#9

Joe saw a man jump out from the brush and impale a zombie with a lance. "Hail! Did you see that? Dude jousted a zombie with a lance!"

"We have bigger issues than a knight from the Round Table, Joe..", Haleigh said pointing forwards at the two girls, one holding a gun.

They had two choices: ditch Marcus, or form up on him. They chose the latter, and get caught up to Marcus. "Gun! Gun!", Joe said, panicked; he was regretting their decision.

Haleigh looked into the distance to see the truck they were referring to. Interesting. That truck can come in handy. Looks big enough to carry a couple bikes..

Scarlett nodded as Evelyn took the gun she had brought for her and whipped her own gun out quickly, pointing it towards the other man. "A .... A lance?!" She didn't have time to ask anymore questions and began to walk backwards, checking over her shoulder every few seconds. "Evelyn come on... If they follow, we shoot."

The man brushes his hair out of his face as he pulls the lance out of the zombies skull, wiping the blood off of it. Not concerned that the people he just saved are now pointing a weapon directly at him. This isn't the first time nor will it be the last time he's been in this situation. He makes sure that the area is safe and he drops his weapon, kicks it towards the ladies, putting his hands in the air, and beams them a smile. It's difficult to see at night, but he knows he's smiling, he's doing his best to hold back a chuckle.

"I figured you two had it under control, but I couldn't let these take a bite out of you two, after your attempts of escaping." He says kindheartedly

Marcus tells the other to fall back, as the weapons are now being pointed at them. All they wanted to do was to make sure they didn't get attacked by Zed, which the other man seemed to prevented. Regardless, Marcus drops his pick and flashes his lights in signs that he means peace, as he slowly raises his hands up. Not moving from his bike.

#9

She grimaced as two more bikers came into view and flanked Marcus. A cursory glance at his companions told her that they were not likely to be a threat but looks could be deceiving. This was a world with no rules; any morality these people had held before the virus was up in the air now. With her gun still trained on Marcus, her eyes darted towards the stranger on the other side.

Evelyn eyed the lance distastefully as it slid across the ground and stopped a metre away from her feet. It was certainly one gaudy weapon and didn't seem practical at all. Still, the man had managed to dispatch the walker with ease so perhaps he had training. Everything could be used as a weapon, she realised, as she wistfully remembered the fire iron she had taken from Levi's house.

"You didn't need to do that. I have a gun, see?" she said, a flicker of a smile on her face. This was a strange time to be regaining her sense of humour but the situation was odd enough to warrant it.

Evelyn slowly approached the truck with Scarlett, lowering her weapon slightly but still keeping her gun arm extended in case the bikers made any sudden movements. She had seen the female eyeing the pick-up truck in a manner which did not do anything to assuage her suspicions. She gave the truck a superficial inspection to check for any damage before sitting down in the driver's seat, barely concealing her enthrallment at once again being in a car. She had spent so much time walking the remnants of America, she had forgotten the convenience of driving. The highway was vast and open and relatively free of walkers on the way to the Black Mountain. Perhaps things were finally looking in their favour.

"We'll cover at least half of the journey in no time." she thought, patting the passenger seat with her free hand and nodding at Scarlett.

"Let's go." she said, closing the door with her gun pointed out of the open window.

A quick glance in the rear-view mirror showed a massive herd of walkers in the distance, shambling towards them. The unconscious bodies of their former captors would slow that bloodthirsty pack down.

#9

Scarlett watched the man with the lance closely, surprised that he threw his weapon on the ground. As two more bikers came up behind the first, Scarlett shook her head and began backing up again towards the passenger side of the truck, walking around the unconscious raider, and stopping at the door.

The familiar sounds of groaning made her head snap up and jaw drop as she realized what was following the bikers. "We can't leave the man that gave his weapon up." She frowned as she turned to Evelyn who was in the drivers seat already. "They all have bikes, they can get away from the herd but he can't." She saw the look of concern on Evelyn's face and gave her a small, but reassuring smile, "I'm pretty sure that if they were anything like the people we were just with, they would have already tried to kill us or they would have done worse."

