CHAPTER TWO

Over the speakers the mechanical voice spoke. “Dialing.”

Static tainted each ring indicating the bad reception in whatever Podunk town her GPS had managed to get her lost in this time. Elizabeth had never originally wanted to leave the city—not like this. Her plan had been to go to the airport and buy one way tickets to all the vacation islands she could think of—Tahiti, Bora Bora, Maui, Santorini. It wasn't a logical plan, especially since she didn't have any money, but she wasn't working on logic. He was somewhere out there in one of those rich people places which meant her daughter was somewhere out there as well.

Her body tensed and the grip on her steering wheel tightened until her knuckles were bone white. “C'mon,” she muttered, willing the universe to somehow send her message telepathically for him to pick up his damn phone. When the line clicked she breathed a sigh of relief stating, “Oh thank god you-” only to be met with another robotic voice. His automated answering machine. She released a string of profanities. This was very much like him. He'd always been impossible to get ahold of. The son of a capitalist banker, there was always some convenient excuse for his absence—business meetings, family dealings, some charity banquet to attend. Elizabeth had never been invited; his family never had approved of her.

“It's Elizabeth,” she began after the beep, stating her name out of habit though by this point he should have known the sound of her voice without an introduction. “Everything's a fucking mess here. All the roads are blocked. The whole city is being evacuated. And Nate...he's gone.”

Nate had been her fiance. An officer of the law, he'd been in the thick of it since the beginning. At first they thought it was somehow drug related—like going mad from too many bath salts—but it spread too rapidly and before they could gather any concrete evidence the CDC began issuing warnings all over the nation. It spread too fast to contain. Dispatched to handle the many influx of calls, he'd been infected during one of them. The last time she'd seen him he'd looked terrible—yellow pus oozed from the wound and a large red streak ran up his arm to his neck. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead which she'd tried to dab with a cold compress. Even if she hadn't mentioned it out loud, he knew the thought of her daughter consumed her thoughts. He'd given her his Beretta—a 9 mm Px4 Storm Compact—and told her to go.

Warm tears streaked lines mascara down her cheeks which she wiped away with a finger causing it to smear. Trying to maintain a steady voice, her attempts failed as the emotion seeped through. “I need to know you guys are okay. Call me as soon as you can. And tell Darya I love her.” With that she tapped on the red button to end the call. Her eyes remained fixated on the black mirror as if expecting for it to light up within the next few seconds. It didn't.

The car was in park for now, the headlights stretching ahead to reveal nothingness as she sat on the side of the road. Her thoughts shifted and her emotions ranged from guilt for leaving Nate alone the way she had in his last moments and the determination to see her daughter without knowing exactly where she was. Elizabeth leaned her head against the seat with a heavy sigh.

She'd never been a good mother. It ran in the family. When her daughter was born, she'd been too young—too wild—and she knew her little girl deserved better. That was why she asked him to take her which he agreed to with a resoundingly apathetic okay. Often she worried he was raising her in the same way his parents had raised him and his sister—remaining distant while hired nannies took care of everything. It'd been years since she'd seen him in person though they spoke over Facetime when time permitted so she could see her daughter. Darya had his blond curls that bounced whenever she moved and her honey brown eyes, which she got from Elizabeth, were always distracted by something. (“Butterfly!” “Doggy!”) Once she'd taken her father's large frames off his face and placed them on her own which promptly fell into her lap.

Ever since cleaning up her act, she'd wanted to have a serious discussion with him about their daughter's custody.

Closing her eyes, she clinched her phone in her hand and allowed her mind to drift. What felt like a moment turned to hours as the morning sun kissed her awake. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she tried to start the car only to find the battery completely drained. With a frustrated growl she gathered her things and after looking up directions to the nearest military checkpoint began making her way there.

((OOC: Was gonna do Sarah too, buuuut. I'll invoke chaos in the house later.))

"Daddy?"

Ethan opened his eyes from rest. He had fallen asleep in the front seat of his police vehicle, Dallen was sound asleep in the back.

"Daddy, are you there?"

At first the sheriff thought it was part of the dream he had just forgotten, but when he heard the voice again he noticed it was coming from his sattellite phone lying next to him. The last he heard from his family was that they were at the military refugee camp, safe. He told them to use the phone if anything happened.

"I'm here sweety," Ethan replied into the phone, the static was starting to pick up. He was half awake but the severity of what was happening in the world quickly sunk in. Dallen woke up but stayed motionless.

"Daddy I'm scared! They're everywhere!!"

His heart sunk as a million things started piling through his mind. "What's happened sweety? Are you hurt? Where's your mom?? Erin? ERIN!?"

"I'm hiding,"she said after awhile. "They can't find me. Not yet."

"Stay put honey, I'm coming now," he had already started the car and began moving down the gravel path. He rolled down his window to quickly tell Johnny Blackburn that the military camp was being attacked.

Johnny Woke up at first light. He just layed there for awhile, watching the darkness around them lifted off and away from the earth. He thought about everything that happened last night, the image of his bandmates coming after him reanimated still gave him a chill up his spine.

He got up to see that some of the hunters were still on watch, while people rested in their cars or in tents. Dew covered the orchard and the field, and it was slightly cold. After taking a piss on a nearby tree, Johnny decided to make a small camp fire to stay warm.

While he was gathering wood, the police car suddenly fired up and Ethan was making his exit before anyone else was ready. "We're leaving now?" he asked.

