Chapters "You just had to go and blow shit up didn't you?"
Windy Nights sighed and shook her head as she walked, FireStarter close beside her.
"I didn't mean for anypony to get hurt, and besides, you're the one who blew the damn thing up."
"Be that as it may, I wouldn't have been defusing it if someone didn't have their hooves on it in the first place."
"Whatever. Let's just find someplace to hunker down for a while."
"A while? We won't be going back. May I remind you that Command Chain's wife died?"
"Come on FireStarter, you knew she was dead anyways."
"Point made."
The two walked for another hour or so, before they both heard one of their stomachs growl.
"Wow, that was pretty damn loud there."
"Well, I didn't have anything to eat. We left at like three AM and it's gotta be an hour past breakfast by now."
"Once again, could've had breakfast-"
"If I didn't blow the place up, you ever gonna let that go?"
"Why would I?"
Windy Nights sighed as she looked at the buildings in the intersection they had stopped at.
"There, there's a corner store."
"Great. Every great pony at one time ate breakfast in a corner store."
"Would you shut up and just cover me? I'm hearing somepony inside there and I sure as shit don't wanna die if they're alive and armed too."
Sighing, FireStarter drew his Glock and aimed it at the door. Windy Nights drew her Uzi, which unbeknownst to her was empty, and pushed the door open. When she walked in and looked around, she nodded to FireStarter.
"Just cover the outside."
"Got it."
Windy Nights slowly moved through the building, gun aimed in front of her. Her ears perked up when a rustling noise came from the counter beside her, she aimed and tried to fire. Just as she realized that the gun was empty, a figure jumped over the counter and delivered a swift kick to the head. FireStarter, hearing the commotion, ran in, just in time to have the unknown pony cock a gun beside his head.
"Drop it."
He immediately listened to the quick command and dropped his pistol. Windy Nights shook the pain off and drew her spare pistol, aiming it at the hostage taker.
"Now you drop yours."
"Windy?"
"Huh?"
The figure reholstered her gun and pulled the bandana off of her muzzle.
"Windy! So good to see you!"
"What the, Stone Temple? It's you?"
"Who else? Shit, I really got you good, didn't I?"
"Yeah, lucky my gun was out I guess, otherwise it would've been the other way around."
"Guess so."
Stone Templed chuckled as she wrapped her hoof around Windy Night's neck and walked her toward FireStarter.
"This place is empty, pick your gun up and let's go."
Fire Starter blew out the breath he was holding in and did as Stone Temple said as she walked by.
"That was not how I wanted this morning to go at all."
When FireStarter Reholstered his gun and caught up to the the mares.
"So, why the hell are you two out here?"
"We could ask you the same thing, where did you go last night?"
"Eh, I was a diversion. Anyways, you two, what happened."
"What happened lastt night, with the explosion, that was my fault."
"How? Why?"
"I'll tell you over breakfast."
"Ha, that is if we can find some. I've been going from building to building all night, nothing but murder scenes and like twenty zombies."
"Nothing? How, we haven't been out this way, have we?"
"Nope, but they're all looted just the same."
"Looted, so there are other survivors?"
"Guess so."
"Keen observations ladies, but can we maybe find a building that isn't looted and get some food?"
The two mares stopped and rolled their eyes, turnibg to face FireStarter.
"Tell ya what. Windy and I are gonna go farther out and see what we can find. Since you got the magic, we need to find a building, clear it, and fortify it. We can set up a base, make some traps, recruit some survivors, and just maybe we can die the way we were born to and not get eaten alive, yes?"
"Some big plans, this what you were thinking about all night?"
"Basically."
"Alright, let's do it."
Windy Nights smiled and put her hoof out in front of her. Stone Temple smiled back at her and put hers on top. Both pegasi looked at FireStarter, who sighed before walking closer.
"Trusting you two is where I usually go wrong, but what the hell. I'm in."
Command Chain grunted as he pushed the last in tact pew into place in front of the door.
"There."
He turned back to see High Road putting her guns into their respective holsters and slipping on a backpack.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Back off 'general', you aren't in control of me, I'm going out to find them. And I plan on bringing them back here."
"You do that, and I'll have the three of you killed on sight!"
"With what? Face it, we lost everything that we had, which wasn't much to begin with, and they could die out there."
"Then why not go join them? The way I see it, it's either die out there, or die in here."
High Road looked away and scoffed before smiling and looking back at Command Chain.
"You know, you're right."
High Road finished putting on the backpack and started toward the exit through the bell tower.
"Save a spot in hell for me will ya?"
She coldly said without looking back. Command Chain watched her climb out through the bell tower, and heard hoofsteps fade off into the distance. Almost too angry to even speak, he blew out a breath and started walking over to his son.
"What, what do we do now?"
Command Chain sat down beside Wind Up and put his hoof on his shoulder.
"Sometimes all you can do is wait, and that's what we'll do."
"There, looks like a pharmacy."
"Let's hit it. FireStarter, you go around back, Stone I will go in the front. Got at least four rounds left."
Windy Nights slid the magazine back into her pistol and aimed it at the door. When she nodded to the others, they all started moving. When Stone Temple and Windy Nights approached the front door, Windy Nights slowly reached a hoof toward the doorknob, gun held up at it as well.
"Wait!"
"What?"
"What if there's an alarm or something?"
"Then we run like hell."
"Ok, I like that plan."
Windy Nights nodded and slowly turned the knob, then pushed the door open. The same as the corner store, just enough natural light was poking in from the still low sun to see just about everything clearly.
"Looks clear, and even better, I'm seeing stocked shelves."
"I see some bodies, let's just make sure they don't start moving."
Stone Temple holstered her gun and drew her knife, flipping it once in her wing before walking slowly down an aisle to the left. As Windy Nights took the right, Stone Temple looked up and down the shelves until she spotted a shelf full of pain-killing drugs.
"Well well well, mama likes."
She chuckled to her self as she looked through the various vials and pill bottles.
"Methadone, nah. Fentanyl, no way. There we are, Oxycodone."
While stuffing bottles into her backpack, Stone Temple was too oblivious to notice the zombie that had heard her and was now walking toward her. Windy Nights was just done walking around the end of her aisle when she saw it stumbling towards her friend.
"Stone!"
She quickly took aim and fired, the shot blowing straight through the zombies head, and breaking the glass on the locked shelves behind it. The alarm started going off the moment the bullet struck the glass, and Windy Nights quickly ran over to the mare on the ground.
"You good?"
"Yeah, sorry."
Windy Nights pulled Stone Temple up just in time to see FireStarter run in the front door.
"We got trouble!"
The two pegasi ran out the front door, but stopped short when they spotted the oncoming horde of zombies.
"Shit, back inside!"
All three ran back inside, and FireStarter levitated two of the shelves in front of the door.
"Is there any other way in?"
"The back isn't open, I couldn't get in. Think we could get out that way?"
"Let's try it, Stone, you guard the door."
"Kay."
Stone Temple aimed her gun at the door and peeked at the horde outside through the slots in the shelf. The other two ran into the back of the store through the door over the counter. When they pushed the door open and looked into the alleyway, they found it clear.
"Go get Stone Temple, we can get out over this wall."
Before Windy Nights even finished her sentence, FireStarter had run back inside. Windy Nights walked out into the alley and slowly drew her gun. As she peeked around the corner, a gust of wind blew, slamming the door behind her. A small group of zombies heard the sound and split off, now coming towards her.
"Fuck."
As she ran back to the door, she remembered that it was locked. She knocked on the door, but the zombies had already rounded the corner. She had to run. Remembering the wall, but for some reason forgetting she had wings, she jumped up on a dumpster and onto the parking lot high above the pharmacy alleyway.
"They'll be fine, I'm sure."
As she ran off, FireStarter opened the door just to see zombies. He tried to pull the door closed, but a few zombies reached their hooves in and blocked it, reaching for him.
"Shit, help!"
Stone temple ran up, pulling the reciever on her gun back and letting it slide back into place. She shot three rounds, killing three zombies. It certainly wasn't all that was out there, but it was enough to let the door close. As it slammed shut, the two ponies pushed a shelf in front of it and slumped down.
"Where's Windy?"
"I don't know, when I opened the door, she was gone."
"You don't think-"
"No, no way, she's just out free, I know it. She'll come back, I'm sure she'll have no trouble finding the place."
The parking lot extended up and just under a freeway, which ran far past what Windy Nights could see. From where she stood, she could see a ladder up to the freeway, and what looked like a small police vehicle.
"Ok, if I can get in that, maybe get enough ammo to clear one door out, we can all get the hell out of here."
When she set her hoof on the bottom rung of the metal ladder, she felt something touch the top of her head. She looked up, only to have a drop of blood drop onto her bangs. Looking up after stepping back, she spotted the source. There was a body, be it alive or dead, hanging half off the edge of the ladder.
"Great, as if today didn't already suck."
She sighed and set her hoof on the bottom ladder rung again, keeping her head down this time.
"Fucking sucks, can't even look where the hell I'm going, 'cause if I get this shit in my eyes, I'll turn into one of these stupid things, and I really just don't care for that."
Reaching both the end of her rant and the top of the ladder, Windy Nights pulled her head back and looked up. She gasped and let go of the ladder when she looked and saw the body staring at her and moving to attack her. As she fell toward the ground, her eyes opened wide, and she spread her wings.
"Oh yeah, I can fly. Wy the hell didn't I just do that then? Holy shit, I need breakfast."
