2Road of a Rebel
Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately). All rights and characters in this fic belong to Robert Kirkman, AMC, Image Comics, Telltale Games, and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this. It's purely for fun. I only own my OC characters.
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Chapter 1
It was a fog of death. Dust lifted off the ground, into the air by the thousands of dead bodies that stumbled and limped around aimlessly…a land of the dead.
All Molly could do was watch from the branches of a tall tree she hid in. The leaves and twigs masking her from their limited sight. But just one wrong move, or any sudden sound, and she would find herself surrounded and trapped in seconds. Luckily, she had months of experience learning to evade 'geeks', as she liked to call them.
It had been at least two days since she left Savannah, heading for the countryside. It was like walking on an alien planet for her. After growing up in the city and then being trapped in it, both by the dead and Crawford, it was a weird feeling to see the trees and the grass. She thought that being away from the city meant she didn't have to deal with geeks as much, she couldn't be more wrong.
Perhaps the wildlife from the park just a few miles north brought them here, or they just simply wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time, Molly could see dead bodies walking around as far as her eyes could see. She bit her lip, trying to keep her curses down to an inner voice.
It was too much of a risk to head back to the city now, she just had to keep pushing and hope to find a place that wasn't filled with flesh-eating monsters.
Taking a deep but quiet breath, she dashed along the thick branch and using her trusty ice-pickaxe, Hilda, jumped over to the closest tree and embedded the weapon into the bark, getting a good grip to it and keeping her in place. Moving her foot around until she found a strong enough branch to stand on, she lowered herself onto it and pulled out Hilda from the bark.
Looking back down to the ground, she watched to see if any of them had spotted her or heard anything. They just continued moaning and limping around, oblivious to Molly's presence.
Molly knew she had to pick up the pace, it would be dark in a few hours, and she needed to find some kind of shelter.
From this angle of the tall tree, Molly could see the city of Savannah in the distance, looking like a shadowed silhouette from where she was. As she looked on, the thought of the others she had met back in the city surged through her conscious. She sighed, wondering if Lee's group were fine. She wanted to go back and check to see if they were okay, but she knew it was too late by now. They had probably already got their boat fixed and are either somewhere on the river line, or maybe even made it to the ocean by now.
Casting those thoughts of Lee, Clementine and the others to the back of her mind, she ventured onwards, hoping to find something soon.
After at least an hour of hiding, jumping and running through the trees, she finally found something that she was looking for. A few metres in front of her, past the road, was a small rundown shop. Chances are it had already been stripped-clean of all items, but it was a chance she had to take, as her stomach started to growl. The last thing she ate was some chocolate bar she had found this morning, not enough to keep her strength going.
Jumping across the last few trees, she inspected the area below. Finally, it seemed like the coast was clear. Using Hilda, she climbed down onto the ground and marched slowly across the road. As she crossed it, she could see geeks walking around on either side of her, but they were too far away to cause her any troubles.
Molly wasn't the praying or pleading type, but it couldn't hurt to hope for something as she neared the shop. The walls were cracked and the windows busted open. She silently leaned against the wall, below the frame of a window. Quietly, she lifted herself up and glanced inside. It was dark, though she could tell others have been through here with shelves pushed over and emptied. There might not be anything, but she didn't know how long it would be before she found another shop like this, so she had to try.
Taking Hilda, she tapped on the window frame, the sound echoing throughout the whole shop. She waited for any kind of response, better to be safe than sorry. As the seconds passed, she waited anxiously, hoping that her continued stomach growls wouldn't attract any other unwanted attention.
After what seemed like an eternity, there was no other sound from inside the shop, so she assumed it was safe. Her guard was always up though, as she leapt in through the broken window and quickly rushed around the shop.
Just like she feared, the shelves and counters were picked clean. Even the few cans that she found were empty, and dry, meaning that this shop was raided quite a while ago. Not giving up, she looked around some more, always keeping one eye and ear outside, making sure no unwanted visitors came by for something to eat as well.
''Come on, there's got to be something.'' She whispered to herself in a desperate tone.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could feel the sun's rays reflect off a broken window shard. She looked outside, and saw it set. The forest trees cast shadows all around. It was getting dark quickly. Even if this shop didn't have any food or supplies she needs, it would at least be a good place to stay for the night.
