker you stay up here, yell if the walkers see us and make sure these two don’t do something foolish.”
“Alright Lee, can do.” Lee got down to the street level roughly the same as Kenny and Samuel did. Kenny went over to Ben, checking
if he was still alive, Ben cried, “Oww…uh… I’m okay… I’m okay, just get me out of here.” Samuel told Ben, “Everything will be fine
Ben, you’re going to be okay just don’t panic.” “Are you okay Ben?” “What the fuck happened Ben?” “I’m sorry, just get me up… my
leg hurts, I think.” “We’re gonna get your ass up.” “He’s right Ben, you will be pull hatchets out of door handles in no time.”
“Really? I thought you--” Kenny lifted the cardboard Ben had fallen into him, and it revealed a horrible sight. The rung from the
balcony had impaled Ben through the chest, the only words Samuel could say were, “Dear god, no.” Kenny quietly said, “Fucking hell…”
“What is it? I’m okay… I’m okay….” Kenny grabbed Ben, “We can get you up. We can…” Ben screamed from the pain, he did not even
notice what had happened. He took one good look at what was inside of him, and it terrified him more than anything he had seen in his
life. “Just yank him off that thing, fast like a Band Aid.” Kenny asked, “Do you think…” Booker yelled, “Guy’s, incoming fast from
both sides!” Just as Booker’s warning as said Lee saw walkers coming towards Ben, from both sides of the alleyway. Kenny yelled,
“FUCK!” Kenny and Samuel tried again to get Ben off the rung, it failed once again. Ben saw the walkers coming closer, he yelled,
“OH GOD DON’T LET THEM GET TO ME!” Kenny took one look at Ben, he turned to Lee and asked, “Do you have any bullets left?! This has
only got one left in it.” “I’m out!” “SHIT! Get the fuck out of here.” “WHAT?!” “Go BACK. SHE needs you Lee, Lee!” “KENNY!”
“THIS IS NOT A DISCUSSION! BOTH OF YOU ARE GETTING BEHIND THAT GATE NOW!” “Hell no, man! I’m not leaving!” “WHAT DID I JUST SAY?”
“Let’s get Ben and get out of here!” Samuel was still trying to save Ben when Kenny pushed Lee behind the gate leading to the ladder.
“What the fuck, Kenny?!” “Lee. Lee, it’s okay.” “No Ken! No, it’s not!” “It’s just somethin’ I gotta do. You know that. Go get
that girl!” “Samuel, now get your ass over that fence NOW!” “I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself now Kenny, never.” “Who
said I was planning on dying?” Samuel quickly scanned for a way out, he saw a window close by, about to be swarmed by walkers. He
ran for the window, Kenny yelled, “GET BACK HERE SAMEUL! I WILL BE FINE!” Kenny turned around to see the walkers almost in his face,
Samuel was at the window, trying to get it open fast. The walkers were closing in, Samuel had two choices, fight the walkers off or
make sure that window opened. Kenny yelled, “BACK YOU SONS OF BITCHES!” Kenny smashed a walkers head in with his gun, a walker
lunged at his arm, he pushed it off. Kenny turned around and ran to Ben who was crying out, “AHHHFUCK! Kenny PLEEE--” Kenny
interrupted Ben with a bullet to his head, a quick painless death. He saw Samuel was still in the alleyway, not trying to fight off
the walkers, Kenny saw a walker bite Samuel on the arm, but he kept trying to get the window open. Kenny screamed, “SAMUEL!!!”
Samuel was about to get hit by the full force of the walker wave when there was a loud unlocking sound. He yelled “IT’S OPEN! RUN
KENNY INTO THE WINDOW!!!” The walkers grabbed him by the head and pulled him to the ground, eating him alive. Kenny ran toward the
window, he quickly stomped on his best friends head, a final farewell message to him. Lee could not see what was happening, he slowly
ascended the ladder to the roof tops. At the top he found his crew a shadow of its former self. Within only three minutes, they had
lost three close knit group members. Everyone was looking down at the alleyway, it was a cluttered mess of walkers, nothing
distinguishable could be seen. Christa ran to Lee and asked, “What happened?!?” Lee said nothing, he looked over at the setting sun
and slowly said, “They’re gone. God…DAMN…GOD.” “I heard a shot.” “Kenny made sure… that Ben didn’t feel any more pain then he had
to. It was Ben’s biggest fear, you know? Kenny had one bullet and that’s how he used it. Not on himself, but on the person he hated
most. God, poor fucking kid.” “You saw them die?” “Nobody was getting out of there.” “I’m sorry Lee.” “He wasn’t a bad guy. A
lot of folks might not have always agreed. Maybe even me.” Elizabeth asked Lee, “I am deeply sorry for the loss of your best friend,
if there is any way you want me to help just ask.” “The best way to help is to find Clementine.” Christa told Lee, “We should go.”
In a solemn voice he told Christa, “Right behind you.” We followed Lee as we walked across the buildings, I walked while looking at
the beautiful sunset, remembering that two brave, selfless men had given their lives to ease the suffering of their most hated group
member.
I wish I was Homeward Bound
The surviving members kept walking towards their final destination, the Marsh House was close by. No one said a word, even Chill you
would always say something every moment he could was silent as the grave. It was eerie to say the least, Christa broke the silence,
“Do you want to talk?” “Kenny and Samuel were close friends.” “Soon as someone dies, they don’t immediately have to have their sin’s
forgiven.” “They were what passes for great friends now.” “I understand.” Booker told Christa, “Normally I would be saying that
religion is just horse shit, but I don’t feel like arguing after seeing you near tears Lee.” “Look, Lee, this is a shitty time. But I
want to clear something up.” “What is it?” “Now with Kenny and Samuel gone. It means, Omid and I have to stay safe. For her.” “You
guys would be great for her. Keep her safe.” “We’d do our best, you know that.” “Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to
me.” Booker told Lee, “Well I guess we will stay around to protect Omid and Christa, it’s the least we can do.” Chill joined in, “We
will I, we care about Clementine just as much as anyone else here, we will make sure she makes it, right Tyler?” “Right Chill, we can
do this, I know we can.” “Enough talking, we need to pick up the pace, Clementine is still trapped in that hotel.” After walking for
a couple more minutes we saw the hotel, we were almost there. We were back on River Street, I could still see the jack knifed trolley
and upturned car, the spot where I began this long journey. We had to cross the large Maccabe imports sign, it looked old and
unstable. Lee said, “We have to cross here.” Omid jokingly told everyone, “Well, at least it doesn’t look like a death trap.” The
sign made a loud creaking sound, it was about ready to fall after a 100 days in disrepair. Omid asked, “Who’s going first?” “You’re
the lightest Omid.” Chill interrupted, “Hey, that is not even true, it’s ether me, or Tyler.” “Omid’s got a busted leg and you’re
walkin’ for two. I’m obviously not doing so hot. Decisions doesn’t make itself.” “I’ll go first. In case anything happens out
there.” Booker did not want Lee going first. “No Lee, me and Elizabeth are going first, if anything happens, at least you will get to
see Clementine again.” “You sure about that?” “We are sure, we’ve been through worse.” Booker went first, the sign was extremely
narrow and creaked and moaned with every step but he reached the other side. Elizabeth went next, she was lighter than Booker, so she
got across with easy. Lee went next, it creaked and moaned even louder than before. Lee was about to reach the other side when the
sign just had enough, it gave way with Lee on the edge. He grabbed onto the edge with his good hand, he was starting to slip with
Booker grabbed him and pulled him up. “You’re not going to die now Lee, not when you’re so close to your goal!” Omid yelled, “Are you
okay!?” “Fine, but I’m kinda fucked here.” “What are you gonna do?!” “Fuck it. I’m going for it.” “Going for it?!” “What does
that mean?” “It means I’m already bitten! I just have to push my way through.” “What the fuck?! But maybe you got to it fast
enough. Maybe you’ll be fine.” “I can’t risk losing more time on a longshot. Meet me outside of town! By the train!” “You’re
crazy!” “There’s no other way! Booker, you coming down with me?” “No, we are staying up here, that’s your fight down there, you
won’t need me.” “Alright then, good luck getting out of the Savannah Booker!” Booker yelled back to Lee, “I don’t need it, because I
don’t have it!” Just like that, Booker and Elizabeth disappeared out of view, we need they would be fine, if nothing in the past 100
days had not killed them, nothing could. Lee dropped down to the street, we silently watched hoping he would somehow make it through
the huge horde. Lee took out his meat cleaver from the manor, and slowly walked toward a walker that noticed him. Lee clearly did not
give a shit what could happen to him, he stabbed the cleaver into the walkers head and kept on walking. He stabbed another walker in
the forehead, he was starting to walk faster. A walker got in Lee’s path, he slashed it across the face twice before it fell to the
ground dead. He quickly stabbed another one in the head, the walker was not even in the way. A walker lunged at Lee, he stabbed in it
the noise and kicked its body out of the way. A walker stuck out its arms and tried to grab Lee, he stabbed it in the eye with an ear
piercing scream of adrenaline. He stabbed another walker in the eye, we had lost count of how many walkers Lee had killed. Lee
stabbed yet another in the side of the head, there was blood all over him, he was extremely un phased. He stabbed one more walker
between the eyes, he pulled the cleaver up through his skull. There was one more walker in Lee’s path, he swung the cleaver like a
katana so hard the upper half of the walker’s face slid clean off. We were in awe at what we had just witnessed, Omid asked, “Does
anyone think Lee will be okay?” Chill answered his question, “Nothing will stop the Leeminator from getting to Clementine, nothing.”
