Up For The Future

#14 Rifles and Roses

Tick hogtied his father to the ground and slowly stood up. He looked down at his father struggling with the disease. This was the worst time of his life. His father always used to sit beside him whenever he got sick. He used to run to the market everyday to get ice cream for tick whenever he cried for it. Used to play chess with him though he always lost. And now when he had to do something for his father. He had nothing. Completely nothing. He glanced at joe as he saw him comfort his crying mother. He dropped down to the ground on his knees. Tears rushed out of his eyes, but nothing could he do. "Why?? Why tick? What is this? Answer me!" His mother cried. "Listen madam" joe intervened but tick's mother cut him through "shut up! He's my child not yours, you clever duff. You're the one who killed mr. Dave, aren't you? Hah? How dare you get my child into it?" She leat forward at joe when tick yelled "stop it!". He stood up and moved away. "Mr. joe, take my father to shelter. We'll let him be there till we find an antidote to this disease. I'm sure we can do this."
Joe looked to the ground and smiled. Such a small child but yet has an infinite capacity for courage. "No tick! No! You can't to this to mumma! We never taught you to run with criminals" tick's mother moved forward towards him. Tick didn't turn back, he held his tears and walked up forward. He didn't mean to ignore his mother but as a matter of fact he wished to meet her later. Later, when the world would be happy and free, living again. When his sins would be vanished once and for all. And he knew, he could bring this day to life.
Joe picked tick's father and carried him to the clinic while his mother looked at joe with an angry look. She brushed the dust off her clothes and stood up. What she didn't notice was an undead officer creeping behind her, sharply aiming for her leg. He drew closer to her and bit her leg as she let out a cry, stumbling down to the ground. Completely alarmed, tick swiftly turned back and looked her helpless mother down with the blood flowing from her leg. Regardless of the fact that there walked forward, an undead to hunt him down, tick hurried to his mother to rescue her on time. But unfortunately he saw her hand turn green followed by the whole of her body, pretty soon. Tick immediately stopped and stepped back. What he had was an iron rod and what he saw were two hungry zombies aiming for him. He pulled his arm back and shot the iron rod straight at the zombie officer. Fortunately, the corpse fell back but tick was now out of any weapon. His mother stumbled slowly yet hastily at him with her purple tongue hanging out. Tick ducked right when his mother leapt at her, accepting death and giving off his life. But for a moment he felt a pause. He opened his eye and looked at his mother tied to the ground. Next to her, standing tall and rough, was joe. He helped tick stand up and looked at his mother. "I ... Am dead now" tick whispered. Joe picked his mother up and took her to the clinic as tick followed him. Joe put her down to the ground and then turned back at tick. "Im sorry" he said. Tick looked down and replied "its okay, we'll find a way out from this problem soon" and passed a faint smile. He walked out of the clinic and pulled out a bicycle from a sand beside the clinic . he mounted it comfortably and directioned joe to ride alongside him to the bridge, as they had planned to destroy it. Joe too, then pulled out a bicycle from the stand and rode his way with tick.
A bright night it was. The clock was nearing 12 as stars twinkled as if it was the last evening. Everything looked pretty dull to tick. He now regretted to have accepted this solly quest for survival. But the only thing that kept him moving were his parents who struggled to live back there in the clinic, helplessly tied.
Tick and joe now could see the bridge nearing, and therefore rode faster but not so late, they pulled their brakes and quickly dismounted there bikes.
"Stop right there tick! I hear gunshots." Joe pulled his pistol out and slid behind a house. Tick followed him. He then, peeped out to look at the place from where he could hear the shots. The scene was not so clear. All he could see was someone up on a roof, shooting down hordes of zombies one after another. "There's a zombie killer on the rooftop, there on that house. Skills...Must i say." He told joe.
Joe crept beside the house and paced forward near the the zombie killer's house.
He sneaked a quick look at the sniper on the rooftop. He was not pretty sure of what he had seen for he thought that it was going to be a man although he glanced a look of a girl. A young girl. Making things appear more unusual. He then turned towards a huge wave of zombies heading straight towards the girl's house. He immediately jumped forward and shot down each of the living corpse. One undead at a time. He knew that the girl couldn't possibly manage this all by herself so off he had come to the rescue. He quite easily killed each and every zombie around making it hard for the girl to even aim for one. All this time, tick watched the scene taking cover. To his surprise, he as well recognised the zombie sniper to be a girl. For sure he thought that the world had gone mad.
Soon when joe realised that the ground was all clear, he styled his pistol back to the satchel. He then turned to look at the girl, who he thought would most probably be thankful. But instead he found out that she held her rifle sharply at him undoubtedly. He immediately raised his hands up but still to his misfortune, the bullet went off and he shut his eyes as he neared his downfall. A moment then, he opened his eyes and looked at the girl, she still stood there and he himself, stood there. He turned back and found a zombie fallen right behind him. Immediately, he realised where the sniper's shot had been up to. He now, had a very good reason to be thankful himself to the girl who now climbed down the stairs to meet joe. Tick, relieved woth the horde gone. Ducked out of his cover and joined the two.
"Sir, I know you?" The young girl asked joe
"I dont think so" joe replied
"If so, then your reason for helping me is what im confused about" she said and put her rifle aside. "I dont really roam about with reasons for the good deeds in my name. Its just that i do what i think i needn't turn away from." Joe replied while tick quietly heard them talk. He then caught sight of the girl's peculiar clothes.
She wore big army boots and a strong army trouser. A bandolier was what she had equipped on her oversized shirt. From her head ran a long ponytail which flung around when she moved. Tick thought she was a nice one for a girl as such picking up arms and engaging herself in massacres was always to be in books (just like in this one).
As joe and the girl named Meryl shared there views, they realised that they were basically on a same mission.
That was to bring the world to peace