When she turned, her foot hit a can that lay on the ground and it rolled underneath one of the tipped-over shelves. Just from that small contact with her foot, Molly could feel that can wasn't empty. Frantically she ducked to the ground and reached out to get the can she had kicked, it had managed to roll towards the back were the leaning shelf stopped it from coming out of the other side.
It may have just been out of her arm's reach by a few inches, but that's where Hilda came in. Molly used it to reach for the can and pull it towards her. Relief filled her whole body as the can rested in her aching palms. ''Yes, finally something goes right.'' She then used the sharp end of Hilda to cut into the top of the can.
Molly hadn't even checked to see what it was she was opening, but it was a pleasant delight when the smell of baked beans filled her nostrils and made her mouth water. Before she could use Hilda to open the can fully, she heard a noise coming from outside.
Voices.
''Crap.'' She hissed quietly. There was no time to make a run for it, as she could hear the creaking of the door and the glass on the ground being pushed away from it. She reacted before thinking and rolled underneath the pushed over shelf. It didn't hide her completely, but as long as whoever walked in stayed on the other side, she could wait for them to leave.
''This place looks empty.'' Molly heard a husky but sort of feminine-sounding voice, before hearing the sound of things shuffling or being moved about.
''You can't be too careful.'' A second voice, definitely male and very hoarse-sounding, spoke.
''I meant it doesn't look like there's anything worth taking in here.'' The husky one replied.
''We have to be sure. It's getting dark soon, and we won't have time to search anywhere else and make it back to the airport. I don't care if it's just one bottle of aspirin, anything is good for us.''
Judging by the conversation and the sounds of the figures walking, Molly guessed that there were only two people inside. She would take them, but she didn't know if they were even armed or not. Figuring it was better to just wait, she stayed silent and listened carefully, hoping for an opening.
''Hey,'' The male voice called out. ''You smell that?''
''Smell what?''
''I don't know. It smells like beans!''
Molly mentally slapped herself. Her grip on the can tightened, like that would somehow make the smell go away.
''You serious?'' The female voice said with a curious tone.
''Yeah, I think it might be under this shelf here, the one tipped over. Come over here and help me lift it up.'' Molly could hear the two figures walk towards the shelf she hid under. She could even hear their hands grip onto the sides. She closed her eyes and steadied herself for what was to come. Holding her breath, she kept her mouth shut as she could feel them trying to push the shelf back up, but all it did was push down onto her. As her body kept the shelf up, she could feel the two figures push harder, unaware of what was keeping it up. Pain rushed through her, as her body felt like it was going to be crushed if she stayed under any longer.
Finally, the pressure eased on her, and she could hear the figures huffing and puffing. ''Christ, I think it's stuck.'' The male voice said.
''I'll go to the other side and check.''
''Okay, just have your gun ready, you never know if it might be one of those things stuck underneath.''
Now Molly had no choice but to react. As she heard the female walk around the shelf, coming closer to her side, she knew she would have to go with the first plan that comes to mind. There was nowhere to hide, and she couldn't risk giving herself in if they had guns and were ready to use them. It looked like there was only one choice she could go with, and once she saw the female walk into view, she let go of the can in her hand, lifted the medical mask wrapped around her neck to cover the lower half of her face and made her move.
Perhaps the female was too sure of herself, or just simply wasn't ready, because Molly found that leaping out and kicking the gun out of her hand was easier than expected. Before the female could react, Molly grabbed her arm and twisted it around her back and then holding Hilda to her neck, keeping her from moving.
By the time the male had rushed over to the other side and had his gun pointed, Molly already had the girl hostage, and they now found themselves at a standoff. ''Whoa there,'' the man said. ''Let's not do anything stupid here. We don't mean any harm.''
''You're the one that has a gun pointed at me,'' Molly responded.
''Only because you're holding my friend hostage.'' He retorted. The man didn't look as old as his voice suggested, with thinning brown hair and dark bags under his eyes. Glasses over his eyes, the middle stuck together with sticky tape. He wore a dark blue jacket over a dirty white shirt. He was also quite tiny compared to his friend.
The woman struggled for a bit in Molly's grasp, but the free-runner remained strong, always keeping a good hold of her while remaining focused on the man with a gun in his hands. The woman had a strong figure, as Molly could see her biceps thanks to her short-sleeved chequered shirt. Thankfully, Molly wasn't out of shape thanks to her constant free-running every day for the past couple of months, so she kept a good grip on the woman's arm. ''Richie, just shoot her!'' She huffed.