#9

Joe sheathed his sword slowly, not trying to make any sudden movements while he was still at gunpoint. As the two entered the truck, he cupped a hand over his mouth. "Hope you know how to siphon gas on your way to wherever! Gasoline tastes like a bitch!"

"...Oh my god. Joe, you can't just yell shit like that!", Haleigh scolded. She turned her head to the truck. "I'm so sorry for my friend's outburst. It's his way of offering our services- you've got the big transport, we've got the scouting and siphoning skills."

She looked back, noting the incoming horde and the now lance-less jouster. "We do not have much time".

Oskar shrugged, and then nodded in Hannah's direction. "We follow her, I guess," he said.

Hannah walked into the large concrete expanse of the pharmacy's carpark. There were no cars around, which was strange; the End Times saw places like this packed to the brim with desperate families and opportunists. The pristine condition of the building was another warning sign that something was afoot. There was no broken class, no garbage, no blood or bodies.

Something small but hard dug into the sole of her foot as she began to move forwards. A small stone perhaps? Curiously, she lifted her boot and caught the glimmer of a spent shell casing. Movement caught her eye on the pharmacy's flat roofing, and she had but a second to curse her shell-shocked stupidity for just walking into this trap with zero regard for caution before gunfire rained down on her.

With no cover to avail her, it was down to good old fashioned luck and chaos. As the bullets smacked into the concrete around her, she was already up and moving - not away, but towards - the pharmacy in a zig-zagging fashion. One of the most effective ways to break an ambush, was to simply dive forwards at the attackers. Never give up to confusion or panick. Turn the tables on them, as quickly as you can.

Well, whilst that may have been true in Vietnam and when her ancestral kinsmen were fighting rice farmers with napalm, she was just one person against an unknown number of hostiles on an elevated position. Her helmet twisted violently half a turn, partially blinding her, as it reeled from the impact of what she suspected was a 7.62mm round. No pain though, which was good.

A couple of heavy duty metal garbage bins lay up ahead, just yards away, and she made for them.

Oskar had thrown himself onto the grass verge on the carpark's out skirts. He fumbled, as he often did, with the scope of his rifle; the muzzle flashes of Hannah's assailants were clearly visible. If she could keep them firing, then he could launch an ambush of his own. The problem was, the dumpsters she had thrown herself behind were whittling away under concentrated automatic fire.

A man's head, wrapped in a black bandanna, consumed Oskar's rifle scope, and he pulled the trigger. His rifle made a deafening explosion of thunder, but he did not flinch; he was already moving along the rooftop to the next bad guy. Another shot of his Winchester, and the scene was suddenly taken by silence. Either there were only two of the bastards, or their friends had gotten wise to the fact that a competent sniper - no, huntsman - was stalking them.

"Kylie," whispered Oskar. "I know you're exhausted, we all are, but that pharmacy is too good of an opportunity to pass up. I think Hannah is going in anyway, and I'll be damned if I let her go alone. Get back to the HUMVEE, see if you can get Cam's rifle, and then get back here."

#9

As he looks around at the situation, the horde of zombies is nothing new to him. A bit more than usual but that's expected when they hear a bunch of noise. These group of folks however, they all seem so helpful with one another it reminds him of the beginning. When everyone was selfless, lending a hand to anyone in need, before the panic, before the breach, and before the segregation. Why is he thinking about this while zombies are closing in on them?

"If I may." He replies "I have a shelter for you all, it's not too far you might have seen it along the way. Plus if we make it there the zombies won't reach us. It's up to you however, you do have the pick up truck. If you tag along, I can provide you shelter for the night, food and water on your travels. It's been a long day, why not get some rest before heading back out on the road? All of you are welcome by the way!"

As he looks over to the bikers then back to the ladies.

#9

Evelyn knew that her survival and well-being would become inextricably linked to Scarlett's; they were a team now. If she felt so strongly about something, it would be unwise to rebuke her suggestion as it would end up creating a power-struggle dynamic. She had to get used to democracy if the group was to grow larger and attract people of good moral character. The bikers seemed to make a good point about siphoning gas but it was still not enough to ameliorate her worries. However, once the man who had surrendered his weapon piped up with an offer of food, shelter and safety, she felt that it would be against her own survival instinct to reject this group.