She flew past the body and over to the back of the police truck, stabbing a zombie in the back of the head with her knife just after she landed.
"Alright, let's see what'cha got in store for me. Oh, locked. Figures."
After a quick search around the area for a keyholder, she was forced to move on.
"Son of a bitch, that was just about my onl-"
When a small thud came from a beaten up old pickup from ahead of her, Windy Night's ducked down behind a car and drew her pistol. After a quick ammo check, having nothing, she drew her knife and slowly started moving up to the truck. She decided to check the cab first, and after flinging open the driver side door, found nothing. Then a noise came from the back, prompting her to move to the tailgate. There was a blanket covering almost the surface of the bed, but there were multiple lumps all around under it. Windy Nights held the knife in her right wing as she grabbed the edge of the blanket with the other. When she threw it up, her mouth dropped open and she quickly sheathed her blade.
"Well hello there little fella, how did you get under here?"
The dog slightly inched back at the sight of the stanger, but Windy Nights slowly extended her hoof to it.
"Don't worry buddy, I'm not here to hurt ya."
When she was reaching as far as she could, the dog started sniffing her hoof, and soon started licking it and moving closer to her. She smiled and started petting the dog as it sat beside the closed tailgate.
"Here, let me open that for you. There you go. Aw, you got a lot of fur on you don't ya? Don't ya little guy? What's this?"
Windy Nights noticed something poking out from under the blanket and lifted the blanket out of the truck with a small gasp.
"Well look what you were hidin' with. You gotta love the apocalypse sometimes."
"There, it's off."
"Finally."
FireStarter stepped down from the counter he was on and walked over to the front door, staring at the zombies through the window.
"Well, maybe if there's a noise somewhere else they'll go away?"
"It worked when I did it, why wouldn't it now?"
"Hold on, have we checked this place for a roof?"
"No, why?"
"Because, if Windy was able to get out through that alleyway, then we should be able to get out from the roof."
FireStarter walked over to the office of the pharmacy and looked around inside.
"Here, there's a little emergency hatch here."
FireStarter pushed the hatch open with his hoof and drew his pistol with his magic.
"Clear."
The two made their way up onto the roof and closed the hatch behind them. Stone Temple walked over to the edge of the roof overlooking the alleyway and looked down.
"Well, there certainly are more here than before. But it looks like we can get across here."
FireStarter put his gun back into his holster and walked over to the edge, standing beside Stone Temple.
"Oh yeah, here's a parking lot, looks like it streches over there."
While the two talked about what to do, they failed to notice the body by the edge of the roof standing up and hobbling towards them. Just as it was about to reach them, Stone Temple turned around and went to fire at it. Before she could even pull the trigger, a shot from seemingly nowhere ripped through it's head and it dropped to the ground. They two ponies on the roof looked around for the source of the shot, and eventually saw Windy Nights, holding a sniper rifle and waving to them.
"Well I'll be damned."
"Girl's quite a shot, wish I could do that. I ain't trained like her though."
"Either way, let's go, she's waving us over."
Stone Temple and FireStarter jumped across the alleyway and ran up the ladder, where the body from before was sitting at the bottom. Once they were up, they started towards Windy Nights, slowly at first, but when they were close, Stone Temple ran in for a hug.
"Damn girl, I was so worried for ya."
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"The hell'd you get a peice like that from?"
"Back of that truck, same place I got him."
FireStarter walked closer as Windy Nights pointed to the dog sitting beside her. He took a quick look at his tag when it allowed him to get close.
"Male Australian Shepard, fully vaccinated, no name. Guess that's up to you Windy."
Windy Nights turned to the dog, who was looking up at her and panting slightly with his tongue out. She smiled and scratched tee back of his head with her hoof.
"What do you say boy, we get you a name and you coem with us?"
The dog barked and moved to lick Windy Nights' face.
"Alright, well, we should get going, none of us have had breakfast, and we gotta feed this guy too."
"Well, you see any restaraunts or, even a supermarket?"
Windy Nights walked to the edge of the freeway and scoped in on the buildings they way they had been walking.
"Looks like a fast food joint over there. Not ideal, but it'll feed us."
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
"Can we get down to it from here?"
After scoping in again, Windy Nights put the rifle on her back by the strap and started walking.
"Exit about a half a click down the freeway. Let's go."
The three ponies were sitting at one of the tables close to the counter while the dog laid on the ground chewing up the bits and peices they'd throw him.
"So, I have a little plan."
"What's that Windy?"
"So, those dumb things are attracted to sound right?"
"Sound, light, smell, anything that shouldn't be there normally per say."
"Well, I got a little something from that truck that I think could really help thin the herds around here a little."
Windy Nights observed the questioning looks on her friends faces and smiled.
"So, we soak the place in gasoline, right? Then, we throw this."
All four other eyes shot open when Windy Nights set the molotov on the table in front of her.
"Well, it's certainly nit the most, modern, or, safe, but I'm sure we can do this. Any specifics?"
Windy Nights looked up and thought for a second before nodding and swollowing the food in her mouth.
"I got it. So, if we want to this as quick as possible, and I say we do, we'll have to get as many zombies in there as we can, and quick. FireStarter, you run in there and turn the alarm back on. Stone Temple, you run gas into the building through the roof, there are still zombies around there and we won't want them in 'till we're ready. Me and, really gotta find a name for him, will run around and see if we can get as many as possible to follow us to the pharmacy, but we'll have a way up to the roof that those dumb sons of bitches will be too damn clumsy to get up. Once we're all on the roof, we'll wait for just a bit to get as many as we can, then we toss this in there and book it down past the parking lot and find somewhere to hunker down."
"Alright, this sounds like a great plan, but I have a few things to point out."
"Shoot."
"Well, we need to build that ramp or whatever onto said roof. Then, we need to get all the gas into said building. And, we need to find a spare building for said hunkering. Also some more ammo never hurt."
Windy Nights leaned back and passed a few scraps to her dog and thought.
"Ok, we can get this all done before nighfall. Stone, you and me will siphon some gas from the cars on the freeway, and maybe we can scope out a building on our way. FireStarter, you have the magic, you can build the ramp."
"Ok, ok, with what?"
"I don't know, just find sheets of plywood and stuff off of windows or something. As long as he can get up it and they can't."
"So we're doin' this little plan of yours?"
Windy Nights looked at the two other ponies, then down at the still unnamed dog.
"Yes, let's get moving."
"So, what kind of building do you think would be best for stayin' in?"
"I don't know, something a little more isolated maybe, something tall, defendable."
"What about a hopspital?"
"Maybe too big, lot to clear out and secure."
"Right, right."
Stone Temple looked in through the windows of the cars they were passing by, checking for anything of use. Windy Nights was scoping out the nearby buildings every few seconds with her rifle, until she spotted something.
"Hey, look there. Gas station."
"We flyin' down?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Both mares flew up and over to the gas station, quickly drawing melee weapons and looking around.
"Clear. Let's look inside. Maybe we'll find some full cans."
"Wouldn't bet the farm."
Stone Temple smiled as she approached the door and slowly pushed it open. A zombie laying on the counter started growling and she quickly moved to silence it.
"Well, I'm seein' a lot of empty shelves, prob'ly not much left here."
"Well, can we-"
Both mares stopped moving and looked towards the back where the sudden noise had come from.
"Great, this could only go terribly."
"I imagine so, you leadin'?"
"Yeah, stay close."
Windy Nights pulled her flashlight out and held it in one wing while she held the knife tight in the other. When she walked up to the slightly ajar door into the back room of the gas station. After she quickly exganged nods with Stone Temple, she pushed open the door and started shining the flashlight around the room. When she stopped and saw a can sitting on the floor, wobbling slightly.
"Oh, huh, it's just a can. Why'd we react so much?"
"Ya always assume the worst in the apocalypse. I guess it's jus-"
Stone Temple was cut off when a figure from a dark corner jumped onto her with a deep, loud snarl.
"Ah, shit, help!"
Windy Nights checked her pistol. One round left. She quickly took aim and fired her last round into the skull of her friends assaulter. After the lifeless body fell to the floor at Stone Temple's side, she scrambled away from it and looked herself up and down.
"No bites, no scratches. Thanks."
"No problem. Kinda was saving that one, but I guess this is more important."
Stone Temple rubbed the back of head with a hoof and looked at the blood on it.
"Gosh, fucker got me good."
"Glass half full though. Look at this."
As Windy Nights put her now empty gun in it's holder, and pointed to two jerry cans. When she lifted the first one, the gasoline inside sloshed around, and it did the same for the second one.
"Mission complete?"
"Hell yeah."
Windy Nights chuckled as she held a hoof out to Stone Temple and pulled her up when she took it.
"Now we just gotta hope that FireStarter is done his job, and we can light this candle."
"Well, I'd say that's unstable enough for anyone but you, wouldn't you say?"
The dog, as it would, didn't respond, but continued sitting guard and panting under the sun.
"And I'm talking to a dog."
As if by response, which FireStarter took it as, the dog barked.
"Fine, fine. You're, a companian."
The dog barked again, and again soon after, prompting FireStarter to turn and look. The dog had been barking at a figure that was moving slowly along the side of the buildings directly behind them.
"Oh, ok, I see. Don't worry boy, I'll take care of him."
FireStarter drew his pistol, still having half the rounds left in the magazine, and aimed it at the figure while moving toward it.
"Hey, over here stupid!"
His attempt to draw the 'zombie's' attention failed when the figure looked at him, then ran off into a nearby mechanics shop.
