SEASON 3 EPISODE 2: WWJD

 [Rich]: Some of y’all might think I’m crazy…but if we do this…we won’t ever have to deal with the dead. Ever.

Twenty-six hours earlier.

Bailey’s SUV is driving down FM 1314. The church faded behind the fog the farther Lee, Lauren and her little brother, Hunter got from it. It was morning; 9 o’clock sharp. Rich made it clear that they left at 9 in the morning and returned two hours later. It had been a while since the students had gone by themselves outside the church. Lee managed to convince Rich that it was time they began to learn to survive instead of hiding behind the adults. Deciding to take Lauren’s little brother, Hunter along on the trip took even more convincing. Not on Rich’s part but Lauren’s. She had sworn to watch over Hunter the day her parents were killed not long after everything started falling apart. But Lee helped her understand that in this world, protecting is teaching others how to survive. For these reasons, three students in a fog ridden atmosphere were going on a supply run to a nearby Dollar General in downtown Conroe.

[Lee]: Now they look scary, but they’re also very slow. You can outrun them with ease, but usually where there is one rover, there’s another somewhere close by. So always make sure you’re focused, calm, and your eyes are peeled. If you’re gonna kill one, go for th-

[Hunter]: The head we know you’ve said so many times!

[Lee]: (Chuckles) Sorry, just making it as clear as possible.

Pulling up to the Dollar General, they’re vehicle was already met with a rover stumbling toward the driver’s side where Lee sat. Just as the rotted form of the creature came into the opening range of the car door, Lee shoved it open, knocking the corpse to the ground. Before it managed to stand up, Lee shoved a spear into its temple, then heaved the sharp end out.

The three quietly stepped towards the glass door of the store.

[Lee]: I go in first. Wait for me to tell you before you walk inside.

Lee tapped his spear against the glass. He paused for nearly a minute before he swung open the door and rushed inside, leaving Hunter and Lauren.

[Hunter]: This is fun.

[Lauren]: No, it’s not. Remember what happened to mom and dad? That’s what will happen to us if we’re not careful.

Opening the door again, Lee poked his head through.

[Lee]: It’s clear, but keep your eyes peeled.

The students reentered the building. Some of the isles had fallen over, unusable items lay amuck throughout and were surrounded by fallen florescent light bulbs, chunks of ceiling, dust, debris, and empty carts. Electrical wire and cables dangled from the ceiling like vines from a tree, and the buzzing of feasting flies subtly broke the ringing silence.

[Lee]: Be sure to check under the isles and under every object. Don’t look for refrigerated items or perishable stuff, either.

Going his own route, Lee split up from Lauren and Hunter, who stayed together as they scavenged for supplies. Already finding a box of off-brand cheerios and five items of canned goods, Lee went further into the store. As he passed up a closed back-stock room door, he grabbed several packets of ramen noodles that he found lying on the ground. Turning and seeing another box of food behind him, he walked past the open back-stock room door, grabbed the box and continued searching.

Almost nearly as successful as Lee, the two siblings were already beginning to fill their backpacks with food.

[Hunter]: It’s like Easter.

[Lauren]: (Chuckles) Yeah it kinda is, isn’t it?

[Hunter]: I miss Easter…and Christmas.

[Lauren]: Yeah…me too…

Reaching the end of the isles, Lauren caught glimpse of Lee as he picked up an item and shoved it into his backpack. He looked at Lauren and showed him how full his backpack was becoming. Lauren showed hers and then turned down the aisle behind her and grabbed Hunter by the shirt.

[Lauren]: Show Lee how full your backpack is!

Doing so, Lee smiled and continued down the aisle. Lauren lovingly pulled Hunter in front of him as they proceeded around the aisle and into the next one. They didn't hear, nor see the rover until it was tackling them over.  

Lauren and Hunter’s screams alarmed Lee so much that he nearly fell to the ground. He immediately dropped his backpack and rushed towards the noise with his spear. The ruckus came into view: a long, lanky black-cooked corpse lay sprawled on top of Lauren and Hunter. Lauren was under Hunter and she was keeping the rover’s jaw away from her brother with her machete outreached in front of them. Hunter was shaking uncontrollably on top of his sister and under the black, crispy rover.