"The outpost is under attack, keep everyone here and calm," he said. "My family is there. I'll return if I can."

"Goodluck," Johnny said with a nod. "Thanks for everything. I hope you find them."

The vehicle sped off after that, leaving Johnny covered in an unintentional cloud of exhaust. The rockstar covered his mouth and walked back to the Parsons, his head hung low. If the military was gone from Fort Benning, they really would all be on their own. Who knew how long they'd be able to stay at this orchard until things turned south. He didn't want to fall victim to it, so he decided to greet with the Parsons so that they would keep him around. At least long enough until he figured out what to do with himself.

Johnny knocked lightly on the Parson's door, opening it and letting himself in. The Parson's loved him, they were dear friends to his parents. When he saw them though, he felt like just another person here. Smiles were exchanged, but before they were able to speak Johnny let everyone in the room know the situation. He told them about the outpost being under attack from the undead, and of how all these people on their land weren't planning to go anywhere else.

Ethan drove down the highway as if he were in a police chase. It wasn't until Dallen sat up that he remembered he was back there, seeing him in the rearview mirror. They were already too far ahead for him to stop.

"Have you forgotten about me?" Dallen asked, fixing the tie to his suit.

Ethan ignored him and tried to reach his daughter on the radio again, but all he was recieving now was silence. After a few more attempts, he looked at Dallen in the rearview. "I'll drop you off somewhere on the way," he finally told him. "I've got bigger problems than to babysit a murderer."

"I heard," Dallen said. There was a long silence again. "I'm a lawyer. Was, I guess. I was good. Real good. There was this other lawyer, I beat him in court on a number of occasions. Embarrassed him, ruined his life and career according to him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ethan cut in. "You're not on trial, I said I'll let you go. It's your lucky day, while everyone else's worst nightmare. I just want my family back."

"Then the guy disapeared," Dallen continued as if the sheriff had never spoken. "Ten years later, he's after revenge. He stalked my wife and I, took pictures. He studied us. Eventually...." He paused again, frustration being held back from his face. "He murdered my wife, then killed himself. He wanted to ruin my life like I ruined his, and he did. I wasn't running from the law, I was heading back to my old office to find what I could on the guy to prove my innocence. Then I got caught and brought to your little shithole of a town until they transported me back."

"Again, why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to know that I'm not a murderer, I will help you find your daughter and your wife," Dallen replied.

"Thanks," Ethan gave him the benefit of the doubt. "We're forty-five minutes away."

Forty minutes later they came up to a traffic jam, heading toward the camp. There were too many cars in the way, all seemingly empty and quiet. It appeared as if everyone ditched their rides, maybe walking to the outpost from there. It was what they had to do.

"We head through the trees, it's faster and quiet," Ethan told the suited man. Ethan handed Dallen over a handgun, staring him direct in his eyes when he did. "My family is on the line. If you betray me or they get hurt from your doing in any way, I'll kill you. Or I'll die and come back to kill you."

"Lead the way."

The sattellite phone crackled back to life as they headed out. "Daddy? Hurry!!? I think they heard me!"[/color]

"Hang in there, sweety!" he replied, then started running. "I'm close!"

Dallen huffed and sighed, he was a smoker and didn't like the fast approach. He moved quicker, but Ethan gained a speed advantage as they pressed through the wilderness.

When they came out from the outher side, they were exhausted and took a few moments to catch their breath. Over the next hill was the military outpost called Fort Benning, the city was on fire in the skyline distance. The closer they got the more undead there appeared to be. Hundreds of them it seemed, both inside and outside the base. It was completely overrun by the dead.

Ethan scouted the area with the sight on his bolt action rifle. He zoomed in and saw that there was little hope for any life, but he knew his daughter was somewhere in there hiding. He waited for her to use the phone once more.

From their vantage point, they were atop the highest hill overlooking the valley leading into the city. They could see in all directions for many miles. The undead surrounded the fort but they were scarcely separated around the highway, parallel to it.

"Where are you baby?" Ethan called into the phone. "Come on, where are you?"

Silence.

"Going in there is suicide, you know that right?" Dallen asked.

"She's alive and in there somewhere, I have to go," he replied and started moving forward, set on his decision.

"Wait, we need a plan. We can't just..." Dallen started, Ethan had already moved further downhill. He wasn't turning back again. "Meet back at the highway!!" If they were chased, they would be able to at least hide under the vacant vehicles for protection.

Dallen changed direction from following the sheriff to heading to the traffic jam. He figured he might be able to find a new, working ride out of here. More importantly he needed to make noise, the infected seemed to be drawn to it. He snuck his way down the hill slope until he was close enough to start moving from vehicle to vehicle. Ethan used stealth all the same to get close to the compound, though he was clear on the other end.

"Daddy! I'm in the dumpster!" Erin shouted into the satellite phone, then it immediately went to static again.

Ethan scoped the area one last time before he spotted a few dumpsters, just inside the outpost secluded from the rest. There were still far too many to go running in, so he moved quietly and quickly from cover to cover. The closer he got, the harder it bcame to pass. He slid under a pickup truck while the walkers passed around him. Shutting off his phone, he waited for the right time to move.