''Gwen, hush.'' He told her, and she did just so, calming down in Molly's arms.
Molly observed Richie, who was visibly shaking. Beads of sweat starting to drip down his forehead as the seconds passed. ''Okay, here's how it's going to work,'' Molly said before nodding towards the can of beans on the ground next to Richie's foot. ''You're going to kick that over towards me, I'll take it and get the hell out of here, and you can have your friend back. No one gets hurt. But if you try anything…''
''Would you really kill someone over one can of food?'' Richie interjected, catching Molly off guard.
''I bet you wouldn't like to know.'' She tried to threaten him. But something about Richie's expression seemed to change since the first few tense seconds, almost like he had figured Molly out.
''You didn't answer my question.'' He said.
To try and prove her point, she shifted her pickaxe closer to Gwen's neck. ''This the answer you were looking for? Just let me leave with what's mine, and everything's settled. No one gets hurt.''
Richie started down Molly for another few seconds before he started to lower his gun. ''Fair enough, we don't want anyone getting hurt.'' He looked at Gwen, giving her a reassuring smile, and then walked over to pick up the can on the floor.
He reached down, about to take it, when from behind the shelf and stumbling towards him, a decaying dead walker stumbled his way over. ''Richie!'' Gwen screamed hoping to get her friend's attention. He managed to turn around just in the nick of time to see the walker try and take a bite out of him. However, his gun was knocked out of his hand as he tried to push the walker away. ''Let me go! Let me help him!'' Gwen yelled in Molly's ear as she struggled to get free.
Molly, thinking fast on her feet as always, released her grip on Gwen and ran towards Richie and the walker. While Gwen was about to get her gun that had been knocked out of her hand, she saw the hooded woman rush at the bent-over shelf she hid under previously.
Molly then jumped up, and with all her strength, kicked at the shelf. As it slowly started to fall, Molly then ran past Richie and used Hilda to hook onto his jacket and pull him away, just as the shelf came crashing down, crushing the walker beneath it. The blood splattered across the floor.
The moment of respite didn't last for long though, as the three of them watched dozen of walkers pouring in through the broken windows and wandering in through the open door at the front of the shop. The groaning of so many walkers was almost deafening, as the isle was now filled with the undead making their way towards the three survivors.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gwen had managed to retrieve her gun and opened fire on any walkers that got too close. Any that she couldn't get a headshot at, Molly took upon herself to finish. One on her right, she swung Hilda upwards like she was throwing an uppercut punch, the pickaxe piercing through the walker's jaw and knocking it off its feet.
Another stumbled towards her, so she quickly fell to the ground and swung her leg around and kicked at the zombie's leg, the fragile bone snapping in two. The walking corpse collapsed to the ground but still tried to make a grab for her.
BANG!
A headshot from Richie finished the job. ''There's too many, we're going to run out of ammo before we run out of stiffs.'' He said.
''So, any ideas? Cause I don't see any exit out of here that isn't already occupied.''
''Over here!'' Gwen called out from behind them. They turned to see the taller woman trying to break down a locked door. With nowhere else to go, Molly and Richie rushed over to help her get the door open fast, as the walkers descended upon them, more and more seemed to be pouring in through the windows and door like ants out of the ground.
Eventually, the three of them managed to break open the door, and the rushed in before quickly shutting it behind just as the dead were about to pile on top of them. Using all their strength, they pushed against the door, holding the walkers back. ''Damn it, I think we busted the lock!'' Gwen grunted.
''Better in here, than out there!'' Richie replied.
''But we're still trapped, there's no way out!'' Gwen was right. As they kept holding the door shut, they could finally look at their surroundings. This must have been the storage room where any new items brought in were kept, as wasted and watered cardboard boxes, litters of old newspapers and broken ladder covered in rust and blood lay on the floor.
As Molly looked around, she was the first to notice a light shining on the wall nearby and followed it until she saw an open skylight above them at the end of the room. ''There's our ticket out of here.'' She gestured to the skylight.
''But there's no ladder, and it's too high to jump.'' Gwen pointed out.
A thought then crossed Molly's mind, it's true that they couldn't make a jump to get up there, but she was not only an expert, she also had Hilda to hoist herself up and get away while the walkers were trapped inside…but that would mean leaving these two people she just met inside with them. They would certainly be doomed if she went with that decision.
