by W. A. R.
“Don’t do this.” Brian said firmly, yet pleadingly to the man. His hands were trembling. He didn’t want to give up. He didn’t want to fail Shelly, or the others. He didn’t want to fail period. Shelly reached out for him, her eyes red and bloodshot, and her face taking on a purple color. Miles’s eyes shifted between the hooded man and Brian. Miles kept his guns raised at the two men, waiting for what action Brian was going to take. Whatever Brian decided to do he was behind him a hundred percent. His blood roared in his ears. Regardless of how the situation turned out, he knew that they weren’t going back to the house. Something in his gut told him so.
“I don’t want to but I will.” The man countered and Brian shifted only slightly before Damien eased into the picture behind Brian, rifle in his hands. He was moving slowly, but his focus wasn’t on the man holding Shelly; instead, his focus was on Brian. Miles glanced at him curiously before realizing what he was doing. He lifted the long barrel of the rifle, aiming it at Brian. A million thoughts flashed through his mind in the brief second that Damien did this. He was going to kill Brian; he was a traitor; he had tricked them all; they were all going to die because they trusted the wrong person. And with no second thought he pulled his gun from its aim on the man holding Shelly and fired it at Damien.
It had all happened so fast…from walking through the cooler door to standing with those men in a standoff…from leaving the house to shooting the traitor in his arm, causing him to effectively drop his rifle. Disbelief passed through Miles, betrayal, and most of all…fear…Damien had helped kill Jackson and Rick…he had planned all of this…he was going to hurt them all and they couldn’t get away. He knew all of their plans, every single one. All of this crossed his mind in the split second that his gun fired. The hooded man jumped into action, evading Miles’s second pistol and whipping his arm behind his back painfully. The man wrenched Miles’s gun from his hand and tossed it to the side before removing a knife from his holster and pressing it against Miles’s neck. He pushed Miles’s arm up towards the base of his neck and Miles grit his teeth against the pressure threatening to break his arm. He refused to release his other gun, having it trained on Damien. Brian glanced behind him in shock and surprise, and Miles watched the slow realization settling upon him. He turned to Miles as the hooded man again applied pressure to his arm, causing Miles to grimace and arch back. The feel of the knife blade slid across his skin slightly with the movement and blood trickled down. He didn’t care. It was all gone; everything they had…everyone they had.
“Drop your gun.” The hooded man hissed in Miles’s ear and Miles started. There was a hint of familiarity in his voice, but there was so much venom in his tone it was hard to distinguish between the two. He refused to drop his weapon. He grit his teeth, fighting back against the pain that radiated through his chest. Shelly was slowly closing her bulging eyes, her face purple and Damien gripped his arm, blood pouring from the wound and sliding between his fingers as he cursed. It was all slow motion; Brian turned and jerked Damien to him, angry, tears flowing down his face. He brought his gun to Damien’s head. He was yelling at the man that held Shelly, Damien was shouting, pleading and yet Miles could decipher none of it. The sound of his heart beating, pumping blood quickly throughout the rest of his body, was the only sound he could hear. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, taking deep breaths and attempting to regain his composure. A slow humming….humming in his ears…breathe in…breathe out…the humming grew louder….
“…I’ll blow his fucking head off!” Brian’s booming voice invaded his ears and he snapped his eyes open. He was back in reality and his body was shuddering with anticipation.
“Please…make him stop!” Damien pleaded and Brian slammed the butt of his gun against his head. Blood trickled down to his ear as he cried out, attempting to escape the pain that exploded across his head. The man stared at the two men before him with half-lidded eyes, and Miles gripped the handle of his gun tighter.
“I said drop your fucking gun.” The hooded man repeated, and Miles ignored him, watching as the man holding Shelly took into consideration the scenario before him. It wasn’t enough; the man was still going to kill Shelly. “I will kill you.” The hooded man whispered angrily in Miles’s ear and Miles grew tense. He was barely heard and Miles knew he hadn’t intended to be heard. Miles quickly reached up with the hand that held the gun, startling the hooded figure by jerking his hand and arm outward from his neck. Before the hooded man had time to react, Miles turned, relieving the pressure put against his arm and instantaneously swapping positions with the hooded figure. He placed the gun to his head.
