I find the bicycle right where I had left it, in the thicket beside the road intersection. I take a moment to get the plants off it, then hop on. I steer it towards the road. However, just as I am about to begin peddling away, I notice the sound of a truck in the distance. My head instantly snaps towards the noise. I can just make out a truck in the distance... Or is that two trucks? I can't see clearly from here, but I decide that a group this large might, just might, be willing to take another person. Going solo is too dangerous for me to do forever, so I take the risky move of waving them down.
(( By the way, exactly how many months after the start of the apocalypse is it? ))
Jon, On the Road,
The light October breeze drifts steadily over our encampment; Buck's groups sits around an easily made fire, eating dinner. The sunset casts of a rare beauty on the Apocalypse ridden world we now live in. Buck watches over the group; his eye drifting to each member; I thought I saw him glaring at Jesse. Megan approaches stealthily from behind, startling me.
"Hey." She says with a smile; she kisses my cheek.
"Hi." I respond; kissing her back.
"What's up?" She asks.
"Nothing much; I'm on lookout." I respond.
"Well... I was thinking that we could go do something fun." She says with a smile.
I laugh a little; this was too good to be true.
"Sure." I respond with a smile.
"Okay; follow me." Megan says; smiling.
I follow Megan to a secluded tent; far from the group.
Jesse, On the Roads, Starring blankly out into the meadows; Jesse sits in deep thought, trying to comprehend the relationships that have formed in the group. His gaze lands to Helen. She sits on the side of the road; reading. Standing up; Jesse approaches Helen, his intentions were to have just a talk.
"Hey." Jesse says; sitting down next to her. "Hi." She responds; uninterested. "What are you reading?" "Alice in Wonderland." She responds with a faint sigh. "It's a good book." Jesse responds; nodding.
Helen nods & continues to read in silence.
"Helen; I have to ask you something." "If it's about me & Buck; drop it." She says plainly. "Why?" Jesse responds; frowning. "Because; it's a sensitive topic that I don't want to discuss." "Helen; does he...." "Does he what?" Helen asks. "Does he treat you right?"
Helen pauses; her eyes drift up to Jesse; her face is pale.
"He...Yes, he respects me." She responds out of tone.
"No...No he doesn't Helen." Jesse responds.
Helen bursts into tears & she covers her face with both hands. Her sleeves roll down & several bruises, scars, & cuts mark both arms, all inflicted by Buck.
"Helen, I'm-
"He rapes me, beats me, I-
"Whats going on!" Buck shouts over the car.
Helen still is in tear; daring to not look up at Buck.
"Helen, why are you crying?" Buck asks.
"She told me what you do to her!" Jesse yells; standing up.
"And what is that?" Buck asks with a smirk.
"You rape & beat her you son of a b*tch!" Jesse yells.
Buck's group emerges from behind him.
"Poor little Helen." Buck mocks.
"Shut the f*ck up you piece of sh*t!" Jesse yells.
Buck's face turns red; he is clearly enraged.
"What did you call me?!" Buck yells.
"A piece of sh*t!" Jesse yells back.
There's a moment of silence. Buck leaps over the car & onto Jesse. The two violently roll on the ground; Buck throwing punches. Jesse rams his fist into Buck's mouth; knocking his teeth ajar. Blood smears on both Jesse & Buck's face. Buck punches Jesse in the stomach & Jesse kicks him hard in the groin. Buck rolls off; in immense pain; he grabs his crotch. Jesse pulls his hands off him & kicks him several times in the crotch. Buck cries out in pain & grabs Jesse's leg & twists until he falls to the floor. Buck pushes Jesse down & Jesse grabs for his throat; squeezing hard. Buck slams his fist into Jesse's face; breaking his nose. Jesse begins to claw at his face. Buck lifts his arm for another punch but is stopped when Jesse grabs his hand. Jesse rolls over on top of Buck and as Buck raises his hand to push away Jesse's face; Jesse clings tightly to it & bites off his ring finger & index finger. Stubs of what used to hold fingers squirt blood onto Jesse's face. Buck screams in pain as he holds his hand. Jesse steps off of Buck who rolls in pain. Whipping away the blood on his face; Jesse turns to the group who stare in awe.
Buck grips Jesse's foot & pulls it behind him; slamming him down to the floor. Buck stands now; stomping on his back. He rolls Jesse over & stomps on his face. Lifting him from the ground; Buck repeatedly smashes his fist into Jesse's bruised face.
"Buck stop!" Helen yells; rushing to his side & grabbing his punching hand.
Buck slaps her away. Helen collapses to the floor; in tears. Buck pauses from punching Jesse. His glare lands on Helen.
"Choose!" Buck yells like a feral animal. "Choose what?" Helen yells; still crying. "Who do you want? Me or him." Buck yells; his face red.
Helen pauses; whipping her face from tears. A large slap mark stains the right side of her face.
"I...Jesse." She responds.
Buck grunts then yells in anger. He throws Jesse towards her; landing him on her legs. Her quickly approaches & points at her face.
"You & your boyfriend are out of here!" He yells. "Everyone; get in the truck now!" Buck yells.
Buck,
Buck's breathing is heavy; small jolts of pain erupt from his groin & finger stubs. Buck fixes the position of his eye patch & whipes away the blood from his face. His tongue feels around for his front teeth, nothing but broken pieces of teeth were left. Buck pops his knuckles & neck, looks down at Helen cradling an unconscious Jesse. Buck laughs & steps forward. In the distance; Hawke calls out to Buck.
"These two betrayed us Hawke, we're leavin 'em behind, now come on, let's go.
Jon,
Fast asleep, Megan cuddled close with me. After what had just happened; both of us were tired. There came a rustling at the tent. I roll over to a side & grip a crowbar. The zipper of the tent is undone & a member of Buck's group steps in. I quickly cover Megan up & look up at the man.
"Get dressed, we're heading out." The man said blankly.
Jon, Waking Megan up; I quickly dress, she rubs her eyes & yawns.
"What?" She asks. "Time to leave." I respond.
Emerging from the tent; two men helped take down several other tents. Megan emerged; squinting in the sunlight.
The two men help us take down the tent.
"Here; bring the tent to the back of that white van in the front of the truck." One man says; pointing to a white UPS truck.
I nod & carry the secured tent to the white van. I set the tent down & open the double doors of the van. A putrid smell erupts from the van & I have to cover my nose. I stare into the van & look as two walkers run at me. I stumble backwards in fear.
"Oh sh*t!" I yell.
The walkers slowly descend down the steps of the van. I pant heavily as I scoot back & attempt to stand up. Just as the walker makes it to me; it's stopped by a chain. The walker chomps on air; trying desperately to chew my flesh. I step back a little when she thrusts her arms forward at me. I take a long look at the walkers. Both are wearing bright dresses; a contrast to the modern walkers disgusting & raggedy clothing. Their hair is done up nicely & makeup is brandished clearly on their rotting grey skin. Why were they like this. I reach into my pocket for my pistol. As I pull it out; a man with glasses makes me lower it.
"Don't." He says.
"Why; their walkers." I respond; raising my eyebrows.
"Their not walkers; those are Buck's daughters."
Jon,
I stare at Stephen for a few seconds before putting my gun back in my pocket.
"His daughters?" I say; confused.
Stephen nods.
"They were bit, turned, after his wife died." Stephen responds.
I think about this large, supposedly intimidating, man who was actually just some normal guy with a wife & kids. It seemed weird.
"Why does he keep them?"
"They're the only family he has left. I think keeping them keeps him sane, after he killed his wife, well, he doesn't have alot to live for."
I process the information. So he killed his wife.
"Why'd he kill his wife? Did she turn?" I ask.
"She was bit, begged him to not let her turn."
"Geez, damn walkers. My brother Greg died, & I'm not sure about my parents." I respond.
"I... I'm sure they're fine." Stephen responds; reassuringly.
Jesse, Bleeding profusely in Helen's arms, Jesse is deeply unconscious, his breathing is heavy & slow. Helen cradle's him, her sobs have died down, she now silently cries. Buck & his men pack up supplies around the camp; Buck restraining eye contact with Helen. In the time Helen spent cradling Jesse, Buck had put anti-biotics on his fingers & wrapped them up. Jesse moves slightly & Helen looks down quickly. His eyes open slowly, staring up at Helen. She brushes his hair softly.
"What happened?" Jesse says slowly. "Nothing... just son't worry, you're fine now." Helen responds. "I... I don't feel fine."
She smiles a teary eyed smile, confused on how to feel. Jon appears from behind the white van, his face puts off a shocked expression. He approaches Jeff, Megan, Mason, Aaron, & Raychelle.