"The fuck? I really hope that isn't actually a zombie, otherwise this whole zombie apocalypse situation just got a whole lot more complicated."
As he turned back to the dog, he motioned for him to stay, and started moving toward where the figure ran. He slowly pushed the door open, leading in with his gun, and looked around. It was dark in there, and the only thing that stood out was the lone car sitting in the small shop. After poking his head over the counter and seeing nothing, he walked toward the car, gun trained on it. A few bolts that were laying on the floor scattered when he accidentally kicked them, and a sudden movement came from inside the car. FireStarter, assuming the more reasonable probability, fire a shot at what he once again thought was a zombie. When he heard the shot miss and hit a tool chest nearby, he moved forward. He reached the car, and went to draw his flashlight, when the hood was forced open, hitting him in the head and knocking him to the floor. Through now blurry vision, FireStarter watched a figure crawl out of the engine bay and grab him. The figure threw him up and forward, his stomach smashing against the grill of the vehicle. Through the empty bay, he saw his pistol on the floor, just before the figure spun him around and delivered a strong hoof to the face. The blow sent him sideways, but he exaggerated the force and fell to the floor, grabbing his pistol and cocking it as he aimed it at the figure. Before he could tell it to freeze or anything else, the gun was out of his grasp, and pointed at him. He threw both front hooves in the air, as if surrendering, but kicked the figure in the gun and fired a round at the ceiling when the gun was back in his possesion.
"Don't move!"
"What the hell!?"
FireStarter looked over the figure's shoulder and saw Windy Nights and Stone Temple were standing in the doorway.
"Good damn thing you two are back, whoever this is just beat the shit out of me."
"What?!"
Stone Temple walked up to the figure and spun it around to face her.
"Alright buddy, I want a name and a reason for beatin' on my friend here."
The figure slowly nodded, then started walking to the exit. Once outside in the light, he turned around to face the other three. He was an earth pony, with a dark red mane and a black coat. He had a medical mask covering his muzzle, which he moved down before speaking
"Name's Stitch. By the way, your friend shot first. Alright, I'll be on my way then."
"Hold on, hold on."
As Windy Nights walked up to Stitch, he turned around again.
"Why were you in there?"
"Looking for a way out. Rumor has it that this place isn't all that exists. If we can find a way to go far and fast without flying, it would be best."
"And, why exactly did you not declare to him that you were friendly?"
"It's the apocalypse, nopony is friendly."
Stitch chuckled through his sentence and started walking away again. Stone Temple walked up beside Windy Nights and whispered something to her. After a few seconds, she turned back to Stitch.
"Hey!"
"Yes?"
"You got anywhere safe? Some kind of bunker, maybe even just a fortified house?"
Without responding, Stitch turned and pointed to a building that could barely be seen through the bright sun.
"About three clicks that way, little slice of heaven. Fortified it basically by myself, it's just about as zombie-proof as a funtioning military base."
"Is this place open?"
"Well sir, that depends."
"On?"
"What do you have to offer us?"
"Us? There are others?"
Stitch, figuring the coversation would continue, walked back to the group.
"Correct inference missy. Plenty of help, plenty of protection, plenty of just about everything you need. But, we've thus far only taken in those who help us for helping them."
"What about protection? Two out of the three of us have trainin'. Her military, myself police."
"And him nothing? What would he offer?"
"Before all this, I was an engineer. Just about anything you can think of, I can take a damn good shot at building."
"Really? Hmm. What all do you know about vehicles?"
"Not very much, though internal combustion engines did run some of our machines back where I worked. May know my way around them."
"Two militants and an engineer. Well, safe to say that you three earned your way. Let's go."
"Wait, one question."
"Shoot."
"Are you trained in any way? You really kicked the shit out of me, and you moved pretty quick."
"Well, professionally trained, no. But when you're fending for yourself since you were a foal, you learn stuff. Now come on, let's get you three back to base."
When the group walked up to the former mini-mall, they could see small buildings serving as overwatch towers, and barbed wire coated the array of spikes around the building. The sun gleamed off of the blood staining the defenses, and back into their eyes.
"Clear!"
Stitch held his hoof up and yelled when the guard on the left aimed his sniped atbthe group. The stallion in the tower put his gun down and held a hoof out for a moment.
"How did you get all this?"
"Barbed wire was from a farm way back when, and the guard towers are just a hell of a lot of wood, bricks, and work."
"No doubt."
"Anyways, let's get inside."
Stitch pushed the main gate aside and motioned for the rest to move through it. After they were all inside, he shut the gate and looked around outside before walking in behind them. Windy Nights stopped and lookes around at the setup. Almost all of the shelves were pushed up against the front doors and windows, the rest pushed into the far left corner for storage. There was a kitchen just to the right of it, which she could see was being used by another mare. Over to the right, there were only a few bunk beds, and multiple sleeping bags. Close to that, she could see a younger stallion playing with a filly. The thought of even just a little safety made her smile. She felt something move and rub against her leg, and she looked down to see her dog.
"Oh, hey buddy, how are you? I really still gotta you a name."
She crouched down and looked at his tags again, still finding no name. As she rubbed behind the happy dogs ears, she looked into his eyes.
"Oscar. You seem like an Oscar. You like Oscar?"
The dog licked Windy Nights' face, as if in agreeance, and she laughed.
"Alright buddy, Oscar it is."
When she noticed that FireStarter and Stone Temple were still over by the front door, she walked over.
"So? What do you two think of this place?"
"I think he was right. Little piece of heaven."
"Let's not entirely let our guards down though. This place does look safe, but remember that anything can happen."
"What about you Windy?"
"Gosh, it really is heaven, as far as I can see. Food, water, plenty of guns and ponies to use them. Think we could consider this place home soon."
"But what about our plan? Where did you two put the gas?"
"Inside. We just got back when we heard the shot and ran to help, we can set it up at just about any time we please."
"Well, I suppose that's all good then. Still got that molotov?"
"It's in the building. If anything, we can make another one. I'm already seein' plenty of booze."
"Alright. Good good. Let's make ourselves at home shall we?"
Later that night, when almost all the ponies had gathered and eaten dinner, Stitch stood from his place at the head of the table and adressed everyone.
"Alright, alright, listen up. I'd like to announce, if you somehow haven't met them yet, these are our newest community members, second luitenant Windy Nights, officer Stone Temple, and FireStarter, the engineer."
As the ponies raised their hooves or nodded when respectively called, the ones around them offered soft clapping and nods of approval.
"And of course, let's hear a short round of applause, though they can't hear it, for our tower guards tonight, Redline and Absent Mind."
Another round of applause came, this time the newer three joining in.
"Alright, you all have about forty minutes before we shut the lights down, so an early goodnight to you all. Dismissed."
Collectively, all the ponies at the table stood up and went in different directions. Windy Nights and Stone Temple however did not, but instead remained sitting at the table.
"Damn, I'm startin' to think this is truly our home for the apocalypse."
"Well, we can only hope."
"Seems to be about all we got left. It's always better to have it than to not."
After a couple moments of silence, Stone Temple looked just past Windy Nights and chuckled as she nudged her.
"Looks like Oscar's already made a friend."
Windy Nights looked where Stone Temple pointed and saw a long grey mane with a bright blue striped through it atop the head of a pink filly. Oscar was sitting on the floor, watching the filly as she played with his fur. The two mares chuckled and watch for the few seconds before a navy blue stallion with a red and black mane ran over.
"Gee, leave for one second and she's drawn here. My apologies."
"Oh no, no, it's fine. He seems to be enjoying the attention anyways. Second luitenant Windy Nights, and this is office Stone Temple, it's nice to meet you."
"ThunderBolt, likewise. And this little spazball is Bubble Blitz."
"She's mighty cute. How old is she?"
"Just turned six."
"It's a damn shame that this is the world she's growin' up in."
"Isn't that the truth. Alright sweetie, say goodnight to your friend, we gotta get you to bed."
Bubble Blitz quickly hugged Oscar before standing up and walking away with ThunderBolt.
"Where the hell's FireStarter gone to anyway?"
"Who knows? He's probably off looking for brownies or something."
"That boy and his sweet tooth. Well, I'm about ready to hit the hay, what about you?"
"Sounds like a plan, We've really had a rough day."
"There are rougher ones ahead I fear, but let's cross that bridge when we reach it."
Being the newer arrivals, Stone Temple, FireStarter, and Windy Nights were only given sleeping mats and one blanket each for the night. Though she was able to fall asleep easily, she tossed and turned from the same recurring nightmare that had haunted her almost since this whole thing began. But this time, there was something strange about it. There was the same zombie, cornering her mother just the same, but this time she was in front, and there was a figure behind the zombie. She was screaming...something, what was it? She saw the figure raise a gun, and she yelled something again. In the real world, the wind had picked up, and shook the guard towers ever so slightly. Redline, a grey unicorn with a red mane was sitting in one of the towers, and looked over at the stallion in the other tower to see him aiming through his sight. He levitated out his walkie-talkie and spoke.
"Whatcha got, kid?"
"Not sure. Saw a glimmer, saw something move, but nothing out of the ordinary I think."
"What kinda glimmer? Like magic, or like a reflection?"
"Kinda like a reflection, yeah. Hold on, I'll see if I can find it again."