At first, it seemed like the logical thing to do. She didn't owe these people anything, and they weren't her problem to deal with. Then she was reminded of a similar situation she found herself in before, with the last people that she was with. She had almost left Lee and his group to die in a Savannah alleyway, but she helped them and…things felt a little lighter afterwards. How differently would things have gone if she didn't help?
It's not like her. Her and Lee didn't get off to the best of starts, to begin with. She almost ambushed him and he then kicked her ass. Even if this situation she found herself in with these new people wasn't exactly the same thing, it was similar enough for her to want to take a chance. ''I've got an idea, but you two have to trust me on this one!'' She told them.
''Trust you? After you held me hostage?'' Gwen hissed.
''Just hear me out! I can give you a boost up there, both of you, and then you can both pull me up.''
All three of them almost lost control of the door as they could feel the walkers push and shove into it, the wood beginning to crack as it started to give way. They kept pushing back, as Richie looked at Molly. ''Even if you could get us up, you won't jump high enough for us to grab you.''
''Don't worry, I'm a good jumper!''
Another big push came from the walkers outside, and the door began to break apart with gaps forming as splinters shattered everywhere. Bloody fingers squeezed through the cracks, pulling the door apart. ''Okay, okay, just hurry!'' Gwen growled.
As Molly rushed over so that she could stand under the skylight, Gwen and Richie could feel the added pressure of holding the door back now that they were missing a person. And the cracks started to grow, until large gaps were appearing in the door, a whole hand could almost fit through. ''You go first!'' Richie said.
''But…'' Gwen wanted to protest, but there was no time. The door was about to give away as an arm burst through the door, trying to grab anything it could reach.
''Come on!'' Molly shouted, holding her hands out together, ready to boost whoever was going first. Finally, Gwen sprinted towards her and jumped up. Her foot nestled into Molly's hands and the free-runner used all of her strength to hoist Gwen up. The taller woman managed to grab onto the edge of the skylight with one hand and began pulling herself up.
Richie alone didn't have the strength to hold back the door anymore, as the wood snapped off completely and the first walker tried to push itself inside. Before Gwen had even fully pulled herself up, Richie dashed over to Molly and did the same thing, jumping up and Molly using what strength she had left to hoist him up.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere on the skylight for Molly to grab with two people still on it. As the first walker stumbled towards her, she swung Hilda at the head of the corpse, stabbing it through the temple and throwing it into the wall nearby.
Finally, the door was completely destroyed, and the dead piled into the cramped room. Molly didn't even look up to see if the others had made it, she had to go now. She jumped onto the wall, kicking at it and leaping upwards, trying to use Hilda to grab onto the edge of the skylight. The blade scraped against it but didn't hook and she began to fall…
Until Richie and Gwen grab the hilt of her pickaxe and stop her from falling. As they lifted her up, a walker got dangerously close to Molly's dangling legs.
BAM!
She kicked hard at the geek with her foot, the jaw coming clean off. She was thankfully lifted out of harm's way before any more come make a grab for her.
The tired twosome lifted Molly up until she could pull herself the rest of the way and rest on the roof of the shop. Taking deep breaths, from exhaustion, and fear of just how close she was from getting the chomp. ''Told you I'd make the jump.'' She wheezed sarcastically.
''Let's get out of here before we start making jokes,'' Richie muttered as he and Gwen walked over towards the edge of the roof, looking down and hoping to find some kind of pipe or even stairs so they could get down and make a run for it while the walkers were still inside.
Molly picked herself up, her legs beginning to feel numb and her stomach ached. That's when she remembered the whole reason she was in the shop in the first place. She sighed in frustration, knowing there was no way she was going to get that meal back amongst the horde inside. She needed to find something to eat, and quickly.
While Gwen and Richie continued to look for a way down, Molly walked over to the other side, hoping she could use Hilda to lower herself down and make the jump easier…until she spotted something on the road in the distance. She thought it was more walkers. Three of them, to be precise. The smaller looking one started running towards them. Molly couldn't deal with any more of the living, ironic considering she was trying to get away from the dead until she heard Gwen behind her. ''They must have got tired of waiting.''
''What? You know them?'' Molly questioned.
''Yeah, they're with us,'' Richie answered. ''Look, I'll explain later, but first, let's go.''
Gwen looked at him cynically. ''Hold on, she's not coming with us!''
''She saved our lives!''
''After she threatened to slit my throat…''
''You don't really believe she was going to do that, do you?'' Richie asked his friend. The three of them stood silently, unsure of what to say to each other next, all Molly wanted to do was leave, but right now she was caught in the middle of this argument and couldn't get out of it.