"Guys...there's something I have to tell you..." He says.
Aaron, Looking to Jon, Aaron notices his grave expression.
"What is it?" Mason asks.
There's a pause, Jon looks back to Buck who is packing up crates into the truck.
"Buck keeps his two walker daughters."
There's a slightly long pause, they group looks to each other.
"Are you serious?" Megan asks; surprised. "Yeah, I went over to the UPS truck to put up the supplies & two walkers in chains come shambling out." "How'd you know they were his daughters?" Aaron asks. "That scientist guy, named Stephen, told me that he keeps his daughters so that he stays mentally stable." "It was only a matter of time before more people found out." Raychelle says. "What do you mean?" Jon asks. "No one in Buck's group knows, only you, me, & Stephen know." "When did you find out?" Mason interjects. "When his group picked me up towards the outbreak, they kept me locked up in that UPS truck with his daughters, he would come in & feed them, stroke their hair, call them by their names." She responds.
"Locked up? Why- "Why didn't you tell us?" Megan interjects Mason. "I was, but I needed to find the right time. Now is." "What do you mean right time?" Jon asks.
"Buck might have gotten angry & killed us all."
"But why now?" Jon asks again.
"Because...we have a way to break off from the group. We can say we aren't interested, steal a couple of supplies-
"Ray, that doesn't make sense, why would we separate from this group, they've helped us so much." Jeff interrupts.
"That's what he wants you to think, but he doesn't care about you all. He'll kill each of you, one by one, & cover your death up with some righteous explanation."
"How do you know?" Megan asks.
"He did it to my Boyfriend."
Captain Robert "Buck" Lawson, The Outbreak, Wyoming,
The tanks sped on through the walker infested city of Cheyenne. Walkers skirted along the sides of the tank, trying to get in. The gunners on each tank gunned them down easily. It was a smooth run operation, Robert was to save as many people as he could, including his wife & two daughters, without dying. Robert had broken his team off from the Marines, having believed that they were only interested in saving themselves. Tony, John, Daniel, Isaac, Mark, & Emerson were the last men in his unit. The two tanks patrolled the walker heavy streets, coursing through the blocked passages.
"My family lives in an apartment on the outskirts of this city, we're getting close." Robert announces over his headset.
Looking through the tank's small glass window, Tony's eye gaze at the enormous horde of walkers patrolling the streets. There were no civilians, no soldiers, everything left of the old world had been corrupted.
"Sir, what makes you think that we'll find anyone in this sh*t hole?" Tony announces over his headset.
"Like I said, my family lives on the outskirts of the city, there's bound to be little amounts of walkers there. Everyone died in the city when we Napalmed the hell out of it."
The tank continues down the road, slowly reaching the outskirts of the city.
"You know, I've got family in New York, gotta two cousins, Jon & Greg, my Uncle Frank." Mark says over the headset.
"I'm sure their fine." Daniel responds.
The tank reaches the apartments. They are small red brick duplexes with a dark shade of green for the door. Most of the doors have been left open, but surprisingly, a few a barricaded shut. The apartment containing Roberts family is closed, though the upstairs windows have been smashed.
"Alright, men, I'm gonna need cover, Daniel, Mark, you stay in the tanks, use the guns to drop any unwanted walkers. Isaac, Tony, Emerson, cover me on the outside." Robert announces over the radio.
"Yes sir." Robert's unit say in unison.
Robert lifts open the cover hatch on the tank & peaks his head out. Five walkers shuffle around the surrounding apartments.
"Alright, lets go!" Robert announces to his cover squad.
The squad heads into position, Robert in the lead. Robert advances up the steps & to the green door. He turns the knob, it's locked. Smashing his weight against the door, Robert gains entry within five smashes. A putrid smell of rotting flesh ascends into the squads noses. Disgusted looks are signaled upon entry. Several flies swarm a pile of dead bodies.
"Marie!? Stephanie!? Annabelle!?" Robert yells, looking around.
There's no response. Checking the pile of dead bodies, Robert finds no sign of his family. Again, he repeats the calls for his family.
"It's me, Dad!" Robert finally yells.
There's no response, again. Robert looks around the apartment, entering several rooms, the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen, nothing.
"Sir, maybe upstairs." Emerson chimes in.
"What, in Mrs. Grains apartment? Alright, up those stairs." Robert responds.
The squad follows Robert up the stairs to Mrs. Grains apartment. He opens the door with ease, when entering, the smell of floral perfume nauseates the squad.
"Marie!? Annie!? Steph!?" Robert calls out.
"Daddy!" A voice calls out.
Running towards him is a short figure.
"Stephanie!" Roberts says, picking her up & holding her tightly.
"Dad!" Annabelle announces running to him as well.
"Oh, Robert!" Marie says; approaching him from behind.
Robert shares tears of joy & laughter with his family, who swarm him.
"Dad... I missed you so, so much!" Annabelle says; hugging him tightly.
"So did I!" Stephanie pipes in.
"I did to girls, I missed you all so very much." Robert says happily.
"Sir, we've got walkers hitting up the tank, they're swarming us." Daniel announces over the headset.
"What's a walker?" Annabelle asks.
"Hang on guys." Robert says; releasing them from his hug.
"Daniel, what's the current state?" Robert asks over the headset.
"We're bogged down sir. Mark's tank has been swarmed completely, they- Oh, oh my god, they're getting in the f*cking tank. They're in Mark's tank." Daniel screams over the headset.
The sound of the tank's guns erupt along with the blood curdling screams emitted from somebody.
"F*ck!" Robert yells.
"Rob, watch your language!" Marie yells.
"Shut the f*ck up Marie, my men are dying!"
Marie starts crying, along with Stephanie & Annabelle.
"F*ck!" Robert yells under stress.
"Marie, get the kids in the closet. Tony, Emerson, Isaac, quick, let's get Daniel the hell out of there!" Robert commands.
Rushing down the wooden stairs, the squad reaches the bottom apartment. Several walkers have swarmed the entrance.
"F*ck, go back!" Roberts yells.
The walkers pile in. Isaac gives cover fire. Robert, Emerson, & Tony head up the stairs. Isaac slowly goes up the stairs, firing off rounds on the walkers. The three reach the door & Isaac is at the top step.
"Isaac, get your ass in here!" Robert yells.
"Hang on! Getting rid of these bastards!" He yells back.
Flesh is torn from Isaac's leg. Screams of sheer pain erupt from his mouth. He fires down at the walker as another tears into his side.
"ISAAC!" Robert yells; rushing to him.
Emerson reaches the door first & pushes Isaac down the stairs, into the horde of walkers & slams the door shut.
"No!" Robert yells; running into the door & banging on it. Tears stream from his eyes.
"What the f*ck Emerson, what were you thinking! We could have saved him!" Robert turns & yells to Emerson.
"No, we couldn't have, it was too late." Emerson responds.
Robert shakes his head & paces around the room.
"It had to be done." Emerson says calmly.
"You either kill or be killed."
Robert stops in his pace; looks up to Emerson. His face is pale, blood smears it. Robert see's red, anger has built up.
"You son of a b*tch!" Robert yells as he charges Emerson.
Throwing Emerson against the wallpapered wall, Robert smashes his fists into Emerson's face. Emerson pushes Robert back. Robert stumbles & falls on a wooden table which collapses. Emerson jumps on Robert, strangling him, his fingers pressing against his Adam's Apple. Robert chokes, his face becomes red. Emerson picks up a piece of metal, cuts it across his face & finally thrusts it into Roberts left eye, stabbing him once. Robert yells out in pain, his left hand reaches for his bleeding eye. Tears form in his right eye & his mouth spews saliva.
"Daddy!" Annabelle yells.
No holding back, no emotion. Robert reaches for his utility belt, He notices Tony trying to pull him off. Robert pulls the knife from the belt & implants it into Emerson's neck. Emerson gasps for air, his hands released they're grip from Roberts neck. Robert gasps for air. Annabelle & Stephanie rush to his side. Tony stands back, his hands raised above his head, his expression is in awe. Emerson chokes on his blood, he tries desperately to remove the knife from his throat. Robert cries as he reaches for the metal object in his left eye. He pulls on it, the immense, needle like pain courses through his eye socket. In one swift motion, Robert pulls the object from his eye. He throws it aside & feels his left eye. His left eye can no longer see, only his right, where it stares up at Stephanie, crying tears onto his face.
