"There's hardly any biters here Bruce, we could just make this our home." Sammy says as we all sit inside the pharmacy which has been picked clean.
"We can't live where there aren't supplies." I say as I load my 9mm clip. "There being no biters here is what bothers me." I pop the clip into my Beretta and cock it. "It doesn't make sense." I look out the window, only seeing two biters.
"Jane and I will go and see what we can find." I tell them. "Keep looking in here, see if you can find anything... and stay on guard." Jane and I walk out the front door.
I aim my gun up and down the street, looking for people... people that aren't looking to make friends, but I see nobody, only three more biters. That only makes five.
"Let's check in here." I say, crossing the street diagonally, jogging over to the convenient store, hoping to find food.
I slowly push the glass door open, the bell above the door rings as I enter, gun drawn. The air is thick and the store is dimly lit. The only light coming from the windows in the front. There's a layer of thick dust on the floor; I can see several sets of footprints in the dust, but they aren't from feet that have been staggered or dragged. People have been through here, but I can't tell how long ago. All of the shelves in the store are empty and pushed off to the sides, all leaned against the walls, creating a clear path to the door in the back.
"Stay close." I say, slowly approaching the back door. As I reach for the knob Jane shrieks.
"Bruce!"
I spin around, holding my gun up.
"Don't... move." A hooded man says, his left arm wrapped around her neck while his right arm holds up a handgun. "Drop it." He calmly demands. Suddenly the door behind me opens, then I hear somebody cock a shotgun. I turn my head as my heart pumps a million miles per hour, two more men stand behind me in the doorway.
"Drop the gun!" The man with the shotgun demands from behind. I slowly lower my gun as my hands begin to shake, then I drop it.
"Where are the others?" The hooded man questions, maintaining a calm tone.
"We're alone... it's just the two of us." I reply, holding my hands up.
"Don't lie to me... we seen you drive into our town. Now if you lie to me one more time she will die... and that's a promise." The hooded man says. I can't see his face, it's too dark, but he seems to be perfectly calm.
"Now, I will ask you this once more and only once more... where are they?" He questions.
"Okay, I'll tell you. Just... promise me you won't hurt anybody." I say.
"We don't wish to hurt you, but if you make us we will not hesitate. We wish to help you, it will be advantageous for the both of us... I give you my word." He says. My heart only beats faster the longer I remain silent, a bead of sweat trickles down my forehead when he suddenly pulls his gun away from me and puts it against Jane's head.
"The pharmacy... they're at the pharmacy." I say as soon as his barrel touches her temple. "Take us to them, let me call me them out... or there will be blood spilled." I inform him.
"You're a good man, Bruce. You avoid a bloodbath when you can... I like that." He pushes Jane into my arms and steps aside, aiming his handgun at the both of us.
"After you." He says, gesturing us toward the door.
"Johnny! Sammy! Come out here!" I shout from the middle of the street, Jane still holding onto my arm. "Leave the guns!" The three of them walk up to the door and see the three hooded men with guns behind us. Johnny slowly walks out, then Sammy, then David.
"Bruce, what's going on?" Johnny asks. The hooded man with the handgun steps ahead of me, the other men with the shotgun and automatic rifle stay behind Jane and I. Suddenly the man with the handgun takes off his hood, then shoots a biter that was beginning to creep up behind Johnny from the sidewalk.
"My name is Joseph... but if you like you can call me Jo." The man says. The man is white, looks like he might be about five or six years older than me, probably about forty or so. He has long black hair that is half gray from age and probably stress, and it's tied back with a black hairband. Joseph looks at Jane and I, then over at Johnny, Sammy, and David.
"You people hungry... thirsty?" He suddenly asks, holstering his pistol and taking off his leather gloves.
"No thank you, sir. We really just wish to be on our way." I say. Joseph chuckles.
"I don't think you understand... that's not an option here. Either way... you people are coming with us." He smiles.
"Why?" I prod.
"There's a few reasons." He walks over to me. "One: Because I say so. Two: Because we need each other, and Three: Because you're going to want what I have to offer because it's the best chance of survival you guys have right now." He explains, then walks toward a military troop transport truck as it pulls up.
