Felicia
Thunder roared in the sky with grey clouds. Out of all the days that was spoiled by warm air and a bright sun, today was the wrong day for thunder to come. They'd be heading out today, to overtake the FEMA building.
Everyone sat around on the benches, going over their plans. Justice would stay behind to keep his people safe. Though it was a hard decision to make, Madison would leave Brennon here with Christy, Jeff, and Jacob.
"I've decided to stay too," Felicia blurted out.
Both Tris and Madison looked up, studying her to come up with a reason behind her decision.
Felicia shook her head. "I. Barely learning how to face off against a herd and runners." She ran her hand over her arms as if she suddenly developed chills. "I'm not ready for something this big. If I have a choice...I prefer to be here and protect our family."
"You know...we don't see nothing less of you for the way you feel. I know...and Madison knows, if it came down to it...you'd come and keep us safe."
Felicia leaned in, brushing her lips over Tris. Madison smiled, massaging Felicia's back. "I'd be more of help...keeping eye on our family."
Tris nodded. She glanced up, catching Justice watching them. "Are we entertaining?"
He shrugged. "Not especially." He averted his eyes. "My apologies. It's just...I'm always surprised by new ways to love."
"Hmm," Madison smirked. "I agree. Even I find myself surprised by this." She wiggled her fingers between her lovers and her and leaned back into Felicia's side.
Staying behind was just as scary and intense for Felicia, not being there to make sure Tris and Madison came back. She wanted a proper goodbye before they left. They'd be off with Patrick, Christian, and eleven others.
Standing, Tris held out her hand. Felicia took it, Madison saying her temporary goodbyes to Brennon and the others.
"Stay safe. And, if for whatever reason it is no longer safe here, go back to the gas station where you first dropped me off." Tris always looked to the future as if everything was going to hell.
"We will be fine. Please don't focus on us." Stepping close, Felicia kissed her softly. "Take care of each other."
"We will." Madison embraced Felicia, "Thank you. I will feel much better knowing you will be here with her."
Goodbyes were said. Eyes lingered on another until Felicia watched them leave
*
Tris
It took nearly thirty minutes of a drive to reach the FEMA building. Expecting it to be a two story building, Tris was relieved to see that it was not. Justice had said it wasn't but, in Tris imagination, she pictured a bunch of glass windows and two to three story buildings. It was a gated building, a large parking lot to the side.
Tris mouth agape, finding the walkers moving like giant ants in random directions. There was about forty of them alone in the parking lot, circulating each other. Their dead feet dragged as if exhausted from miles upon miles of walking.
"Let's circle the building once." Tris wanted to get a full picture. At the back of the building was a smaller parking lot that could fit about fifty cars, half the size of the front parking lot. The black gate stretched around the building, keeping the dozens of walkers on the outside from coming in. As they slowed, the walkers on the sidewalk turned slow, taking notice. They were in three vehicles.
"What do you want to do?" David asked, looking out the window.
The thing that sucked was not having any devices to communicate with. Justice only had a few and kept it for the base. But, they had whistles, they'd use. Blowing once for signalling when they completed a task and two blows if trouble was occurring.
Tris waved her hand out from the car, slapping the outside once. The last vehicle stopped, Elene leading the group in the car out. They begin killing the several walkers roaming outside the gate.
Driving forward, Tris turned right, finding the other end of the building barely occupied with walkers. It was a small grass field, several walkers huddled about. Making their way back to the front of the building, Tris concluded this was the place to clear, needing the rest with her. Patrick led the individuals in the second car with him.
Parking the car with it still running, Tris climbed out. "We'll cover this half of the building. You and your group cover the second half." Patrick nodded and drove about a hundred feet further and stopped. The front of the building was the longest and widest part of the building parking and open structure. Dozens of walkers turned that were lingering outside of the gate. They moved Tris way, Madison, Christian, David, and Terri, a young guy Tris come to like were grouped in a circular formation, weapons ready.
"We stay here and let them come to us," Tris ordered.
The first walker arms stretched out, its dirty fat fingers reaching out. The walker had a beer belly, his beard covering any chance of telling if he had a neck. Tris claimed no neck as her first to eliminate, stepping a foot out and thrusting her sword through its open, no teeth mouth to the back of its skull. Its body flopped hard on the concrete, mild thick dark blood leaking out from its mouth and head. The stench was foul.
David called out his kills, as did the rest like playing volleyball, as one called out before hitting the ball back to the other end of the net. They moved well together, taking out one walker after the next. Tris sliced off the head to one of the walkers missing its left eye and ear.
"I think we got them all," Terri acknowledged.