Redline poked his head slightly higher up in the tower as he watched the other stallion looking around. Then, Redline caught the glimmer in his peripheral vision, and it all clicked. He dove down in the tower just as he heard the shot go off, just at the same time Windy Nights awoke from her dream. She snapped her head up and looked around the room, seeing that nopony had moved, except for one unicorn mare halfway across the sleeping area. The orange coated mare turned and looked at Windy Nights and spoke to her through tangled locks of dirty blonde mane.
"You heard that too, right?"
"Heard what? I-I just had a bad dream."
"I heard a gunshot, and it wasn't from the tower."
"Oh shit, you think they're OK?"
"I hope so, but I'm not taking any risk."
As the mare stood up, Windy Nights could clearly see the machete strapped tonher rear leg, and stood up to move after her.
"Wait, you're not really gonna go out there are you?"
"Of course not, I haven't been outside in a little over a week, and that's about all I've been here for. I'm too bloody terrified of those things, I just about freeze uo every time I see one."
"So, what're you doing?"
"Stitch has an emergency walkie set to the same frequency as the tower ones, hopefully they'll both speak back."
As the mare reached a counter near the front door, she quickly opened it and levitated the walkie-talkie to her ear.
"Towers, come in. I heard a shot, is everything alright?"
There was a little bit of static before the two mares heard a faint, crackly voice come over the radio.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No idea what happened to Absent Mind though. Poor bastard, he ain't reponding. I have a real bad feelin' that that bullet had his name on it."
The unicorn raised a hoof to her mouth as she listened. Windy Nights bowed her head and waited for someone to say something.
"Wake everyone up, we gotta talk about makin' this place safer, and fast. I'll be back inside quick as I can."
The mare nodded and put the walkie-talkie back in it's place before running over to the sleeping area.
"Everypony! Wake up! Wake up!"
Most of the bodies slowly shifted and looked up at the mare that was yelling. Windy Nights ran over to her friends and shook them awake as well.
"Windy? The hell?"
"We gotta wake up, something bad's going down."
"Course, why wouldn't it."
After all the ponies had been woken up, they grouped up a few metres from the fromt door, and looked at the orange mare. Before anyone could speak, Redline came through the far door to the tower and the orange mare ran into an embrace with him.
"It's alright sweetie, it's alright, I'm fine."
"Redline, Angel, I'm assuming if the two of you wish ti stay here you'll tell me what the hell this is about."
"Some crazy sum'bitch has our number Stitch!"
"What the hell do you mean?"
"We was looking around like normal, right. Then outta nowhere, I hear a shot, now Absent Mind ain't responding."
"What?!"
Everyone's attention turned to the mare that had pushed her way to the front of the group. Redline and Stitch looked at each other, while all the others simply bowed their heads.
"Is...i-is he-"
Before the mare could finish, there was a loud bang on the alternate tower door that made some jump, and the rest draw their weapons. There were at least six aiming their weapoms at the door, while the rest slowly stepped away.
"It's him, isn't it?"
"Fraid so. Also afraid'a this, that door ain't made well. He wants in, he'll get in."
Stitch nodded and turned to look at the other ponies who were aiming at the door.
"Any of you who won't be able to pull the trigger, stand down."
After a few seconds, three out of the four slowly lowered their guns and backed away, leaving only Thunderbolt.
"Thunderbolt, stand down. Think about your daughter."
The pegasus looked down at the cowering filly near his back legs, and sighed as he stepped back. Stitch turned back to the door, aiming down the sights just as Redline was. After a few more bangs, the hinges of the door creaked, and the door slammed onto the floor, the young stallions body on top of it.
"Absent Mind!"
The mare yelled as she ran over to what was once her son. Stitch protested and tried to stop her, but she escaped from his grasp and dropped down on the floor beside the zombie. There was only a moment of audible weeping as Stitch ran to pull the greiving mare back, but the zombie jumped up and pinned to the ground, taking a swift and bloody bite out of her neck. As she screamed and blood sprayed over the zombie and floor around her, Stitch moved back and aimed his gun again. No shot was fired for a long time, far longer than it should have taken. Suddenly, the zombie snapped it's head up, eyes locked on Stitch, and a bullet raced through its head. ThunderBolt stepped over to the body as it fell over to the side, and looked at the mare, bleeding and coughing in a pool of blood.
"I'm sorry."
He whispered softly before pulling the trigger on the mare, ending her misery. As he holstered his revolver, he let his head lower, and his eyes close. He still didn't say a word as he walked past the group and over to his daughter, leading her back to the sleeping area. Stitch shot Redline a look of confusion, to which he nodded.
"I'll go talk to 'im."
"Good, I think he needs it."
ThunderBolt had just tucked Bubble Blitz in on the mat where she slept, and planted a kiss on her forehead before she rolled over. He turned just to see Redline standing in front of him.
"Thunder-"
"Look, I know what you're going to say, but it had to be done, and clearly no one else was volunteering."
"Is this about-"
"Nothing to do with it."
Redline could see in ThunderBolt's eyes that he was right, but knew very well that he didn't wish to speak of it. He nodded and slowly backed away, over to Stitch.
"We need t' s'cure this place more."
"How do you suggest?"
"Well, little more barved wire wouldn't hurt, more barricades 'n we could get this place safer 'n'ell."
"Well, if you say so. We'll send a group out tomorrow."
"How 'bout the rookies? Givem a chance to prove 'emselves."
"You may be right, but for right now, we should sleep for the next couple hours. You don't need to go back up by the way."
"Good, need to comfort Angel anyways, seems a lil shook up."
"Who isn't after that?"
"Whoever isn't must be one stone cold sum'bitch."
High Road stopped and looked at the intersection she found herself in. There were only tall office-type buildings, none of which she needed to enter.
"Dammit guys, where are you?"
After having spent the night fully awake, hiding in the corner of a funeral home, she was tired and on edge. Having to kill a zombie first, she moved up to the door of the first office building and knocked.
"Hello? Anypony home?"
She waited a few seconds for a response that she wasn't expecting anyways. After she had waited, she turned around and started walking the same way she had been. After a couple minutes and a few zombie kills, High Road stumbled upon a pharmacy that looked to be at least be partially looted.
"Please tell me this was you guys."
High Road drew the pistol from her right holster and aimed it through the doorway. Her readied position was held as she walked into the building and looked around. As she stepped through the farthest left aisle, she spotted an open shelf, and only a few bottles left.
"Oxycodone huh? Yeah, this was Stone Temple and the rest. Her at the least. Hm, suppose it wouldn't hurt to grab some stuff for myself."
She quickly shuffled down the aisles, looking for something that was already taken or never there. With a sigh, she turned to the front door, just to see a zombie lunging at her. Se reacted quick enough to dodge it's attack, but tripped backwards over a couple of jerry cans that were on the floor. Not having the caps on, gas slowly started pouring out of the cans once they hit the ground with metallic thuds. When High Road recollected herself and stood up, she aimed her pistol and fired a round through the zombies brain. As she watched it fall to the floor, she readjusted her backpack and stepped out the door.
"Well, now that that's happened, maybe they-"
Only a few steps out the door, multiple shots were heard, and struck the ground just in front of her. One of the shots ricocheted, and hit the metal sheeting that FireStarter had left over, causing a spark to ignite the gasoline that had spilled out of the building. High Road jumoed back when the flame's ignited and ran into the building. She noticed the gasoline trail coming from the jerry cans, and quickly moved them away from the now ignited trail. As she ran for the back door, she noticed a stream of zombies moving toward her, and dove into the office. She closed the door and held it shut with her hooves before she locked it.
"Wow, real shitstorm just happened there eh?"
High Road looked up and squinted the sunlight coming in through the roof's hatch.
"I can get out through there, but I gotta move."
She could feel the zombies pushing at the door, and looking at the lock, it woukdn't hold forever.
"Ok, ok, move fast. One, two, three!"
ALl at once, High Road moved her legs from the door, and jumped up to the hatch, grabbing onto it and pulling herself up. She looked down just as the lock on the door busted off and the zombies flooded the room.
"Well, barely got outta that."
As she looked around on top of the building, she spotted the gleam of a sniper scope, and waving her hoof to show they she was friendly. But the glare didn't move, and her eyes widened just as she heard the shot.
S1E4: Like The Dead Themselves
High Road opened her eyes, looking up at the bright sky through blurry, squinted vision. She looked over to her right, at the hoof that she had raised. No surprise to her, it was surrounded by a pool of blood, and she could see the bullet wound on either side. Trying to recollect herself, High Road rolled over onto her stomach and looked down into the pharmacy. Many of the zombies had dispersed and left, being otherwise distracted. She pulled out her pistol and shot down the ones that were in the office. Turning around to drop her back hooves in first, High Road dropped down into the office and dazily drew her pistol again. As she poked her head out, she saw no zombies.
"I gotta...barricade that door."
High Road used what strength she had to drag a shelf in front of the rear door, the front one already being barricaded, and pushed another shelf down in front of it to hold it still. Exhausted and in pain, she slumped down and looked at the large bullet wound in her hoof.
"Gotta be...something in here....to fix this."
High Road's vision was hazy due to the astounding pain, and putting sentences together took an inordinate amount of breath from her lungs. She fell to her knees looked at the shelves, and after rummaging around in them, found some gauze and a roll of medical tape.
"Disinfectant."
She looked behind her at a shelf behind glass that held mutiple bottles. From behind the glass, she would have been able to make out the words on the labels. However, her blurry vision prevented her from fully reading it.
"Hyd-hydr, oxi...that's, hydrogen peroxide? I hope so."