Jeff, "Yeah, I found out." Jeff says with disgust
"Who told you?" Ray asks. "Jennifer, she said that you two killed her son." Jeff says, frowning. "We didn't, one of Buck's men did it." "Why? Why would they kill his own me?" "Hell if I know. We we're picked up on the side of the road, they seemed friendly, but a few weeks in, Marcus was taken on a hunting trip with Trent, Ralph, Jenkins, & Jennifer's son. When they came back, Marcus was brutally beaten & they were carrying Jennifer's son's corpse. They blamed it on me & Marcus, even though I wasn't present with them at the time. They took Marcus, tortured him in front of me, then just as I was on the verge of cracking; killed him. Buck locked me away in the white UPS truck for a week before I broke out & escaped from the caravan. Trust me Jeff, I didn't kill her son, & trust me when I say, we need to brake off from the group or attack & kill Buck." Raychelle explains to the group.
The group stands shocked by Raychelle's story. Megan looks to Jon, then Mason.
"And especially after what he did to him." Raychelle says; turning to Jesse.
Jesse, Awaking from unconsciousness, Jesse sits himself up. He remembers vaguely of the fight, Helen still holds him. Looking down at Jesse, she faintly smiles.
"Alright, everyone, get in the truck." Yells Buck.
Everyone scrambles up towards the truck, Helen looks down at Jesse.
"Come on, I have a plan." She says; lifting him up.
"What's your plan." Jesse mutters.
"We'll hide in the pickup truck."
Helen helps Jesse onto his feet & wraps his arm around her shoulder to keep him steady. Slowly advancing towards the pickup truck, Helen opens the flap door for the flatbed of the pickup. She lays Jesse down on the inside & gets in herself.
"We can't be seen, so we'll have to cover ourselves up." She says; pulling a giant canvas over her torso & eventually her head.
Jesse is covered up by Helen & everything becomes dark.
Buck, Getting in the passenger side of the military truck, Buck buckles in, then sighs.He thinks back to the fight, then to Helen. Looks like he has to find someone else, perhaps Jennifer? He turns to the driver; he's a middle aged man with graying black hair. He wears a bandanna wrapped around his head, his long graying beard reaches to the base of his neck.
"Jim, take us to Kentucky, we'll stop & rest when we reach the crossing.
Jim nods & drives on wards, the caravan of trucks course through the highway, passing the occasional hordes & broken down cars. Not much happens on the trip.
Jon,
I sit next to Megan who rests her head on my shoulder. We both sit across from Aaron & Mason. thinking back to the crash, I remember the lost details.
The car speeds down the highway, passing several lines of cars. Most of the people had parked them on the side of the road, regrouped with their family, friends, etc. Greg coughs violently, blood paints his right hand. His pained expression makes Jon flinch each cough. There's an exhale of breath, Greg stops moving.
"Greg?" I call out; waiting for a response.
The memory fades forward a little. Greg sits still in the passenger side of the car, no movement. Was he asleep. Jon was passing through a small town, somewhere in New York. He was confused, never had he been this way before, it made it harder not having a GPS or map to give him direction. There's a small gasp, it erupts from Greg's mouth. His skin had paled & slightly grayed. He lifts his head up.
"Greg?" I ask him.
A weird gargling noise emits from his mouth. He looks forward before turning his orange eyed gaze to me. I'm taken aback by the change of eye color, the yellowed teeth, blackened blood, & the appearance of what used to be my brother. Tears flood to my eyes, he's turned, he's one of them. His arms reach out, his hand grips my hoodie's sleeve, pulls it towards his mouth. I pull my arm back, struggling. I try removing his hand from my arm, I forget about the car, my eyes are focused on the attacking thing.
Bam! Everything fades to black, the sound of metal being crush sounds through the darkness.
I fall back to what is now current. I look down at the floor of the truck. Tears flood my eyes. My brother turned, he didn't just die. The car crash must've caused a minor concussion, that's why I could only remember a little. I quickly wipe away the tears. Megan grips my hand, she holds it tight.
"What is it?" Megan asks.
"I... I just remembered my brother." I say, looking to her.
"I... I'm sorry Jon." She says; looking at me, her gaze comforts me.
I nod.
"Thanks." I respond.
"Jon... I love you." She says to me.
"La la la... da do da daaaaa... la la loooo... da do da doooo..." I quietly hum as I sharpen the blade of my machete with a whetstone. After its recent uses, regrettable that they were necessary, the front of the blade, along the inward curve, has become dull. During my work, I ponder this new group.
So far, most of the people in this group seem nice enough. I have lately been extremely wary, but I've lately became more trusting of them. However, this Buck person, though I can't say I know him, seems somewhat... 'creepy'. Well, I ought to just observe and not attract much attention to myself. Hopefully I'll just be able to wait out all of these tensions I've seen, and stay as neutral in these obvious conflicts as possible.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My current avatar is: Raistlin Majere from the Dragonlance novels.
Aaron, Night slowly falls over the outskirts of Illinois, the group sits in complete silence. Aaron looks towards Raychelle, she sits towards the back. She nods to Aaron, the plan was to commence. Once the caravan crossed over to Kentucky, they would stop to rest then pack up again. The plan was to kill Buck in his sleep, slit his throat. Jon, Megan, Mason, & Jeff disagreed with the plan, thinking that he's the only hope they've got to survive, but then again, after seeing what happened to Jesse; they aren't as sure as they could be. Aaron reaches into his bag & pulls out his combat knife. He checks the blade, it's only a little dull, but it should do the job.
Jon & Megan sit across from Aaron, fast asleep, Aaron remembers the last time he got some sleep. The truck halts to a stop, the caravan has reached Kentucky.
Jon, The sudden stopping of the truck jerks my head forward a little. I wake up, slightly groggy. Megan begins to wake up as well, she yawns & looks down at her bag.
"Alright, let's setup camp!" Buck announces to the group.
The group gets up, picking up their bags & stepping outside. We're parked in a grassy area, several hills & trees surround the area. The highway is covered in cars, but we're in a well secluded area, hidden from the walkers. Buck steps out of the passenger side of the military truck. I notice his hand is bandaged, what did I miss? Megan approaches me from behind, wrapping her arms lightly around me.
"Thank you for yesterday." She says; smiling.
I laugh a little.
"Well, I haven't really thanked you either." I respond, looking back to her & smiling.
She laughs & kisses my cheek.
Jesse,
Helen lays beside Jesse, she occasionally checks up on him to see if his condition gets any better. So far, some of the bruises have dispersed, but one eye is blackened & his nose is broken. Dried blood covers certain sections of his face. He is fast asleep, has been for awile. Helen nudges him awake, he grunts as he is more than likely requiring the sleep. The trip to Kentucky had Helen bored. She would think back to the fight, how Buck was boasting about winning to his fellow friends. It was nothing but pathetic gibberish. But karma had bitten him in the ass. Not only were his teeth shattered, but he lost two fingers & his crotch was destroyed. It was pretty satisfying knowing that, to both Helen & Jesse. Jesse turns over in his sleep & Helen looks at him for a minute. She thinks back as to why she chose Jesse, a man she barely knew, over Buck. Jesse turns back to Helen. He smiles, he'd awaken.
"Hey." He says.
Helen faintly smiles.
Buck, The starry night sky lights up the sky around the group. A fire has been setup & several tents have been erected around the grassy plane. Buck sits in a lawn chair, drinking a beer. He remembers the day before, It seemed like forever ago. Looking down at his missing fingers, he becomes enraged & breaks the beer bottle in his hand. Glass embeds itself into his hand. He grunts as he plucks each piece from his palm. Blood smears on his hand & he soon advances towards a first aid kit, applies antibiotics & wraps it up. Buck looks over to Raychelle. She sits far off from the group, talking with Aaron.
Buck approaches the two.
"Ray, Aaron, why don't you two sit by the fire?" He asks, smiling. "No." Raychelle responds; coldly. "Excuse me?" Buck responds; raising his eyebrows.
Raychelle sits in silence, looking back up at Buck.
"Perhaps we have to resort to the old fashion ways." Buck says.
"Get your ass up you dumb b*tch & sit by the fire." Buck says; aggressively.
"F*ck you." Raychelle responds.
Buck frowns. He grabs her arm & thrusts her up. Smacking her across her face; she stumbles to the ground, her hand touching where he hit.
"Looks like I have to teach you some manners." Buck says.
Buck unsheathes a large combat knife, blood stains the tip.
"Look at me." Buck commands.
Aaron stands up, glaring at Buck.
"Stop." He orders Buck.
"Stand aside or die." Buck says turning to him.
"Aaron listen to him." Raychelle says; hoarsely.
"Now... Stand the f*ck up." Buck commands again.
Raychelle still is on the ground. He thrusts his foot into her side. She whelps in pain & is moved forward a little.
"STAND UP!" Buck yells.
Members from his group turn their heads to him.
"What's going on?" Jennifer asks.