Without another second wasted, Lee rushed towards the pile of bodies, and using the blunt end of the spear, he bashed it against the side of the rover’s face. There was a cloud of black followed by burnt chunks of flesh exploding in all directions. The crispy corpse of the rover flung off the siblings and crashed into the aisle. It lay motionless, the lifeless, air-ridden flesh under the burnt skin didn’t even bleed; the blood had dried in its dark veins.

Scrambling back onto their feet, Lauren and Hunter hugged each other so tightly, while Lee fell to his back with relief. He couldn’t imagine the horror of either of them getting hurt under his watch. He couldn’t fathom the thought of one of them dying or getting bit under his leadership. He hated the idea of having to remove a limb like he once had to do for his father. The thought brought him to his back and stole his breath and the energy that came from it.

[Lauren]: (Sobbing) I’m so sorry I tried to stop it.

[Hunter]: It’s okay it’s not your fault.

[Lauren]: I love you so much, Hunter.

[Hunter]: I love you too…you’re the best sister in the world.

Suddenly, the corpse unnoticeably twitched.

Climbing to his feet, Lee walked back to his backpack and pulled it over his shoulder.

[Lee]: Are yall good to keep collecting or should we head back?

[Lauren]: No…let’s keep collecting. We can do this.

It happened so fast. Lee wasn’t quick enough and Lauren didn’t even see it till it happened. The sound of a squishing crunch sunk Lee’s heart as his eyes witnessed the rover he failed to kill sink it’s blackened teeth into Hunter’s leg below the knee. Lee felt silent isolation sweep over his senses as he yanked out his handgun and fired multiple shots into the rover’s head. Chunks of burnt flesh like charcoal blasted everywhere, and brain matter popped like a firecracker in jelly. Snatching Lauren’s machete, Lee swung one single swoop across Hunter’s leg below the knee, dismembering the rest of his leg from his small body. Falling over onto the ground, Lauren’s screams didn’t even register in Lee’s brain as he lifted the body up and rushed towards the vehicle outside with Lauren following close behind. Pulling the lace out of one of his shoes, Lee tied a tight knot around the sliced area of the child’s leg to slow the bleeding. Lauren sat beside him in the car holding the boy’s face and crying his name over and over. Lee sped into the driver seat and raced down the road as fast as the car would go. The sweat running down his face was wiped away with his bloody-drenched hand. Half of Lee’s face was smeared with blood; Hunter’s blood. His nightmares came true.

They burst through the side doors leaving spots of blood dripping on the ground as they went. Lee carried the little boy’s body into the kitchen and laid him down on the table. Already a small pool of blood was expanding where the child’s stump. Lauren couldn’t stop sobbing. Lee grabbed several towels and a roll of string from the cabinet.

[Lee]: Lauren go get Bailey!

Lee glanced over at Lauren: she was frozen in her place. Stepping in front of her, Lee grabbed her shoulders and shook her several times.

[Lee]: Lauren get Bailey, or Hunter is going to die! Go!

Taking multiple frail steps backward, Lauren finally turns around and runs upstairs into the student center. Lee immediately positioned the handfuls of towels under Hunter’s leg, and tied the string under the stump. Mounting onto the table, Lee tied the two ends over the hanging light fixture so that Hunter’s leg was suspended, and the blood ran onto the blankets. Jumping back to the ground, the teen loomed over the unconscious child. A single tear rolled off Lee’s face and pattered onto the table.

[Lee]: Please don’t go. This isn’t right…

Stepping back, Lee covered his face with his hands. Tears ran down his arms and dripped beside the blood on the ground.

[Lee]: I am so sorry.

Just then, Bailey, Rich, and Lauren came running in.

[Rich]: What happened?!

Swallowing down his sobs, Lee’s words wavered from mumbles to shaken exclaims.

[Lee]: It c-came out of nowhere, I-I don’t know how I missed it… 

[Bailey]: Oh my god.