Aeres jolted awake to the sound of a speeding car’s engine rumbling past his BMW, blue eyes wide as he scrambled in the front seat, reaching unknowingly for the gun he had stored. He didn’t get around to finding it by the time he put together what had happened—a car had left the area, though everything else seemed calmed—and he settled down with a heavy breath, leaning back against the leather seat. He ran his fingers through his brunette hair—last evening’s hair gel felt sticky and unclean now. He longed for a trip to the shower.

A glance at the boarded up house told him it likely wouldn’t be an option, but he thought to try his luck anyway. Thinking a bribe might be in order depending on everyone’s mood, he tapped his back pocket to make sure his wallet was still there and then got out of his car, locking it again before stashing the keys safely into his pants. His throat felt dry and his clothes were dirty—he hadn’t woken up in such a mess since college freshmen parties at the fraternity houses. Soren had always been the one to get him in, the socialite—he was dead now, wasn't he?

Images of his brother’s yellowish, bloody face flashed through his mind as he approached the door of the Parson’s house. He heard voices from within. Knocking a few times, he waited to be let in, not wanting to get himself gunned down if he was thought to be one of the infected. “Excuse me?” he spoke up, hoping the sound of a human voice would catch someone’s attention. He heard people but had no idea if they would be friendly. He knew no one in the tiny town.

“I was sleeping outside in my car,” he explained, trying to raise his voice so he could he heard through the door. “I was wondering if you had a working shower or bathroom. Or if you have water at all—I, uh, I can pay if it’s a problem.” He didn’t know if their water was expensive way out here or if it came from a well or what, he just hoped they would let him use some of it so he would feel less like a filthy mess.

(ooc: face claim image for him if anyone's interested
i.pinimg.com/564x/55/80/92/5580925d55… )

----

Before the sun had risen there was a gentle knock at the door followed by a soft creek and Mrs. Parsons peeking her head in. Sarah had spent the night sleeping in Wes' bed while the man sat against the wall on the floor beside the door, a Louisville Slugger tucked beneath his chin. The door hit his foot jolting him awake and he ran a tired hand over his scruffy face before looking up at his mother.

“How is she?” she asked.

Muscles stiff from sitting in one position for so long, his body ached and he groan as he stood. “Sleepin',” he said. “Like normal people.”
She shook her head and chided him with a look. “Poor thing,” she mused in a hushed voice. “First with what happened to her parents and now this.”

Wes sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Not to discount whatever Sarah was going through, he empathized as well, but he had to point out, “It's shit for everyone.” Though his mother was always disgusted by his foul mouth, he persisted with a sideways grin. He'd always been the one getting in trouble and that was probably why his parents had fallen in love with Sarah—she'd been a good influence on him. He wasn't as bad when he was around her as evidenced by the way he'd offered his room when he saw her setting camp out in the hallway with a bunch of nobodies.

Joining his mother downstairs reluctantly, he wasn't going to make it easy, especially since it seemed Wyatt had skipped out on helping with breakfast—and they needed all hands on deck with everyone staying there so they could actually feed everyone. Some early risers and people who hadn't been able to fall asleep had to wait. Once they'd finished one stack of pancakes, with his mother's famous cider accompanying it, he had to immediately start on another. His dad sat at the table, his phone in his hand, scanning news articles online trying to gather more information on what was happening.

Whatever was going on wasn't just isolated to the US, but reports were coming in indicating that it was a global phenomenon. He heard a mixture of radios overlapping, some of them contained preachers shouting about the end of days receiving nods from their constituents, some of them were blaming the government and biological warfare. His mother flipped her apron refusing to listen to any of it as she bustled around the kitchen. Spotting Johnny, she made a beeline towards him, Wes rolling his eyes as the woman appeared to almost burst at the seems wanting to take the young man into a hug. Over the sizzle of the bacon he could hear the breaking news about the outpost.

From the doorway a soft voice spoke with a dejected twinge. “Deputy Hall left already?” Wes glanced over his shoulder to see Sarah standing there, sleepy eyed and disheveled having just rolled out of bed.

“Yeah. And all these assholes ain't going anywhere.”

“Weston!” his mother scolded and he winced at the sound of his full name. Turning back to Johnny she said, “They are welcome to stay as long as like like. As are you, dear. I know you're a good boy, Johnny Blackburn.” Wagging a finger at him, she added, “But you should have known better than to throw a party like that!” It didn't matter how old the younger generation got, Mrs. Parsons would always see them as children. A look around the room, she gave a sigh asking, “Where is your brother?”

“Hell if I know.” He could feel her stare and he gave a sigh. “Last I heard he was taking care of a few of the people that got injured at the party in one of the rooms out back.” Wes sat a large plate of food down on the counter-top and gave a nod for Sarah indicating it was hers. He'd made it special, just the way he'd remembered her liking it when they dated back in high school.

She was too busy talking to Johnny to notice.

“Wes, be a dear and get your brother for me, would you?”

“Little busy.”

He cracked a few eggs in a bowl before his dad's monotone voice spoke. “Listen to your mother.” It was about as involved in conflict as the man would get. Since he didn't care one way or another if all the squatters got fed, he obliged, leaving the task to his parents. Without him there, his mother took to physically pushing his father off the chair and forcing him to help, much to his chagrin.

Since he had to go outside, he took the bat with him, propping it over his shoulder and finagling his way through the crowd. He didn't get very far before Sarah lingered behind pulling Johnny along saying, “It's dangerous out there. You shouldn't go alone.” With an arched brow he wondered what help she would be when she couldn't even kill a spider. Though he hadn't personally run into any of these things, he'd heard accounts from those who had. That was probably the reason why she'd dragged Johnny along.