"Get in." she called out, flashing her lights at the lance-wielding man and beckoning him over.

She retracted her gun-bearing arm back into the car and put the safety on before gently placing it at her feet. She'd need quick access to it in case anything went wrong. Although she was beginning to feel more relaxed around this group at Scarlett's insistence, she couldn't afford to become complacent.

"Alright, let's see how this goes." she said to the bikers. "There's space in the back for two bikes but one of you is gonna have to ride along side us."

Joe saluted Evelyn and proceeded to load both his and Haleigh's bikes onto the flatbed, leaving Marcus the one to ride out.

"Sorry buddy", he said looking at Marcus. "Made a promise to the little lady's dad that I'd take care of 'er in his place."

The two boarded the flatbed after they finished loading and sat down in the remaining empty space; Joe held onto his sheath and sword while Haleigh's head to nod as fatigue was getting harder and harder to resist.

Marcus nods with approval, he wouldn't have had it any other way. He turns his bike around waiting for them to lead the way back.

The man however darts back into the woods, and comes back half a minute later with a trail of dead animals. He hoists them over in the flatbed avoiding the man, woman and their bikes and he hops into the back seat of the pick up, as he shuts the door he lets them know of a safer path back to the fortress avoiding the horde, and traps he set up around the area. A few minutes later they arrive to the entrance of his place, with a closed gate. He exits the truck, and heads toward the gate, and with the help of Marcus they push it open so that they all can get through. As he motions them in, he closes it as Marcus enters with his bike, and makes sure it's completely locked before heading up to the fortress where a sign says "ILLINOIS RENAISSANCE FAIRE" in bright red text with a golden border, he still doesn't like the color choice but what are you going to do?

As the group files out of the truck, they gaze upon the area. The port-o-potties, an enormous fire pit, weapons from swords, bows, arrows, lances, javelins, and all kinds of armor and shields, and what seems to be empty boxes of Kraft's Macaroni and Cheese overflowing a garbage can, But the one thing that spotted Marcus's eyes was a truck, a truck with the words "Culligan" in blue, he looks over at the man and he nods his head to let Marcus know it's okay to check. Marcus dashes over and checks inside and to his amazement there are jugs of water still unopened. He looks back at him in astonishment.

"Who are you?"

The man grins once more as he pulls the dead animals from the flatbed.

"I'm just a man trying to survive."

#9

The ride wasn't too long, thankfully, since it was a quiet one. Scarlett had been relieved when Evelyn agreed to let the man with the lance come along, but slightly iffy on the bikers. It didn't matter now. So far the bikers hadn't killed or tried to capture them so she was fine with it.

She stayed quiet until they got to the man's shelter, her eyes lighting up when she saw the sign. "Hey, I've been to one of these before.... This explains Sir Lancelot's weapon of choice." She smiled slightly at her own little joke and got out of the vehicle when they were safely inside, her pistol safely on her back. The arrows were the first thing that caught her eye, causing the knee jerk reaction to call for her sister, but stopped mid-sentence when she remembered that she wasn't there.
"This is a pretty nice shelter you have here." Scarlett stayed near the truck as she let her eyes wander, waiting for Evelyn to see if she was fine.

#9

Evelyn stepped out of the truck and gazed around at the scene in bemusement. Renaissance fairs were a gateway into the medieval period but she couldn't help be reminded of another long-forgotten epoch: 21st century America. It was hard to believe that places like this had existed, packed full of people escaping into a fantasy realm. She stared at the fire pit, imagining joyous families around it as their children played and the sounds of their laughter echoed across the fair.

She blinked and immediately remembered where she was. In the corpse of something that had once been enjoyable. There were weapons strewn across the grass, dilapidated port-o-potties, a truck that presumably belonged to the man with the lance and, most conspicuously, the eye-sore that was the festering garbage can inundated with empty boxes of mac n' cheese.

"Looks like you're doing better than just surviving." commented Evelyn dully, watching as the man dragged animal carcasses from the flatbed of the truck they had arrived in.