We started to walk back to another building, the way out of the city was clear. I stood there for a moment, looking at the sunset,
knowing full well why it had been Albert Arlington’s last words, it was beautiful, peaceful, and bliss. I took one good look at the
Marsh House, sure that I would most likely never see the building, or Lee Everett, again.
We will all go Together…
It was down to us five, Lee had gotten into the Marsh House, and Booker and Elizabeth had to take another route out of Savannah.
Christa and Omid did not say much, all we did was keep walking across the crumbling buildings. Chill thought it was a great time to
talk, “So, I never asked, do you think any of our parents are still alive?” I answered him, “This might be the worst time to ask, but
I got nothing else to do, I don’t know. I remember back after Tan died we found out that the military said they were evacuating people
to a safe zone in Oregon. What did they call it again, Shangri la? They must have thought they were real clever, well Chill I don’t
know if it’s still around, and it’s not worth a cross country road trip to find out. Even if it’s the most likely place to find are
family.” “I see, we’ll all I have for family is a mother and sister, I argued with them all the time but I cared about them somewhat.
I guess you could say I got off easy in any case, what about you Melina?” “I wish I could be like you two, hoping for the best but
never truly knowing, but I already know what happened. They are dead, back in the hotel before you showed up they texted to me what
was going on, walkers had broken it and they were cornered, it was over for them. They texted to me for one last time, wishing me good
luck and there undying love, you figure out the rest.” “Sorry for bringing it up, I had no idea.” “It does not matter, it’s horrible
but what choice to do I have? Give up and kill myself when I still have two great friends?” Christa told Chill, “I’m sure you mean
well with your questions. But it’s not helping are moral, can you talk about something else?” “Sure I can, I got a feeling the
military named there, ‘safe haven’ after the COD Zombies map in Black Ops.” I told Chill, “You do understand it was named after the
mythical temple in the mountains of Tibet right? Where you will live forever if you stay within the temple walls right? It’s real
smart when you think about it, you do know all of that right Chill?” “Whatever Tyler, I will always remember it for the map no matter
what.” “That’s what I guessed you would say, gamer to the end, this is why you’re my friend.” We kept walking and walking, Chill
looked sick from all the walking, he fell to the ground near the edge of the building a threw up. I can’t blame him, he had not slept
for some time, and not eaten all day, how people like Lee and Booker keep going is a question even I can’t answer. I helped Chill up,
he looked tired, I could see it in his eyes. We got to a crossroads, there was a gap between one building which had a fire escape, and
a door leading down into a building. I told Christa, “I don’t think Chill can make that jump, he is way too tired to make a running
leap.” “And you think Omid will make it without problems?” “I’m just saying, it is not that far a jump, but I can see Chill has
reached his limits. You go that way we go this way, we will be fine don’t worry.” Christa knew that she could not persuade us to make
the jump together, she relented, there was nothing she could do. Christa and Omid jumped the gap, it was not a problem, they started
to go down the fire escape as we got ready to open the door. Chill told Melina to open the door, it was a sound idea. She opened the
door just to get tackled by a stray walker. Chill panicked, I ran over to the walker and kicked it off my good friend. I grabbed it
by the throat and threw it to the ground, remembering what my gym teacher had taught me in school. I started to punch it in the face,
yelling, “Get, the fuck away, from my girlfriend!” I kept hitting it and hitting it until Chill pulled me away, I did not even notice
that it’s face had been caved it. My knuckles were all bloody from all the punches, Chill spit on the walker body and told me, “So,
you going to just admit Melina is your girlfriend?” “Why not, I did just save her.” I walked over to Melina, I put out my hand and
pulled her up. I asked, “Were you bit by that bastard?” “No Tyler, I’m fine, it was just the shock of that thing grabbing me.” I
noticed there was some blood on her right hip, I questioned, “Who’s blood is that?” It was the walker, how could that thing have
bitten me so fast, don’t worry, I am fine.” Chill complained about the lack of ammunition in his gun, “Goddamn it, If I had a spare
shell I could have gotten the job done faster.” “I thought you said you had one shell left back in the attic?” “Right, you believe
that? I guess all those drama classes really paid off, my gun is as empty and dry as desert sand, sorry.” “Wonderful, well we better
hope there are no walkers left in the building, I am going first okay.” “Well to be honest, I want to go first.” “Okay Chill, you
take point.” Chill took out his shotgun, it had no shells but it could still bash in a walkers skull. He took one good look, the only
thing the door lead to was a long ass staircase. Chill took the first step, there was some blood on the second step, he slipped and
fell down the first flight. Me and Melina quickly checked if he was okay, I asked, “Chill, you okay man? How many hands am I holding
up?” I held up four fingers, he took one good look and gave me the middle finger. “He’s fine.” I pulled him up once again, he was
okay, just a little dazed. We kept walking down the stairs, I quickly got out of breath, I was still not in great shape even 100 days
in. After walking down all the stairs we got to another door, Chill kicked the door open, we were in the lobby of whatever the hell
type of building. We could the way out, Chill opened the door, we at street level. We were at a T shaped intersection, We saw Christa
and Omid right across the street. She asked us, “What happened, I heard a scream.” “A walker attacked Melina, she’s fine by the way.”
“Do you know how stupid it was to go through that building alone?” Chill told Christa, “Yep, but we had no other choice, I could not
make that jump okay!” “Whatever, we need to go down this street, and we are home free okay, we just need to hope there is not a walker
horde nearb-” I looked to my right, a horde of walkers were coming up from the lower T part of the street. They cut off the route to
Christa and Omid, they much have heard the screams from before. Chill said, “Are you fucking kidding me? This city is relentless!”
Omid yelled, “Run, we will meet up at the train!” I yelled, “We can’t keep getting cut off from each other, you better be there when
we get there!” We ran down the left side of the street, we ran as fast as we could. The horde was pretty slow, most of them are
anyway, we just kept booking in until we saw green grass. By some miracle we had found another way out of Savannah, I was happier than
ever to leave that fucking city from hell!” We walked for some time, to where Christa and Omid had told us where the train was. When
we got there, it was ground zero, thousands of walkers, and we could not find nether Christa and Omid, nor Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth.
We sat around, hoping they would show up, but they never did, ether we missed them, or they had died on the way here. I like to think
they found each other, found Clementine, and lived a better life but we don’t know. After a couple hour’s Chill found a map lying in
the grass, it was a map of Georgia. Chill started skimming over the cities, hoping to find a place we could try to go to. I did not
like leaving the area without the rest of our group, but we had no choice. Chill’s finger stopped moving, he pointed at a small name,
Fort Benning. Chill said, “We have two choices, we ether try to find a working car, hotwire it, and somehow make our way to Shangri
la, or try to get to Fort Benning.” I told him, “I don’t know about ether of those choices, for all we know Fort Benning is swarming
with walkers, it would be a dead end and we would have been out of water and food for far too long. But finding a working car means
going back into Savannah. None of us even know how to hotwire a car, and the logistics on driving from one side of the country to the
other is so insane I don’t know if we could even make it with a full group.” “Well I got no other idea we could go on, pick your
poison Tyler.” Melina asked, “Don’t I get a vote in the matter?” “Sure why not, what’s the worst it could do?” “Well I vote Fort
Benning, finding your family’s is nice and all, but the odds are not in our favor and I think of the group as family. If we go to
Benning, we are still in Georgia, which means we could still find Booker and the rest, plus it’s far closer than Shangri La, Tyler?”