"Stand back!" Buck commands.
"Stand UP!" Buck says kicking her.
Jennifer flinches as he kicks her.
"Buck...stop." Jennifer says as he kicks her multipul times.
"F*ck off." He responds.
"STAND UP!" He yells.
Aaron pushes Buck. Buck stumbles to the side, Aaron approaches him. Buck's knife is drawn.
"Stand down!" He commands.
Raychelle stumbles up, she looks to Aaron & nods. Buck slaps her across her face.
"I thought that after your last lesson you'd learn to treat me with respect."
Aaron reaches into his holster, he raises his gun to Buck, pulls the trigger, the bullet is propelled from the barrel.
Buck, The bullet shatters Buck's right ear. He screams in pain, Aaron reloads his gun, there was one bullet in the chamber. A man tackles Aaron to the ground, knocking his gun away. Buck, grabbing at his shattered ear, cries in pain. He can only her ringing throughout his ear. Blood pours over his right hand. A woman rushes to his side, a cloth in her hand.
"LINE 'EM UP! ALL OF THEM!!!!" Buck yells to the group. "What do you mean?" Richie asks. "Bind their group up & line them up!" Buck yells at him.
The group obeys his command, Jon, Jeff, Adam, Megan, Raychelle, Mason, & Aaron are captured by several large men, there's confusion & a struggle.
"I'm going to go get Chuck." Buck says walking over to the pickup truck "Buck, your ear- "Not now!" Buck yells.
Reaching the pickup, Buck looks down at the large cover. He pulls it off, revealing both Jesse & Helen, laying down.
"You two!" He yells.
He grips Jesse by his jacket collar & tosses him out of the pickup. He lifts him to his feet & punches him.
"What the f*ck are you two doing here!" He yells in anger.
Helen attacks him from behind. He throws Jesse to the ground & smacks Helen. She falls to the ground.
"Stay down or die!" Buck commands.
Blood trickles down his neck from his ear. Stephen reaches him, applying pressure to the wound.
"Get off!" Buck grunts; shoving himself away.
"Buck your ear-
"Tyler, Kenny, get over here, bind them!" He yells to them.
The group is tied up & guarded by several members of Buck's group; guns pointed at their heads. Buck retrieves 'Chuck', a Python pistol from the small box he contained it in. He loaded a singular bullet in the chamber.
"Now...you all are going to suffer!" Buck announces the small group; circling around them.
"For what?" Jon asks.
"Don't speak out of turn!" Buck yells; hitting him in the back of the head.
"There is one bullet in this gun. We're going to play one of my favorite games. Russian Roulette, but in the style of duck, duck, goose." Buck announces; smiling & laughing. "But I need someone from your group to do it for me." "You sick f*ck!" Megan yells.
Buck slaps Megan across the face; a large red mark appears.
"Since you talked out of turn; you have to do it." He says; smiling.
"No, please, don't!" Jon yells
Jon is hit again by Buck, slapped across the face. Megan is in tears. Buck places the gun in her right hand. He places his gun to the back of her head for precaution.
"Now, let's go in order, starting with Jeff." Buck says; smiling.
"No, no, no." Megan says bursting into tears.
"Come on, it's easy, just do it." Buck says.
"Don't do it Megan!" Jon yells.
"Shut your mouth or I'll rape her later." He says, aiming the gun at him.
"No, Megan don't do-
Buck fires a bullet into Jon's chest. Jon falls onto his back & releases several cries of pain.
"JON!" Megan cries his name out.
"Stop! Pull the f*cking trigger already!" Buck yells.
Buck, "Do it! Pull the f*cking trigger you worthless c*nt!" Buck yells in Megan's ears.
She shakes her head & Buck grunts. He tears her shirt from her, & waves it in front of the group he laugh in turn, all except Stephen & the one woman in the group.
"Each time you deny me, you'll have an article of clothing removed, when you are completely naked- Several men from the group whistle & chant- We'll group rape you." He says with a devilish smile.
Megan's face is coated with tears.
"Do it." Buck orders.
She closes her eyes tightly, she can't bare to look down at Jeff who is sweating. The trigger is pulled, only a click is sounded, the barrel turns, no bullet is fired. Jeff sighs in relief, Megan open's her right eye. Sweat runs down her forehead.
"Next!" Buck commands.
This time, it's Jesse. Megan relaxes as she doesn't know Jesse, he is unknown to her. She pulls the trigger; flinching at the click, Jesse's life is spared. She breathes in deeply.
"Three more to go!" Buck says happily.
The next person is Raychelle, she looks up to the gun. Sweat trickles from her brow. Megan pulls the trigger again, nothing. Raychelle breathes again.
"Next!" Buck orders.
This time; it's Mason. He looks up to Megan.
"Do it." Buck orders.
The trigger is pulled, chamber pointed down to him. Click! The bullet barrel turns, no bullet is fired.
"Next!"
Megan reaches Adam, Jeff's son.
"No... not my son, please, not my son!" Jeff calls out to Buck.
"Shut it! Pull the trigger." Buck commands.
"No, he's just a boy." Megan responds.
Buck tears away her tank top, exposing her bra. She attempts to cover her cleavage. The men in the group laugh & whistle.
"Do it!" Buck orders.
Megan cries as she raises the gun to Adam's head. Adam is in tears, begging for his life.
"I...I can't." She says crying.
"F*ck this!" Buck says.
Grabbing Megan's hand; he forces her finger around the trigger & squeezes. The chamber turns, fire erupts inside the guns barrel as the bullet is propelled from it. Almost instantly, the bullet enters Adam's head. Megan stands in shock; she drops the gun, her mouth open, tears forming. Buck laughs along with the group. Jeff bursts into tears, he stands up, knocking away the guards & crouches by his son, crying onto his face.
"I....I...I..." Megan stutters; her eyes wide open. "NOOOO!!!!!" Jeff cries out. "Adam! No! No! No! Nooo!" Jeff cries.
Buck is in a fit of laughter.
"Look at the ***** crying!" Buck says.
"F*ck you! You son of a b*tch! I will f*cking kill you! Stab a sharp blade into your f*cking eye & tear it out! I will rip open your f*cking stomach & feed it to your undead daughters!" Jeff yells; saliva spewing from his mouth as he cries.
Buck becomes enraged; punching Jeff. Jeff falls backwards & Buck punches him repeatedly.
"Buck! Enough! Buck stop it!" Stephen calls out.
Buck ignores him, swinging more punches at a binned Jeff.
"What would Stephanie & Annabelle think about this?" Stephen finally says.
Buck stops after the last punch; grunting heavily. He looks up at Stephen then back to Jeff. He stands up; wiping away the saliva that had formed on the side of his mouth.
"L...lock 'em up, get them out of my sight." Buck says walking away.
"What about the kid?" Tyler asks.
"Feed him to the walkers." Buck says.
Jeff returns to Adam's side; cradling his corpse, the guards drag away the body; having to knock Jeff out to stop his struggle. Jon lays unconscious on the ground, Stephen was removing the bullet in bedded in his chest, Megan was by his side; crying.
The guards escort the group to the small armored Bank vehicle towards the back, they found it while exiting Chicago. The space was large enough for the group. Aaron sat across from Raychelle. Jon laid unconscious on the floor, shirtless, with a bloodied bandage wrapped around his chest & back. Megan laid next to him, not asleep, but intently watching him. Jeff was spacing out, his eye's wide open; staring at the wall. He had lost it, since the death of his wife, he had been a little unhinged, but this was the breaking point for him. Mason sat in the corner, whittling a wooden duck. Jesse & Helen both lay asleep, the bruising on Jesse's face had lessened up, but there were still large marks.
Aaron, "It's not going to be easy, not by a long shot. But we might have a chance." Aaron responds.
Jon wakes up, gasping, he's sweating violently. Megan is holding him; trying to calm him down.
"Jon, shh, shh, baby, you're fine." she says, stroking her hands through his hair. "Wha... Argh- Jon grips his chest where he was shot- "Don't, you'll make it worse." Megan says; pushing his hand away. "He shot me, that *******." Jon says. "I'm sorry Jon." Megan says. "Megan, I promise you, I'll kill Buck." Jon says looking into her eyes.
There's a deathly stare, intent, & murderers stare.
"Jon...you- "No, Megan, all my life, I've sat by & let things go, not anymore, I'm going to kill Buck." Jon says darkly.
Megan stares into his eyes, what was once a laid back man who didn't hold grudges was now darkened.