Her thoughts racing, she reached for the bottle, soon hitting the glass with her hoof. After trying to slide it open, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"There's gotta be...a key..somewhere."
High Road slowly pushed herself off the floor and started walking around the shelves to the office. Every drawer and every surface turned up empty, unless she was looking for assorted files and discared .22 cartriges.
"Must...be on...somepony."
She tried to visualize the flash of the ponies she had seen below her, but none seemed to be wearing a uniform or anything of the sort. As disbelief started to set in, she sat down against the counter, and eventually let herself slip to the floor. Many minutes passed before she opened her eyes and looked through still blurry vision under the desk she was beside. She perked up slightly when she saw the familiar burgandy and white plastering the bottle, and quickly reached to grab it. The weight of the bottle indicated that it was full, and she tried her hardest to read the label.
"F-Fer..al..yde. Fermaldehyde, that's gotta be what it is. Wow, how amazingly convienient."
Hope filling her heart, she quickly twisted the lid off the bottle and poured some of it onto the gauze. As she pushed herself into a better sitting position, she took the gauze in one hoof and the tape in the other.
"Ok, ok, this is gonna sting a little. One, two, three."
On three, she wrapped the gauze around her hoof, gasping at first from the sudden pain, but biting her lip and pushing through it. She ripped a long strip of medical tape off with her teeth and wrapped it around the gauze, securing it down when she felt that there was enough tape.
"That should be good. Now to just get the hell out of here."
She looked up at the open section of the roof, wondering if the sniper was still out there. She drew her pistol and moved back into the main building, moving toward the front. There were a few zombies scattered around outside, and she watched them shamble along.
"Isn't enough ammo in the world."
There were a few moments of what had become silence to most, as the constant moans of the walking dead never ceased. Her eyelids were slolwy starting to shut, before three figures came into view and shot down the infected in front of the building.
"W-windy? FireStarter? Stone?"
High Road leaned in closer to listen to what was being said as they approached.
"Look, it's barricaded."
"Is someone inside?"
"What if they're dangerous?"
"Come on, let's just go in. Fire, Stone, around back, I'll go in up top."
"K."
High Road smiled and started laughing to herself slightly as she ran to the back. In her excitement, she forgot that not all her limbs were up to snuff, she tripped over her bad leg, and ended up falling, smashing her head against one of the glass shelves. The blow to the head both from the glass and the ground after was enough to knock her out cold. Windy Nights, already on the roof, heard some of the noise that was created, and quickly drew her pistol as she approached the hatch. Looking inside, she saw no immidiate threat, and dropped down inside. She quickly moved to the back door and moved the shelves so that the others could get in.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Did either of you hear that?"
"Hear what exactly?"
"I'm not sure, I heard something when I was on the roof."
FireStarter drew his pistol after Windy Nights' sentence, and Stone Temple was quick to push it down.
"Woah woah woah, I know for a sure fact that no walking deadbeat would be smart enough to barricade a place down, so clearly somepony is alive in there."
"Yes, but what if they want to hurt us just as much as the zombies do?"
"Just stay alert, but weapons tight. I'll take center, Stone far right and Fire far left."
The group nodded to each other and started toward there respective positions.
"Left aisle clear."
"Right aisle clear."
"Middle too, check the othe-"
"Come here!"
The sentence, and the audible gasp that came before it sent FireStarter and Windy Nights rushing toward the second last aisle to the right. When they arrived, they simultainiously gasped. In the small spot of sunlight that was able to creep into the building, they saw the body of High Road, head surrounded by a small pool of blood.
"Oh shit, is that?"
"High Road, is she breathing?"
"Vital signs seem to check out, but seems she did too. Out cold like the dead themselves."
"Shit. Alright, can you bring her back to base by yourself?"
"For sure."
Stone Temple carefully picked High Road's body off the floor and started carrying her out the back door on her back.
"If I can get her up I'll come back for you two. Wait here for about half an hour. If I'm not back, keep going, I'll do my own run."
"If you're sure."
"I am. Go on now."
As Stone Temple left the building and made her way back to the outpost, Windy Nights looked at the scattered shelves.
"We ever going to not move these around every time we leave or arrive here?"
"Don't poke holes, just shut up and find us a harware store."
High Road awoke, the sharp pain immediately forcing her eyes shut again.
"Hey, welcome back."
The soft, accented voice was unfamiliar to High Road, but at the same time was comforting. She forced her eyes open through the pain and looked at the bright blue eyes that stared back at her. She shot upright, looking around.
"Where am I? Am I dead?"
"Far from it, though I suspect a concussion is present."
"Wh-who are you?"
"Name is Angel Boulon, and yours?"
"High Road. How did I get here?"
Angel Boulon looked backwards over her shoulder to see a red mare with an orange mane approaching.
"There she is now."
"Stone Temple?"
"Hey there little darlin', finished napping?"
Stone Temple chuckled as she sat down beside her friend and gave her a small hug.
"I don't understand, I saw you three outside, and-"
"Yeah, well when we saw you, you were passed out on the floor. Really got yourself good, so I brought you back here, Angel's been appointed the base's nurse. Either way, you're safe and awake, so I gotta go. I'll see ya later!"
"Yeah, seeya."
Angel Boulon pulled a small set of needles out of the white bag to her side, making High Road squirm slightly.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Taking a little better care of this."
High Road looked down at the hole in her hoof, now that the gauze had been removed.
"Now, I'll apply a mild sedative, and you shouldn't be able to feel me patching this up."
"O-ok."
Angel slowly injected the needle, making High Road wince slightly. She chuckled as she put the needle in the disposal bin and started patching up tee wound.
"Not much one for needles?"
"Never have been. Even though my father was a doctor, and I was around them quite a bit."
"Well, who does like them, right?"
"Well said."
"You got one hell of a friend, that pharmacy's gotta be at least twenty minutes away with the carry-on she had."
"Yeah, she um, she really is something. How about you, how'd you get here?"
"My husband and I were running away from a rather sizable horde of those, things, and luck had it that we stumbled upon this place. The survivors here helped us to thin the herd, and we got along just fine when they saw my husband's weapon stash and control."
"Gun handling huh? He wouldn't happen to-"
"I know where you're going, wrong caliber. His rifle uses point three seven five, or something like that. This looks smaller than that, perhaps a nine milimeter or twenty-two."
"What? What kind of sniper rifle shoots nine mil?"
"Not sure, you'd have to ask him. Either way, this is about patched up here. Just stay off it as much as possible, get some good bedrest, and it should heal up quick with any luck."
"You seem to rely on luck quite a bit."
"It's gotten me this far hasn't it?"
Angel Boulon smiled as she closed up the bag and started walking away from what was being used as an operation table of sorts.
"I'll see you around, remember what I told you!"
"Come on, it's been thirty minutes."
"Nope, we still got five left."
"How do you know? Been counting the seconds?"
"It's a wonder I have been with all your complaining!"
FireStarter sighed and raised a hoof to his face as Windy Nights looked out the front window.
"You scoped out a hardware store yet?"
"Yes, there's one just down the street. Back that way."
FireStarter followed Windy Nights' hoof, and what was barely a smile already faded from his face.
"That way? That's back towards whatever's left of our previous establishment, and may I remind you that they don't exactly like us anymore."
"Well, it's not that close, as long as we don't stray from the path we'll be fine."
"Sure, because so far everything has gone just right for us. Has it been five minutes yet?"
"Almost. Why are you so antsy? Isn't this mission stuff usually what you try to avoid?"
"What I avoid, is anything that may get us killed."
"Well, guess you're the apocalypses first hermit."
"I'm fully ok with that."
When Stone Temple appeared around the corner, Windy Nights tapped her hoof on the shelf she was leaning against and started walking out.
"Good thing your back, hermit over here was getting antsy. High Road woke up I assume?"
"Yep, probably all patched up by now."
"Good, now let's hit this hardware store, I wanna be back before sundown."
"Sundown? We ain't moving the whole building, girl."
"Yeah, I know, but literally anything can happen, we've more or less proven that, haven't we?"
"Guess so. Either way, let's get a move on."
Redline's scope slowly moved from building to building, looking for not just infected threats but living one too. If ponies were out there, armed and willing to take the lives of the innocent and still living, then Redline couldn't bring himself to leave the tower.
"Come on, where are you ya sum'bitch?"
At the same time her scanned the area, he tried to keep his own head down, as to try and not be hit himself. Quite some time after, he set his gun down and sat against the wall of the tower. A few seconds later, the tower door opened, and he saw a familiar orange unicorn.
"Hey there sweetheart."
"Hey. Come inside, please, you haven't eaten all day. He can't hit us if we're inside you know."
"Yeah, but we still got a group out there, and sure they're rookies, but let's not lose them. I'll be inside when they get back."
"Ok, if you're sure."
Angel quickly moved forward and planted a kiss on Redline's cheek before turning and walking back inside. Redline smiled as he looked back outside the tower.
"What the.."
He quickly grabbed his rifle and perched up, aiming in at what he saw. There was what looked like a mare, trapped in a car with zombies all around it. What struck Redline as odd however, was that the zombies weren't attacked the car, or even noticing the mare's existance.
"Better get someone else with me."
Redline stood upright and looked back over his shoulder at the sight before quickly exiting the tower. Angel, who was the first to notice Redline's entrance, quickly looked over and stood up.
"They're back already?"
"No, no, but I saw somethin' I need to check out, where's Stitch at?"
"Right here, what is it Redline?"
