ZRP-2 Chapter 8: Survivors One and All

"Why would you bother with drinking anyway?" She questioned investigating for food still.

"Hey, end of the world Cristina. Never know when your last beer will be your last beer," Marcus said.

"I don't drink, full stop" Cristina explained. "Bad for your health though much is"

"True enough," James agreed. "Still.....I've had some moments the past two years that called for a drink," he said. All he could find of food, was a bag of jerky, and some cheetos that seemed to be okay. "Want some?" he asked Cristina and Marcus, shaking the bags.

"Food is food at the end of the day... Probably not the worse thing I've eaten though since coming to the USA" She commented with a look at the bags.

Grinning, James opened the bag of jerky, tossing the cheetos to Marcus. He moved to Cristina, offering her the dried meat. "Well then, feel free to test it and see if it's bad or not."

"Hey your jerky is not bad... Rat however is something bad to eat" She took a piece of the jerky and chewed on it quietly. "Besides it beats starving mind if you tell me about your home? Considering we are going there?"

"It's a small town that was sealed off from the city it was next to," James said. "We're new arrivals, but the occupants let us in and we earned our keep. Nice place, plenty of houses."

"I don't like the sound of it being near a city..." Cristina commented imaging hordes of the undead clambering over whatever barriers surrounded the town.

"Yeah, I can see why but for the most part we haven't had problems from a horde of that scale. In two years, they all must have scattered or something," James said as he took a piece of jerky and started to idly munch on it. Marcus did the same with the cheetos.

''Arrgh'' the Zombie said.
''Arrrrrgh!''.

What was the point, what useless hands, useless eyes, useless minds.
These figures they had formed into, that they had, somehow, collectively transformed into. What were they?

''Arrrrgh!'' the Zombie screamed again.

It was not a reaction of a living thing, but the groan of the apathetic, the distraught and distressed. No matter how many times I'd watch their mouths open expecting, hoping for anything except a groan of lust or pain I died a little inside. Because there never was anything else. They would twist and contort their lips in the ways a baby trying to gurgle would. It looked so right but the sound was so wrong.

It was lonely, shuffling past the crowds, looking for some contact, some warmth and to only hear the disheveled heavy yawn of the dead.

For me it started with a feeling, this heavy, breathy pang, just above my lungs. It felt itchy, like heartache, but it was real. Growing and expanding like a gust of air. Then it settled, like a heavy rain settles in on a summer day. Roots grew and that breathy pang became a numbing wave and that numbing wave became chilling flesh.

''Arghhh!'' said the Zombie, and 'Arrrrgh' said me.

"I've heard tales whispered round camp fires of places that where overrun a army base with marines and tanks got overrun last week according to a group I heard" She paused to chew another piece of jerky swallowing it before continuing. "According to their leader some football star the marines numbered just four hundred and had their tanks set up like mobile turrets... The horde came without number at least a million or so..." She shook her head. "It is just a story some people like to tell tales like that, the last stand of a few against the many... But even so... Makes you wonder"

"Sounds impressive......but I'd like to die of old age rather than a last stand," James said grimly. Rain pounded against the glass of the front window, the wind actually causing small waves to form on the pavement from where water had gathered. More lightning sounded, thunder letting out crackling booms in response to each flash.

"I can't die I have to go home and find my family... Or what is left of them they would do the same for me" Cristina argued trying her best to ignore the sound of the rain.

"Well, good luck there Cristina," James said honestly as he sat down and leaned his back against the counter.

The rain pissed Eve off. She had tonlower her bow and remove her gun, and grabbed Estel's hand.
"We need to find shelter! It's too dangerous to stay out here any longer!" She yelled.

Hibiki had to slow down. She unsheathed her sword, making sure her clothes were fully covering skin and her skin; good thing ahe always is wearing a bikini for assaults. Used to be all the time, but luxury of a home meant lingerie. Works.

"Do you see any fucking shelter?" Estel screamed. "We keep running, and find a fucking bridge to crawl under!"