“I agree, we go to Fort Benning and hope for the best instead of risking it all for Shangri La.” Chill nodded, “Okay, so it’s settled,
we better get going even if it’s dark as shit now.” We packed up the few things we had, and set off towards a place that could ether
be our salvation, or our death.
Deep in the Meadows…
It was now morning, November first, I already felt defenseless without people like Booker DeWitt, and Lee Everett. We were in the
country side, looking for a road, it was just us again, nothing slightly important happened since we left the train, except for perhaps
finding a Colt 1911 on a dead body not far from the train. Chill started to check how many shots were left as the sun rose. It had
only two bullets in the chamber, Chill joked, “I guess if we all get bit, Tyler is the unlucky bastard who turns.” “Hah, Chill did you
ever think before you say?” “Not in the slightest, but it makes me who I am, you should be used to it by now. I mean how many years
have we been friends?” “Three years, I think, could be longer.” “Okay everyone, to pass time I got a question, do you remember the
headline of the newspaper the day before the walkers arrived?” Melina went first, “I think so, anniversary of the Eastland disaster of
1915, I read about it in a book, it was in Chicago.” “Riveting stuff, you know for being somewhat pretty you’re not that interesting.”
I told Chill, “Chill, shut up okay?” “Alright, I’ll be quiet, do you remember the headline of the newspaper, because I know for a fact
the thing Melina said was not front page news.” “As a matter of fact I do, the headline was, manhunt over, Walter White found dead.”
“You actually remember that?” “Yes, I have good memory, how else do you think I am so good as history?” “I don’t know, the only
reason I asked was because I found an old copy of the newspaper when we were leaving Savannah. Can you believe that, a science teacher
becoming fucking Scarface?” “Well I can’t believe the dead are walking the earth, nothing really surprises me anymore.” “Anyway
Tyler, he sure did go out in a blaze of glory, killing multiple Aryan Brotherhood members before dying of a gunshot wound in the Liver
next to his prize creation.” “I suppose that is amazing, why are we talking about this?” “Because the alternative is saying nothing
as we walk around looking for the highway.” “Alright, I will keep on talking. So, what do think happened to that one guy who worked
for him, and do you still Walt’s nickname?” “Without question I still remember his nickname, Heisenberg, you would have to shoot me if
I forgot that name.” “Yes I would Chill, yes I would. You want to join in Melina?” “Nah you two keep on talking, I think we should
rest a little bit, I feel really tired.” Chill said, “Already, we have not be walking for THAT long, you see what I mean Tyler, she is
clearly not thin.” “Chill, please shut up once again, let’s get back to talking about a drug king pin who has been dead for almost a
third of the year.” “Alright Tyler, to answer your question, Heisenberg’s assistant’s name was Jesse Pinkman, yes I remember that
shit. Hell some days I felt like a younger version of him, minus the drug part. You know, to past time we could role play them, I
call Heisenberg.” “No way am I role playing to past time, and why are you Heisenberg? You just said you think you act like a younger
Jesse?” “I am the brains of this tiny group, so I say Heisenberg.” “Alright, you get to be Heisenberg, now all we need is to find a
porkpie hat and your golden.” We kept on talking about the man who was breaking bad for two years, we kept on walking for some time,
it was roughly midday. I said, “Chill, do you have any idea where the hell we’re are?” “Not even the slightest, I think the roads
that way, but we have been at it for some time.” “Alright, but if we don’t find this ‘highway’ by 3:00PM, then there will be
problems.” “Don’t get your panty’s in a bunch Tyler, trust me we will find the highway.” We just kept on walking, the area around us
was quite beautiful, you would never know the world had just ended. There was a single tree alone in a huge field, we started to walk
towards it, we needed the break anyway. There was a slight drop off, Chill and I looked down, Melina did not. She tripped and fell
down, Chill was laughing like he always does, I helped her up when I noticed something. I could see a mark on her right hip. “What is
that?” She slowly answered, “It’s… a scratch from the walker that attacked me yesterday.” Chill dropped his shotgun and pistol, he
slowly said, “Jesus… its over… for you.” “No way, no way, that did not happen.” “Yes it did Tyler, I am so sorry.” “Are you sure it
was not just a sharp object on the floor? It just can’t be a bite.” “It is, I don’t know what to say.” Chill yelled, “How about
telling me why you did not tell us about that. We are your best and only friends left!” “I’m so sorry, I did not know what to say, I
did not want to upset you guys.” Chill said, “Okay, I’m not mad at you, I thought you looked a little pale, but I thought it was from
the lack of food. You were a good friend to me, and a great friend to Tyler, obviously more than that but still. You can’t have much
time left, you got bit just as it got dark, I don’t have a watch but it might have been half a day since. You know what I am saying, I
don’t want to, I truly hate it, but we have to.” I told Chill, “You can’t be serious, I don’t know if I can do this.” “Then I will,
that is what friends are for, doing the difficult things that others cannot.” I asked Melina, “Are you okay with this? Because if you
don’t then I won’t.” “No, it’s fine, I feel terrible inside, and I don’t want to turn.” Chill handed me the 1911, “Take as much time
as you need, if you need any help, just ask.” Me and Melina walked to that willow tree, standing high and strong in the open field.
“I guess this is the end, I’m sorry I could not do more for you.” “You did enough, you gave me a great, fun life, no matter how short
it really was. Don’t cry for me, I will be fine, you two were the reason I kept going after I learned about my family. You two were
the reason I kept going after Noah died and we lost are home. You two were my saving grace, by guardian angels, I am happy that my mom
messed up which class I was supposed to be in, otherwise we would never have met.” “Melina… remember your favorite book series, the
Hunger Games, you remember that song within its pages?” “I still do to this day.” “Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of
grass, a soft green pillow. Lay your head, and close your sleepy eyes. And when again they open, the sun will rise. Here it’s safe,
here it’s warm. Here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings true. Here is the place
where I love you”. Melina closed her eyes, knowing what was to come. I put the 1911 to the side of her face, just as Booker DeWitt
had done only one day before to Albert Arlington. I tried to pull the trigger, but I just couldn’t, Chill walked over and put his hand
on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and a minute later it was finished. “You okay Tyler, you going to be fine?” I did not answer him, I
just turned around and looked at the sun. “We can’t leave her like this, we need a proper burial.” “How? We have no shovels or
anything of that description, you better not be thinking we carry her.” “That’s the plan, we carry her all the way to Benning.” “That
is insane beyond anything I have ever heard from you.” “We need to, it’s the best thing we can do for her.” “Alright, I will carry
her for an hour, if we do not find the highway or a working car in a hour, we sadly have to let her go.” “Okay, deal Chill, you go on
ahead, I just need to take a breath.” “Okay, don’t take too long alright, we need to get moving fast.” I looked at the 1911, it still
had a single shot left it in. Chill could take care of himself, he was the quick on his feet, and had a shotgun that could be used as
a melee weapon. I took one good look at the 1911, it was almost obsidian black, I did not put it in my pocket. I took a deep breath,
and put it to the side of my head. I had just lost the will to go on, I could not bear surviving another day in this wasteland. I
slowly pulled the trigger, knowing that Chill would never forgive me for what I was about to do. I looked up at the clouds, and closed
by eyes, but the 1911 did not go off. I felt a falling sensation, I looked up to see Chill had tackled me to the ground. I tried to
grab the 1911 but Chill just kicked it away and started to beat the shit out of me. He yelled, “TYLER! WHAT THE FUCK MAN! You don’t
give up because it’s hard, like Kenny said. I know you just lost a friend, but that is not enough of a reason to give up! I lost my
dad but I did not kill myself! I most likely lost my whole family, but I did not give up! You are were brother, we will all together
not one at a time!” Chill stopped hitting me, he got up and grabbed the 1911. I slowly got up, not knowing why I had just did what I
did. “Are we clear Tyler! Are, you, going to try and end this!?” “No Chill, I’m sorry, so sorry, let’s just forget this happened and
keep on walking.” “Alright, but I will be keeping this 1911 until I can be sure you won’t kill yourself. I will carry her body, we
got go NOW!” We started to walk, we just kept on walking. Me and Chill did not utter a word to each other for some time, he
understood why I tried to it, but he did not like it. We were still friends, he was just upset about the recent turn of events. I
told Chill, “Can you believe that only one day ago we were in a group of more than eleven people?” “No Tyler, I feels like weeks ago,
I hope we see them again one day.” “Me to Chill, me to.” After about an hour, we finally came across a major highway, it had a huge
car pileup but it was a highway none the less. We started to search the cars, Chill was careful, he did not want to get bit after
coming so far. We found one working car, it was a white Honda, outside of that I can’t tell you what modal it was. The driver was
still inside, dead but he did not come back. The keys were still in his pocket, we tossed his body out the car door, put her body in
the back seat, and started up the engine. It worked, me and Chill were both surprised. Chill drove, we were the same age but he was
slightly taller than me. Chill turned on the radio, there was still a CD in there, it was Bob Dillon, one of my dad’s favorite
singers. Chill clicked play and we started to listen to Bob Dillon music. I turned around to catch a glimpse of Savannah in the
distance, I felt both sad and happy leaving that city. Chill pushed the gas pedal down, and we were off. I took out the road map, we
on the outskirts of Savannah, it would still be quite some time before we get to Fort Benning. I put the map down, I started to check
to see if there was any food in the car. There was a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips in a bag, they were most likely stale but I
did not give a shit. I opened it up and took a bite, I know it had been 101 days, but they tasted fresh. It might have been my mind
playing tricks, but I was happy. We were driving by fast, we pasted by trees, cars, and many, many walkers. It was a great feeling to
be in a car again, I sat back in the seat, and fell asleep, feeling like we had not been surviving for 101 days. I felt like I was
back in Ohio, sleeping soundly in our car, beside my mother as she drove me home after a school day. It felt good to feel like none of
this, ever happened.