Bailey responds to the dreadful sight of a little boy on the edges of his life.

[Bailey]: You did good lifting his leg. You might have just saved his life.

[Rich]: Never should have let you kids go on your own. I shouldn’t have listened to any of you.

Maybe Rich was right, Lee thought. This was his fault. Hunter might die because Lee wasn’t efficient enough. How did he miss it? He went down every aisle and checked the bathrooms…where else was there?

[Rich]: Get out Lee. You too Lauren.

[Lauren]: Please, I-

[Rich]: NOW!

Beckoning Lauren to him, Lee guided the disoriented Lauren out of the kitchen and upstairs. Bailey checked for a pulse near the stump of the leg.

[Bailey]: Pulse is weak…

Feeling the skin around the stump and then comparing it to Hunter’s other leg, Bailey sighed in frustration.

[Bailey]: His leg is already developing an infection.

[Rich]: Infection like…like a bite?

[Bailey]: Fortunately, no, Lee removed the leg before it could spread. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned. After that I have to remove any shards of bone stuck in the flesh and then smooth out the bone marrow and seal off any veins. Hunter won’t be able to survive this consciously. We have to put him under…we don’t have nitrous oxide lying around, do we?

[Rich]: What place would have it nearby?

[Bailey]: You can’t just walk into Walmart and grab a gas tank of NO2. Hospitals, or emergency rooms would have that and the only one close is the children’s hospital on 242. But we don’t have much time. I can give you an hour but by then I’ll have no choice by to try to operate on him.

[Rich]: I’ll be back before then.

Racing out of the building, Rich left Bailey alone with Hunter.

[Bailey]: I hate this part.

Rich’s mind wandered as he sped down the roads towards the hospital. He should never have given in to Lee’s request. Now because of Lee’s failure to operate a scavenging mission, Hunter could very well die. Teenagers; the strange and awkward gray spot between childhood and adulthood. Until they can start growing up and maturing they can’t leave the church. Ever. They can’t defend themselves let alone each other. It’s because of them that most of their missions have failed. Then there’s Christian. His own son siding with them. They are ignorant and arrogant and they believe that they have what it takes to survive but they don’t. They know nothing of the world, and they’re too stubborn and immature to see it that way or humble themselves to seek guidance from an individual who had been alive much longer than they have. How could Christian side with them? How could he choose friends over family? It was Timothy. Ever since they apparently voted for Tim to be leader Christian has been under Tim’s influence and example. Rich had felt the presence of his son’s relationship with him falling apart. He knew because when he and his child were hiding in the kitchen pantry for days when the world fell apart, he could feel the elephant in the room. Nothing had been the same since the divorce. The separation forced ultimatums. There was no way to stop it. It was either Rich, or mom. Then it became Rich, or whoever his mom remarried. Then it became Rich’s kids, or his ex-wife’s kids. Ultimatum after ultimatum and Christian forced in the center of it. It broke him; made him quiet.

When the church was attacked Rich did everything he could to find his son. When he went to Zach Golden’s property and found Christian, he already saw something different in his child. A fire; a fire to survive and to help everyone around him. It was hard for him to leave his friends but we got used to it but then after the herd that swept through the neighborhood, it was that day Rich realized that Christian’s heart was with his friends whom he had left. Why couldn’t family be enough? Why couldn’t it just be Rich and Christian always? No more ultimatums no more choosing between sides.

He wanted to leave. He wanted to leave with Christian and never look back. What was stopping him? Christian was so attached to these people doomed for failure. He’s so attached to these people who will fail and will die because of their mistakes. Rich nearly gasped aloud when he realized that his child was doomed to die if he stayed with his friends. Yet there he stood amongst his friends not willing to move. What would sway him? What would draw him away from his friends?

If his friends were no longer in the picture?

No, Rich isn’t a killer…but what if things were to happen? Things that no one could point a finger to…a universal incident that claimed someone’s life. One life at a time, until there was no one left except Rich and Christian. It could work, if executed right.