"Now get in the back or I'll shoot each and every one of you my damn self." He say as he hops up into the passenger seat of the troop transport truck. The man with the shotgun ties our hands behind our backs with zip ties as the other man with the assault rifle keeps his gun on us, then we're tossed into the back of the truck with an armed guard and the driver takes off.
After riding in the back of the troop transporter for about five minutes I see the armed guard staring at Jane, as Jane looks up at him he winks with a smile.
"Eyes off." I bark. The man laughs, revealing a set of rotten teeth.
"You can't have all the fun." He says.
"I'm gonna tell you this right now." I say with a gritty tone. "You don't touch her... ever. Or else I will throw away my life just so I can bash in your ugly ass redneck face."
"Okay tough guy. I'll lay off... for now." He laughs. The trucks brakes squeal as we slow to a stop. "Everybody out." The guard says as he hops out first.
They brought us to a large hardware store. The front windows are boarded up very well; the front door is covered by a wall barricade but one man pulls it out and open the door as Joseph leads us inside.
"Welcome to the Sanctuary of Springview." Joseph says. "We have plenty of supplies but they must be worked for. Help our little community and in return you get food, water and a bed."
"Sir?" A guard says to Joseph. He looks at the guard.
"Right..." Joseph says. "Take them to intake. I'll figure out what to do with them."
The redneck guard with the rotten teeth throw us into a small white carpeted room after cutting off our restraints.
"Make yourselves at home." He chuckles, then closes the door and locks it. I look around the small room. It's completely empty, just four white wall, gray carpet and a door. Sammy slowly slides down to the floor as she stands in the corner, beginning to cry. Johnny doesn't bother to comfort her, he just stands against the wall near the door with his arms crossed.
"Don't cry." I tell Sammy. "We're safe in here."
"For how long?" She sobs. "Who knows what they'll do to us."
"We'll be okay... I believe him when he says he doesn't want to hurt us." I tell everybody.
"So now you trust this man that has just kidnapped us?" Jane questions.
"No, I don't trust him... but what did I tell you is the best thing to have to survive in this world... numbers." I say. "Surviving in numbers makes you a stronger force, a force to be reckoned with. He said we needed each other... we need food, water and a safe place to stay, he has food, water and a safe place for us to stay. He needs more people so he can be stronger, we are more people." I explain.
"This isn't somebody you want to side with." Jane says. "He's a bad man, down to the core... I can see it."
"I know..." I say. "Which is why we need to kill them first chance we get." After saying that everybody stares at me. "We can't survive without the supplies they have... and we don't want them around... there's only one answer."
"We're not murderers." Johnny says.
"I know..." I reply. "But it's survival of the fittest now." Suddenly the guard shouts from the other side of the door.
"Hey, Z! Bring the newbies some grub would ya?"
"Okay..." Jane says. "I'm with you." Then everybody else looks at her, but she's not ashamed of her decision, she just stares back. Johnny sighs after a long silent moment.
"He's right." He says. Sammy looks at him through her tears.
"You can't be serious?" She says.
"Sammy, if we do this we won't have to run anymore." He replies.
"This isn't the answer." She stands up.
"Sammy..." I say. "You can't have it both ways. You want to be safe with a full stomach, but you also don't want to hurt these people... sooner or later you'll need to make tough decisions or... or you simply won't survive." I explain, being very straightforward about it. Everybody's silent for a moment, until Sammy suddenly nods her head, then wipes away her tears.
"Okay...all of you are up for it so I might as well jump on the bandwagon." She crouches back down in the corner. I look over and David is sitting in the other corner opposite of Sammy. I walk over and crouch down, looking him in the eyes.
"I don't expect you to agree with this... but I'm doing what's best for us... you understand that right?" I ask. He nods.
"I know." He replies. "And I do agree... I know a bad person when I see one." Suddenly the door opens and a woman speaks.
"Here guys, eat up." She says.
"I'm glad you see it from my point of view." I pat him on the shoulder then stand and face the woman. My heart drops into my stomach and nearly stops beating. I stare into the eyes of the woman as she drops the food onto the carpet.
"Zoe?"