End of Act III
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 11, 2013 12:15:39 GMT
Epilogue, Going the Distance
Miles Behind Us
I woke up after sometime, I looked at my watch, it was 5:00PM, I feel asleep around 9:05AM. Chill was looking at the map while
still driving, he looked over to see me awake. “Welcome back to the world of living T.” “Hah, Chill where the fuck are we now?”
“Well, I think we are on Highway 95, it should be showing up soon enough. Can’t believe we are at the other side of Georgia, I hate to
say it but I doubt we will ever see Booker or the rest ever again.” “Chill, you somehow drove across the whole state of Georgia in a
day without crashing, I thought you told me that when you took your driving test you hit all the cones?” “It’s called, you better get
good or die, and as you can clearly see, I got good.” “Well thanks I guess, what do you honestly think the odds are of this place
still working?” “To be perfectly honest, not that good, you remember what Tan said, the military got fucked up by walking corpses
fast. Thing is, taking a risk on something like this, is far better than sitting around do nothing as death closes in on us. You
remember what are gym teacher told us when we could not climb the rope, that if we were the last humans are earth we would die without
question. I like to see his face, seeing how much we have been through after 100 plus days.” “I’m sorry I brought my girlfriends body
into this car, I panicked you know?” “I know, don’t worry, if Fort Benning is still staffed then we will be able to bury her with full
honors.” “I do hope your right, what if they think we are bandits or something and gun us down?” “Then we tried are best, I got
nothing to tell you, try being positive for once in your life.” “You do know full well that Fort Benning is not really a fort like you
would think. It’s a huge area of land where the military trains its special forces, it’s the home of the Rangers. Remember those
elite soldiers Oberson used to destroy are house? They were former US Army Rangers, so if they are still around we will be safe for
quite some time.” Chill went around a bend in the road, and we could see chain link fences. We could not see any walkers, it was
looking good from the get go, we deserved a nice place after so much shit. We reached the gates, Chill rolled down the window and
yelled, hoping a living soul would hear him. There was no response, Chill got out and tried to open the gates, they would not budge.
He got back in the car, he revved the engine, ready to crash through the gates just to reach are ultimate goal. The engine was making
a ton of noise, walkers were showing up from the forest. Just as Chill was about to let go of the gas petal and crash through the
fence one of the walkers heads exploded. I looked straight ahead, there was a man standing on a guard tower, with what I guessed was a
sniper rifle. Me and Chill looked back at each other, and high fived, knowing that are grueling journey had not been for not. The
soldier shot the other four walkers in the head, Chill turned the engine off and got out of the car, I followed suit. We yelled and
waved to the soldier, trying to show we were not walkers. The soldier pointed his gun at Chill and yelled, “I’m sorry but you have to
look somewhere else for safety and security.” Chill got pissed, “Are you fucking kidding! We just drove all the way from Savannah, we
have lost so many friends and family! For the love of god my best friend’s girlfriend just died, all we want is a safe haven to live,
and a place to bury her.” “Perhaps you did not hear me the first time, you’re not getting in, now leave this area now before a walker
gets you!” Chill looked more pissed off then I ever saw before, he slowly got into the car, and rolled up the windows. I got in soon
after, I asked him, “So what now?” “I don’t know, it is worse knowing there are people but they are going to let us die, I would
prefer it was empty or overrun. Shangri La is still an option, it might be as far as fuck, but we could try.” “I say we wait another
minute or so, maybe they might just let us in.” “Tyler, let’s be serious, if they did not let us in now, then why the hell would they
let us in now?” The moment Chill uttered those words, the gate slowly started to open. Chill turned to me and told me, “I retract my
answer, holy fuck there still is a god!” “I would not go that far Chill, but we’re golden now!” We drove up past the gate, it slowly
closed behind us, we got out and walked pasted the guard tower. The soldier walked down and told us, “Your better thank the stars
above you today, the Colonel thought you had suffered enough. Personally I think he was always a bleeding heart type of man, can’t
believe he made it that high up the ladder.” “What is the Colonel’s name?” “His name is Colonel Robert Shaw, commander of the 75th
Ranger Regiment.” Chill asked, “And what is your name exactly?” “My name, is lieutenant Karl Fairburne, Fort Benning’s most
experiences Ranger sharpshooter. I don’t mean to be the bad guy, I just follow orders to the letter.” We walked into the fort, the
survivors had blocked off most of the fort, I guess there was no way to contain 197,159 acres. They had sealed of what I guess was the
Main Post area of the fort. Fairburne walked us to the Colonel’s office, we walked in to see a man in his mid-30s wearing a military
uniform with a lot of badges and medals. “Colonel, these are the two kids you let into the fort, I will leave you to your business.”
Fairburne walked out of the room, closing the door on the way out. The Colonel asked us to take a seat, we both took a seat, not
knowing if this man was the nice man Fairburne said he was, or just another Crawford Oberson.
Live Free or Die
Colonel Shaw started the conversation off, “Where are you two from? This might not sound like much but we have to know.” Chill told
Shaw, “Well, we are from Georgia, Macon you know?” “Really then I’m General Patton, cut the bullshit. I was born and raised in this
beautiful state, you don’t have the southern drawl, now where are you from?” I told the Colonel, “I’m from Ohio sir, my friend here is
from Colorado.” “Well you two are clearly far from home, why?” “My friend here came over for the summer, he got in rolled in my
school in the last months before summer break. The last month or so we got sent on a field trip to Savannah, we were a class of four.