Rich’s thoughts suddenly diverted to his eyes at the hospital as he speeds off the highway. He can literally see Costco on the other side of the highway system over the unfished road construction and small franchises. Rich said it once and he’ll keep saying it until they understand: Costco can help the church. They have so much more supplies than the group will ever dream to have. The church has plenty of fuel; the church and Costco can trade supplies. They can offer protection and the church could do their bidding. It would work.

There he goes his again, his mind constantly adrift, planning and thinking and scheming. He had to stop for now. He had to focus. He was here at the hospital parked in the driveway. Three dead ones were already shuffling towards him. Drawing out one of the spears from the property, Rich drove one rover to the ground, then beat and kicked the remaining two away from him, opening a gap for him to run inside the hospital.

The lobby was amuck with death and blood splatters. Lined across the floor were black body bags met with audiences of flies buzzing and crowded with herds of maggots. The ground was once a beautiful pattern of cream met with sunset orange and ocean teal tile flooring. Rich nearly gagged at not only the death challenging stench but the horrific black sludge that glazed nearly the entire floor. Decomposed matter, mixtures of bodily fluids and corpses made up the ground as Rich tiptoed across the lobby and into the dark stairway.

Silently entering the entrance to the stairs, Rich tapped three times on the metal railing. The echo was flamboyant and repetitive, and almost immediately he heard lumbering from the second floor headed towards him. Without a moment wasted, Rich scrambled up the stairs, meeting the oncoming rover halfway. Ramming into the corpse that according to his scrubs and white coat, had once been a doctor, Rich sent the nearly weightless corpse flying into the wall, leaving streaks of black blood as it slumped to the floor. Rich didn’t take the time to kill it, instead he continued racing through the dark staircase, focusing and listening to his surroundings. Before he reached the door to the third floor he encountered a second rover, of which he simply threw over-head down the spiral of the staircase, spending a moment to watch it fall to its explosive, messy death.

Passing over the other side entrance, Rich stood in the center of a long hallway with operating rooms built parallel to each other. But these unimportant features weren’t even registered in Rich’s mind as he first stepped in. The smell alone stole the air from his lungs and filtered the oxygen from his blood, and finally the sight itself seeped the blood from every pore in his body. It seemed to have frozen the man, stolen his soul and tore his essence from him. How long had it been? More than a year since the fall of Earth started? But even after all that time, Rich could easily identify the decomposed bodies of children lined up against the hallways with holes in their skulls and streaks of dried up, black and brown blood following them from the white painted wall to the ground where they sat.

Rich dared to take a step. He glanced into one of the operating rooms and found the remains of a dead nurse sprawled on the ground, and a corpse with its head nearly blown clean off lying in the bed. Rich quickly darted his eyes away and wiped a tear. No wonder there weren’t very many rovers in the building. Everyone inside was killed, and in such a military like fashion. It had to have been the government as a last resort.

He didn’t want to look inside, but Rich knew that what he needed was inside one of these rooms. So, holding his breath, collecting his thoughts, Rich delved into one of the grisly operating rooms in search of a NO2 canister.

He scanned the whole room, but found nothing; as if someone else had already come in and took everything. Rich slowly backed out of the room. As he turned around, his chest bumped into something standing at the door that hadn’t have been there before: the barrel of a gun.

[Stranger]: You snuck into the wrong hospital…pal.

With Lee’s dad, there was a strange sense of confidence that he would heal when he lost his arm. Everyone seemed to have known he would make it somehow. But this; Hunter, a ten-year-old boy lost his leg. How does a person recover from that in this world? How can a group continue? Bailey looked over at the child who laid unconscious. She was constantly checking his pulse every ten minutes. The space between beats was growing shorter as his pulse grew faster. The infection of an open wound was growing stronger, and the loss of blood will cause Hunter to go into shock, and possibly a coma from which he will never wake. But what if he were to heal? Bailey faced facts: Hunter from this point forward was going to be a liability. She had compassion and she would always be ready to die for this child, but she knew that deep down he would slow the group down. If something happened to this place, this sanctuary; safe haven for the youth, Hunter’s survival would simply cost more. It’s one thing to lose an arm: at least you can run. In this world there is only one thing you have to be able to do to survive: run. Hunter can no longer do that without the aid of others. When your group becomes your life support…nothing good comes from it.