But he wouldn't stop them if they really wanted to come.

From outside he could hear someone yelling, but he didn't pay much attention until he opened the door to find a boy standing on the stoop talking some nonsense about a shower. Wes snorted and said, “Ha! Good one buddy,” before walking past him. The lines for the bathrooms and the showers were long and even if he did manage to get lucky, the hot water had run out about an hour ago.

Sarah imagined it must have been hard to have so many people invading his home, but she didn't approve of Wes being so dismissive. “There's a bit of a wait for the bathrooms, but a nice woman gave me some baby wipes earlier,” she said, reaching into her pocket and handing the rest of the packet to the boy. Wes hadn't stopped walking with his long strides and she saw him round the corner of the building. Sarah trotted off after him, a constant string of “Excuse me,” as she dodged the people who'd made up camp in their yard. It seemed odd to her that people would just set camp out in someone's yard, and an invasion of privacy, but Mrs. Parsons didn't seem to mind and in fact welcomed it.

When they arrived at the rented room, Wes was already tapping on the door with his baseball bat. “C'mon, Wyatt,” he said, irritation seeping in his voice. “Open up.”

Tthe foreboding scratching on the other side of the door and the low groans were an all too familiar sound to her.

“Wes,” she began. “Don't open-”

But she was too late. He'd pushed it open.

Johnny wanted to speak with Sarah, but before he could she immediately hauled him along with her following Wes. Without refusal he went, and when he saw the guy from the BMW standing on the porch it made him realize he, too, needed a shower and some new clothes.

"Come on, there's a creek nearby we can use," Johnny told the guy. "You never told me your name by the way." He paused the conversation when they reached their destination, he too noticed something was wrong as the door was open and the walkers within came pouring out. Not having any weapon on him, Johnny grabbed Wes by the shirt collar and yanked him back enough to not get toppled over. "Run!"

"Get back!!" one of the hunters yelled, the man ran in and aimed his gun. The weapon clicked, but nothing happened as it was jammed. The closest walker pounced on the hunter and sunk its teeth into his neck. Johnny fell off toward the side of the structure and then ran off back toward the house to fetch a knife.

Dallen found a working truck, however it was encompassed with vehicles. He opened the doors and cranked up the speakers as loud as they would go, then began playing the music that was in the CD player. Metallica-Enter Sandman. The music blared loudly and the horde in the area took notice, all of them slowly moving toward the sounds and vibration of the truck.

When he realized it was working, Dallen began backing far off. The sounds coming from the dead was loud enough to still be heard over the music. There was a single corner store out here, seemingly empty of the dead. Dallen ran to it and checked the vehicles parked outside of it, there was a jeep that still ran. The owner was half eaten and mutilated inside the back seat, but Dallen ignored that as best he could as he prepared the jeep for travel.

The walkers were surrounding the truck playing the music outside, some of them branching away when they noticed there was no flesh to eat. They were heading in his direction, but he had plenty of time. Dallen started looting the store, taking as much whiskey and cigarette cartons as he could find and fit into a small bag.

When the music started, the surrounding walkers left the area and Ethan was able to reach the dumpster. Just before he opened it, he saw his wife walking away from him. She was dead, one of the infected. He paused and took a deep breath, then opened the dumpster and there she was.

Erin flinched as the door lifted, but when she saw her father she jumped and hugged him with eyes filled with tears. "You came!"

"I told you I would," he said and smiled. "We have to go now, follow me and be silent."

She simply nodded and they were off, moving from vehicle to vehicle as stealthily as they could. The way behind them was already filled with new walkers that had come from the trees, so they kept pressing forward at an angle. They were making their way to the gas station at the end, going parallel with the truck playing music.

Erin dropped her radio phone, it was a slight noise yet just enough for the herd around them to turn toward them. "Daddy!?" she said as two walkers came charging her from the side.

Ethan pulled his gun and fired, taking them both out immediately, but now they were spotted by the rest. Ethan grabbed his daughter's hand and pulled her forward, but one of the walkers got him and took a deep bite into his arm. Ethan screamed, pushing the walker away. He grabbed Erin and pulled her into a nearby cab. The walkers banged against the glass but they couldn't get in at the moment. They were trapped.

Aeres barely got any words in as the woman offered him a half-empty pack of wet wipes, managing only a brief “thanks.” His eyes followed the fleeting movement of the woman and her rude companion as they moved past him and off to somewhere he likely wasn’t welcome to follow—not that he wanted to. If he were to be honest, as nice and tolerable as everyone had been so far, he desired to get away from the crowd as soon as possible. The amount of people collected in such a small space was making him feel ill and it didn’t help that there was a buzzing nervous energy swarming the place. Sleeping had helped, but his rest hadn’t been long, nor was it well in the seat of his BMW. He’d always been particularly sensitive to uneasiness in people and now he was engulfed in all of their tension at once.

Pulled out of his head, Johnny caught his attention by mentioning the creek, but the young man’s disgruntled face conveyed that he instantly detested the offer. An attempt to correct the scowl was made after he caught it and, trying to be polite, he began following him anyway. If the wet wipes were enough, he thought he could at least rinse some of his clothes in the creek, but he wasn’t about to wash his body and hair in there—not with all the algae and plankton and microbes floating around. He’d taken biology as a general education requirement and he’d looked through those microscopes at pond water samples taken from a local site; since then he refrained from drinking or swimming in anything that wasn’t at least somewhat filtered.