Outskirts of Chicago
I find the bicycle right where I had left it, in the thicket beside the road intersection. I take a moment to get the plants off it, then hop on. I steer it towards the road. However, just as I am about to begin peddling away, I notice the sound of a truck in the distance. My head instantly snaps towards the noise. I can just make out a truck in the distance... Or is that two trucks? I can't see clearly from here, but I decide that a group this large might, just might, be willing to take another person. Going solo is too dangerous for me to do forever, so I take the risky move of waving them down.
(( By the way, exactly how many months after the start of the apocalypse is it? ))
Then it's not relevant anymore. You had a 24 hour window, bub.
On the Road,
The light October breeze drifts steadily over our encampment; Buck's groups sits around an easily made fire, eating dinner. The sunset casts of a rare beauty on the Apocalypse ridden world we now live in. Buck watches over the group; his eye drifting to each member; I thought I saw him glaring at Jesse. Megan approaches stealthily from behind, startling me.
"Hey." She says with a smile; she kisses my cheek.
"Hi." I respond; kissing her back.
"What's up?" She asks.
"Nothing much; I'm on lookout." I respond.
"Well... I was thinking that we could go do something fun." She says with a smile.
I laugh a little; this was too good to be true.
"Sure." I respond with a smile.
"Okay; follow me." Megan says; smiling.
I follow Megan to a secluded tent; far from the group.
((I'm not going into detail with this one!))
On the Roads,
Starring blankly out into the meadows; Jesse sits in deep thought, trying to comprehend the relationships that have formed in the group. His gaze lands to Helen. She sits on the side of the road; reading. Standing up; Jesse approaches Helen, his intentions were to have just a talk.
"Hey." Jesse says; sitting down next to her.
"Hi." She responds; uninterested.
"What are you reading?"
"Alice in Wonderland." She responds with a faint sigh.
"It's a good book." Jesse responds; nodding.
Helen nods & continues to read in silence.
"Helen; I have to ask you something."
"If it's about me & Buck; drop it." She says plainly.
"Why?" Jesse responds; frowning.
"Because; it's a sensitive topic that I don't want to discuss."
"Helen; does he...."
"Does he what?" Helen asks.
"Does he treat you right?"
Helen pauses; her eyes drift up to Jesse; her face is pale.
"He...Yes, he respects me." She responds out of tone.
"No...No he doesn't Helen." Jesse responds.
Helen bursts into tears & she covers her face with both hands. Her sleeves roll down & several bruises, scars, & cuts mark both arms, all inflicted by Buck.
"Helen, I'm-
"He rapes me, beats me, I-
"Whats going on!" Buck shouts over the car.
Helen still is in tear; daring to not look up at Buck.
"Helen, why are you crying?" Buck asks.
"She told me what you do to her!" Jesse yells; standing up.
"And what is that?" Buck asks with a smirk.
"You rape & beat her you son of a b*tch!" Jesse yells.
Buck's group emerges from behind him.
"Poor little Helen." Buck mocks.
"Shut the f*ck up you piece of sh*t!" Jesse yells.
Buck's face turns red; he is clearly enraged.
"What did you call me?!" Buck yells.
"A piece of sh*t!" Jesse yells back.
There's a moment of silence. Buck leaps over the car & onto Jesse. The two violently roll on the ground; Buck throwing punches. Jesse rams his fist into Buck's mouth; knocking his teeth ajar. Blood smears on both Jesse & Buck's face. Buck punches Jesse in the stomach & Jesse kicks him hard in the groin. Buck rolls off; in immense pain; he grabs his crotch. Jesse pulls his hands off him & kicks him several times in the crotch. Buck cries out in pain & grabs Jesse's leg & twists until he falls to the floor. Buck pushes Jesse down & Jesse grabs for his throat; squeezing hard. Buck slams his fist into Jesse's face; breaking his nose. Jesse begins to claw at his face. Buck lifts his arm for another punch but is stopped when Jesse grabs his hand. Jesse rolls over on top of Buck and as Buck raises his hand to push away Jesse's face; Jesse clings tightly to it & bites off his ring finger & index finger. Stubs of what used to hold fingers squirt blood onto Jesse's face. Buck screams in pain as he holds his hand. Jesse steps off of Buck who rolls in pain. Whipping away the blood on his face; Jesse turns to the group who stare in awe.
Buck grips Jesse's foot & pulls it behind him; slamming him down to the floor. Buck stands now; stomping on his back. He rolls Jesse over & stomps on his face. Lifting him from the ground; Buck repeatedly smashes his fist into Jesse's bruised face.
"Buck stop!" Helen yells; rushing to his side & grabbing his punching hand.
Buck slaps her away. Helen collapses to the floor; in tears. Buck pauses from punching Jesse. His glare lands on Helen.
"Choose!" Buck yells like a feral animal.
"Choose what?" Helen yells; still crying.
"Who do you want? Me or him." Buck yells; his face red.
Helen pauses; whipping her face from tears. A large slap mark stains the right side of her face.
"I...Jesse." She responds.
Buck grunts then yells in anger. He throws Jesse towards her; landing him on her legs. Her quickly approaches & points at her face.
"You & your boyfriend are out of here!" He yells.
"Everyone; get in the truck now!" Buck yells.
Buck's breathing is heavy; small jolts of pain erupt from his groin & finger stubs. Buck fixes the position of his eye patch & whipes away the blood from his face. His tongue feels around for his front teeth, nothing but broken pieces of teeth were left. Buck pops his knuckles & neck, looks down at Helen cradling an unconscious Jesse. Buck laughs & steps forward. In the distance; Hawke calls out to Buck.
"These two betrayed us Hawke, we're leavin 'em behind, now come on, let's go.
Jon,
Fast asleep, Megan cuddled close with me. After what had just happened; both of us were tired. There came a rustling at the tent. I roll over to a side & grip a crowbar. The zipper of the tent is undone & a member of Buck's group steps in. I quickly cover Megan up & look up at the man.
"Get dressed, we're heading out." The man said blankly.
I nodded in response.
Waking Megan up; I quickly dress, she rubs her eyes & yawns.
"What?" She asks.
"Time to leave." I respond.
Emerging from the tent; two men helped take down several other tents. Megan emerged; squinting in the sunlight.
The two men help us take down the tent.
"Here; bring the tent to the back of that white van in the front of the truck." One man says; pointing to a white UPS truck.
I nod & carry the secured tent to the white van. I set the tent down & open the double doors of the van. A putrid smell erupts from the van & I have to cover my nose. I stare into the van & look as two walkers run at me. I stumble backwards in fear.
"Oh sh*t!" I yell.
The walkers slowly descend down the steps of the van. I pant heavily as I scoot back & attempt to stand up. Just as the walker makes it to me; it's stopped by a chain. The walker chomps on air; trying desperately to chew my flesh. I step back a little when she thrusts her arms forward at me. I take a long look at the walkers. Both are wearing bright dresses; a contrast to the modern walkers disgusting & raggedy clothing. Their hair is done up nicely & makeup is brandished clearly on their rotting grey skin. Why were they like this. I reach into my pocket for my pistol. As I pull it out; a man with glasses makes me lower it.
"Don't." He says.
"Why; their walkers." I respond; raising my eyebrows.
"Their not walkers; those are Buck's daughters."
I stare at Stephen for a few seconds before putting my gun back in my pocket.
"His daughters?" I say; confused.
Stephen nods.
"They were bit, turned, after his wife died." Stephen responds.
I think about this large, supposedly intimidating, man who was actually just some normal guy with a wife & kids. It seemed weird.
"Why does he keep them?"
"They're the only family he has left. I think keeping them keeps him sane, after he killed his wife, well, he doesn't have alot to live for."
I process the information. So he killed his wife.
"Why'd he kill his wife? Did she turn?" I ask.
"She was bit, begged him to not let her turn."
"Geez, damn walkers. My brother Greg died, & I'm not sure about my parents." I respond.
"I... I'm sure they're fine." Stephen responds; reassuringly.
In the distance, I hear sobs.
Bleeding profusely in Helen's arms, Jesse is deeply unconscious, his breathing is heavy & slow. Helen cradle's him, her sobs have died down, she now silently cries. Buck & his men pack up supplies around the camp; Buck restraining eye contact with Helen. In the time Helen spent cradling Jesse, Buck had put anti-biotics on his fingers & wrapped them up. Jesse moves slightly & Helen looks down quickly. His eyes open slowly, staring up at Helen. She brushes his hair softly.
"What happened?" Jesse says slowly.
"Nothing... just son't worry, you're fine now." Helen responds.
"I... I don't feel fine."
She smiles a teary eyed smile, confused on how to feel. Jon appears from behind the white van, his face puts off a shocked expression. He approaches Jeff, Megan, Mason, Aaron, & Raychelle.
"Guys...there's something I have to tell you..." He says.