[Lauren]: How is he doing?

Lauren almost made Bailey jump. Almost. She checked Hunter’s pulse. It was getting worse. His heart beat was growing faster and faster. She felt the skin around the amputated area: it was growing hotter and redder by the minute. It was only a matter of time.

[Bailey]: He’s doing great.

[Lauren]: Really? You think he’s gonna make it?

Bailey inhaled deeply. She couldn’t lie further. She couldn’t.

[Bailey]: When Rich get’s here with the NO2, and he will, I’ll be able to do everything I can to help Hunter. That should be enough.

[Lauren]: What if he get’s here and he doesn’t haven it?

[Bailey]: He will.

[Lauren]: What if Rich doesn’t even come back?

[Bailey]: He will.

[Lauren]: But what if he doesn’t, Bailey?! What if he doesn’t?!

What if he doesn’t? Bailey thought. Hunter would die. Simple as that. To operate on him would cause to much trauma and with the lack of blood to support the adrenaline he would go into shock and either die on the spot or go into a coma. Either way they lose Hunter. Unless Rich was successful. Unless Rich came in through that door right now within this very hour and saved the day.

Bailey stepped firmly towards Lauren and hugged her tightly. She didn’t normally give hugs.

[Bailey]: He. Will.

[Stranger 2]: You have quite the nerve coming into here, Niño.

[Stranger]: Quiet, Vergilio, this guy didn’t know. Anybody would have thought this place was abandoned at first glance. What’s your name, pal?

Rich slowly lifted his arms and set down the spear. In front of him were two men: A red-bearded man and the Hispanic individual whose apparent name was Vergilio.

[Rich]: My name is Rich. I need Nitrogen Oxide; NO2.

[Stranger]: What the devil do you need estrogen ox-hide for? I don’t even know what that is!

[Rich]: It’s a gas used to put people to sleep for surgery…do you have any?

Rich slowly began to lower his arms.

[Stranger]: Ah, keep yer arms up, buddy. I ain’t trusting you yet. Now we got a lot of stuff from these here rooms. We traded a lot with Costco for food, bullets and tools a few weeks back. But we kept some of it to ourselves.

[Rich]: Maybe we can work something out…help each other.

[Stranger]: How’s that?

What in the world did Rich have that they could want? Perhaps he could tell them about the church. The group had plenty of fuel to trade with. They could give Rich the NO2 if they had any, and then the church gives them fuel to go on their merry way. It was a good plan.

[Rich]: I’m from a community. It’s small but we have a lot of fuel; more than we can handle. You give us some of your medical supplies, and we give you fuel.

[Vergilio]: How do we know you-

[Stranger]: Will you be quiet, Vergilio! How do we know you ain’t got any fuel on you?

[Rich]: To be honest, you don’t. You won’t know unless you give me a chance to prove it to you.

Rich began to lower his arms again.

[Rich]: You’re gonna have to trust me now.

Rich’s arms hit his sides. Vergilio and the bearded man next to him lowered their weapons in sync.

[Stranger]: I’m Sherman. Nice to meet ya.

[Rich]: Likewise. You’re wearing construction uniforms?

[Sherman]: That’s right. Me and what’s left of my crew have managed to hide in this general area since it all fell apart. All of us who had family to go back to left and those that didn’t stayed with me. It’s me and three others living on the third floor of this hospital.

Showing Rich the way out, Sherman and Vergilio followed him up the next floor. Entering the third level, Rich was surprised to see how clean it was inside. All the windows were rid of their curtains so that the natural white light spilled into the room, the floors looked like they were mopped even vacuumed and the walls were bleach white.

[Sherman]: I know. I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve seen a clean building before. Lashaun and Vergilio are clean freaks.

[Rich]: It’s like it never happened up here!