At least they would be eating tonight.

Joe and Haleigh exited the flatbed, with the latter rubbing what little sleep she got out of her eyes.

After taking in the sights of the faire-turned-fortress, Joe noticed the modern day knight dragging animal bodies out of the truck- dinner. And then, a thought.

"...Can animals become.. Zombie animals?", Joe asked as he cocked his head.

Haleigh stared at Joe in disbelief.

The man takes off the face mask, to reveal short brown hair, blue eyes, a young sweaty face, with a short stubble for facial hair. He smirks at the question he got asked, as he squats down near the fire pit with the animals, that are prepped for cooking, pulls a few wooden pikes, and pierces the squirrels, rabbits, and what seems to be a wild pig. The gifts and curse of the apocalypse, new wildlife, but reflects on the outcome of their current life.

"I'm going to say yes they can, but I'm not a doctor or scientist. If you don't want to eat because of that however, that's more food for the rest of us." Lance says jokingly as he finishes with the prep work and tries to get the fire going. There is a small glow from earlier, and he begins to blow on it, trying to get a better light. After a few minutes have gone by, the glow transforms into dancing flames, he smiles as he adds more wood into the pit before placing the meat on top. The heat is welcoming as he sheds off more of his armor, revealing scratches and scars on his muscular arms and legs, a whole year of creating the fortress, hunting and traveling around the county has taken it's toll on this young man's body. Yet he's still cheery.

"Come around guys don't be shy, sometimes you just have to relax."

#9

Once Scarlett saw that Evelyn was calm and seemed alright with the situation, she relaxed a bit. "That's alright, my sister once asked me if walkers could communicate with each other." She shrugged and turned back to Sir Lancealot and wondered if there were more or if this was going to be it. Just the few of them. "How long have you been here for? It's pretty neat what you did with the place." She walked over to the fire and sat down, giving the man a smile and turning towards Evelyn, signaling her to have a seat. "Oh, I'm Scarlett, by the way."

#9

Evelyn took her seat next to to Scarlett and stared at the crackling flames, mesmerised by the dancing shapes they formed in the air. She tilted her head to look at her companion, the fire reflected in her bright eyes as she engaged 'the man trying to survive', as he had referred to himself. The fact that he wouldn't share his name with the rest of them bothered her but she did not press the issue; the man was already going well out of his way by offering them food and shelter.

"It's... uh... adapted for humans." she said quietly, looking up at Joe. "The virus, I mean. It operates in two stages; shutting the body down and re-animating it. Animals can become infected and will die but the re-animation process is exclusive to humans. It must have had to adapt very specifically to turn the human brain back on again"

She turned her attention back to the fire, feeling worse because of the answer she just gave. The glumness was not related to the content of the answer, but for the feeling it elicited in her. She felt like a teacher once more, explaining something complex to an eager group of students.

"Then again, that's assuming this is a natural virus." she continued, rubbing her hands together in front of the warmth of the flickering flames. "The last person I was with thought that the virus was genetically engineered as a biological warfare agent. Either way, we're still fucked."

Haleigh laid down by the fire to catch up on rest while the freshly caught animals were supposedly going to be cooked.

Huddled by the fire, Joe looked at Evelyn taking in the information like an overly curious child hungry for knowledge. "Do you think zombies can swim? If the virus uses the brain to bring someone back to life, wouldn't water pressure crush the body and brain? Why not just live on a giant sea fortress? We can grow feed and have an animal farm and everything!"

#9 Marcus makes his way back to the group, curious about Joe's nature. Although he sounds like an idiot, his questions are actually helpful. Then again no one really knows what the virus is capable of, this proves that there is no such thing as a stupid question. He sits next to Evelyn as he awaits for anyone to answer Joe.

Lance is the first to speak.

"From what I've seen their only form of mobility is walking. I've seen many zombies go into rivers and get swept away by the current. I don't know what happens to them, some of the people that use to reside here claimed that they saw them rise back up when the current was slow enough for anyone to walk through, or that they just sink at the bottom and keep on walking. I've been going to a nearby lake in this area and I've yet to see anything like that happen to me. But, I wouldn't put it past me, good questions so far."

