A-O Bomb Squad 4: The Final Blow

Sick 'Em, Boy

Joe, Buzz Kill, Boss Man, and Coco had just left the lab in Area 15. Mad Dog and Maxxis were left. For the first few minutes, they just sat there, trying to think of something to do. Maxxis thought it was time to have a talk with his Dad about Sylvan. He was just trying to think of a way to bring it up without being blunt with it.

"Dad, what was with Mom earlier?"

Mad Dog faced him. "What do you mean, son?"

His stomach began to churn, and he started getting nervous. "Well, she was crying and stuff, so I wondered what was wrong."

"He just meant a lot to her."

Seriously? Maxxis thought. That is the vaguest answer to a question ever. He decided to keep pushing for a real answer. "Like, how?"

"They were really close. His death was so sudden. There's a lot of reasons."

Maxxis tried to think of a reply. "Do you think she'll react the same when you die?"

"I'd like to think so, but I doubt it."

"Why?"

"She had a different relationship with him than she has with me."

"But, you're her child's father. How was Sylvan so special?"

Mad Dog started to get suspicious. "Why are you so interested in him all of a sudden? Has Coco been saying something to you?"

"No, no," he lied. The topic was dropped for awhile. They waited for the return of the others. After being gone an hour, they both started to worry. Mad Dog tried radioing them, but there was no answer. Neither of them wanted to assume the worst, so they waited awhile longer. Another hour passed, and they still weren't back. "Should we go out and look for them?"

"We don't know where they went. They could be anywhere." As much as Mad Dog wanted to keep Maxxis safe, he also was concerned over the lives of his remaining friends. He weighed all the options and eventually decided they would venture out into the desert and try to find them. They made sure to pack plenty of water and cover up from the rays of the sun.

As they strolled beside the bus tracks, kicking sand everywhere, Maxxis wanted to know more about Sylvan. So far all he'd gotten out of his Dad was that he knew the obvious truth and had some insecurity issues.

"Dad, " said Maxx, "how did you propose to Mom?"

"Um, well, it took a long time actually," Mad Dog replied. "At first she didn't even like me more than a friend." Maxxis waited for him to continue. "She liked Sylvan a lot, but didn't even show interest in me until after he died. After you were born, we spent a lot of time together, and I eventually just asked her."

The two stopped about forty-five minutes later to take a break and lather on sunscreen. Mad Dog was sweating bullets while Maxx didn't even break a sweat.

"Ew, Dad you're all sweaty," Maxx said scrunching up his nose in disgust. His nose twitching like his mother's does.

"That's what happens when your from a state with bipolar weather. You're lucky, kid. You where born in the desert."

Maxxis sat and thought, "Wait, I thought I was born in Argenta?"

Mad Dog shook his head as he drank from his canteen. "Nope, you were born here."

"Mom said I was born in Argenta," he argued.

"No, you were born in an elevator, while we were fighting off the zombies in the Lost City. It was before Sylvan..."

"Before Sylvan what?"

Mad Dog sighed and turned to Maxxis. "Son, I'm going to tell you what you need to know about Sylvan." Maxxis nodded as he sat eagerly. "Sylvan was one of the original members of Bomb Squad. I didn't come along until two years after the apocalypse when your mom and the others came back to Argenta. For awhile, me and Sylvan went at each other because we both loved your mom. When she got pregnant, it all went downhill. After he died by Julio, your mom decided to raise you in Argenta."

Maxxis tried to process what his dad had just told him. One question flashed into his mind. He took a deep breath. "So, Dad, are you really my...my..."

They heard a large group of zombies roar in the distance. Mad Dog didn't hesitate to grab Maxxis and start running back to the lab. Maxxis was about out of breath by the time they got back, but Mad Dog was still in the zone. Mad Dog barricaded the enterance and took Maxxis to a closet. He shoved his son inside. "Sylvan, don't come out until I tell you too." Then he slammed the door shut and barricaded it stronger than the entrance, which was being breached. Maxxis was anxious as to why his dad called him Sylvan.

The fight between Mad Dog and the zombies echoed through the halls and was muffled through the barricade. Maxxis didn't know whether to break out or sit and wait for his dad. Maxxis felt around his belt for walkie-talkie. He took it out and frantically radioed the others. "GUYSYOUGOTTACOMEBACK, LIKERIGHTNOW! DADANDMEGOTCHASEDBYABUNCHLOADOFZOMBIES, ANDHE'SHEREFIGHTINGTHEMBYHIMSELF! HELOCKEDMEUPINACLOSET!HELP!" There was no reply, but he could only hope they were on their way.

He leaned his ear against the door and tried to hear what was going on. The zombies moans had gotten louder and closer. Then he heard it; the zombies were breaking apart the barricade. "Get away from my son!" Mad Dog shouted. More gunshots were heard followed by zombies dying. Suddenly, it went quiet.

The only sound was Maxxis' breathing. "Dad?" he asked first in a whisper. "Dad? Dad?!" He progressively got louder until he was tearing apart the barrier himself. "Dad!" Maxxis kicked the last bit of wood across the room and looked at the scene before him. Scattered bodies, blood, empty guns, bullet shells, nothing he hadn't seen before. "Dad?" Maxxis called into the empty room, thinking his father had chased them out. His only reply was silence. He frantically began turning over the bodies until he found his father's, dead.

Maxxis hardly had time to blink before his mother's shrill scream echoed throughout the building. She ran over to him and held him tight to her chest. "MAXXIS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! WHERE'S YOUR FATHER?!" Maxxis burst. He could barely form the words to tell her that Mad Dog had died. Joe let out an ear-splitting yell. She proceeded to pull out a small pistol and fire off her rounds into the ceiling. "Damn you, God! Why do you keep doing this?! What did he do to deserve this?! What did Maxxis do?! Leaving a poor child without a father! Not again!"

Coco yanked the gun out of her hand before the ceiling crashed down on them. Boss Man had to hold Joe back so Buzz Kill could burn the bodies. Coco watched the flames reflect through Buzz Kill's eyes. She saw a tear roll down her friend's cheek. Buzz Kill caught her stare and quickly wiped it away, as if it were nothing. Coco noted how cold she'd become since Loud Speaker's passing.

Maxxis hadn't moved from the time Joe had run past him. He was trying to absorb Joe's words. "Leaving a poor child without a father...Not again..." Was she talking about herself?

Joe cried out, "I swear, the next one of you to die had better turn into a zombie! I want to kill you again for dying on me in the first place!"

Coco looked at Boss Man, "Get them out of here." Boss Man nodded and threw Joe over his shoulder. He grabbed Maxxis and left Coco and Buzz Kill to clean up the bodies. As Maxxis left the lab, he took one last look at his father, already half burned.

"Goodbye, Dad."

A/N: This chapter, even though it's sad, is dedicated to our friend Taylor for her sixteenth birthday. Happy birthday, Tay! -Becky and Liz