He was pulling a wet wipe out of the pouch in his hands, about to get on with a formal introduction, when a cry of Run! made him raise his chin in alarm. “Huh?” The noise from his mouth cut short as he heard the rustle of movement paired with a putrid odor of blood and rot.

His feet moved before his mind made the conscious decision to; yesterday had him restless, and his body hadn’t fully relaxed since. Racing towards the direction of his BMW, he unlocked it as soon as it was in sight with a press of the button in his pocket and dove into the front seat, slamming the door behind him as he slammed the keys into the ignition and started it with a rumble. A quick glance behind him served as a reminder that there were still others falling behind; he wasn’t sure if he cared enough to linger for them or not.

He put his foot on the pedal then lifted it off again, muttering a gruff “Goddammit!” under his breath. The guilt would eat him alive if those things didn’t.

He snatched his hand gun and checked it to make sure it was loaded. Certain that it was, he rolled down the driver’s seat window and sent a bullet towards the walkers, though his aim was subpar at best—he managed to hit one and send it falling backwards by pure luck and the fact that they were close-knit in a mass.

“What do we do?” he shouted out the window at anyone who was around to hear it. “Can’t we get outta here?! Someone wanna tell me where the hell to drive?!” It was the other concern that kept him from taking off in the vehicle—he didn’t know where to go or if there was any other place to go. He’d run to the BMW as a habit and for safety, knowing it was his own and he would find shelter inside, but he had no idea if it was the only thing left. “Isn’t there somewhere else to go?!” His voice made an embarrassing, frantic squeak as his fright took control. He shot thoughtlessly at the bloody group of creatures again.

----

Time seemed to slow down for Wes. The faces turned towards him, some flawless just as they'd been before, others maimed from being attacked, and all of them with cherry stained teeth. The sound of Sarah's voice came too late and before he had a chance to react the fabric around his neck choked him as he was forcefully pulled back by Johnny in the nick of time.

They filed out of the room, nearly a dozen of them, shuffling towards the group near them. Their short attention spans were diverted towards the hunter's shout and soon they shambled off in that direction. Moths drawn to a flame. Sarah covered her mouth with her hands to keep from making any sound, but she could smell the strong scent of iron and her eyes were drawn to the smears and splatters along the wall.

Wes gripped at the bat and gave a tough swing at one of the slow moving biters. He assumed Johnny had gone back to warn the people in the house as his parents both came filing out. His mother yelling, “Wyatt!” with tears streaming down her face. Behind him his father tried to hold her back, but she fought against him opening her arms towards her soon, ignoring the blood on his face.

“Mom!” Wes yelled. “Stay back!” But the woman wouldn't listen and ran towards her eldest. Wes watched in horror as Wyatt took a chunk out of her neck and then turned on his father whose passive nature had taken a backseat to a low, threatening baritone growl. He moved forward trying to reach them, but made a sudden stop as clumps of dirt shot into the air from a scattering of bullets fired into the ground.

Shielding his eyes from the spray, he noticed the bullets were coming from a fancy BMW and the boy who'd been asking for a shower earlier was firing through the window. “Watch where you're aiming-” he tried to yell, but his voice was drowned by the gunfire and the ringing in his ears following it. The best thing to do was dodge out of the line and he moved just in time as another poorly aimed bullet hit the ground where he'd just been standing moments before.

A few of the bullets did seem to hit their mark, the chest, the arm, but they continued their relentless approach. It was only when one stray bullet hit the head that he noticed they stayed down for good.

But the sound of the shots echoing through the orchard drew the attention of the monsters and they began heading towards the expensive vehicle and the boy shouting inside it. From behind him he could hear Sarah scream though he hadn't seen where she'd run off to. Feet digging into the ground, he started at both locations before running towards the car and swinging at one as they encroached upon the vehicle.

In one direction the sound of gunfire rang out. In the other the faint hum of music drifted through the air though she couldn't decipher what it was. Regardless, both directions indicated people and the more people there were in one area the more risk there was. At the moment, Elizabeth couldn't afford to take any risks. She had a goal, as impractical as it was, and she was determined to accomplish it. Unless they owned a plane or a boat they were useless to her and she refused to be dragged down by anyone else's dead weight.

Coming across a mass of abandoned cars, she navigated towards one ringing with the gentle beep of the open door warning. Determining the model, she peering into the vehicle to make sure it was empty before sliding into the front seat. Elizabeth hummed to herself while looking around, eyes lighting up as they were drawn the middle console. Taking out a penny, she held it up to examine it before leaning over beneath the steering column and, using the currency as screws, detached the plastic cover.

Just as she was pulling aside one of the wire bundles, her eyes widened as in the rear-view mirror she caught sight of a fairly large group heading in her direction. More gunfire rang out, this time much closer, and Elizabeth cursed as she knew she didn't have enough time to finish hot-wiring the car to run. Getting out of the vehicle, she expected for them to continue heading her way, but the group appeared to be distracted. A small voice ringing out from the center, she felt her chest tighten as she reached for her Beretta. Firing at the group, the sound of the shot rang through the air and they turned in her direction. After a couple of more shots to assure she had their attention, she took in a deep breath and began running in the opposite direction.