“Let her go now…or he goes too.” Miles snapped, pointing his gun to his previous captor’s head. He simply went rigid against Miles, refusing to move, refusing to speak. The man holding Shelly turned, unamused, to look at Miles, before glancing back to Brian who held a cowardly Damien to him. He sighed, and looked outside, at what, Miles was unsure, because he then turned back to Brian completely defeated.
“Fine.” He sighed, resigned, and he shoved Shelly from him, releasing his hold on her windpipe. Brian immediately released Damien, tossing him to the man in order to catch Shelly. She reached for him, stumbling on her feet. He caught her and she fell against him, gasping and coughing. She struggled to gather the air she had been denied. The man grabbed at Damien when, without thinking, Miles removed his pistol from the hooded man’s head and fired his gun quickly, clipping Damien in the right shoulder. He cried out and fell to the floor, writhing in the burning sensation that enveloped him. Before he had fallen, however, Miles aimed his gun at the man that had held Shelly. Within an instant he had pulled the trigger. The bullet entered the side of the man’s head, directly above his ear, and exploded through the other side, hitting the glass window of the store and shattering it. Miles watched as Damien scrambled on the floor to his rifle. Damien froze as the man crumpled into a lifeless heap before him, his arm dripping blood onto the floor. Miles rested his sights on Damien.
“Move another fucking muscle…I dare you.” Miles ground out, glancing at Brian and Shelly, who stumbled over broken items to place themselves beside Miles. He wanted to shoot the sorry son of a bitch, but he needed to ensure that there was no one else within proximity. Shelly’s color was coming back and Brian released her, turning one of his guns to Damien, and the other to the hooded man that Miles held against him. The sunlight danced in through the broken glass of the window eliminating some of the shadows. Brian nodded at Miles who released the hooded man and knelt down to grab his other pistol that rested on the floor. Shelly hurried through the cooler door as Brian lowered his guns and followed her. Miles aimed his guns at the two who remained motionless, the hooded man near the cooler and Damien bleeding on the floor. He fired quickly before rushing out, and he was unsure of whether he had hit his intended targets or not. He backed out toward the door slowly, and once he was out of sight he followed Brian and Shelly out of the rolling door. Why had they not ensured their death? Miles couldn’t say. They were limited on ammo, that was for sure, and the Biters were coming back. They had to reserve what they could in order to get out of there. They turned right, running toward their truck when a gunshot rang out, and Miles turned to see Damien standing at the window, rifle in hand. Miles and Brian lifted their guns and fired back at him, shouting at Shelly to keep going. Their legs surged them forward to the end of the store, running full blast from the hell that was inside the abandoned store.
A strong pair of arms suddenly wrapped around a squealing and struggling Shelly. “No!” she screamed as she struggled against the man who was slowly dragging her away. Brian’s eyes widened with fear and fury blindsided him as he lifted his gun to the man. Without hesitation, however, another stepped from his right and decked him, sending him sprawling to the ground, his gun sliding around the pavement. They weren’t alone. They were significantly outnumbered; Miles knew that. They were set up…a horrible elaborate plan. He mentally cursed Damien, firing one more shot
at him through the busted window. Everything was happening so fast, they didn’t even have time to think about anything that was happening. They couldn’t think about their actions, what might happen. They had absolutely no time to consider their motions, or the actions of the other people. Miles quit running forward, shooting the man that hovered over Brian in the leg and causing the man fell back onto the pavement, crying out in pain as Brian scrambled to his feet and launched at the man holding Shelly. Brian pulled his knife from its holster and shoved the blade into the man’s arm, forcing him to release Shelly as he howled in pain and surprise. As soon as Shelly fell to her knees Brian pulled his knife from the man’s arm and shoved it into his chest. The man fell to his back, gasping for air and clutching at the wound as Brian pulled his knife back, turning to search for Shelly. Shelly was scrambling for Brian’s gun as the man Miles had shot advanced toward her. Miles lifted his gun and ran forward, firing the pistol. The man moved and instead of hitting his head, the bullet ripped through the man’s throat, splattering Shelly with his blood before he fell in a distorted heap of flesh on pavement. She flinched momentarily before grabbing Brian’s gun and jumping to her feet, rounding the corner of the store at full speed. Brian was right behind her and Miles behind him. He noticed how Damien had stopped firing at them, and the thought made him uneasy for some reason. He had no reason not to be anything but grateful of his lack of attention to them.