Eve gave up and just held on, following Estel.

Hibiki rode on, and after what seemed like the journey to Mordor, she ended up at a gas station. Store and auto shop attached, she headed for the autonshop. A doormopen, she rode in katana drawn.
Nothing. And so, leaving Nomad, she found a release and let the...
"Well fuck." She said as the door fell with a mighty crash. Turning to the door into the store, she put her back to said door and raised her rifle. Nomad whined, and Hibiki waited.

The sound of the crashing door was lost on the trio inside the gas station, as the thunder outside had them convinced that it must have simply been another note in the storms orchestra.

Estel ran, staying close to the river as the storm raged on. The water was now dark brown like chocolate milk, and choppy as hell as the current gained speed. Finally though, she saw ahead of them was a bridge. "There!" she said. "Get under the bridge!" she said to Eve. Like the troll you are, she thought.

Eve dragged Estel underneath. She shivered.
"So. We gonna demand taxes for those wishing to cross?"

Hibiki was alone...so she carefully advanced. Flicking her flashlight on, she opened the door to the store and stepped inaide, and began sweeping the area.

The moment the rear door opened, James and Marcus turned their heads hard enough to risk neck damage. However they couldn't see clearly, as light from the rear door blinded them. It didn't stop them from drawing their guns, and James shouting "Who the hell is there?"

Estel chuckled as the rain poured on the bridge over their heads, sitting down on the damp ground and not caring that her pants were getting muddied. "Until some goats come to kick our ass."

Hibiki nearly cried with relief.
"Rescue party with extra fries. Lost the milkshakes on the way, but I brought a bay named horse." Hibiki lowered her rifle.."though, no offence, was hoping to find the kids first."

Eve's teeth chattered, and she snuggled up against Estel.
"We have guns. Goat stew sounds fantastic."

Dropping his arm, James walked over to Hibiki and pulled her into a tight hug as he rested his chin on her shoulder, and while he didn't cry he did close his eyes and sigh in relief. Marcus smiled, and said "How'd you find us?"

Estel didn't mind the snuggling really; in this weather, anything that kept her warm was welcome. "Goat cheese maybe. Adds some interesting flavor."

Cristina had brought her rifle up but lowered it after a moment of hesitation seeing as both James and Marcus seemed to recognise the newcomer. She remained uncertain for the moment and elected to watch their interaction between the three. If they where from the same group then it would make sense and she would not be a part of their group reunion.

Hibiki hugged him back. "Only place I found for shelter. Hoped the kids were here." She didnt break from the hug. "You worried me you idiot. I want to kick your ass so much right now." She pulled back and kissed James. "Don't scare me like that again."

Eve chuckled. "Goat milk." She rested her head on Estel's shoulder, more out of comfort.
"...Estel? Need some water?" She offered her thermos.

"Yeah I really don't think getting a drink will be a problem right now," Estel said, gesturing at the rain.

James smiled, and said "I'll try not to." Then he realized they had something of an audience, and pulled back. "Uh....Hibiki, this is Cristina. She saved our lives, Marcus' and mine."

"Hey" Cristina said in way of greeting with her painfully obvious Polish accent. "Guess you can help me look after them now"

Hibiki kissed James again.
"Thanks for saving them. James is my husband and he is not skimping out of being a father that easily." She joked.." She extended her hand. "Hibiki Ikizawa." Hibiki offered.

Eve sighed. Whatever.
"Would you mind snuggling back? And any ideas to get some warmth, because we're eisking hypothermia, which yes I know you already know."

"Well.......nothing really," Estel said. "NO way in hell am I cuddling in the nude for warmth; the amount of cold water would have us freeze to death."

"Okay you make it sound like I've been trying," James said.

She excepted the offered hand. "Cristina" She raised an eyebrow at James' comment but just shook her head. "Well at least you made it this far I wonder if you could survive the joys of parenthood?" Her tone was light hearted and teasing.