Johnny grabbed a kitchen knife from inside the house while the chaos continued. He paused in disbelief as he saw through the kitchen windows into the back fields. Coming down the large grassy hill were hundreds of the dead, those that came out here to attend the rockshow. They were all parked and camping in the rv lots, close enough to hear the gunfire which swayed them in this direction. Squinting to see them, he noticed a few of them were even wearing his band shirts.

"Oh, no, no, no, no..." Johnny rushed back out front, where the rest of the hunters were lined up and taking shots at the incoming undead. Johnny joined in next to Wes and together they took down the rest around the BMW. While Wes batted them down, Johnny stuck a few in their temples using distance and accuracy. They went down much easier than the previous ones he had encountered. He realized they were like wild animals, and so long as you knew how to put them down it came easy. Just as long as there isn't a massive horde of them, which would be on them in any minute.

"We have another problem," "Johnny shouted for all to hear, once the surrounding dead were down and the gunfire ceased. "Hundreds are coming down the hill, they're coming from the RV park. They'll be here in fifteen minutes. I think we should go, there are hundreds of them and they're moving fast. Before Ethan left he told me the outpost was taken down by the dead, it's everywhere. The city is on fire and there is no help coming. We are on our own."

Johnny quickly picked up a bolt action rifle and slung it over his shoulder, then jumped into Aeres passenger side seat of his vehicle. Rolling down the window, he yelled "Meet up on the highway!"

Moments later and Ethan was sweating all over, the fever was starting to show its symptoms and he had no idea how long he had. Looking at the bite wound one last time, he knew what he had to do in order to protect his little girl. He could see Dallen from on top of the gas station store, off in the distance. The man was shining a flashlight into a small mirror, showing them where he was.

The windows of the vehicle they were in were tinted, and after a long while of not seeing or smelling them, the undead started to scatter once again. They formed an uneasy circle around the truck blaring rock music loudly. While they were distracted, he gave an affirmed nod to his daughter. Grabbing a large blanket from the backseat, he covered Erin up in it so that she wouldn't get bitten and they exited.

Ethan guided her down the road, taking it step by step as they went along. It was working, until the music cut out entirely and the dead started to turn away. They were well hidden behind the vehicles though, and they still continued on toward the gas station.

"Whatever happens to me, I want you to keep running to that gas station, understand?" he told her while they were staying still for the moment. He knew it wouldn't be long before he turned into one of them, so they had to do this now.

"No, I can't."

"You have to. Now, come on!"Ethan pulled her with him. They were crossing through the cars perfectly, just twenty or so yards away from the gas station when more gunshots rang out into the air. This turned the walkers immediately and they spotted Ethan and his daughter, who ran as soon as they were spotted. The blanket fell away, and the dead were chasing after the father and daughter all at once. Ethan fired the rest of his rounds into the incoming horde, taking down those nearest them, but there were far too many.

The walkers cut them off, coming in at angles and with awkward movements. Erin was grabbed, but Ethan shoved the infected away and pushed his daughter foward to the building. "I will always love you."

Ethan tackled the infected before they could reach her again, and so she ran. She ran as her father was overtaken, the horde covering over him entirely from sight. Erin ran screaming in tears as Ethan was being torn apart, she ran dirctely into Dallen's arms.

Dallen was watching them from atop the gas station, using binoculars from the store to pinpoint their exact location. When he found them, he used a flashlight and a mirror to send them signals of where he was, though he wasn't sure if they could see it.

On the other end of the highway he saw a red-headed woman. She was scavenging through the slew of vehicles. She seemed to be the only survivor left from this place, whatever happened here. He opened up a pack of marlboro red's and lit up a cigarette in thought. He had done his part in his mind, helping Ethan get to his daughter by distracting the undead with noise. He felt his conscience was clean now, and having seen them trapped he didn't think there was a way out, especially when the music stopped. He decided to leave them, but just before he could act on it the gunfire rang out and he began looking through the binoculars again.

Ethan had his daughter and they were on the move heading toward him. Ignoring the red headed woman and whatever her intentions were, he decided to help if he could but he wouldn't hesitate to jump into the jeep and leave in a moment's notice. Reaching ground floor, he ran out to witness Ethan going down. There were no words said, but when she ran up to him he just grabbed her and took her into the jeep. Then the former lawyer drove off and down the highway toward the red head.

They were a safe enough distance away from the horde when he spotted the woman walking away from them, still no words coming from the girl's mouth or his own. They were both in shock, but he still knew the woman had the better chance at keeping the kid alive so he honked and quickly pulled up to her.

"M'am, excuse me! M'am!"he said through the passenger open window. Erin sat motionless, her eyes wide and her face covered in blood. "I have this...girl here." He didn't really know what to say or do, he was never good with kids. "Her father just...can I give you a ride?" Looking back, the horde was inching closer to them. "Please, I need your help."

As the assembly of disheveled marching feet began reacting to the shots he’d fired, Aeres tensed up, the bullets from his gun pausing as he held his breath without realizing it until he gasped. He tried not to look at what was happening in the distance, though he heard terrified shrieking and warning shouts coming from all directions. His blue eyes didn’t seem to focus correctly as the group began approaching at an even faster right, and he realized not a moment too soon that they had heard the gunfire. Looking left and right and back and forth, he finally managed to roll up his window, pulling the gun and himself safely inside just as the first walker slammed its body against his vehicle.