The aroma of the meat is making Marcus and Lance realize how hungry they have been, but knew it wasn't finish yet. Patiently and anxiously they rest, while Lance thinks about Scarlett's question and her introduction.

"I've been here over a year, I remember it all too well when those things attacked. I was just leaving my folks place for the faire with some friends, we were taunting my neighbor since he was acting frantic like he always does, him and his family were practicing thrills in case the apocalypse happened. We didn't think anything of it, I was working with a local radio station at the time, and we were getting ready to set up our station once we arrived. For a few hours everything was going great until I heard my friend getting excited and wanted to interview this huge mob that were walking towards the entrance through the parking lot. 'These guys look great, look like a bunch of serfs!' He said over the mic, while we were live. Then I heard him asking how they are, then what are they doing, then the hollers. 'Get off me, get off me, why are you trying to bite me?' I heard the mic drop and the final screams of my friend being eaten alive. We cut broadcast immediately to see what's up, and to our horror we saw our neighbors, friends and locals attacking one of another, tearing off the flesh with their teeth, tackling them down and having the greatest feast in the world. People panicked, running to their cars, blocking each other only to make themselves sitting ducks for the zombies. Some of the people began to fight, I was one of them, we grabbed anything we could use as a weapon. Swords, spears, maces, flails, and of course lances. We equipped ourselves with the shields that were around, some had armor on, it looked like a medieval rpg battle the ultimate fantasy right?"

Lance looks up at the sky and lets out a depressing sigh. "We were successful for now, but we had no idea what to do. Some left, while others stayed on the fairgrounds we decided that those who stayed will defend this area. We quickly fortified the place, it took a few months to create the trenches you saw out there. Even though we were worried about zombies, we had the situation under control. There was one thing we didn't count on was mother nature."

"Winter." Marcus responds. Lance nods slowly.

"This had to be one of the harshest winters for us. We huddled up, made sure we had enough wood for the fires, the only thing that the winter helped us with, was slowing down the zombies. They were practically frozen on the lakes, half of their body above the surface level. While we voyaged for food, water and warm clothes. We made our jokes at their condition, and of course killed them once again. It was a gift and curse, we realized we'll be safe from them, but also in danger of hypothermia. We had to leave the area for a bit, for the kids at least. Some went into nearby homes and kept themselves warmed, while others stayed on the grounds just to make sure it doesn't get compromised. We were at each other's throat, when food was running low, people were coming up with ideas of eating one another, becoming the things we were fighting against but worse. We managed to persuade others to not do it, it went on for this until I want to say February. When one member of the group couldn't take it anymore and bit into the chest of a toddler. He was executed immediately, and to make sure he didn't reanimate we put a bullet into his brain. We had to do the same for the toddler, the poor girl's mother couldn't bare to watch us, nor could she continue living in this world with that scar. She ended up killing herself, and again we had to make sure she didn't reanimate as well. Once spring came around, the group was down to maybe 6 of us. All of my friends and family were gone that I knew before the group. We became a new one, then like how life begins to sprout from the grounds and trees. So did the zombies, I'm the only survivor."

Lance rises up from his feet and walks away, only to return with an open jug of water and cups for everyone around the fire. He takes the meat off the fire, and hands everyone an animal.

"Dig in and enjoy as much water as you like from this jug."

#9

Scarlett frowned as she heard the man's story and turned to look at the fire. After taking the cup and thanking him, She drank a bit and sat the cup down. She brought her legs up and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees, it felt good to be able to relax. "I'm sorry to hear that." She yawned and closed her eyes. Even though she had fallen asleep on the bed of the truck with the raiders, her body was exhausted. She began thinking of Sam back at the house, how the men humiliated her. For a brief second Scarlett had wished that Sam didn't comply and should have kept her ground. Being killed wouldn't have been as bad as being raped and treated like trash. Then again, she was glad she did what she did because she was free now, and she could go find her sister. "What about Sam and Levi?" She turned to Evelyn, wondering what her plan was. Both of them were taken to completely different places and neither of the locations known, nor did they have any idea if they had escaped or not.