Miles felt sweat drip down his neck as they rushed towards their truck which sat unguarded in the parking lot. Biters were beginning to wander back, attracted to the gunshots fired and Brian lifted his gun, dropping two near the truck. They had to warn the others, had to get back to them. Miles had to know that they were alright. A man tackled Brian from the left, darting out from behind a tree. Shelly turned as the two men rolled on the ground and Miles rushed forward, jerking the man by the back of his shirt off of Brian, who easily stood and shoved his knife up and through the man’s chin as Miles held him. Miles quickly released him and they turned, rushing once again towards the truck. His lungs were hurting, and his head aching, but he pushed it back, fear taking over his entire body. Miles saw another Biter and lifted one of his pistols, and pulled the trigger, cursing as he realized he was out of ammo. He quickly shoved it into his holster and readied the twin pistol. The Biter stumbled toward Brian as he rounded the front of the truck to the driver’s door. Miles quickly took out the creature and followed Shelly to the other door, jumping in behind her. Tears pooled in her eyes as Brian inserted the key shakily into the ignition. Shelly watched him anxiously.
“Hurry…Brian, please…” Shelly pleaded, never taking her eyes from Brian’s trembling hand. Miles glanced up through the window, readying his gun and his heart picked up its pace. They were going to be alone, his family; they were going to be taken and made into something horrible. He wanted to launch himself against the window, or to even free himself of the confines of the red Dodge and run to them. Amber had been scared, her voice trembling as she spoke over the radio and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He briefly closed his eyes, feeling her pain alongside his own raging within himself as Brian tried turning the ignition to no avail. No lights, no noises, no roar of the ignition. Miles was again reminded that they weren’t making it out of this and while he wished the others could help, he knew that they couldn’t, regardless of how badly they wanted to.
“It won’t start! It won’t do anything!” Brian exclaimed anxiously and Shelly began crying harder. Miles swallowed and sighed, checking the chamber of his gun. Five bullets…that was all he had left. He glanced at the gun Shelly held between loose fingers and he sighed. They had maybe six shots left, tops. Biters were coming in, and there were more people, he knew, somewhere. Whether they were watching them or they were at the house, he wasn’t sure. Brian tried the ignition again, with no success. He balled up his fists and slammed them against the steering wheel, against the dash in anger, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Shelly sobbed as Brian rested his head against the steering wheel, trying desperately to think of a plan. Miles felt tears prick the back of his own eyes. Brian tried the ignition once more, and again, nothing was happening. It wouldn’t even begin trying to turn over. Brian’s eyes widened in realization and he turned to Miles.
“They took the battery.” He said, almost silently and the slow, steady sound of clapping reached their ears. Their eyes trailed from one another up and through the windshield, and finally resting on a tall man that slowly clapped his hands, slowly making his way towards the front of their truck. More men came from hiding, from vehicles they hadn’t noticed before. There were at least ten, and each one was killing Biters while advancing toward them. They were surrounded. The man that stood in the middle had stopped clapping his hands and placed them firmly on his hips. He had no hair, aside from a long beard that he sported. He was broad-shouldered and tall, his very presence dominating.