As the undead man went in for what appeared like a headbutt directly into his window, someone hit him down, sparing the young man the anxiety of the glass cracking. However, it seemed that was not the only one waiting to try to get him from the outside; a few more thuds filled the tense atmosphere of his car as bodies lurched at it, and Aeres crouched down, hands pulled in towards his chest, gun resting in the passenger’s seat—he dared not use it more and attract further attention.

When Johnny came into sight, he breathed a little more again, eyes darting around as the two men took down the group attempting to destroy his car. It seemed the BMW had survived, save for a few minor dents—while usually he would be enraged by such marks, at the moment he was pleased to have it in one piece along with his fleeting life.

When the dead lie motionless outside the vehicle, only then did the boy open his door and peek out to here Johnny’s announcement. “Hundreds?” he repeated, eyes wide as the man got inside of his car. “Hundreds? From where? I thought no one lived out here!” He was too worried about surviving to watch his mouth in attempt to be more polite to the rural folk. “Are we really on our own? Just us?” Right now, he couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse that he had gotten stuck in traffic on his way to the band afterparty, or that he had chosen to go at all. His brother had not been so lucky, but he suspected something had happened when he stepped out to buy liquor before they went out. Soren had looked a bit off the entire car ride but he hadn’t wanted to say anything about it.

Without waiting for an answer, he started the car engine and began driving. He knew where the highway was and Johnny wouldn’t have to convince him twice. He maneuvered around abandoned vehicles and fallen corpses back onto the road and headed off from there, telling Johnny as his hands gripped the wheel, “Just let me know when I need to stop.” He paused, then added, “And thanks for killing those…things.”

-----

Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist, Wes turned anxiously towards Johnny as he made his dismal announcement to everyone. He listened to half and tuned out the rest once he remembered Sarah had been screaming earlier in the midst of the chaos. Shoving his way through the hysteric crowd, he tried to find her. The man was impatient as he pushed people aside who refused to get out of his way and he eventually found the woman he'd been searching for behind the house.

Two dead bodies laid at her feet—one of a helpful bystander who'd jumped in to help at the last minute, pierced in the temple by a bullet from one of the hunters guns. Next to him slumped a body covered in dirt and grain from the fields. It must have been one of the party goers who'd made their way over the hill. Her body shook violently, uncontrollably, and salt-water tears streaked her cheeks. Wes skidded to a stop when he saw her, his eyes wide, and he shook his head when he saw her arm slicked with blood from an open wound on her neck.

“No...” Sarah wiped her eyes with her hands when she saw him and gave a pained smile before he rushed forward and embraced her. “Fuck, Sarah...” he whispered as he held her. His mother. His father. His brother. In just a few minutes they were all gone—he hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye. It still hadn't sunken in. Now he stood in front of this girl, one he hadn't seen in years, but he would have once sworn he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He thought someone would have helped her—there were dozens of people around both in the house and camping outside of it—but no one had bothered. “I should have let that fucking kid die.”

Her eyes widened in horror—an expression he remembered and often dreamed about—and the reason she'd broken up with him in the first place. The bad boy and the good girl—they were a trope—and while in books and movies things might have eventually worked out between them, life wasn't like that. They'd been too different. “No!” she exclaimed. “It makes me happy you helped them.” A look of shame tainted her features as she held on to him, “I had a chance to help people and I ran away. I was scared. I ran away, Wes.” He didn't like the way she was looking at him. Like it would be the last time. “You've changed.”

Wes let her go and turned his back to her, looking towards the edge of the house. “We'll find a doctor. That dumb kid can give you a ride-” but before he could finish what he was saying he heard the sound of tires spinning out and knew even without seeing that they'd taken off. “God damn it!” Lashing out he punched at the nearby tree. “Everyone's fucking dying!” The bark scraped his knuckles drawing more blood, but the pain was nonexistent as he was lost in his own head.

“As soon as that thing bit me, I was dead,” she said. The disease was contagious and it would only be a matter of time before she became like the others. Already her face was pallid and her eyes more dull. “Promise me something?” He didn't want to promise anything, but he looked at her with a wary, tired expression feeling like he couldn't deny her one last wish. “Promise me you'll help them. That you won't run away like I did.”

Wes was not someone who liked helping others. He preferred to take care of his own and himself. It went against who he was, everything he believed in, but he found himself giving a slow nod anyway. Doubting it would be possible, he decided he would try even if he didn't think any of these assholes deserved it. “I promise.”

He sat with Sarah by the tree looking out at the hill. The group Johnny had been talking about began to shamble over the peak, stumbling over one another, but he didn't move. He kept his arm wrapped around her until she closed her eyes for the last time. Propping her up against the tree, he went to one of the hunter's fallen bodies, aiming the gun at her head and pulling the trigger. Slumped against the tree she looked like a morbid angel.

As they marched over the hill descending on the house, Wes had to be quick as he'd stayed longer than he should have. Most had cleared out after Johnny's warning while others had boarded themselves in his house thinking that it would survive the onslaught. He raced around towards the garage where he mounted his motorcycle. Squeezing and holding the clutch to his Indian Scout Bobber, the engine soon revved to life and took off, zipping through the diseased as they arrived and through the narrow openings out onto the highway.

“Has nothing to do with me.” Elizabeth didn't know why the man was telling her his life story or why she thought she cared about him and the kid with him when she had more important things to do. But with the enemy too close for comfort she relented saying, “But I will take that ride.”