Looking to Jon, Aaron notices his grave expression.
"What is it?" Mason asks.
There's a pause, Jon looks back to Buck who is packing up crates into the truck.
"Buck keeps his two walker daughters."
There's a slightly long pause, they group looks to each other.
"Are you serious?" Megan asks; surprised.
"Yeah, I went over to the UPS truck to put up the supplies & two walkers in chains come shambling out."
"How'd you know they were his daughters?" Aaron asks.
"That scientist guy, named Stephen, told me that he keeps his daughters so that he stays mentally stable."
"It was only a matter of time before more people found out." Raychelle says.
"What do you mean?" Jon asks.
"No one in Buck's group knows, only you, me, & Stephen know."
"When did you find out?" Mason interjects.
"When his group picked me up towards the outbreak, they kept me locked up in that UPS truck with his daughters, he would come in & feed them, stroke their hair, call them by their names." She responds.
"Locked up? Why-
"Why didn't you tell us?" Megan interjects Mason.
"I was, but I needed to find the right time. Now is."
"What do you mean right time?" Jon asks.
"Buck might have gotten angry & killed us all."
"But why now?" Jon asks again.
"Because...we have a way to break off from the group. We can say we aren't interested, steal a couple of supplies-
"Ray, that doesn't make sense, why would we separate from this group, they've helped us so much." Jeff interrupts.
"That's what he wants you to think, but he doesn't care about you all. He'll kill each of you, one by one, & cover your death up with some righteous explanation."
"How do you know?" Megan asks.
"He did it to my Boyfriend."
The Outbreak,
Wyoming,
The tanks sped on through the walker infested city of Cheyenne. Walkers skirted along the sides of the tank, trying to get in. The gunners on each tank gunned them down easily. It was a smooth run operation, Robert was to save as many people as he could, including his wife & two daughters, without dying. Robert had broken his team off from the Marines, having believed that they were only interested in saving themselves. Tony, John, Daniel, Isaac, Mark, & Emerson were the last men in his unit. The two tanks patrolled the walker heavy streets, coursing through the blocked passages.
"My family lives in an apartment on the outskirts of this city, we're getting close." Robert announces over his headset.
Looking through the tank's small glass window, Tony's eye gaze at the enormous horde of walkers patrolling the streets. There were no civilians, no soldiers, everything left of the old world had been corrupted.
"Sir, what makes you think that we'll find anyone in this sh*t hole?" Tony announces over his headset.
"Like I said, my family lives on the outskirts of the city, there's bound to be little amounts of walkers there. Everyone died in the city when we Napalmed the hell out of it."
The tank continues down the road, slowly reaching the outskirts of the city.
"You know, I've got family in New York, gotta two cousins, Jon & Greg, my Uncle Frank." Mark says over the headset.
"I'm sure their fine." Daniel responds.
The tank reaches the apartments. They are small red brick duplexes with a dark shade of green for the door. Most of the doors have been left open, but surprisingly, a few a barricaded shut. The apartment containing Roberts family is closed, though the upstairs windows have been smashed.
"Alright, men, I'm gonna need cover, Daniel, Mark, you stay in the tanks, use the guns to drop any unwanted walkers. Isaac, Tony, Emerson, cover me on the outside." Robert announces over the radio.
"Yes sir." Robert's unit say in unison.
Robert lifts open the cover hatch on the tank & peaks his head out. Five walkers shuffle around the surrounding apartments.
"Alright, lets go!" Robert announces to his cover squad.
The squad heads into position, Robert in the lead. Robert advances up the steps & to the green door. He turns the knob, it's locked. Smashing his weight against the door, Robert gains entry within five smashes. A putrid smell of rotting flesh ascends into the squads noses. Disgusted looks are signaled upon entry. Several flies swarm a pile of dead bodies.
"Marie!? Stephanie!? Annabelle!?" Robert yells, looking around.
There's no response. Checking the pile of dead bodies, Robert finds no sign of his family. Again, he repeats the calls for his family.
"It's me, Dad!" Robert finally yells.
There's no response, again. Robert looks around the apartment, entering several rooms, the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen, nothing.
"Sir, maybe upstairs." Emerson chimes in.
"What, in Mrs. Grains apartment? Alright, up those stairs." Robert responds.
The squad follows Robert up the stairs to Mrs. Grains apartment. He opens the door with ease, when entering, the smell of floral perfume nauseates the squad.
"Marie!? Annie!? Steph!?" Robert calls out.
"Daddy!" A voice calls out.
Running towards him is a short figure.
"Stephanie!" Roberts says, picking her up & holding her tightly.
"Dad!" Annabelle announces running to him as well.
"Oh, Robert!" Marie says; approaching him from behind.
Robert shares tears of joy & laughter with his family, who swarm him.
"Dad... I missed you so, so much!" Annabelle says; hugging him tightly.
"So did I!" Stephanie pipes in.
"I did to girls, I missed you all so very much." Robert says happily.
"Sir, we've got walkers hitting up the tank, they're swarming us." Daniel announces over the headset.
"What's a walker?" Annabelle asks.
"Hang on guys." Robert says; releasing them from his hug.
"Daniel, what's the current state?" Robert asks over the headset.
"We're bogged down sir. Mark's tank has been swarmed completely, they- Oh, oh my god, they're getting in the f*cking tank. They're in Mark's tank." Daniel screams over the headset.
The sound of the tank's guns erupt along with the blood curdling screams emitted from somebody.
"F*ck!" Robert yells.
"Rob, watch your language!" Marie yells.
"Shut the f*ck up Marie, my men are dying!"
Marie starts crying, along with Stephanie & Annabelle.
"F*ck!" Robert yells under stress.
"Marie, get the kids in the closet. Tony, Emerson, Isaac, quick, let's get Daniel the hell out of there!" Robert commands.
Rushing down the wooden stairs, the squad reaches the bottom apartment. Several walkers have swarmed the entrance.
"F*ck, go back!" Roberts yells.
The walkers pile in. Isaac gives cover fire. Robert, Emerson, & Tony head up the stairs. Isaac slowly goes up the stairs, firing off rounds on the walkers. The three reach the door & Isaac is at the top step.
"Isaac, get your ass in here!" Robert yells.
"Hang on! Getting rid of these bastards!" He yells back.
Flesh is torn from Isaac's leg. Screams of sheer pain erupt from his mouth. He fires down at the walker as another tears into his side.
"ISAAC!" Robert yells; rushing to him.
Emerson reaches the door first & pushes Isaac down the stairs, into the horde of walkers & slams the door shut.
"No!" Robert yells; running into the door & banging on it. Tears stream from his eyes.
"What the f*ck Emerson, what were you thinking! We could have saved him!" Robert turns & yells to Emerson.
"No, we couldn't have, it was too late." Emerson responds.
Robert shakes his head & paces around the room.
"It had to be done." Emerson says calmly.
"You either kill or be killed."
Robert stops in his pace; looks up to Emerson. His face is pale, blood smears it. Robert see's red, anger has built up.
"You son of a b*tch!" Robert yells as he charges Emerson.
Throwing Emerson against the wallpapered wall, Robert smashes his fists into Emerson's face. Emerson pushes Robert back. Robert stumbles & falls on a wooden table which collapses. Emerson jumps on Robert, strangling him, his fingers pressing against his Adam's Apple. Robert chokes, his face becomes red. Emerson picks up a piece of metal, cuts it across his face & finally thrusts it into Roberts left eye, stabbing him once. Robert yells out in pain, his left hand reaches for his bleeding eye. Tears form in his right eye & his mouth spews saliva.
"Daddy!" Annabelle yells.
No holding back, no emotion. Robert reaches for his utility belt, He notices Tony trying to pull him off. Robert pulls the knife from the belt & implants it into Emerson's neck. Emerson gasps for air, his hands released they're grip from Roberts neck. Robert gasps for air. Annabelle & Stephanie rush to his side. Tony stands back, his hands raised above his head, his expression is in awe. Emerson chokes on his blood, he tries desperately to remove the knife from his throat. Robert cries as he reaches for the metal object in his left eye. He pulls on it, the immense, needle like pain courses through his eye socket. In one swift motion, Robert pulls the object from his eye. He throws it aside & feels his left eye. His left eye can no longer see, only his right, where it stares up at Stephanie, crying tears onto his face.
"Yeah, I found out." Jeff says with disgust
"Who told you?" Ray asks.
"Jennifer, she said that you two killed her son." Jeff says, frowning.
"We didn't, one of Buck's men did it."
"Why? Why would they kill his own me?"