There are now only just me and my friend.” “Well I’m sorry for your loss, what exactly happened?” “Well we became a part of a group
made up of four soldiers, a former soldier, a mobster, the daughter of the former soldier, and the four of us. Everything was going
well for roughly a week, until we were spotted by another settlement. They seemed normal, and for a couple days it was going well,
until the leader gunned down half of the settlement at a party. We ran away soon after, they came after us, killing two of our members
and wounding most of us. Three members left soon after, we did not have enough food to support them so they left. We somehow survived
for 100 days before another group, we started to survive with them. We found a boat which would get us out of that city, but we had to
get supplies from that settlement. We discovered that the settlement had fallen to the dead, we got all the supplies we needed, but
not before losing two group members. Then the leader of the new group got bit, a little girl that mattered to him got kidnapped, and
we had to get her back. We lost three more member’s trying to get her back, we got separated from the group, we could not find them so
we had to take desperate measures. We decided to go to Fort Benning, the only other choice was go to Shangri La, the safe haven in
Oregon. We decided to come here, only my girlfriend got bit, so we had to put her down. We hoped you could bury her here, I just
could not bear letter her remains get eaten by walkers. It’s a strange, maybe not even believable story, but it’s the truth sir,
please let us stay.” “That’s an interesting story, say what are your names?” “My name is Tyler, my friend is Dthly Chill.” “Really,
what’s his real name.” “Kyle sir.” “Kyle from Colorado you say? I can imagine people mocked that quite often. Anyway, have you
enjoyed southern hospitality?” Chill said, “Yeah, I loved it so much, so much it’s the die for!” “We don’t really have kids here you
know? Not because we kill kids, but rather because none have ever shown up. We don’t really get many guests, most of the state likely
thinks we were wiped out like the rest of the military. We use that to are advantage, your free to stay here, you will be working
shifts with some of the guards, but otherwise you’re free.” I told the Colonel, “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that
means to us.” “Well good to know not everyone died in Savannah, before you go, what were the names of your group?” “The girlfriend I
talked about names is Melina. The group member’s we had were Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth
DeWitt, Albert Arlington, and Sargent Erik Tan.” “Tan? I remember that guy, he was a member of the 506th infantry division, which was
based here. A helicopter landed roughly the first week this all happened, it was Tan’s unit. They left soon after, they were only
getting supplies, but they mentioned that Tan had been left behind in Savannah. He was a good soldier, he rarely ever took anything
serious, but he was fun to be around. How did he die?” “When that settlement attacked us, were in this house with a stone wall. Tan
was on a M249 Saw, he tried to hold them off, he was doing well until someone tossed a grenade into his window. He never saw it
through his adrenalin, he was badly wounded, saying that multiple organs had been ruptured, and he lost feeling in his right arm. He
told us that if we ran away now, the settlement would know we left and we would be slaughtered. So he stayed behind, knowing he would
die of his wounds anyway. He fought back before he was eventually killed, his last request before his death was a statue to remember
him.” “We can do that, we got some spare bronze lying around with no use.” I’m sure Tan would have loved that.” “We will add his
name to the wall, we have a large wall with the names of those we know died trying to save others. It’s kind of like the Pearl Harbor
wall, only for those that we killed by the undead. Have a good day gentleman, we will bury your girlfriend soon, trust me.” “Thank
you sir, I feel like you’re settlement is the only one I could ever trust.” We walked around for a while, taking in the sights and
sounds of are salvation, we were so happy to be safe. Me and Chill shook hands, knowing we would might just outlive the Apocalypse.
Sometime later, in a small cemetery within the compound, we buried Melina. Colonel Shaw was there, we had a 21 gun salute, even if she
never had fired a gun in her life. I was happy she had made this long, difficult journey. Fairburne was there, me and Chill might not
have gotten off on the right foot with him, but he was not a bad man. He was just a hardcore soldier, willing to do anything to
protect the people inside Fort Benning. Later, as the sun fell below the trees, and the stars came out, I walked back to the cemetery.
I put a rose on her grave, I smiled, and walked away. Knowing that those people that Fairburne talked about protecting, now included
me and Kyle.
Life Will Find a Way
At the time of this writing it has been 400 Day’s since the Apocalypse began. Ever since day 101, I have been writing my memories down
on paper, so people will remember what me and Chill went through. I was originally going to call it Day’s gone bye, but Chill thought
Will to Survive had a better ring to it. We sure did have the Will to Survive. It turns out Fort Benning was the right choice, we
are still alive and breathing, far longer than either of us ever would have thought. To this day we have no idea if Shangri La is
still a safe haven or not, we will never truly know if families are still alive or not. To this day we never found out what happened
to Booker DeWitt and the rest. I guess it will continue to remain a mystery until the walkers go away forever, and that day is still
to come. A couple of days after we arrived, Colonel Shaw created a monument to Sargent Erik Tan. His final wish now granted, we felt
a mix of happiness and sadness that day, it still stands to this day. We still are doing the same job we have been doing since day
101, we do guard work when someone gets too tired to go on. We both have gotten some training on how to fire a gun the right way, we
can defend ourselves well enough now. Booker would be so proud to see how far we have come since his first training day. Colonel
Robert Shaw turned out to be a good man, a bleeding heart, just like Fairburne had said. Chill and I are still brothers to each other,
he forgave he for trying to shoot myself that cold November day. The weather had started to get colder, it must be fall once again, we
have truly come full circle since that faithful day in Savannah. Yesterday night, I was going back to the barracks after replacing
Captain Toshiro Masaki, who might or might not be related to Takeo Masaki. I walked by the wall, the memorial to those who have
fallen, the same one Shaw had told me about. I looked at the wall, I could see the names Albert Arlington, Sargent Erik Tan, Noah,
Melina, Ben Paul, Samuel, Kenny, and Lee Everett. I smiled, knowing that they had added Lee’s name, we never truly know if he rescued
Clementine, or if he even died of his bite. Colonel Shaw said the same thing Elizabeth said before, he likely died from his bite, but
we will never truly know. The fate of Booker DeWitt and the rest is still up for debate, their names are not on the wall because there
is no proof that directly says they died. As I have said before, me and Chill like to think he found Christa and Omid who have
Clementine, and they are still out there, surviving and protecting Lee’s daughter. I also like to think that Booker got the redemption
he always wanted, helping a little girl have a better life is what he would have love to do. I made my back to our barracks, me and
Chill shared a bunk bed. It was late, I lit a candle to see what I was doing, we used electricity quite often, but we still use
candles some nights to preserve that power source. We each kept a memento of happier times, hanging above Chill’s bed was his shotgun,
the same one Lee had used to slay many walkers in Crawford. On my nightstand, beside where I lit the candle, was the photo of the
whole group, the one Melina handed to me before we went to Crawford. I looked at all the happy faces, knowing that most were now dead
or missing. Right next to the photo was the pocket watch that had belonged to Melina. I had contemplated hanging the watch around her
grave, but I decided not to, she always was a hoarder. Before I blew out the candles and went to bed, I looked at the picture of the
group one more time. I took one good look at my former brothers and sisters in arms, and slowly recited Elizabeth’s favorite words.
“Nothing besides remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.”
The End
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Post by Master Psychic on Dec 11, 2013 12:17:21 GMT
Bioshock Infinite WD presents
In association with TKA, Potato, Cany, Micheal, and many more
The Walking Dead: The Will to Survive
Special Act, All Roads
The sight of the sun rising over the buildings was a breath taking sight, even for a small band of brothers. In was July, the
heat was rising at a steady rate; Savannah had not looked more beautiful in a long time, but that was about to change. There
had been talk on the news about attacks and riots going on in Savannah, small scale but there none the less. Fort Benning had
sent some of its troops to handle the situation, they were confident it would not amount to much. They had sent a single
Humvee, and a hand full of helicopters to ‘fix’ the problem. Inside the Humvee, resting with his face against the window was a
man in his late 20s. That man is me, Karl Fairburne, and I had no idea what awaited me in the city. One of the soldiers woke
me up; the unit was getting close to the city. “Lieutenant, wake up were almost to Savannah.” “God damn, how long have I been
out?” “A couple hours, I guess you northern folk can’t adjust to the heat.” “Shut the fuck up Vogel!” “Just stating the truth
sir, you’re more used to seeing trees and snow instead of buildings and heat. At least that is what I hear Minnesota is like.”
“It’s not as out in the sticks as you think, but you are right, it is still one of the last areas left in the American
frontier.” “I guess, from what some of the other soldiers in Alpha company say, they think you have seen more Elk and bullets.”