"Look, I saw somethin' out there, 'ts'kinda strange, I need yer help with it."
"Strange in what way?"
"I don't got time to be explainin' this Stitch, let's go!"
Stitch sighed and reluctantly drew his sidearm, following close behind the other stallion.
"This better not just be some joke or something Redline, I'm trying finish plans for reinforcing th-"
"Shhh, look."
Stitch looked from behind the bushes they were hidden in and gasped slightly at what he saw.
"The fuck? What's going on there?"
"Your guess is as good as mine is. Plan?"
"Let's see, we got maybe ten zombies here, shouldn't be too hard. Hold on though, do you see that?"
"See what?"
"The movement patterns, they're circling."
"I guess they are. Didn't notice at first cuz they was movin' different ways."
"What the hell is this? Are you sure that she's alive?"
"Dead or alive don't matter right now, I wanna get to the bottom of what's going on here. Let's go, I'll approached right and take about half, you mirror."
"Got it, silent?"
"Stay violent."
Redline laughed a little before levitating the bayonet off of his gun and running at the crowd. Stitch shook his head and drew the long combat knife from his hind leg.
"I really need to teach him to say less stupid things before runnung into danger."
By the time Stitch ran over to the car, Redline had finished off about half of the zombies, and Stitch quickly executed the few around him.
"So, what's this little thing here?"
Stitch asked as the two stallions approached the car.
"Damned to hell if I could say alive er dead, she ain't moved much."
"Wait wait wait, look."
Stitch very slowly walked up to the car and pointed.
"Holy shit."
"Kinda messed up horror movie shit?"
"Aright, I think I know what's going on. There, there, there, and there, are trips. If anything, say one of the corpses walking around were to put any blunt impact on the doors, it'll trip, and rip this wire all the way through, and right across here."
Stitch ended his sentence by pointing to the mare's neck, which had wire across it.
"Kidding me. As if it weren't bad enough that some of us are tryin'a eat each other, now we got a trap maker out here?"
"Know what I'm betting? I bet it's the same fuck that shot Absent Mind and that other mare."
"Somethin' don't seem right. Two things actually."
"What and what?"
"For one, buildin' on what'cha said, he shot those two and who knows how many others, but he shot them."
"I, I don't follow."
"He shot them, this here's probably the farthest thing from. So if it is the same pony, he went and got personal on this'n. If it isn't him, I'm figurin' we got somethin' worse on our plate."
"Ok, ok, good points. What was the second thing?"
Redline walked up closer to the car, being incredibly careful not to touch it.
"She's breathin', and all them zombies were just gathered around."
"Wait, breathing doesn't mean alive. Last time I checked, the dead kinda like to breathe nowadays. It's right up there with walking, groaning and eating people."
"Well, I guess I could try to defuse this so t' say, but you gotta watch my bavk and her."
"On it, just please be careful."
"Wish I could say I would."
Stitch drew his pistol as Redline poked his head in the left rear window. The wire was running on a pulley system, with one pulley mounted on each door. Something that he couldn't fully deduce was holding the pulleys in place, keeping them from moving on whatever momentum they were already given.
"Ok, I just gotta git the pulleys offa here. Right?"
The pulleys were held on by bolts that were screwed onto a shaft sticking out from the door. There were pins holding the wire in place, but could easily be pushed out of the jams that held them if enough force was applied to the door.
"Ok, how the hell? If I remove the bolts, maybe I can get one pulley out, 'n the tension'll be released? Sure, let's go with that."
As Redline pulled an adjustable wrench from a side pocket in his holster, Stitch noticed something.
"Shit, we got movement."
Redline, not needing to be told twice, immediately leaped up and drew his rifle. The mare in the trap's eyes slowly fluttered open, but she gasped when she saw the two stallions.
"Stay away, stay away from me!"
"Ma'am please, don't move! We aren't here to hurt you!"
"Put your guns away, please."
Stitch signalled to Redline, who followed Stitch in holstering his gun.
"Alright, is that better?"
"Where am I? What's happening?"
"Ma'am, -"
"StarFire, please."
"Alright, StarFire, what is the last thing you remember?"
"I, I was running, I came to a settlement, after a few minutes, I noticed a grouping, then they all started moving apart. They started getting hold of the weaker ones in the building; the sick, the elderly. I tried to run, but I got cornered, and that's all that I can remember."
"Ok, well just don't worry, we're gonna try to get you out of this."
"No, please, don't touch anything!"
"It's ok, we know what we're doing, we'll get you out of there. Just keep talking to me, try not to think about what's happening. So tell me the story of StarFire, what were you before all this began?"
"I worked for a little stand in Ponyville. We made our own little necklaces and other accesories."
"Ok, ok, tha-that's nice. How about music, what's your poison?"
"I didn't have the chance to listen to it that much, but I always remember my granny playing old folk records."
"Good, that's good."
"Stitch, I need your help. Down here."
"Alright, I'll be right back. Just, um, think about those memories, with your granny."
The mare nervous nodded, still trying to regulate her shaky and irregular breathing. Stitch crouched down beside Redline after looking around to see if there were any zombies nearby.
"Yeah?"
"So, I got a problem, but I got a plan."
"Go in order, and try to be quiet, she doesn't need to hear."
"So, problem is, if one of them pulleys moves, it'll trip the others, 'cause it won't be taught no more. The only thing keeping her alive right now is how these things are tensed up."
"Great, so, the plan is?"
"I need you to make sure she ain't buckled down, then when I say three, you need to open that door and get her out ASAP."
"Won't that trip the system?"
"That's the thing, if I can jam this up for long enough, you can git'er out. I noticed somethin', look'ere. The seat is still adjustable, she can recline all she wants."
"Wait, let me see if I know where this is headed. The trap is set so that she can escape if she wants to, but if she panics, she'll die?"
"Mmhmmm. Somethin' tells me we's dealing with somethin' military, the whole calm under pressure thing is pretty big there."
"Is that what you used to be? Military?"
"Nah, keep guessin' kid. Anyhow, if you open the door, pull that seat lever, and get her out, we should be fine. I'll hold it for as long as I can."
"Ok."
Redline got into position and readied himself while Stitch ran back to the front of the car.
"Ok, StarFire, we have a plan to get you out, but you have to relax, and you have to do exactly what I say."
"I, I don't know if I can move, I can't feel my back legs."
"It's ok, all I need you to do is lean, and open the door. Redline, can you get the seat lever yourself?"
"I can git it with magic, yeah."
"Ok, that's what I'm gonna need, do it as soon after you jam the pulley as you can."
"Uh, ok."
"Ready?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Count it, and remember StarFire, just relax and do what I said."
As the mare nodded in nervous agreement again, Stitch nodded to Redline.
"One...two...three."
All at once, Stitch opened the passenger side door and jumper in, while StarFire moved her hoof up and opened the door. Redline had jammed the wrench on the bolt, and pulled the seat lever when the wrnech jammed itself against the door. StarFire was half pushed out by Stitch and half pulled out by Redline. Stitch rolled onto the floor and then out of tee vehicle so that he was facing it when the wire snapped and whipped around it. The wire just barely scraped by his forehead, cutting a long but shallow gash along it. As he fell to the ground, Redline quickly ran over and kneeled down beside him.
"You alright?"
"Yeah. Thing got me pretty damn good, but I'll live."
"Alright, well, let's get going. We've got somepony new to introduce to the compound."
"Well, I suppose this is a good amount to return with. Hell, we can even use the carts themselves if we need to."
"Always bein' resourceful, aren't you Windy?"
"I try."
The two mares giggled as they loaded the last of the materials into the only shopping cart that wasn't broken in any way. FireStarter was keeping guard outside, aiming down the sights of his pistol. He turned back when he heard the two voices leaving the store, and holstered his pistol.
"Jeez, was wondering when you two would show yourselves again."
"Ah screw off, we got talking."
"About?"
"Mare talk. Ya wouldn't understand."
"Pfft, mare talk. So basically you just gossiped?"
"There isn't really much to gossip about. It's kind of the apocalypse, remember that?"
"Well, I guess you have a point."
Silence overtook almost the rest of the walk back to the compound, about five minutes from it, it picked back up.
"Alright, FireStarter, you wanted to know what was talked about, well here's the question I was gonna ask."
"Took you till now? Well, let's hear it."
"The question is, if there was one thing you would give anything to have right now, what would it be?"
"Hmm, that's a good question. I suppose having a chance to speak with my mother would be alright. Never was too close with either of my parents, wonder how they're fairing now."
"Hopefully well."
Windy Nights nervously assured. She noticed how Stone Temple was just walking along, occaisionally poking at the ground with a stick.
"What about you Stone? What's the one thing you would give anything for?"
"My sister."
The group went silent, making the crash from a nearby department store all the more audible. All three turned on a dime, and both mares drew their firearms.
"We checking it out Windy?"
"Yeah. FireStarter, you guard the supplies, we'll check this out."
"Ok, just for the love of everything, be quick."
Windy Nights nodded to FireStarter before turning to Stone Temple and motioning toward the door. The store looked to be small, and after slowly entering, they noticed the source of the noise.
"Son of a bitch."
"I can't believe it. The world is coming to a freaking end, and ponies are busying themselves with this."
The single room of the building was cleared out except for the one shelf in the center that had a zombified pony strung up across it. Windy Nights sighed and fired a round through it's head, before bowing her head for a moment. When they turned around, they saw FireStarter running toward the building, falling to the floor once he was inside.
"FireStarter? What the hell?"