"Hell if I know. We we're picked up on the side of the road, they seemed friendly, but a few weeks in, Marcus was taken on a hunting trip with Trent, Ralph, Jenkins, & Jennifer's son. When they came back, Marcus was brutally beaten & they were carrying Jennifer's son's corpse. They blamed it on me & Marcus, even though I wasn't present with them at the time. They took Marcus, tortured him in front of me, then just as I was on the verge of cracking; killed him. Buck locked me away in the white UPS truck for a week before I broke out & escaped from the caravan. Trust me Jeff, I didn't kill her son, & trust me when I say, we need to brake off from the group or attack & kill Buck." Raychelle explains to the group.
The group stands shocked by Raychelle's story. Megan looks to Jon, then Mason.
"And especially after what he did to him." Raychelle says; turning to Jesse.
Aaron nods in agreement.
"We kill Buck tonight." Aaron says.
Awaking from unconsciousness, Jesse sits himself up. He remembers vaguely of the fight, Helen still holds him. Looking down at Jesse, she faintly smiles.
"Alright, everyone, get in the truck." Yells Buck.
Everyone scrambles up towards the truck, Helen looks down at Jesse.
"Come on, I have a plan." She says; lifting him up.
"What's your plan." Jesse mutters.
"We'll hide in the pickup truck."
Helen helps Jesse onto his feet & wraps his arm around her shoulder to keep him steady. Slowly advancing towards the pickup truck, Helen opens the flap door for the flatbed of the pickup. She lays Jesse down on the inside & gets in herself.
"We can't be seen, so we'll have to cover ourselves up." She says; pulling a giant canvas over her torso & eventually her head.
Jesse is covered up by Helen & everything becomes dark.
Buck,
Getting in the passenger side of the military truck, Buck buckles in, then sighs. He thinks back to the fight, then to Helen. Looks like he has to find someone else, perhaps Jennifer? He turns to the driver; he's a middle aged man with graying black hair. He wears a bandanna wrapped around his head, his long graying beard reaches to the base of his neck.
"Jim, take us to Kentucky, we'll stop & rest when we reach the crossing.
Jim nods & drives on wards, the caravan of trucks course through the highway, passing the occasional hordes & broken down cars. Not much happens on the trip.
Jon,
I sit next to Megan who rests her head on my shoulder. We both sit across from Aaron & Mason. thinking back to the crash, I remember the lost details.
The car speeds down the highway, passing several lines of cars. Most of the people had parked them on the side of the road, regrouped with their family, friends, etc. Greg coughs violently, blood paints his right hand. His pained expression makes Jon flinch each cough. There's an exhale of breath, Greg stops moving.
"Greg?" I call out; waiting for a response.
The memory fades forward a little. Greg sits still in the passenger side of the car, no movement. Was he asleep. Jon was passing through a small town, somewhere in New York. He was confused, never had he been this way before, it made it harder not having a GPS or map to give him direction. There's a small gasp, it erupts from Greg's mouth. His skin had paled & slightly grayed. He lifts his head up.
"Greg?" I ask him.
A weird gargling noise emits from his mouth. He looks forward before turning his orange eyed gaze to me. I'm taken aback by the change of eye color, the yellowed teeth, blackened blood, & the appearance of what used to be my brother. Tears flood to my eyes, he's turned, he's one of them. His arms reach out, his hand grips my hoodie's sleeve, pulls it towards his mouth. I pull my arm back, struggling. I try removing his hand from my arm, I forget about the car, my eyes are focused on the attacking thing.
Bam! Everything fades to black, the sound of metal being crush sounds through the darkness.
I fall back to what is now current. I look down at the floor of the truck. Tears flood my eyes. My brother turned, he didn't just die. The car crash must've caused a minor concussion, that's why I could only remember a little. I quickly wipe away the tears. Megan grips my hand, she holds it tight.
"What is it?" Megan asks.
"I... I just remembered my brother." I say, looking to her.
"I... I'm sorry Jon." She says; looking at me, her gaze comforts me.
I nod.
"Thanks." I respond.
"Jon... I love you." She says to me.
I look back to her.
"I... I love you too." I respond, kissing her.
Aaron looks up at us, shaking his head & smiling.
"La la la... da do da daaaaa... la la loooo... da do da doooo..." I quietly hum as I sharpen the blade of my machete with a whetstone. After its recent uses, regrettable that they were necessary, the front of the blade, along the inward curve, has become dull. During my work, I ponder this new group.
So far, most of the people in this group seem nice enough. I have lately been extremely wary, but I've lately became more trusting of them. However, this Buck person, though I can't say I know him, seems somewhat... 'creepy'. Well, I ought to just observe and not attract much attention to myself. Hopefully I'll just be able to wait out all of these tensions I've seen, and stay as neutral in these obvious conflicts as possible.
Night slowly falls over the outskirts of Illinois, the group sits in complete silence. Aaron looks towards Raychelle, she sits towards the back. She nods to Aaron, the plan was to commence. Once the caravan crossed over to Kentucky, they would stop to rest then pack up again. The plan was to kill Buck in his sleep, slit his throat. Jon, Megan, Mason, & Jeff disagreed with the plan, thinking that he's the only hope they've got to survive, but then again, after seeing what happened to Jesse; they aren't as sure as they could be. Aaron reaches into his bag & pulls out his combat knife. He checks the blade, it's only a little dull, but it should do the job.
Jon & Megan sit across from Aaron, fast asleep, Aaron remembers the last time he got some sleep. The truck halts to a stop, the caravan has reached Kentucky.
Jon,
The sudden stopping of the truck jerks my head forward a little. I wake up, slightly groggy. Megan begins to wake up as well, she yawns & looks down at her bag.
"Alright, let's setup camp!" Buck announces to the group.
The group gets up, picking up their bags & stepping outside. We're parked in a grassy area, several hills & trees surround the area. The highway is covered in cars, but we're in a well secluded area, hidden from the walkers. Buck steps out of the passenger side of the military truck. I notice his hand is bandaged, what did I miss? Megan approaches me from behind, wrapping her arms lightly around me.
"Thank you for yesterday." She says; smiling.
I laugh a little.
"Well, I haven't really thanked you either." I respond, looking back to her & smiling.
She laughs & kisses my cheek.
Jesse,
Helen lays beside Jesse, she occasionally checks up on him to see if his condition gets any better. So far, some of the bruises have dispersed, but one eye is blackened & his nose is broken. Dried blood covers certain sections of his face. He is fast asleep, has been for awile. Helen nudges him awake, he grunts as he is more than likely requiring the sleep. The trip to Kentucky had Helen bored. She would think back to the fight, how Buck was boasting about winning to his fellow friends. It was nothing but pathetic gibberish. But karma had bitten him in the ass. Not only were his teeth shattered, but he lost two fingers & his crotch was destroyed. It was pretty satisfying knowing that, to both Helen & Jesse. Jesse turns over in his sleep & Helen looks at him for a minute. She thinks back as to why she chose Jesse, a man she barely knew, over Buck. Jesse turns back to Helen. He smiles, he'd awaken.
"Hey." He says.
Helen faintly smiles.
Buck,
The starry night sky lights up the sky around the group. A fire has been setup & several tents have been erected around the grassy plane. Buck sits in a lawn chair, drinking a beer. He remembers the day before, It seemed like forever ago. Looking down at his missing fingers, he becomes enraged & breaks the beer bottle in his hand. Glass embeds itself into his hand. He grunts as he plucks each piece from his palm. Blood smears on his hand & he soon advances towards a first aid kit, applies antibiotics & wraps it up. Buck looks over to Raychelle. She sits far off from the group, talking with Aaron.
Buck approaches the two.
"Ray, Aaron, why don't you two sit by the fire?" He asks, smiling.
"No." Raychelle responds; coldly.
"Excuse me?" Buck responds; raising his eyebrows.
Raychelle sits in silence, looking back up at Buck.
"Perhaps we have to resort to the old fashion ways." Buck says.
"Get your ass up you dumb b*tch & sit by the fire." Buck says; aggressively.
"F*ck you." Raychelle responds.
Buck frowns. He grabs her arm & thrusts her up. Smacking her across her face; she stumbles to the ground, her hand touching where he hit.
"Looks like I have to teach you some manners." Buck says.
Buck unsheathes a large combat knife, blood stains the tip.
"Look at me." Buck commands.
Aaron stands up, glaring at Buck.
"Stop." He orders Buck.
"Stand aside or die." Buck says turning to him.
"Aaron listen to him." Raychelle says; hoarsely.
"Now... Stand the f*ck up." Buck commands again.
Raychelle still is on the ground. He thrusts his foot into her side. She whelps in pain & is moved forward a little.
"STAND UP!" Buck yells.