Fairburne loaded a fresh 5 round magazine into his M21 sniper rifle, “Well they would be wrong, its most of the soldiers in this
unit have not even been shot at, I have been plenty of times. I am the only person in Alpha company that is technically apart
of the designated marksmanship unit, I guess Shaw that it would be better that I lead a group of greenhorns.” “You got a
problem with the Colonel?” “Not really, he is just too nice sometimes, like he does not understand that in war you need to be
cruel to survive. Don’t take risks with civilians, use none lethal attacks on rioters, prisoners shall not be shot, torture is
bad. He is a good smart commander, and is a great choice to lead the 75th Ranger regiment, but he is a bleeding heart in every
sense of the word.” “Why are the Rangers not here anyway?” “They think 50 normal soldiers can handle a small riot in a major
city, and I plan on proving them right, besides Rangers are always cocky as hell.” “I thought it was the SEALs that are cocky?”
“They all are, just because you got better training then most of us does not mean we are useless. There no such thing as being
cocky in the DMU, you have to be cool under pressure, and take your time. One simple mistake can mean death, there is a reason
the motto of the unit is, one bullet, one kill.” “I have never asked this, but are you American or German, no offense.” “You’d
be surprised how often people ask me that, I was born and raised in this country from the start, my great grandfather was a US
diplomat stationed in Berlin, he was from Germany. His son fought in World War II as a sniper for America, most found it odd
then to have a man who was born and raised in Germany fighting for them, but he was real good at what he did. People stopped
doubting him after sometime, he was not recognized for his gallantry and actions, all that did was just make him work harder.
So the short answer Sargent Vogel is, yes I am an American.” “Just wanted to ask, it had been bugging me for some time, sorry
sir. Why do you even think there are riots going on?” “Not my time or place to judge, everyone fucks up royally once in their
life, I guess some people think the president has done just that. Personally I don’t give a shit about the politics of the
matter, all see is something that needs to be resolved!” “Here, here, now let’s just get this done now, the Georgia State
football game is playing right now and I bet 20 bucks Florida State would lose!” “This won’t last long, just fire some shots
into the sky, they will calm down once they realize we are not fucking around, and we go home, simple.” Not long afterwards we
got into downtown Savannah. This was my first time in the city, it was larger than I had expected. We got to the roadblock we
had been ordered to reach; the police had set up a barricade to block the rioters off. A large amount of civilians were
watching behind the barricades, wondering what the hell was going on. I asked the police chief who was sitting in his car, “We
are the military reinforcements Colonel Robert Shaw sent over, what were you planning on doing?” He said nothing; he was
listening to a police report that every police car in Georgia was supposed to be getting. “We’re got what looks like a 10-91E
near Peachtree Exit of 285. All officers asked to keep a lookout for a 91V in the area.” “The plan for us anyway, is to make
sure they don’t get by this check point, you hear?” “I hear you, any means necessary?” “As long as you’re not killing people,
then yes any means necessary break out tear gas, bag rounds on shotguns, bullets in the air anything!” I ordered my men to take
up positions along the check points; we were ready for what was ahead. Vogel kept running his mouth, “Does anyone find it weird
that people are still on River Street right behind us, shopping like nothing is happening?” “It is odd, but focus on what
matters Vogel, you’re the closest thing I have to an experienced soldier.” “Gee thanks lieutenant, that really makes me want to
be the best I can be. I wonder if we will be on the news later today, god I always wanted to be on CNN.” “Vogel you really
just love attention don’t you?” A police officer yelled out, “Here they come!” In a few moments, the rioters were all insight,
but they acted really strange. They did not slowly walk towards us, yelling stuff, no they were walking towards us not in any
order, not saying a word. I gave the order, Vogel fired a shot off into the air, but they did not run, no they started to walk
faster. I quickly took action; I looked down the scope of my rifle, and fired a shot at one of the rioter’s shoulders.
Normally a man would be knocked to the floor in an instant, the person I shot just kept on walking, I had never seen something
quite like it. A police officer yelled into his megaphone, “Don’t take one more step, or we will fire!” His warnings were not
heeded by the rioter’s; they were just about to reach the checkpoint when the police chief shot a man in the chest with his
handgun. To my astonishment and horror, the man just shrugged it off; he turned to the chief, who was just about as shocked as
I was. The man grabbed the chief and pulled him to the ground, biting into him like a savage. I shot the man in the head; he
fell to the ground and did not move an inch. I quickly checked the chief; he did not carry a pulse anymore. These people were
not human beings; I did not know what to call them, Vogel quickly thought of a name tough, “Fucking hell, those walking bastards
are over getting past the checkpoint.” Walkers, a perfect name for these none human creatures, I got up and ran fast as I
could, the check point had been over run. People were dropping left in right; one of the new privates got tackled by five of
those things. He tried to shoot them as he fell to the ground but all he succeeded in doing was wounding a nearby police
officer, who was also grabbed by the walkers soon after. The noise level was louder than anything I ever heard, people
screaming, gunshots going off everywhere, people bumping into me like I was not there, chaos everywhere. I turned around and
fired two more shots into the masses; I had no idea if those bullets even hit anything. Vogel started to panic, he was viable
shaking, I hit him across the face, tell him “Keep calm goddamn it! Control yourself Sargent Donald Vogel!” He nodded his
head, I don’t know if he understood what I meant or if he just wanted me to get away, it did not matter regardless. A walker
grabbed Vogel and knocked him over, right on top of me. The walker took a bite out of Vogel’s neck; all the blood in his throat
spew onto my uniform, which was now more red then white. I tried to grab my rifle, which was lying on its side just in front of
me. I was able to grab hold of the rifles muzzle; I pointed the barrel at the walkers head and pulled the trigger. Nothing
happened; I forgot to pull the bolt back. I threw it on the ground; I got my hand on the bold and pulled it back. The sound of
the gun being dropped alerted the walker; he looked at me, wanting another meal. I quickly picked up the gun by the muzzle
again, shoved the rifle into the walker’s mouth, and pulled the trigger. Its head exploded, I pushed by former subordinate off
me, I took one good look at him, he had a wife and a few kids, there was nothing I could do. I picked up my rifle, it was dirty
as hell from all the blood and I had fired off the five rounds in the magazine. I dropped the gun, knowing it had very little
use anymore since that type of bullet was rare, and ran further down the road, where the walkers had showed up.
End Times
Hell had erupted without warning, creatures that resembled people walked the streets, yet even worse creatures lurked in the
shadows. It was midday, I was separated from Alpha Company, very few if any of my men survived the River Street massacre, the
first meeting between the walkers, and the military. I was all on my own, no weapon, no ammo, no hope. I had not been trained
in anything outside of marksmen training; they hoped that I would never need anything other than my rifle. Even if I was to
find a pistol, or submachine gun, I would not be effective with that damn thing! So I kept slowly walking down the street, the
same street that the wave of walkers had attacked from. I wondered about Bravo Company, they had deployed on the bridge, I
might still have a chance to make it so safety, if only I had a map. I had no idea how these things reacted to anything, I
looked down at my uniform, it was all bloody after shooting that walker. I did not know for sure if these things relied on
sight or not, but I did not want to take a risk. I had to find something else; bloody desert camouflage was not going to be any
help. I slowly turned the corner of the street; on the other side was my second challenge that would slowly take its toll on
me. There was a store on the block, but there were survivors trying to get in with crowbars, I guess when things go to shit
there will always be looters. I scanned the area; there was a dead soldier on the side of the road, I recognized who it was, it
was the commander of Bravo Company. I quickly ran over to the fallen officer, I searched her remains; there was a Beretta still
on her hip. I grabbed it, it had one bullet left, I took a deep breath and yelled to the looters, “Hey! We don’t need this to
go sour, just stop looting this town and were good okay?” “No fucking way, we have nothing to protect ourselves, this is the
only way!” “Too bad, if you don’t stop I will be forced to fire upon you!” “You don’t have the balls; you will be firing on US
civilians!” “Desperate times call for desperate measures, you willing to risk your life boy?” “We are not leaving, we need
whatever is inside!” I took out the pistol and aimed at them, knowing that firing in the air would not do a damn thing. I took
a one more deep breath, and slowly pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the man in the shoulder, he quickly ran down the street
with his friends. It might not have been the best solution but time was short and who knows how long it would have took if I
did not take the shot? I quickly checked the store; it was some type of a museum dedicated to Savannah history, I never cared
about history personally. I could faintly hear walkers coming, I guess they love sound; I had to find something that would
camouflage my body. I quickly started to look at the uniform section, hoping something like a ghillie suit would be on display.