[Sherman]: Oh, believe me. It did.

Three more construction workers walked up to Rich and the two others.

[Sherman]: This lady here is Lashaun, the young gentleman over there is Daven, and this here is Trevor. We just call him Old Man, though.

Rich shook hands with all of them. Rich couldn’t help but look around the room. He could see the food stocked up, he could see the weapons, but no medical supplies.

[Sherman]: I know what you’re thinking: where’s all the medical sh**. Excuse my Italian. Come with me.

Following Sherman up the fifth floor, Rich was growing skeptical. His heart sank even further when he heard the faint sound of rover’s growing and shuffling the carpet under the feet out in the distance. The two reached a door that had been locked and sealed.

[Rich]: What is this? What are you trying to tell me?

[Sherman]: Okay, look: Wee traded with Costco several weeks ago, but we had to make a promise to Costco that we would pay them back double. Now our deal is still strong…however-

[Rich]: All the medical supplies are on the other side of this door. Of course.

[Sherman]: Before the backup generators went down we managed to see security footage and we know that there are twelve biters in that room. Now with five people we just…we just don’t have a chance. But with an extra hand…we have that chance now. What do ya say?

This is all so stupidly typical.

[Rich]: Alright. I guess I don’t have that much of a choice.

[Sherman]: Great! Let’s go back and let the guys know.

Stepping back onto the third floor, Sherman relayed the plan with his group while Rich’s attention drifted to the windows. He noticed something on the other side. He noticed an idea; an idea that could further the safety of his son. Stockpiled beside the highway way down 242 yet at eye level were layers upon layers of concrete sound barriers used to wall up and fortify highways. Beside it was a crane. If there was a way those sound barriers could be taken to the church…and used to build a wall around the church…the group wouldn’t have to worry about the dead. Ever.

[Rich]: Excuse me?

[Sherman]: Yea?

[Rich]: That crane down below…can you operate it?

[Sherman]: Of course, we worked there building the highway before everything fell apart. Ironic, kinda. Why?

[Rich]: Nothing. We can talk about it after we clear the fifth floor.

[Sherman]: That’s the attitude I like to hear. Let’s move!

            Tossing a lever action rifle to Rich, the six moved up the entrance of the fifth floor. All lining up behind each other, they stood at the ready. Sherman unhooked each of the locks as quietly as possible. Looking at the rest of them, he ran his hand through his beard.

[Sherman]: Imma kick the doors open on three. Stick together. Everybody got their partners? Good. Let’s clear this God d*mn floor.

Busting open the doors, the six rushed in already shooting down oncoming rovers. Head’s exploded, temples popped like balloons, windows and walls were sprayed with red like water on a car. Sherman and Rich stayed together the whole way, clearing room after room. It all seemed to have come pretty easy, up until Lashaun opened the door to the break room.

The moment she opened it, at least a dozen wrinkled, rotted corpses snarled out of the room, pouring like the press at a wild event. Lashaun and Vergilio barely made it out of the hallway, but the herd was close behind them.

[Lashaun]: Guys we need help!

Rushing to their aid, Rich, Sherman, Devon, and Trevor sped onto the lobby area of the fifth floor blasting away at the group of biters coming their way. Spreading out like a blanket, the dead came at the six survivors from every angle, but Trevor and Devon were quickly boxed between the heard and the large full-length windows behind them.

[Devon]: We’re getting boxed in!

[Sherman]: Hold on, Devon we’re trying!

The young gentleman and the old man were pressed up against the building firing away their guns just as six of the rovers pressed up against them so hard the windows began to crack. The biters jammed their teeth into their flesh. Trevor went down first. Devon was still frantically trying to survive and in his attempt, he fired off a shot into the window behind him. The six rovers, what was left of Trevor, and Devon both instantly fell through to the other side of the window, falling five levels before popping on the concrete below them. The remaining six rovers were quickly dealt with as Sherman and Rich ran to the edge of the floor to see down below. They quickly looked away.  

            [Sherman]: God d*mn it!