Without another word, Gwen huffed in irritation before she started to climb down over the side. As she made her way down, Molly turned to Richie. ''I'm not much of a group person, I'd rather go on my own.''
Richie looked at her sincerely. ''Look, it'll be night soon. You'll be safer with us than wandering through these woods on your own.''
''I've gone with lots of nights by myself, I can manage.''
''I'm sure you have. But let me ask you this…when was that last time you ate anything?''
Molly stuttered at first, trying to think of any answer she could give him. She could lie and leave before his group arrived, but the truth slipped through her lips before she could really consider her other options. ''This morning.''
''Which means you're going to give out in the middle of the night either from tiredness or hunger, and then you'll be an easy target. Just come with us, we'll take you back to the rest of our group, you can get something to eat, and then you can leave as you please. As thanks for helping us out back there.''
''Wait? The rest of your group?''
He nodded. ''We've got at least a dozen more people at Savannah and Hilton Head Airport, it'll be safe there.''
Molly's eyebrows shot up. ''You've got your group at the airport?'' She asked in an impressed manner.
''Part of it.'' He answered. It was only short as they stopped to see that Gwen had reached the ground and was making a run for it. The sound of the dead inside was still easy to hear even from the roof. ''We don't have much time, are you coming or not?''
She wanted to say no…she didn't want to be a part of it, something about this reminded her too much of Crawford. The memories of that place still haunted her, as her hand clenched on one of her hoodie's pockets. She felt the picture of her sister inside it. Crawford sounded like paradise at first, and then it turned into a Hell within Hell.
But, this offer reminded her of something else, Lee's group. He had offered her a place on the boat before she left the manor back in Savannah, but she had refused, knowing that even if he wanted to, they weren't going to fit everyone on the boat, so she sacrificed her place so someone else could go on. However, as much as she liked the idea of being in a group like the one she was a part of for just those few hours, she didn't want to jump ahead of herself. All she wanted at the moment was food and a safe place to rest. ''Okay.''
For the first time since they met, a grin was plastered on Richie's face. ''Good.''
Quickly, Molly grabbed Hilda and held it up intimidatingly. ''A warning though, if you try anything, or your airport isn't as safe as you say it is…''
''You don't have to worry about that. Besides, if we wanted you dead, we would have let you fall.''
The two of them quickly climbed off of the roof and jumped to the ground below once they were sure the distance could be made. Once they were down, they sprinted in the direction that Gwen went, to meet up with the three figures further down the road.
Seeing more people gave Molly second thoughts about going with them. She was tired, and her strength was fading away with every minute that passed without food or rest, so if she got into any kind of trouble with them she wouldn't be able to fight or run out of this.
She glanced back towards the forest beside the road. If she was quick, she could slip away unnoticed. There was still enough daylight for her to find a safe tree she could climb and sleep in for the night, while it seemed to be clear of any geeks at this moment, every single one in the area must now be crowded in the shop behind.
Her foot slowly shifted in the direction of the forest, if she was going to make a choice, she was going to have to do it now before…
''Hey, who's this?'' A voice called out. Molly turned around to see the group approach her. The closest to her and the one who called out was a young girl, maybe in her early teen years. Short strawberry blond hair, with a hairband binding a few strands of loose hair together, dangling just above her shoulders which were covered with a dirty brown scarf. Although she was nearly as tall as Molly, she had a very youthful face.
The others then came up behind her, besides Richie was an older man with thinning white hair and a face that seemed to resemble Richie's own, but with more wrinkles around his face but the bags under his eyes weren't as noticeable. And standing next to Gwen, with a protective arm wrapped around her waist, was a large dark-skinned man that even dwarfed the muscular woman, a gun holster strapped to his side and bloody knuckle-dusters around his hands.
''You know,'' Richie said. ''In all that commotion, I never got the chance to ask for your name.''
''It's Molly.'' She answered.
''Nice to meet you, Molly!'' The teen girl said in a bubbly tone while holding out her hand for Molly. Although Molly was unsure and kept her hands to herself, the girl didn't look hurt from the hesitation. ''Oh come on, it's not every day you get to meet someone new in the apocalypse.''
''I guess not,'' Molly mumbled as she brought out her hand and shook the girls.
''Stacy,'' Richie called to her. ''We just went through a bit of trouble, so I think it's best to give Molly some room to breathe.''