Members from his group turn their heads to him.
"What's going on?" Jennifer asks.
"Stand back!" Buck commands.
"Stand UP!" Buck says kicking her.
Jennifer flinches as he kicks her.
"Buck...stop." Jennifer says as he kicks her multipul times.
"F*ck off." He responds.
"STAND UP!" He yells.
Aaron pushes Buck. Buck stumbles to the side, Aaron approaches him. Buck's knife is drawn.
"Stand down!" He commands.
Raychelle stumbles up, she looks to Aaron & nods. Buck slaps her across her face.
"I thought that after your last lesson you'd learn to treat me with respect."
Aaron reaches into his holster, he raises his gun to Buck, pulls the trigger, the bullet is propelled from the barrel.
The bullet shatters Buck's right ear. He screams in pain, Aaron reloads his gun, there was one bullet in the chamber. A man tackles Aaron to the ground, knocking his gun away. Buck, grabbing at his shattered ear, cries in pain. He can only her ringing throughout his ear. Blood pours over his right hand. A woman rushes to his side, a cloth in her hand.
"LINE 'EM UP! ALL OF THEM!!!!" Buck yells to the group.
"What do you mean?" Richie asks.
"Bind their group up & line them up!" Buck yells at him.
The group obeys his command, Jon, Jeff, Adam, Megan, Raychelle, Mason, & Aaron are captured by several large men, there's confusion & a struggle.
"I'm going to go get Chuck." Buck says walking over to the pickup truck
"Buck, your ear-
"Not now!" Buck yells.
Reaching the pickup, Buck looks down at the large cover. He pulls it off, revealing both Jesse & Helen, laying down.
"You two!" He yells.
He grips Jesse by his jacket collar & tosses him out of the pickup. He lifts him to his feet & punches him.
"What the f*ck are you two doing here!" He yells in anger.
Helen attacks him from behind. He throws Jesse to the ground & smacks Helen. She falls to the ground.
"Stay down or die!" Buck commands.
Blood trickles down his neck from his ear. Stephen reaches him, applying pressure to the wound.
"Get off!" Buck grunts; shoving himself away.
"Buck your ear-
"Tyler, Kenny, get over here, bind them!" He yells to them.
The group is tied up & guarded by several members of Buck's group; guns pointed at their heads. Buck retrieves 'Chuck', a Python pistol from the small box he contained it in. He loaded a singular bullet in the chamber.
"Now...you all are going to suffer!" Buck announces the small group; circling around them.
"For what?" Jon asks.
"Don't speak out of turn!" Buck yells; hitting him in the back of the head.
"There is one bullet in this gun. We're going to play one of my favorite games. Russian Roulette, but in the style of duck, duck, goose." Buck announces; smiling & laughing.
"But I need someone from your group to do it for me."
"You sick f*ck!" Megan yells.
Buck slaps Megan across the face; a large red mark appears.
"Since you talked out of turn; you have to do it." He says; smiling.
"No, please, don't!" Jon yells
Jon is hit again by Buck, slapped across the face. Megan is in tears. Buck places the gun in her right hand. He places his gun to the back of her head for precaution.
"Now, let's go in order, starting with Jeff." Buck says; smiling.
"No, no, no." Megan says bursting into tears.
"Come on, it's easy, just do it." Buck says.
"Don't do it Megan!" Jon yells.
"Shut your mouth or I'll rape her later." He says, aiming the gun at him.
"No, Megan don't do-
Buck fires a bullet into Jon's chest. Jon falls onto his back & releases several cries of pain.
"JON!" Megan cries his name out.
"Stop! Pull the f*cking trigger already!" Buck yells.
Megan cries as her hands shake.
"Do it! Pull the f*cking trigger you worthless c*nt!" Buck yells in Megan's ears.
She shakes her head & Buck grunts. He tears her shirt from her, & waves it in front of the group he laugh in turn, all except Stephen & the one woman in the group.
"Each time you deny me, you'll have an article of clothing removed, when you are completely naked- Several men from the group whistle & chant- We'll group rape you." He says with a devilish smile.
Megan's face is coated with tears.
"Do it." Buck orders.
She closes her eyes tightly, she can't bare to look down at Jeff who is sweating. The trigger is pulled, only a click is sounded, the barrel turns, no bullet is fired. Jeff sighs in relief, Megan open's her right eye. Sweat runs down her forehead.
"Next!" Buck commands.
This time, it's Jesse. Megan relaxes as she doesn't know Jesse, he is unknown to her. She pulls the trigger; flinching at the click, Jesse's life is spared. She breathes in deeply.
"Three more to go!" Buck says happily.
The next person is Raychelle, she looks up to the gun. Sweat trickles from her brow. Megan pulls the trigger again, nothing. Raychelle breathes again.
"Next!" Buck orders.
This time; it's Mason. He looks up to Megan.
"Do it." Buck orders.
The trigger is pulled, chamber pointed down to him. Click! The bullet barrel turns, no bullet is fired.
"Next!"
Megan reaches Adam, Jeff's son.
"No... not my son, please, not my son!" Jeff calls out to Buck.
"Shut it! Pull the trigger." Buck commands.
"No, he's just a boy." Megan responds.
Buck tears away her tank top, exposing her bra. She attempts to cover her cleavage. The men in the group laugh & whistle.
"Do it!" Buck orders.
Megan cries as she raises the gun to Adam's head. Adam is in tears, begging for his life.
"I...I can't." She says crying.
"F*ck this!" Buck says.
Grabbing Megan's hand; he forces her finger around the trigger & squeezes. The chamber turns, fire erupts inside the guns barrel as the bullet is propelled from it. Almost instantly, the bullet enters Adam's head. Megan stands in shock; she drops the gun, her mouth open, tears forming. Buck laughs along with the group. Jeff bursts into tears, he stands up, knocking away the guards & crouches by his son, crying onto his face.
"I....I...I..." Megan stutters; her eyes wide open.
"NOOOO!!!!!" Jeff cries out.
"Adam! No! No! No! Nooo!" Jeff cries.
Buck is in a fit of laughter.
"Look at the ***** crying!" Buck says.
"F*ck you! You son of a b*tch! I will f*cking kill you! Stab a sharp blade into your f*cking eye & tear it out! I will rip open your f*cking stomach & feed it to your undead daughters!" Jeff yells; saliva spewing from his mouth as he cries.
Buck becomes enraged; punching Jeff. Jeff falls backwards & Buck punches him repeatedly.
"Buck! Enough! Buck stop it!" Stephen calls out.
Buck ignores him, swinging more punches at a binned Jeff.
"What would Stephanie & Annabelle think about this?" Stephen finally says.
Buck stops after the last punch; grunting heavily. He looks up at Stephen then back to Jeff. He stands up; wiping away the saliva that had formed on the side of his mouth.
"L...lock 'em up, get them out of my sight." Buck says walking away.
"What about the kid?" Tyler asks.
"Feed him to the walkers." Buck says.
Jeff returns to Adam's side; cradling his corpse, the guards drag away the body; having to knock Jeff out to stop his struggle. Jon lays unconscious on the ground, Stephen was removing the bullet in bedded in his chest, Megan was by his side; crying.
"Sounds interesting." Aaron responds; smiling.
The guards escort the group to the small armored Bank vehicle towards the back, they found it while exiting Chicago. The space was large enough for the group. Aaron sat across from Raychelle. Jon laid unconscious on the floor, shirtless, with a bloodied bandage wrapped around his chest & back. Megan laid next to him, not asleep, but intently watching him. Jeff was spacing out, his eye's wide open; staring at the wall. He had lost it, since the death of his wife, he had been a little unhinged, but this was the breaking point for him. Mason sat in the corner, whittling a wooden duck. Jesse & Helen both lay asleep, the bruising on Jesse's face had lessened up, but there were still large marks.
"Raychelle, what's the plan?"
"It's not going to be easy, not by a long shot. But we might have a chance." Aaron responds.
Jon wakes up, gasping, he's sweating violently. Megan is holding him; trying to calm him down.
"Jon, shh, shh, baby, you're fine." she says, stroking her hands through his hair.
"Wha... Argh- Jon grips his chest where he was shot-
"Don't, you'll make it worse." Megan says; pushing his hand away.
"He shot me, that *******." Jon says.
"I'm sorry Jon." Megan says.
"Megan, I promise you, I'll kill Buck." Jon says looking into her eyes.
There's a deathly stare, intent, & murderers stare.
"Jon...you-
"No, Megan, all my life, I've sat by & let things go, not anymore, I'm going to kill Buck." Jon says darkly.
Megan stares into his eyes, what was once a laid back man who didn't hold grudges was now darkened.