            Rich ignored Sherman’s continuing episode of curses. He could only look across the highway to the sound barriers piled next to that crane. Would Sherman help him now that he lost friends? Most likely not. But what if Rich made them an offer? No, not an offer, an invitation. They seemed like good people, and the church could use them and their skills in construction. Plus, having more adults around will only help keep the kids in check more. It could work.

            [Rich]: I’m sorry for your losses.

            Sherman had already stopped cursing and was now on his knees wiping his wet cheeks and combing his beard.

            [Rich]: They seemed like good people.

            [Lashaun]: They were. They’re dead because of me…I opened that door-

            Sherman jumped to his feet and stepped hard and tall in front of Lashaun. The middle aged, black woman nearly jumped in fright.

            [Sherman]: This wasn’t your fault Lashaun. It coulda happened to any of us. Don’t forget it. Ya hear?

            Sherman wrapped his one giant arm around Lashaun and the woman hugged him back. These were good people, Rich thought. They shouldn’t be denied sanctuary.

            [Rich]: My community is a church down 105…we could really use you guys.

            [Vergilio]: You asking us to join yall?

            [Rich]: I am. We have the medical supplies now, yall can trade with Costco and then come home with me to the church. But if your wanting to go you have to decide now. I need that NO2 pronto.

            [Sherman]: Ah, just take it and go. While you’re getting back to your community we’ll be making the trade with Costco. When yer done, come on back and we’ll follow you home.

            [Rich]: (smiling) Okay, okay sounds like a plan. Thank you so much!

            Racing into one of the rooms containing the medical supplies, Rich came out with three small tanks of NO2 and a mask breather. Looking at his wrist to check the time, Rich’s heart sank. Bailey gave him an hour to get the tanks before attempting to operate without him. It’s been an hour and fifteen minutes.

            [Bailey]: If I don’t operate on him now he will die!

            [Lauren]: You said it yourself! He won’t survive the operation, just give Rich fifteen more minutes please!

            Looking at Hunter, and then at his sister. The options were limited. There was a chance he could survive waiting, but that chance was miniscule compared to his chances if Bailey operated on him now.

            [Bailey]: Look. Hunter has better chances of surviving if I operated on him now. We can’t wait any longer with the shards of bone digging towards vital arteries and veins, and the infection entering his blood stream…we wait any longer and he’ll bleed to death.

            Bailey put her hand on Lauren’s shoulder.

            [Bailey]: Let me try. He’s got better chances if you let me try.

            Lauren looked at Bailey, then at her dying brother. Her eyes met with the dark red, fleshy stump that used to hold Hunter’s leg. How will he ever walk again? How will he ever survive? Was him surviving even worth it for a ten-year-old in this world? Was that a decision she’s able to make? She found herself in a cliché moment of wondering what would Jesus do? Easy, she realized: Jesus would do everything to help this child of God.

            [Lauren]: Do it.

            Rich burst into the kitchen carrying the breather mask and the NO2 containers. Bailey and Lauren both jumped in a fright, but both soon smiled with great relief.

            [Bailey]: You made it! Hurry up we gotta operate on him like right now!

            [Rich]: Alright. If you need anything, get Mrs. Reed.

            [Lauren]: Wait where are you going?

            [Rich]: Look, it’s a long story, I’ll explain everything when we get back.

            At that, Rich ran back out the door. Bailey set the mask over Hunter’s face and turned on the gas.

            [Bailey]: Wait…did he say ‘we’?

            [Lauren]: I think so…just forget it. What now?

            [Bailey]: Give it a minute or so for the gas to do its job.

            [Lauren]: Then what?

            [Bailey]: Then I’m gonna get all the bone shards out and smoothen the stump out.

            After a few more seconds, Bailey pulled up a chair and sat in front of dark red stump that used to be Hunter’s leg. She held up a pair of tweezers and leaned forward, getting ready to start digging into the flesh. She hesitated and looked over at Lauren who was already looking dead with nausea.

            [Bailey]: You don’t have to watch this.

            [Lauren]: No…I do.