Looking across, Patrick and his group had about half a dozen more to kill. Tris ears perked up, hearing a whistle from a distance. Only one blow. Elene and her group had finished the walkers on the outside. Tris waited a second and blew hers. The sound confused and woke up the walkers from the inside of the gates as they began to make their way toward them.
"Ready?" Tris asked.
"Yes. I'm with you sis." Christian held the six inch tactical knife and moved forward.
They all moved into a line, stretching out a five feet apart from each other as the approached the black ten feet high gate. Dead arms reached through the bars of the gate, trying to grab hold of them.
"Be careful of them pulling your arm in. Use your longer sharp weapons. Save the bullets." Madison didn't want anyone to make mistakes that could be avoided.
Tris clacked her katana against the gate, reeling my walkers to come over and began to plunge her sword into their skulls one at a time. More walkers from the big parking lot began to stroll closer, eager to greet them. Without having to enter the government private property, they killed walkers one at a time. More walkers came, oblivious to their future deaths, minds unable to process what they were walking into. Tris relished in every kill, finding it soothing to know there was one less walker to kill an innocent person. Walkers piled up like trash bags, other walkers having to climb over their bodies to come close to the gate.
"Hold," Tris called out. She tugged on her brothers shirt. "Go and gather Elene and her group."
Christian ran to the car, David with him as they climbed in and drove back around the corner. Patrick and his crew drove back, parking beside Tris car. She waited for Christian to come back before moving onto phase three.
"The gate is controlled electronically," Patrick pointed to the small gate control station, where people would have to enter with a key pass or be buzzed in manually by a security guard.
Everyone looked around, trying to find somewhere they could climb over. The gate was ten feet high, the top of the gate shaped like spikes. There was no way to climb the gate without injury.
"You have an idea what kind of control I would need to activate?" Tris asked. "Is there a button that says, 'open.'"
"If you can get to it with stabbing yourself at the top, I would say it depends on if circuits work. I do know building like this run on generators. Big ones that could last a few years if used wisely." Patrick considered, running his hand through his light beard. "But, there might be a switch to click off to allow for you to open it manually. But that would still take twenty people to even move the gate open a few feet."
"A switch," Tris said, hearing nothing else. It seemed, no one who was outside of her family understood how strong her abilities were.
Patrick nodded.
Tris put her katana in the scabbard at her backside and moved a few feet close to the black gate. She sighed, checking her surrounding on the other side. There were a dozen more walkers coming toward the gate.
Moving in a crouch position, Tris lunged straight into the air, well over a dozen feet and landed on the other side, gracefully. The few walkers close to her came, staggering quickly to reach her. She cut both their heads off at the same time. Turning to face one more walker, Tris turned finding all eyes on her. A few eyes wide with bewilderment.
"Fuck me," she heard David mutter in astonishment.
"No thanks," Tris shouted, going to the control booth. The door was closed, a walker trapped inside. Noticing its eyes and fast raging motion, Tris knew it was a runner. She counted to three and opened the door quickly. The runner moved like a football player ready to tackle her, blinded from the sun. It was a woman in a skirt and blouse. Someone who was once employed here. Tris dodged to the side, pulling out her katana and swinging it like a baseball bat ready to hit a home run. Its head sliced off, rolling next to her feet. Its body fell to its knees first and then flat on its stomach.
Tris killed several more walkers before going into the booth. There was a computer, smashed apart and several control buttons. As well as two walkie talkies resting atop the small shelf. A sitting stool and a switch. Tris noticed its labels and hoped it was the right switch. She switched it downward and stepped out, grabbing both walkie talkies.
Moving to the gate, Tris tightened her fingers around solid metal bars to the gate and grimaced, opening it three feet wide. She took a breath, re-positioning and pushed forward opening it further. "Drive the cars through."
They did, the several others killing off walkers approaching. Tris worked to close it back and sighed a relief when she was done. Hands on knees she took a few breaths and stood erect.
"What if we need to make a quick exit?" David asked.
Tris looked to each of them with determination in her eyes. The few who seemed to doubt in her abilities, including Patrick seemed to finally hold respect and acceptance in their eyes now. She was not their enemy and wasn't here to make up stories to make herself look good. Crossing her arms, Tris considered how many they'd already killed. Nearly seventy. She wanted to succeed, and they'd killed over seventy in over thirty minutes. Facing the runners inside and more walkers, Tris knew it would only get hard, but she would do her best to drawl as many out before they had to enter the building. But, seeing the building and security and possibilities they could do with this place, Tris wanted to take control of this place even more. She stood, ready to finish what they started. It was only nine in the morning. Looking to them one last time, Tris sneered out, "We won't be leaving this place. Not until it is ours."