Climbing into the cabin she sat beside the stone-faced girl. Elizabeth tried not to stare as silent stares slid down the girl's cheek, but her motherly instincts just wanted to take the poor thing into a hug. Considering the girl had just been through a traumatic experience, she refrained from doing so, taking to looking again at the screen on her phone and, noting the red bar in the upper left hand corner, shut it off. Turning her head to look out the window, she didn't know where this stranger was taking her or if he could be trusted, but knowing she was armed went a long way to making her feel better.

"Yeah man, we have to watch each others back!" Johnny said from the passenger seat of the vehicle. "Just keep going."

As Johnny and Aeres were amongst the first to leave the area, there was a dispute amongst the remaining hunters on whether to stay or go. One man claimed they had enough ammo to wipe them all out, while others were saying how this place could hold out on an attack. Many stayed, while a few remained hesitate. Cody Sandusky was one of those few, a red neck southerner wearing a white tank top and a trucker hat.

"Fuck it lets wipe these fuckers out!" Cody yelled, he was in the back of the group and watched as Wes drove away on his motorcycle. Second thoughts rang through his mind, so he stayed at the back.

When the horde came around the Parson's house, they came fast and aggressively. The first few were shot down but the hunters didn't expect them to be moving so quickly and all together. One by one they were taken down and devoured by the dead, as Cody dropped his rifle to run as fast as he could. He managed to jump into the back of a pickup truck with a few other hunters and they drove off. "Drive!! Fucking drive!!"

"Pull over here," Johnny told Aeres. They were on the long highway, no vehicles or sign of life anywhere to be seen for miles. The horde back at the Parson's was still heading for them, but they were far enough away.

Johnny got out the vehicle and lit up a cigarette while they waited for the others. The first to come was the RV, it held two families within. The Miltons, a southern family of four, Mark and Bobby Milton and their two teenage boys Adam and Drew. The other family was Tavien and Iris Grimes, a young attractive couple that were locals here and went to school with the rest. They had an infant baby boy with them they named Bruce.

After the RV came the van with various hunters and a few concert goers. After that Johnny saw Wes heading toward them alone. The last to come was a pickup truck, Cody in the back and another two hunters inside. They all piled out and gathered around, noting who made it and who was left behind.

"They thought they could fend them off," Cody spoke. "They didn't stand a chance!"

"Did you see Sarah?" Johnny asked Wes, he hadn't noticed her during the attack. He remembered they all scattered, he had no idea what happened to her.

"There's got to be something, anything out there!" Cody continued.

"There's a church, about 18 miles out, it's the nearest thing to a goodnight's rest," Mark spoke up, he had his arm over his wife Bobby's shoulder while his two young boys hid behind their parents. "It's run by Pastor Leroy Book, if it's still standing he'll help us out. It's got a few townhouses with beds, also has a brick wall surrounding it could be useful. We go every other Sunday."

As the sky drew darker a single bright light shone out in the darkness. It was a cross with jesus on it, a lighted sign that could be seen for miles in all directions. Dallen kept his foot on the brake as he looked at it. There was a small village of houses in the valley before them, all vacant of life and completely dark, save for the church sign.

"This is where I need your help," Dallen told the newcomer. It was the first thing spoken almost the entire ride. Dallen could feel the tension that this lady was in it for herself, but he was in it for himself as well. The little girl who just had her father massacred in front of her was the problem. The conscious within him told him he had to make sure she was safe before he could leave her.

As they pulled into the lot under the flickering church sign, they could see the large two storied structure of the church itself. There were a few town houses next to it with the lights on inside their windows, to the other side of the church was a crop plane parked on a long dirt landing area. All around the houses were crops and farming lands, wheat fields and a watering tank. The land was flat with the mountains towering over it from behind, and after awhile the land dropped and curved towards the city.

"Keep her safe," was all Dallen said as he exited the jeep, making his way toward the church with his gun drawn. He didn't know what to expect.

Suddenly lights shined on them before Dallen could get away from the jeep. A few spotlights aimed at them, shadows lurking behind them.

"Drop the mother fucking gun!" shouted a demanding, deep voice.

Dallen nodded and placed his weapon on the ground. When he looked back up he saw a man with an afro, wearing a pastor outfit. The man briefly aimed a shotgun at him, then lowered it as a group of stangers emerged from behind the lights.

"Just had to make sure you didn't accidentally shoot at us before we could speak," the pastor said and changed his angered expression to a smile. "You followed the light, you found sanctuary. Please, follow me."

Dallen looked back at Elizabeth and shrugged, then followed him toward the church. "We are in the business of helping," the man continued. "Sorry, I'm Pastor Leroy Book, this is my church. Everyone is welcome here."

"Dallen, the little girl's Erin, and she's..." he just realized they hadn't told each other their names yet.

"Well we have food and shelter to last a few months, just had a food drive just before everything went to shit," Leroy added. "It's only been days and the city's been wiped out, last we heard it stretches from coast to coast. Might take years to fix, but we're willing to wait it out here. You and your company are more than welcome, so long as you help out. There's a lot of work to be done, end of the world and all. In the morning though, you can rest up in the house there. Showers work but be curtious, we got a few families in here."

Dallen simply nodded, then turned toward Erin. This might be the best place for her, he figured. The little girl looked away from him, so he turned back to the pastor. "Thank you."