            Nodding in reply, Bailey turned back over to the stump, and steadily placed the ends of the tweezers into the flesh.

            [Bailey]: Here’s go nothing.

            Lee had been silent most of the time since he had returned with Lauren and Hunter. For about an hour he spent the silence alone sitting in his bedroom that had once been the middle school boy’s classroom. At the end of that first hour, Dylan managed to find him. He sat next to Lee and was quiet with him for another ten minutes, up until he said sorry to Lee, of which there was no response. They were silent for another fifteen minutes. But Dylan didn’t move, and neither did Lee. They just sat there staring at the gray carpet. Suddenly, Lee spoke.

            [Lee]: This sucks.

            Dylan almost cracked a smile. But he held it back. Maybe now wasn’t the right time to laugh. Or maybe it was…with Lee, he always seemed at his funniest when everything around him was falling apart. It was a gift of his.

            [Dylan]: You gonna be ok?

            [Lee]: Yeah. It’s just…I had to chop off my dad’s arm too. After that, I didn’t think it could get much worse. I was waaayyy wrong.

            [Dylan]: Yeah. Dude, I…I miss my brother so much. Don’t get me wrong he was a punk and a little demon-devil mutant but…I loved him, ya know?

            [Lee]: Yeah.

            [Dylan]: But I don’t know…I feel like since I lost him I have a chance to be a better brother to you guys. So uh…I’m here for you man. I love you.

            A single tear ran down Lee’s face.

            [Lee]: You’re gonna make me cry, jerk.

            [Dylan]: (Smiling) I think I already did.

            Stepping calmly through the Student Center entrance, Rich lifted his arms up to the students as he led Sherman, Lashaun and Vergilio inside. Almost everyone inside grabbed their weapons and pointed them at the strangers.

            [Rich]: Everyone relax! These people are friendly. I made a deal with them. They’re gonna join us.

            [Brittany]: What the heck?! We don’t even know these people!

            [Mrs. Reed]: Richard, we should talk about this I’m not comfortable having these strangers living under the same roof as us!

            [Rich]: I made a decision, and until we decide differently, they’re living in the school bus.

            Sherman took his hard hat off and nodded to Mrs. Reed and Brittany.

            [Sherman]: Look uh…ma’ams, Yall aint got no reason to trust any of us…but I can assure you: We’re good people. Plus, Rich and I made an agreement that’ll help all you guys. We’re gonna construct walls around the church property line using the concrete highway sound barriers.

            Suddenly, everyone lowered their guns. There was a flamboyant aura of excitement that instantly filled the air.

            [Rich]: That’s right. I’ll relay the plan to everyone today, we’ll get together all the supplies tonight, and we’ll set off on the first phase of the operation first thing tomorrow morning: escorting the crane and the sound barrier supplies from the highway to the church.

            Everyone nodded, and went back to what they were doing. All except Mrs. Reed and Brittany. It was a start, but Rich knew that this plan was going to work. Eventually, they all will see who is in charge, and they will respect Rich McDowell as the better, and rightful leader.

            Night had fallen. It was at this time that the rovers were most active. Probably something about the air; the coolness of it when the sun goes down. Because of this no one was aloud to go out at night. No one. But Timothy Roland had rebelled against most of the rules and the responsibilities since the confirmation of Zach Golden’s death. Tim knew he had lost it, but he truly didn’t care anymore. He just wanted purpose; he just wanted to breathe the coolness of the air. He was standing on the balcony of the student center looking off in the dark distance watching the rovers wave off in the open grassy area slowly drifting from one side of the property to the other. They were barely visible; little black dots floating across the grass like a leaf in a pond.

            Then he saw quickly paced movement in the corner of his eye. He turned and faced the direction of the movement. His eyes widened when out in the distance along the property line of vehicles he saw three figures standing in the darkness. One was standing tall beside a tree, the other shadowing figures knelt down in front of one of the cars. After watching them for a few extra moments, the three dark figures walked off into the darkness. Timothy bolted into his bedroom, grabbed his rifle and ammo supply, and chased after the shadows.   

THE END