FireStarter rolled onto his back and muttered a few gargled words as the mares crowded around him.
"Outside alleyway...Not the sniper...Something else."
"Shit. Stone, tend to him, I'll recon."
"Ok."
Stone Temple helped FireStarter to his hooves and moved him behind the counter, just now noticing the large gash on his stomach.
"Shit man, the hell got you that bad?"
"No clue, it happened so fast."
"You see anyone?"
"I don't think so, I don't think it was an assault, this was a trap."
Stone Temple didn't put the pieces together for a couple seconds after FireStarted layed down. Her eyes widened as she cursed under her breath and ran out the door. She skidded around the corner to the alleyway and saw Windy Nights walking down it, pointing her gun around while slowly walking forward.
"Windy!"
Stone Temple yelled, catching Windy Night's attention and making her turn around just seconds before the snare around her hoof picked her off the ground.
"Thank you."
StarFire said as she gratefully as she accepted the cup of loose tea that Stitch had given her. As he sat down across from her, he looked at the group of survivors that were suspiciously eyeing the conversation.
"So, you have any idea where this group is camped out?"
"Not, not from here. I've never seen this area of the city."
"They must've taken you pretty far then. You know how long you were out?"
"They have working cars, they could've got here and back fast."
"They got some of them working?"
As StarFire nodded, Stitch blew out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. When StarFire leaned forward to set her mug down, Stitch noticed a large smear of blood that had been left on the leather chair.
"Are you injured? Or do you need anything?"
"Do you have a shower? Or even a bathroom? Just somewhere to get cleaned up."
"Bathrooms right over there. Towels should be in their somewhere in case the shower does work."
"Thank you."
As StarFire got up and shakily walked over to the bathrooms, Stitch stood up and walked over to Redline, who was standing close to the two chairs.
"What do you make of that?"
"Think I got somethin'. That ain't her natural color if you get my meaning."
"Not sure I do."
"Think about it. What do zombies like? Us, and seems to be, they like the inside of us. Ya know, where the blood and guts and all that is."
"Ok, still getting nothing."
"She was in a trap right? A trap activated by zombies gettin' close to it."
Stitch still had a questioning expression on his face as he looked at him.
"Still nothin'?"
"No clue."
"She's covered in blood ya goon. Zombies was supposed to be attracted to the blood, but apparently they ain't."
"Ok, ok, so what your saying is that they covered her in blood with the hope that it would attract zombies, but it didn't."
"Yes."
Stitch looked back at the bathroom door, and thought for a moment.
"Hold on. If they didn't go for the blood, then how come the fuckers can smell us half a mile away?"
"It's gotta be livin' I guess."
"That's actually right I believe."
Once again, Stitch looked around the building, seeing that most ponies had resumed what they were doing. When he remembered the group of newcomers that was out on a run, he looked outside.
"Shit, where's that group we sent on that supply run? Heard anything from them?"
"Haven't seen 'em around, nopony else has neither."
"Shit. Can something go right for once?"
"Doubt it, track record shows that it won't."
"Ain't that the truth. Alright, I guess business as usual. If they aren't back in two hours though, I'm going to look."
"Sure you wanna wait that long? Nightime ain't exactly prime fer bein' outside."
"I'll manage. I just hope they get back soon."
"Well, isn't this magical."
"Can you cut it from upside dowj like that?"
"Don't need to."
Windy Nights opened her wings and started hovering right side up beside the metal beam that held the rope. She pulled the hatchet off of her rear leg and started slowly cutting the rope, just as FireStarter walked up, clutching his side.
"You know, hatchets are typically more effective on wood as opposed to metal."
"Nice one smart-ass, but I'm cutting rope up here."
"Why don't you use your knife?"
"I didn't think of that, now hush."
After cutting the rope off at the top and pulling the snare off of her hoof, she flew down to the ground and landed beside the others.
"As if the apocalypse wasn't enough."
"Think maybe those traps were for zombies, and not us?"
"You know, I really hope so, otherwise I'm gonna start hating this more and more."
Stone Temple chuckled at the Windy's Nights' last quip and started toward the
"I agree with you there. Either way, we'd better get FireStarter back so we can patch him up."
"Yeah, let's get going."
Windy Nights started pushing the cart again with Stone Temple and FireStarter walking together behind her. After a few minutes, they finally got back to the compound, where Stitch was waiting for them.
"Well well, not a bad run rookies. Oh shit, what happened to you?"
"I don't even know."
"Oh, great. Get him inside, Angel should be at her station."
"It's fine, I can walk. These two should fill you in on what's happening anyways."
Stitch nodded as FireStarter walked past and into the building.
"So, what exactly is happening?"
"I think we need to keep a sharp eye out."
"Why's that?"
"You saw the cut on his stomach, that wasn't an attack, and it certainly wasn't a zombie."
"Ok, so what was it? And, more importantly, who was it?"
"No idea who, but what we do know is that therebare quite the traps out there."
"Wait, traps? Did some involve thick gauge wire?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Redline and I just saved a mare from a trap that was set up over there, and it involved wire, pulleys, and an idea that lucky for us and her didn't work. I think we got a threat on us bigger than the infected for once."
"Great, as if the dead weren't enough of a problem."
"Well, that just means we'll have to put all this to use. Just wheel it over closer to the tower to the right, we'll work on that tomorrow."
Stone Temple and Windy Nights both pushed the cart over to where Stitch had directed, and the three walked inside soon after. Stone Temple looked around and just caught a yellow coated pegasus drying off her amber mane with a towel. Her mouth dropped open, as did the other mare's when they made eye contact.
"Stone Temple?"
"Sis?"
The two smiled at each other and quickly ran over and wrapped their hooves around each other in an embrace. After pulling apart, Windy Nights walked over and chuckled.
"So, Stone Temple, this is your sister?"
"Sure is. Is it ever good to see you, I'm so damn thankful you're still alive."
"I feel the same, I was so worried when this all started, I had no idea where I was, let alone where you were."
"I guess the good thing is that you're both safe now."
"Yep. Safe and sound. You already met the crew?"
"Just Stitch and, Redline I think it was."
"Well, allow me to introduce Luitennat Windy Nights."
"Windy Nights is fine, formalities don't really carry meaning anymore do they?"
"Guess not. Pleased to meet you Windy."
"Likewise. I'm gonna go check on FireStarter, you two enjoy catching up."
"We will, thank you."
StarFire smiled at Windy Nights before she walked off to the infirmary area. When she turned back to her sister, she was waved over to the sleeping area, where High Road was sitting.
"Hey, welcome back."
"Thanks. How you feeling?"
"Head's still killing me, but I'm alive. Who's this?"
"This is my sister, StarFire."
"Nice to meet you."
"Shame it had to be under these circumstances, right?"
"True, true."
"You guys got the materials for the towers?"
"Yep, and in good time, the sun's startin' to set."
The three mares looked out the window at the now pale-orange sky.
"Did you two hear the rumors?"
"What rumors?"
"At the compound I was at before, well, what got me here, I heard that the zombies get more dangerous at night."
"What? No way. I disproved the hell out of that. Spent a whole night jumping from building to building, had to kill like thirty of them. Which reminds me, High Road, where are Command Chain and Wind Up?"
"Hell if I know, probably still back at the old place."
"Wait, you just left them there?"
"Trust me, the choice between you and them was easy. By the way, the sentence is death if we ever show up there again."
StarFire gave Stone Temple a look of questioning, to which Stone Temple shrugged.
"Whatever. Hey, how hungry are the both of you?"
"Starving."
"What she said."
"Great, cause by the looks of it, dinner is ready."
Even later in the evening, after the sun had set, a few members of the community were sitting in a circle, telling stories from the old world. ThunderBolt was currently talking, and to his left was his daughter, who was more than distracted by Oscar. Windy Nights slowly rubbed her hoof alongside the dogs side as he layed and smiled. Stone Temple and StarFire were sitting beside each other, listening intently, and Angel Boulon closed the circle.
"So after that of course, security was on us like flies on the dead, and so we all run like 'ell all the way back to Killswitch's house, where I spent a good majority of the time therew whooping those two at a little something called drunk twister."
The group collectively laughed at the story as ThunderBolt took a long sip of his drink. Surprisingly it was non-alcoholic.
"Yep, sure do miss those days sometimes. But now I got this one, and that's all I really care about now."
A few ponies in the circle nodded and smiled warmly as ThunderBolt ran a hoof through his daughter's mane.
"Alright, that's anough for me, who's next?"
"I'll go."
Windy Nights said as she pushed herself forward slightly.
"So, back when I was just starting out in the army, I didn't know much about how the ponies there worked when we were just hanging out at base camp. Little fid I know, that pranking was something quite common, and pranking the only three mares there was the most fun apparently. So, me and the other two, we snuck out of our tents one night and set up what we needed to. Well, the next morning a couple hours after role call, I started talking up these gunshots I heard, and how I how I couldn't find one of the other mares. Of course they were skeptical, because none of them heard any, but just a couple seconds later, the mare that was 'missing' came stumbling around the corner, with 'bullet wounds', which the other mare made using some left over beet juice which will by the way leave a stain like crazy. So she pretends to drop dead right there in front of about five stallions, and oh boy the looks on their faces were priceless. So of course one of them gets down to chevk her pulse, and she jumps up and yells 'gotcha!'. Tell you what, we never got pranked again."
The group chuckled together again, with some softly expressing agreement. Shortly after, Redline walked into the building from the tower and walked over to the group.