“That was quite a show, I must say.” His deep voice bellowed and Miles narrowed his eyes at him, blocking out everything but the enemy. It was simply the end of the line for the three of them. All those that were watching, if anyone was watching, could do was go back to the others and warn them, tell them, keep them safe. His heart broke. He had promised to keep them safe, to go back to her and bring Shelly and Brian with him and it tore at him knowing he wouldn’t be given the opportunity to do so. It only served to fuel his anger. “I am impressed. You easily took out…what…seven?... of my men, which poses a problem for me, of course. But I am impressed, regardless.” After this, the man glanced around the parking lot as Damien and the hooded man exited the store and stepped into the sunlight. Damien’s arm and chest were coated with blood and he held it gingerly, refusing to put much pressure on his wounds. Brian glanced down at his gun, then at Shelly’s and Miles’s. Miles shook his head in response to Brian’s unspoken thoughts. No, they couldn’t make it out. After a moment of silence, the man cleared his throat, realizing that they weren’t going to talk. “Well, let’s start with introductions, shall we?” the man asked and suddenly their doors were opened and both Brian and Miles were jerked from the truck.
Miles landed hard on his knees, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his spine and he winced. He yelled muffled obscenities, and he could hear Brian struggling on the other side of the truck. His gun was taken from his hand, and the other from its holster. A hand pressed firmly on the back of his head, shoving his cheek and chin against the gritty pavement. The small rocks and pebbles dug into his skin as they restricted his hands behind his back, the zip-ties so tight they cut into his skin. He struggled against them as they did this, as they searched his body for any other weapons of choice before jerking him up by his shoulders and dragging him to the front of the truck. They settled him on his knees and he watched as they drug Brian over as well. They lowered their heads in shame, in defeat. Finally, very slowly, Shelly was pulled over to rest between the two of them. They all sat on their knees, hands confined behind their backs and feet confined as well.
“Let’s see if I can remember this correctly....” the tall man began, pacing slowly towards Brian. He grinned, as if gleeful. “You’re Brian.” The man knelt down to eye level with Brian, a look of genuine sympathy on his face. Brian’s cheeks grew red and a flush crawled up his neck. “I do apologize for what happened to your father and cousin. But we never intended on actually hurting anyone.”
“Fuck you.” Brian bit out quickly and the man only smiled, revealing straight white teeth.
“You have a lot of potential to make a difference. You are a strong leader and I could use someone like you to help…create a better solution…for the world we live in.” The man replied and Brian struggled against his restraints, grinding his teeth together.
“You let your own people die, and for what? To capture us? Why would I ever consider being a leader with that as an end result?” Brian spat out vehemently and the man smiled as if amused.
“It was something we had to do. We were gi
ven orders and their losses are something we will have to cope with.” The man informed him before chuckling. “It isn’t always this way and as a leader you can change that. You can be part of the solution.”
“I’d rather die first.” Brian growled and the man stood, turning from Brian thoughtfully.
“Don’t you want to know what that solution is?” the man asked Brian shifted on his knees.
“I already do.”
“Not the whole picture.” The man suggested and Brian narrowed his eyes dangerously at him.
“I don’t care. As I said, I would rather die first.” His words were venomous and biting, yet they only caused the man to grin maliciously.
“We’ll see.” Was all he said, but Miles felt the terror of the threat that the man so subtly implied. Slowly, the man turned to Shelly, kneeling down to her level. Brian struggled even more so and a man came up from the side and grabbed him, holding him steady, refusing to allow him to push towards their ring-leader. The man brought his hand up to cup Shelly’s chin, forcing her to look at him.
“And you are the beautiful Shelly.” The man said with a smile and Shelly spit on him. He closed his eyes in what seemed like amusement as he wiped the saliva from his face with the back of his hand. Brian still struggled, but was being muffled by a gag that two men were placing in his mouth. Miles swallowed as the man released Shelly’s chin. “You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Did you know that?” he asked her and she simply glared at the man, refusing to speak to him. He then leaned forward and pressed his lips against her ear, whispering hotly against her skin. “I know your little secret.” Shelly never wavered. Instead, her glare grew hotter and her breathing rapid. The man chuckled and pulled back, rising again to his full height as if knowing she wasn’t going to respond to any bait he gave her. Two men ambled up and began gagging her as well as the man finally stood in front of Miles. Very slowly, he lowered himself to balance on the balls of his feet, his elbows resting against his knees.