The best two I could find were a World War I uniform, and a World War II uniform. I did not have time to even read who the hell
these belongs to, all I knew is anything made in 1917 would be way to small, so I grabbed the World War II uniform. It might
not have helped much, but the green matched the trees and grass that was all around this city. I quickly took off my uniform, I
must have looked so ridicules, a respectable sharpshooter taking his clothes off and putting on a relic of the past. I put it
on just as the walkers arrived, it fit me well, if not a little tight around my neck. I got down on the floor in the shadows
and hoped the walkers would not find me, as all I had was a Beretta with no bullets left. They did not see me, but they did not
leave the area for some time, two or three hours I think? Thank god I could wait for some time, I had no idea if the reason
they could not find me was because of the color pallet on my uniform, or just because of the darkness. Once they left, I got up
and kept walking down the street, all I wanted was a fucking map, yet even that eluded me. You think it’s bad now? Just you
wait; I had not even got to my darkest hour…
Chasing Ghosts
As I was saying before, I was stuck in a small room for several hours, when I got out of there I thought my luck was starting to
turn, I should have known better. Fucking hell why does this even need to be on record? “We need an accurate record of your
actions, it is mandatory.” Perfect, god what I would do for a smoke. Anyway it was starting to get dark, really dark. I
needed three things to even have a chance at surviving. A map of sorts would be nice, a flashlight or something like that, and
an accurate weapon! Well the streets were as dangerous as ever, and the darkness complicated everything. I had no idea where I
was, I could be still on River Street or all the way on the Historic district, there was no way to be sure. There were still
street lights active, but they were of little help, everything just looked the same. The screaming and yelling I had heard back
on River Street had died off long ago, I had to identify a good area to ‘campout’ for the night, of course even that eluded me.
I started to pick up the pace; the night sky was beautiful, if only the land below was not in such poor shape. I walked for a
couple more hours; I found nothing but walkers, and empty buildings. By luck I happened to stumble on a small gun store, just
like that. It was so unassuming; there was not even a name for the place. I slowly walked in, the lights were on but I could
not see a soul inside. Inside it was a mess; I found the one of the owners, or what was left of the guy. From what I saw, I
can safely assume the man just shot himself, not like it mattered anyway. The place was stocked full of guns, they were all
still on the racks hanging high and mighty on the wall. The streets outside was a deathtrap, a good amount of the road only
leads into ‘dead ends’ and nothing else. I started to check the rather large selection of guns; I could not find a modern M21
or anything of the sort. I started to check the display cases, there were a large amount of older weapons, revolvers and lever
action rifles mostly but a few bolt action rifles were on display. One weapon caught my eye, the case was significantly larger
than the others, the gun inside was not even for sale. It was an original Springfield 1903 rifle, not a replica like most of
the guns here. The description was somewhat intriguing; it said “This antique 1903 rifle was wielded by Georgia native Booker
DeWitt. Bought in 1912, he purchase it for hunting purposes, it is unknown just how many animals fell due to this gun,
nicknamed the Black Death. Over time DeWitt modified the weapon, adding a more sophisticated magnification scope and faster
turning bolt. In 1919, one year after World War I, he passed the weapon down to his daughter, Elizabeth, along with his prized
revolver; it is unknown why he did this. This bird of prey was routinely maintained by its owner, in its current condition it
would still fire accurately. To this day, he is renowned as a Georgia hero, even if he always said, he was never such.” I knew
right then and now this is the gun I needed, I checked to see if the alarms were on, they were not. I took out the almost
useless Beretta and smashed the display case, I grabbed the prized weapon and aimed down the sights, the scope was still aligned
correctly even after so much time. On the stock were words still visible after so much time. “To the most important person in
my life, Elizabeth Annabel DeWitt.” I stocked up on a lot 30.06 rounds, there plenty still lying around in the building. I
found a map of the city in a back room; I now had a fighting chance against the walkers. I silently walked out the back door of
the store, more prepared for the horrors of Savannah then I had been all day.
Maybe Tomorrow a Bullet may find me…
I was on a roll, I had a map and a good firearm, now all I needed was a flashlight and I would be golden. There was some beer
on the ground near where I stood; I had not drank in far too long. I thought long and hard on the easiest way to obtain a
flashlight, I came to the conclusion that shooting walkers was the best solution. It was not the smartest idea, but I had been
up for almost 24 hours and had little to no food, and had drank a good amount of alcohol, my only feeble excuse. So I climbed
the bell tower that over looked a major street, I took out the Springfield and aimed at the walkers. I would take a deep
breath, and yelled out the angel and distance before firing. The first walker I shot was pretty large, most likely why he was
wandering around down there. “35 degrees east, 200 yards.” The bullet went right where I wanted it to go, right between the
eyes. I pulled the bolt back quickly, and scanned for another good target. I saw an older looking walker, roughly 70 years
old. “20 degrees east, 250 yards.” The bullet hit him in the left eye, it was all too easy. This Springfield was a lot more
accurate than I could ever have thought; I figured three more rounds down range would be enough. So I took three more accurate
shots, and fell three more walkers. I waited sometime for the walkers to disperse, and when they did around 5:00AM I quickly
climbed down the ladder and searched the bodies. I searched the fat walker first; all he had was a Hershey’s chocolate bar in
his pocket, waste of a bullet. The old man walker had nothing on him; guess it’s what I get for shooting walking corpses while
smashed. I checked all the body’s, the best I got was a pair of double AA batteries, no flashlight but at least I got the power
source. I had given up on getting a flashlight, a working one none the less. Come to think of it, it would have been rather
easy to just go to an electronic store and find one, all I can say was damn that was good Savannah beer. As I walked away
deeper into the city, I heard the sound of footsteps. I turned around to see a shadow walking towards me; I took out my rifle
and without a second thought gun it down. I quickly went over to the body to check if it had anything useful. I dragged the
body to a street lamp, when I looked down I did not see the body of a walking corpse. I saw the body of a young man, roughly 19
if even that, he had a bullet hole right above his left eye. I had killed a living survivor, to make it worse this person
likely saw me as his only hope, instead I was his executioner. He had a name tag still on his white shirt, his first name was
Gene. I had no idea what to say, I had no time to be mad at myself, I had to search the poor bastard before the walkers
arrived. I quickly checked his pockets, I felt something large and heavy inside his left pocket. I pulled out the item and
slowly stared at it in silence, this kid had a flashlight on him. I did not know if I should be happy or sad at the moment, all
I did was quickly run down the street, not looking back once. I walked into a small bar, The Grumpy Troll, there was no one
inside, I just sat at a table thinking about what had just happened. I felt good, almost happy that I had killed a man just to
get what I needed, I like to think it was the beer talking, but deep down I knew I it was not the beer. After sometime I walked
into a backroom, locked the door, and fell asleep. I know your probably thinking, why try so damn hard to get a flashlight,
just to go to bed after acquiring it? I was not thinking clearly, mixing beer with murder is not a great combo let’s just say,
and that dumbass choice was going to come back to haunt me soon enough. I remember waking up in the same room the next day, I
check the time, it was 5:00PM already. I got up as fast as I could, I remembered that Bravo Company had deployed on the bridge
that could be seen all over the city. I pulled out the map, scanning for a quick way to reach that bridge, East Bay and Lincoln
Streets were the fastest way. I bolted out of that pub fast as I could, rifle and all on my back. By the time I reached East
Bay and Lincoln Streets, it was getting dark already. I sat down to catch my breath, I looked up at the bridge, I could see
small black specks near the bridge. They slowly got bigger; it took some time for me to figure out that those specks were the
helicopters. When I finally figured it out, I just stood there in silence, many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood
there. I… forgot what I exactly did when I started to walk again, can’t be good if my past records are anything to go by. I
still don’t know why my story needs to be told, I am just a soldier, nothing more nothing less. “I told you already, we need an
accurate file on every soldier stationed here.” I know why we are doing it; I just don’t think it is needed, if that makes any
sense? I started to walk back to that bar after I figured out that I was officially left behind and deemed dead by the US Army,
I got back just as night fell once again. I went to the same table once again and start to drink more fucking beer. I guess
deep down I blamed the beer more then I blamed myself, but I did not care. It only goes downhill from here sir, you might not
like what I am about to tell you…
Ashes to Ashes
I woke up the next day, the rays of sunshine stinging like a knife to the heart. I knew very well that I was going to die, but
for some reason I accepted it. I looked out the window of the Grumpy Troll, and out on the streets, there were walkers
everywhere. I was perplexed but I did not question it, I already knew I was a dead man walking. I quickly thought of a plan, I
was going to find a working car, get out and try to start again, my odds were poor but doing something beats doing nothing.
