The Dead Always Win

No Light

As the group progressed on leaving their pasts behind, they believed to have escaped whatever threatened their safety- other than the deadens. After what occurred with Craig, they had hoped to be over all of what had happened...

"Damn, it's getting cold..." Max murmured, folding his arms to keep himself warm.

Alice sighed. "Would've hoped to find some coats by now."

"What, coats just lying around?" Joel joined in.

Max glanced down at Woody who was happy as Larry, wandering around with no fear that he was in constant jeopardy, no awareness that his life could end at any moment. Max envied him. But it was Max that allowed him to have such a lifestyle, had Max never trained him suitably, maybe he'd have been killed by now... He despised the thought, keeping Woody close to him on the blue lead that once belonged to Ben.

"We should settle down somewhere, like Oakby." Max expressed.

Nate smirked. "That's a good idea, but there aren't many places left like Oakby, buddy."

"There's gonna be somewhere for us out there. Once we find it, we defend it and make it our home." Alice officially proclaimed, declaring that their home would come by eventually.

Nate agreed. "Definitely. We've just gotta keep on going through the worst of it, and hopefully, Craig's group members from different outposts aren't too aggressive..."

"How are we gonna lose them? I'm not going through this again." Max questioned, stopping so that everyone else did to address the matter.

Nate started walking again. "By not staying in one place for too long- at least for a few more months."

"But it's gonna get freezing cold, we've got to find somewhere warm and stable." Alice started, kicking a pebble as she did. "I doubt Woody will be able to stay out too long, I think Labradors get cold quickly."

"Shit. We need a plan..." Nate shook his head, out of hope of what they could do.

They were hiking onward down a monotonous road, forests either side of it and no deadens could be seen, but they were definitely there... Somewhere. Max could feel it. Woody was drifting from the side of him to the middle, advancing almost in front of him as to not be too near the forest that enclosed them.

As soon as the road started turning left, they noticed a large structure ahead of them, Nate was the first to comment. "Shit..." He plainly put it, resting the back of his head in his hands, his elbows out behind him.

"Good shit?" Max asked him, hoping he'd expand his perspective. Max assumed that it would be a great idea, he had just about enough of the countryside. No supplies, vacant shops, death waiting to jump out from behind a tree at any second.

Nate shook his head. Joel answered for him, alternatively. "Neutral shit, ma dude." This caused Max to roll his eyes, examining the town in front of them. He could see the prominent black gates that blocked off the stairs into the city square, it reminded him of Megan... But he didn't show it, as to not somehow remind Alice. She always seemed to know what he was contemplating as if they were telepathically connected.

"I think we should go for it." Alice brought in her judgment, studying what resembled a town hall.

They proceeded onwards to get a greater look at it and peered through the gate... At least a hundred deadens roamed around, grunting and groaning aimlessly, stuck in the town centre that had been locked up tight. No one would go in, nothing could get out.