The older man turned to Richie. ''What happened? You said you would be in and out, two minutes tops.''
''Sorry, dad. We got a little stuck…''
''She ambushed me!'' Gwen stated bluntly.
The man holding her then looked at Molly darkly. ''You did what?''
''Hey, hold on a second, you're the ones who had guns, I…'' Molly spat back.
Before things between them could get out of hand, Richie stood between them, holding his hands out towards both of them. ''Look, there was a bit of a misunderstanding. But we've passed that. Those devils came storming inside and one of them would have got me if it weren't for Molly here. Then she thought of a way to help us escape. So we're still standing here because of her. I figured the least we could do now was offer her some food when we return to the airport, then she can be on her way.''
Richie's father nodded. ''That sounds fair enough.'' He stared at Gwen. ''Is that what really happened inside?''
Gwen looked back and forth between everyone until her gaze focused on Molly, and her facial expression softened. She sighed deeply. ''Yeah, she did help us.''
''Thank you.'' The man next to her said to Molly earnestly. ''I'm Jeremy, by the way.''
''Nice to meet, Jeremy by the way!'' Molly smiled proudly. Her joke had earned a giggle out of the teenager in front of her.
Richie gestured towards the giggling girl. ''You're little fan there is Stacy. I'm Richie, and you already know Gwen. And this is my father Richard.''
''Technically, we're both Richards!'' The older man stated. ''But this young man here hasn't quite grown out of his childhood name.''
''Even though he's getting old himself,'' Stacy whispered to Molly, though not very subtly, as Richie glared at her. ''Not that old.''
The moment between the group was interrupted though as they could hear the moans coming from the walkers behind them, as some exited out of the shop and started to wander around aimlessly again. ''Let's find someplace else to talk,'' Richard said.
''So what's your story?'' Stacy asked curiously.
''My story?'' Molly replied.
''Yeah! Were you a ninja before the biters came?''
''Maybe.'' The free-runner teased.
''Wicked.''
As the group marched on through the forest, hoping to make it back to their supposed 'airport base', Molly was bringing up the rear, wanting to keep everyone within her sight just in case things weren't as rosy as they appeared. But in doing so meant that Stacy fell behind as well, hoping to get to know the newbie better.
Not that Molly minded, seeing the teenager as innocent enough, plus her interrogation skills weren't all that focused, asking Molly a wide-range of questions.
Until she was interrupted by the growl of Molly's stomach. ''You hungry?'' Even before Molly could answer her, Stacy reached into her pocket and pulled out a half-eaten chocolate bar. ''It's not much, but it's something.''
''Don't worry, I'm not…''
''Come on, you know you want to!'' She teased the free-runner, dangling the sweet between her fingers, holding it close to her.
Right now, it could have been a fried caterpillar, and Molly wouldn't have cared, she was that hungry. She yanked the treat from the girl's hand, unwrapped it and devoured the tasty chocolate in a flash. ''Thank you.'' She said with a full mouth, melted chocolate coating her lips, causing Stacy to giggle some more.
Eventually, Richard slowed down until he was just in front of the two of them. ''I never got to properly thank you for helping my son earlier.''
Molly used her sleeve to wipe away the chocolate around her mouth. ''It was nothing.''
''Oh it was something. Since that train came through on the railroad the other day, more of those biters have been appearing around this area.''
''I can't believe someone managed to get a train working,'' Stacy said fascinatedly.
Richard, on the other hand, didn't seem as impressed. ''Yeah well, whoever got that train working is probably dead now, considering how much attention they brought with them. There are probably thousands of them in Savannah by now.''
''I'd say tens of thousands,'' Molly said.
Richard looked at her, intrigued. ''You've been in Savannah?''
''I was in Savannah. Left two days ago.''
''Why's that? I figured you'd have more chance of finding supplies there rather than out here in the woods.''
Molly thought about what to say, there were so many reasons she could give to answer his question as to why she left Savannah. But she decided to go with the one that would rouse the least suspicion. She didn't feel like opening up too much to these people just yet. ''There was nowhere else in that place to search. Every shop or store had been picked clean, so I decided to move on.''
''Well I'm glad you did. Thank you again.''
Molly shrugged her shoulders. ''Just in the right place at the right time.''
''Maybe, but I've always believed that we meet certain people for a reason. Maybe they are friends or foes. But in a world like this, everyone we meet will be important in our lives, because we have to hold onto whatever is alive while it's still alive.''