"I'm.....kinda looking forward to it really," James said sincerely.

"Is it someone please pass me a bucket?" Cristina inquired remembering what she believed to be an American saying for when people where rather like a pair of love-birds.

"Ha, are we that bad?" James asked. Granted there were times he thought that he and Hibiki were.....too affectionate in public but that was probably his own intimacy issues.

"I don't know but I don't want to find out" Cristina replied, settling herself back down now that the panic of the sudden arrival had caused had dissipated.

Taking a tiny step back from Hibiki, James leaned against the wall and sighed. "Okay.....so I guess we just wait for the storm to blow over then before leaving?" Marcus grunted in the affirmative, saying "Yeah, no point going back out there with the way it is now."

"Unless you want to get soaked again or risk running into the hordes of the damned" Cristina commented, voicing her thoughts on the matter.

"We should probably check the auto-garage," James said. "Maybe I'm sounding hopeful, but there could be a car in there under a tarp or being raised on those pillar things." Marcus snickered quietly, and James said "Hey if you know what those things are called, be my guest and say it to the class."

"Driving might attract more of them... It would be easier to walk?" Cristina argued, but she meant it would be easier for them to avoid the undead on foot than by driving a loud, noisy vehicle.

"I got a horse. I cant carry four adults and two kids on a horse. If we had a car, we could go faster. Speed is more important then safety, especially in this weather." Hibiki said coolly. "If you'd rather walk in this weather, be my guest."

"Safety should be the number one concern moving quickly can get you killed far faster than by taking a cautious, stealthy approach to your journey" Cristina replied calmly. "I just might walk though it makes more sense to wait for the storm to pass"

"Look, how about this?" James said. "We wait for the storm to pass, but in the meantime we at least check for a car. I mean, let's be honest Cristina we may be able to outrun walkers, but if we face any runners on the way home we're going to need a way to outrun them. And I'm not a believer of having to run faster than the guy next to you."

Cristina could see the logic in the argument there. She was used to travelling by herself and using stealth as a weapon. "Fine we can look" She relented however much her gut instinct screamed at her that using a vehicle was a dangerous idea.

Hibiki didnt respond. She ignored Cristina, and looked at James. "Have you seen any sign of Eve and Estel?" She asked. "Please tell me you have."

James shook his head, and said "No, I thought they were with you." Then, suddenly the implications of what she said clicked in his brain, and his eyes widened as he gripped her shoulders. "Wait, she didn't make it back?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Estel started distracting the walkers and Eve followed her. I had to leave or die." She replied. "I set out a few hours ago to find them. Instead I found you."

"Oh that's just....." James trailed off, hands going to his head as fingers tangled themselves in his hair, and he sagged against the wall and down to the ground. "Fucking shit......alright, we need to......" Marcus stepped in, and said in a firm voice "We stick to the plan: wait out the storm, and in the meantime we check for a car and see if we can get it to work. Nothing we can do for Eve and Estel right now." He didn't need to say if they're even still alive, despite that thought going through everyone's head.

"They could have survived they might be on their way back... There are several places that they could have held up" Cristina informed them, she knew a bit about the local area it was not that hard if someone kept themselves together.

"Well Eve's always been resourceful," James said. "Wouldn't put it past her to be alright in all this." He looked up at Marcus, and said "And you have a point, not much that can be done. Cristina, how much do you know about cars, automobiles, stuff like that?"

"Not much, I ski, know how to survive off the wild, run, swim, how to warm yourself up when you are frozen to avoid hypothermia cars are not something I have every found interesting" She admitted, leaning against a wall making sure that she was not near the windows.

"Damn.....alright, stay here and keep an eye out for anything. Marcus, you and I will check the garage, see if there's anything there we can salvage." Marcus nodded, and helped James up to his feet. "Hibiki.....if you want to help, you're welcome to do so, or you can stick with Cristina and make sure we don't get caught with our pants down."