Before the fruits of my labor could start to sprout, I had to eat something. I checked the bar for some food, I could have
checked the supermarket nearby, but I did not care enough to look around for something better even though this could be my last
meal. I did not give it much thought, I did not care that I could have treated myself to a juicy steak, or a homemade apple pie
that I had loved as a kid, no it was just me and a bowl of corn flakes I found under the counter. It felt like something a
person on death row would order as a last meal, I was that person and I knew it better than anyone else in Savannah. I knew
that I would leave this world with no statues or awards, but only as a half-eaten corpse on the side of the road, I had only
thought of that battle plan to ease my mind from what was inevitable. I was going to die on my terms, not let the harsh world
dictate when and how it would fall, if I was going to die then I would go out fighting. I cleaned my Springfield one last time,
loaded a fresh magazine into the breach, and closed the bolt on the side. I grabbed a knife that was hanging on the wall, I
never was a religious man and even on my last day I could not care less, all I did was take a deep breath and open the door to
my fate. The walkers did not notice me; I used that to my advantage. I pulled the trigger on the rifle, the walkers head
exploded, the others noticed me in seconds and started shambling towards me, but I was ready. I was seeing red; I swung that
knife so hard it spit down the walkers head all the way to its neck. I pulled out the knife and started to slowly walk down the
road, shooting and stabbing with no care in the world. At one point I jammed that rifle into a walker’s mouth and shot it dead,
it felt so good slaughtering this unnatural creature. Hell I even swung that rifle like a club, hitting it so hard that the
only thing holding it to the body was the tiniest bit of flesh. I could go on for days about the details, suffice to say I
murdered a ton of those fuckers. Just as I was about to get out of the street, I felt a strong surge of pain in my left hand, I
looked over to a see a walker biting down on my picky and ring finger. I quickly turned around and put the barrel in the mouth
of my attacker before killing it, I just kept running after that, and I at long last made it to the outskirts of Savannah.
After all that adrenalin stopped I felt nothing but surprise and shock, I was alive? I glanced over at my hand; it just then
occurred to me that I was completely fucked, until an idea came into my head. I grabbed a sharp piece of glass, and with
quickly cut off the two fingers. I did not even feel the pain when they came off, all I did was wrap the wound, and stood up.
I did not know what to say or even feel, all I did was keep going for some reason, content to complete that plan I had thought
of it my head. After several hours of walking I found a pickup truck on the side of the road, it looked like it had been just
parked; I could not believe my own eyes. As I towards the truck I saw something also running towards the truck to the left, it
was another survivor. He was going to take that truck and most likely leave me to die, something that I would make sure never
happened again. We got to the truck roughly at the same time; he grabbed the keys that were sitting on the seat just as I hit
him in the face. He fell out onto the tall grass below, he looked up at me, he had no gun to speak of. He saw that I had a
rifle; he started begging for his life, saying that he thought I was a bandit or something. I said nothing, he just kept on
crying for me to not shoot him, it was pathetic. Here was this man around 30 years of age, on his knees crying and begging for
his life to continue another day. I pulled the trigger, he fell to down dead with a bullet in his skull, and it felt great. I
checked his stuff; he still had some food on him. I grabbed his food and got back in the truck, I turned the keys and waited
for the engine to start, nothing happened. I got out and checked the hood, there was engine even there. The truth was this car
had not worked in years; it had only appeared to look like it could run. I had been screwed over once again and there was
nothing I could do. I slowly walked back in Savannah, there was no way out of that city of the damned, but I walked back
knowing one thing, I had a new plan. That ‘plan’ was murdering people; it felt so good killing that guy, and the teenager
before him, so that is what I did for about a month. I don’t remember just how many people were killed by me; it can’t have
been a small number though. Before you start saying that I did a horrible thing and should try to right my wrong hear me out.
I did unspeakable things in that city, things that would break a normal person, but if given the choice again I would do it a
thousand times, it was the only way to live through that city. I could not give two shits what a higher being or other people
think of me, I did it to survive. Anyway for a month I killed people, it was all going well until this one day I saw this man
out near the supermarket. By that time most of the stuff inside had been taken by either me, or the community of whose name
escapes me, but he did not know it. I walked up to him, handgun in my pocket, he noticed me fairly rapidly. He had a somewhat
thick overcoat, some military boots, and a digital camera of all things. He sarcastically told me to drop any weapons I had, I
dropped my rifle but not my pistol. I acted nice and calm, hoping that the guy would trust me and turn his back for just a
moment. I guess the asshole was not that trusting of me, because he did not turn his back to me, smart. The man asked me “who
the hell are you, because if you’re some kind of bandit then Shaw would be okay with you dying.” I felt very puzzled, a minute
I was about to kill this man, and now he mentioned a name that could be someone I knew. “Shaw? As in Colonel Robert Shaw, the
man in charge of Fort Benning? ” “Good job mister 1942 you figured out who I work for, like it fucking matters.” “I used to
work for him, I thought they all died some time ago, please take me with you.” “You fucking kidding me right? I don’t even
know your name and you expect me to take you back” “My name is Karl Fairburne, I was an officer in the designated marksmanship
unit, I was sent to Savannah a month ago, I have been trapped ever since. I have a lot of food and ammo, yo- you could take it
back, as a token of my good will!” “Fine, if that is true then I will let you come back if you can tell me who is Shaw’s
favorite football team.” “Easy, he is from Georgia but his favorite team is fucking Penn State.” “Huh, I did not expect you to
guess that, welcome aboard I guess Shaw said I was perhaps a bit too trustworthy but fuck it. Go get those supply’s and come
back to this spot, then we can leave.” I came back pretty fast, I had put a ton of food and ammo in the gun store, when I came
back the man with the camera was pretty damn happy. He climbed into the front seat of his pickup truck, as he was getting in he
turned his back for just a moment. My fingers clenched the handle of the Colt, and pulled it out, but I did not fire it. I
threw it away, it did not have many bullets left anyway. The man picked up my rifle and put in the front seat, most likely for
safety reasons. The truck had two back seats, the man told me, “Just so we are clear you are going too handcuffed in the back
seat of the pickup truck that okay?” “Sure, I don’t really give a fuck as long as we are going back to Benning. Who are you
anyway? What’s your name?” “You won’t know me, I am the newest member of Fort Benning and I am not even military. Miles Upshur
at your service, reporter of all fucking things.” So yeah that’s the story, this report big enough Eldridge? “Yep I suppose
it’s long enough, Shaw most likely will not be happy with this news, but remember it is just a file report, he barely ever reads
this kind of thing.” “Thanks, if you don’t mind, it’s but turn to be on watch.” “Alright, if I were you I would just order
Upshur to do it, I don’t believe he has ever been on watch before.” “Nah, he is likely just sitting around taking pictures of
the fort, god knows why he does that.” “Good point, hey before you go, do you remember how many days it’s been?” “I would say,
101 days in, not like it matters, now stop changing the subject and let me do my shift.” That day was like any other, the sky
was a bright blue, and for some time not a sound could be heard, until in the afternoon, when the roar of an engine was faintly
heard in the valley.
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Post by Bioshock Infinite WD on Dec 12, 2013 2:45:27 GMT
Thanks Master, I would like more spaces but that is nice in all, holy crap that is long for one page.
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Post by Bioshock Infinite WD on Dec 12, 2013 5:21:16 GMT
Okay, I will upload the first chapter of season 2 tomorrow, again, thanks.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2018 10:13:24 GMT
wot is this wall of text
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