''What if…'' Molly stopped herself, she didn't want to say anything else, but now that she started, she knew she would have to finish whatever she wished to say. Especially with Richard looking at her interestedly. ''What if those important in our lives…aren't…alive?''
The old man looked on, his expression hard to read, like he was in some kind of meditative-like state, really thinking hard about his next few words. As he inhaled deeply through his nose, dry lips sealed and his eyes glassy. ''There's always memories. Their soul. At least that's what I believe. I believe my darling Joanna is watching over our son, and me right now.'' He stared back at Molly. ''Have you lost someone close?''
''Haven't we all?'' Molly answered, wanting to keep it vague.
''It sure feels like it.''
Neither of them felt the need to say anymore as the group ventured on. As Molly walked, memories of her sister came to her. Memories of better times. More peaceful times. Even if things weren't always easy, at least before all this happened, things were normal. She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt a hand lightly tap her on the shoulder. ''Huh?''
''Sorry,'' Stacy said. ''I was just wondering, you didn't see another group in the forest before you met us, did you?''
''No, why?''
''Whenever we do scouts, we always split into three groups. Today, Gwen and Richie was in one, while Jeremy, Richard and I was in the second. I was asking because my sister, Kate, was leading the third group. I was just wondering if you'd seen her!'' She said worriedly.
''I haven't. You guys are the first living people I've seen since I got out of Savannah.'' She responded. It wasn't the answer that Stacy was looking for, as she tried to remain upbeat, but as her lip twitched and her breathing grew, she couldn't hide her worry.
Richard turned to her, giving the teen a comforting smile. ''Your sister and the others are probably back at the airport right now. We'll see them in a minute.'' Just a few words from him were enough to put the smile back on Stacy's face.
The conversation was halted as the others had stopped in their tracks, looking towards the distance at the setting sun over the horizon. Richie turned to look at each individual in the group. ''Looks like we won't be making it back to the airport today. We'll have to camp out here, and then move on first thing in the morning.''
The uneasiness was evident, either by the groans of disappointment or the tense looks on their faces. ''We-we're…'' Stacy whimpered. ''Staying out here? At night?''
''Sorry, honey, but we don't have another choice,'' Richie stated. ''We can't walk on without light, who knows what we might walk into. We'll set up a safety perimeter.''
''Why don't you sleep in the trees?'' Molly asked. ''It's what I do.''
''Because, although it looks like you've had some experience doing just that…'' He pointed at her ice pick. ''We're not so good doing that.''
''Yeah,'' Jeremy said nervously. ''Sleeping in a tree isn't my ideal thing.''
''Why's that?''
''He sleepwalks,'' Gwen said.
''I don't…I just…I sometimes wake up and need to go for a walk at night.'' Jeremy mumbled exasperated.
Gwen cocked her eyebrow up at him. ''With your eyes closed?''
''My eyes aren't closed. They just look like their closed from a distance!''
''Honey, you sleepwalk!'' She said to him bluntly before turning to Molly. ''Like he said, trees wouldn't be the best place for him to sleep in.''
''Got it. And if he starts stumbling around like a dead man in the middle of the night, I'll wait to hear for any snoring.'' Stacy burst into another fit of giggles, although Jeremy didn't look amused by Molly's sense of humour, even with Gwen teasingly nudging him a little.
''Molly,'' Richie called out to her. ''You want to help me with the perimeter?''
''I guess so,'' Molly replied awkwardly, not sure if she had any choice in the matter.
Richie smiled at her, as his father handed him some barbed wire from his rucksack, careful with the handling. As the younger man walked on, Molly followed behind before turning to Richard. ''Don't worry, if we get in trouble, I'll just save his ass again.''
''Don't get used to it,'' Richie said. ''I don't get in trouble all the time.''
''Yes, you do, son.'' His father teased.
Richie merely shook his head and chuckled, as he and Molly walked a few yards away from the group, hoping to find a tree to tie the barbed wire around and set up the first post to make a safety perimeter. There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence between them, as the sounds of crickets chirping filled the air.
It was strange, without any walkers about, everything seemed quite normal for a change. Even with all the chaos they just went through today. It was a good strange.
''Spill! How did you know?'' Molly inquired.
''How did I know what?''
''That I wasn't going to kill Gwen, you didn't know me, so I could have been anybody. How did you know I wouldn't kill?''
''For starters, it would take someone truly desperate and stupid to kill someone over one can of beans. But the big deciding factor was the fact you didn't kill us right away. You got the jump on Gwen, disarmed her. I figured you could have killed us easily and taken what we had without much hassle. Instead, you went for the peaceful route.''
''It shows how fucked up the world is if the peaceful route is the one where we threaten to kill one another.''
''Maybe…but it's like my father always said…''
''We meet people for a reason,'' Molly interjected with a smile. ''Yeah, he told me.''
''I'm guessing he also mentioned my mother as well.''
Molly suddenly found the ground much easier to stare at, avoiding all eye contact with him. ''I'm sorry.'' She said with genuine sadness.
''Don't worry,'' He said quietly. ''It was quick for her.'' As he spoke, he just finished wrapping the wire around the tree. ''Okay, help me pull this, and we'll get it around the other tree behind the group.'' He and Molly took a hold of the wire and pulled it along.
Molly yanked at the wire, and as she did so, she noticed the belt around Richie's waist and another question came to her. ''I thought your gun holster was on your left side?''
''Ah, you're quite observant! You're right, my primary gun is on my left, my second is on my right.''
''Double the ammo. Double the protection. Smart.'' She commented.
''Actually, one is just for show.'' He stopped pulling at the wire, setting it down on the ground and waiting for Molly to do the same before he continued. ''Of course, one is fully loaded, just in case I run into biters. The other is empty, but people don't know that. It's just more a tactic to scare them off without hurting anyone.''
''And it works?''
He grinned diffidently. ''Quite a few times actually! The occasional bandit or fellow survivor who tries to talk tough…'' Then his face darkened, as the grin slipped away from him. ''Unfortunately, there have been a few times where I've had to use the live rounds to kill. You know, situations where the other guy won't back down or threatens one of our group or…'' There was a pause, as he gulped inaudibly. ''Put down those who have been infected.''
It was like she could see the images of the pain he suffered in his very eyes, like pictures in a book folding on top of each other, of death and loss. She wanted to change the subject, but at the same time, wanted to give him some self-confidence. ''You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders.''
''And that's the important thing. In the hands of the right person, a gun can bring more good than harm.''
''I wouldn't know, I'm not much of a gun person,''
Richie smirked. ''Judging by the way you handle yourself, you don't need one.'' She nodded. Hearing his words very carefully, something else seemed to be plaguing her mind, however, after all, that he had just told her, she figured it'd be best to leave it at that and maybe ask again in the morning after a good night's sleep. Until his voice brought her back out of her thoughts. ''Is something on your mind?''
There were a few more seconds of near-silence. The only sound now is the slow howl of the winds, rustling the leaves in the trees. Since he'd asked her, and he wasn't given her any reason to distrust him, she thought she might as well ask now. ''Just out of curiosity…back at the shop…which gun did you have pointed at me? The empty show-off one? Or the loaded one?''
BANG!
The breath in Molly's throat stopped in place, as she was nearly blinded by the blood that splattered into her eyes. Quickly, she rubbed her eyes with the sleeve over her arm, trying to focus her vision onto Richie. And even though her sight was blurry and red, she could see Richie's body fall to the ground, with blood seeping out of the large bullet hole in the centre of his head.
Instincts kicking into overdrive, she turned to look over her shoulder and could make out a large, cloaked figure in the distance, holding what appeared to be a sniper rifle aimed right for her.
BANG!
She jumped out of the way, the bullet blasting into the ground she stood on just one second ago, as she hid behind the closest tree. Still in shock at what just happened, she glanced back towards Richie's lifeless body. She gasped and looked up at the night sky, unsure of what to do next.
''No!'' She then heard Richard's agonising cry and saw as Jeremy and Gwen pulled him out of the line of fire and behind another thick tree. ''My boy! He killed my son!'' He wailed on, as another shot was fired, hitting the tree that Molly hid behind, the bark exploding next to her.
''Molly!'' Stacy shouted. ''What are we going to do?''
BANG! BANG!
Shot after shot rained down on them, and with each bullet that was fired upon them, the figure took another step closer. Unknowingly for the gunman, Molly pulled out her trusty Hilda and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Now she was in a real life-or-death standoff…
To Be Continued…
If you'd like, you can follow my original stories on Wattpad. My penname is Thomas-LF. Thank you for your time, if you do read them, I hope you enjoy them.