"Thunder, 'ts yer turn for tower duty."
"Already? Alright, let me just put Bubble to bed."
As ThunderBolt stood up and picked the pink filly up, Redline took his place, completing the circle again.
"So, what're we talkin' 'bout here?"
"Stories from before, sweetie."
"Ah, I see."
"Got any?"
"Me? No, no, no. I was a pretty boring old stallion back then."
"Really, nothing interesting?"
"You can keep asking Windy, I ain't got nothin'"
"Ok, well how about something from this world? Surely something intersting has happened to you here."
"Unless killing a lotta zombies and running a bunch is share-circle worthy, I think I'm all out for post-apocalypse stories. Me and Angel was both together from the start."
There was a moment of silence as Angel Boulon moved closer to Redline and cuddled up beside him.
"Wait a minute, if you two were together from the beginning, then how come StarFire and I were far away from each other?"
"I as well would like an answer to that?"
"Well, I can't speak for any other cases, but proximity seemed to weigh in for us. We were in the same house before, and we were only a few floors apart in the same building after the matter. He eventually found me cowering in one of the closets, and we made our way here."
"Huh, so if we had been closer before this, we would have been closer when it started?"
"Perhaps, how far away were you two?"
Angel asked as Stone Temple and StarFire looked at each other.
"Umm, how far apart are Ponyville and ManeHatten?"
A couple members of the group chuckled a bit as the two sisters laughed with each other. Redline looked at the watch on his leg and started standing up.
"Well, I should be gettin' off to bed now, I suggest y'all do the same."
"Yes, maybe we should be. I'll be right behind you. I would like to stress that all lights ne out by ten thirty, and it is currently ten oh nine. I'll see you all in the morning."
"Goodnight."
As the couple departed and went to their cot, which they had earned through their various help around the compound, the rest of the group started standing up.
"Well, sorry to break it to you sis, but newcomers get the floor."
"Oh, I don't mind I suppose. Not like we haven't slept on the floor when we were younger."
"Ah, the good old days of blanket forts and smuggled cheez-its."
The two mares laughed as they left and followed the other two to the sleeping area, leaving just Windy Nights and Oscar.
"Well, you do what you want, I'm gonna go see how FireStarter is doing. You're welcome to come."
Just as her sentence ended, Oscar got up and walked over to the mat that she had laid out for him and curled up on it.
"You traitor."
She chuckled to herself as she walked over to the makeshift hospital bed that FireStarter was sitting on.
"Hey, feeling alright?"
"Alright is a relative term at this point. I think the general definition of alright has severely declined since this w-"
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, yes."
FireStarter quietly said, looking down slightly. Windy Nights sat down at the end of the bed and sighed.
"Good. I guesd you are kind of right about what you were saying."
"How the world has gone downhill, and with it went our standards of feeling?"
"Yeah, that. You know, once this is all over, do you ever think, maybe it would be good?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well, I mean, since we've been put through do much, maybe we'll be stronger afterwards?"
"Hmm, let's see. People have lost family, friends, and jobs; the economy is no longer existant; we're in a world that we don't even know the limits of; and to add to that last one, we don't know how far across wherever we are the infection has spread."
"Ok, so maybe the bad outweighs the good."
"What can be called good. Is there any alcohol around here that isn't disinfecting our wounds?"
"You drink?"
"Not really, but no better time to start."
FireStarter grunted as he pushed himself off of the hospital bed, Windy Nights soon following.
"Tell you what. Tomorrow, you and me, we'll go out and get a drink."
"What?"
"Yeah, we'll go and find a nice bar, and we'll sample whatever's left."
"Really?"
"Sure, let's do it."
Windy Nights held her hoof out for FireStarter to shake, which he did after giving her a smile.
"I'll see you in the morning, we'll go then. Goodnight."
"Wait, wait. Are you just gonna say that we're going out for a drink?"
"No, of course not."
Windy Nights nervously chuckled as she turned to start walking away.
"What then?"
"I'll, I'll say that we're going to empty out the pharmacy. Which by the way, we should actually do if we plan to go through with, you know."
"Right, I remember. Alright, sounds like a plan I suppose. I'd also go as far as to ask everypony around what they need, just so that we can actually do some good while we're at it. See you in the morning."
"So, you know anywhere to get a good drink in this place?"
"Considering neither of us even know what 'this place' is, no."
"Well, I'm sure if we look around long enough after this we'll find one. What exactly was it that StarFire said she needed?"
"Citalopram, also known as Celexa. It's a common anti-depressant. Kind of surprising considering how bubbly she seemed."
"That is a little surprising, actually. Maybe it's for somepony else and she was asking for them?"
"Maybe, but I really can't think of any of them that would need an anti-depressant."
"Look at the world FireStarter, we could all use one."
Windy Nights chuckled as she slowly slid open the glass in front of her and grabbed a bottle.
"Celexa, here it is."
"Good, grab some bottles and let's get out, I'm all done my list."
"Ok, just a sec."
Windy Nights quickly threw a few bottles into her bag and stood up, looking for FireStarter.
"Alright, let's head out."
As the two walked along the road leading north, which was both away from the compound and toward their initial base, FireStarter remembered something.
"Windy, wouldn't it have been easier if you had your rifle with you? What exactly happened to it?"
"When we were bringing the materials back and heard that noise, it was easier to draw my pistol, so I figured I didn't really need it. It's probably getting more use back at base."
"Hopefully."
There were about five minutes in between that and them arriving at a bar that was filled with nothing more than questions on what the nearest building was. After approaching the front door, pistols drawn, the two entered and looked around.
"Clear."
"Yep. Looks like this place hasn't been looted either."
"Great. I'll go hop behind the counter and see what I can find."
Windy Nights said as she walked over to the counter and slid over it. The back rooms were just as clear as the front from what she should see, so she opened the nearest fridge and looked inside.
"Oh right, no power. FireStarter?"
"Yes?"
"You think this place would maybe have a backup gen or something?"
"Um, possibly, I'll check."
As FireStarter went into a nearby room to check for a generator, Windy Nights looked over their options.
"Vodka, whiskey, rum, assorted imports. Not really the greatest selection, but I think we can make do."
Windy Nights was just about to close the fridge door when the inside light flicked on, and the fridge started to buzz. A smile spread across her face, and she started to laugh as she saw FireStarter enter the roof with a grin.
"They had one?"
"Sure did."
Windy Nights let out a joyous and rather foalish squeal of joy as she looked back to the fridge and grabbed two bottles.
"Here, let's start on these while the rest cool off."
Windy Nights set the bottles of generic crappy beer on the counter and hopped over it again. She took a seat on the stool next to FireStarter and cracked open her beer. FireStarter chuckled as Windy Nights took a long swig, smiling afterwards.
"Didn't realize you were a drinker."
"My dad was. He'd always take me out for a drink whenever I got back home. Rum and soda was his favourite. I'd either have a cheap beer like this or a couple shots of bourbon."
"Huh, sounds fun."
"It was. It wss nice getting back and spending some time with him."
"Good. That's good."
"What about you? What's your poison?"
"Not really sure yet. My mother was pretty well convinced that alcohol was a one-way ticket to hell, and my dad wasn't really around much."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine, it was for the better good, I believe."
There was a long silence as the two sipped on their drinks before the front door was pushed open, and the two inside drew their guns and spun to the door. Looks of shock came over their faces as they recognized the figure at the door. The sun barely gleamed on the military medals that adorned their chest, and the figure raised a revolver before speaking in a low voice.
"I see you two are doing well."
An earth pony stallion, his front hooves tied behind his back, was pushed to the ground in front of a black maned stallion that was levitating a long bladed knife in his magic. When he heard the body hit the ground, he turned his head, then followed with his body.
"Ah, you've brought him. Good, you two can go now."
He addressed the mare and the stallion standing on either side of the captive with a low, gravely voice. They both nodded their heads and quickly scampered out of the tent. The standing stallion walked one slow circle around the other, twirling the knife around in the air.
"So, you thought that you could betray me by stealing medicine. What, like you really thought I wouldn't find out? Think I'm stupid or something?"
"Nononononono, of course n-"
The stallion delivered a hoof to the captive's temple, knocking him over but not unconcious. When the stallion on the ground looked up, he saw the point of the blade mere centimetres away from his face.
"You stabbed me in the back, and I'm a big follower of the phrase what goes around comes around."
Before the captive could protest, the stallion drove the knife square into the his spine. The captive let out a sharp cry of pain before his face was pushed into the ground by the standing stallion's hoof.
"Eye for an eye, life for life. May I suggest you think next time before stealing meds that others need more than you do."
The captive was picked up off the ground and his ties were cut as he was forcefully pushed outside of the tent. He was led through multiple arrays of tents, many of them having other ponies outside, watching the event unfold. After reaching the front gate of the makeshift walls around the tent, the black maned stallion ripped the knife out of the other's back, and shove him to the ground again.
"I hope you learn a valuable lesson. And if I ever find you out there alive, you better pray you you have a good shot on me before I get to you. Open the gates!"
Two ponies standing on either side of two large doors quickly nodded and started pushing the heavy improvised doors open. The captive stallion was again pushed onto his hooves and forced out into the outside of the shelter, which was based in a large parking lot.
"Please, please don't do this, I'll die out here!"
The knife hit the ground in from of the stallion just as the doors closed in front of him. As he picked up the knife, he spun around and looked at all the zombies around him. The citizens of the compound all went back into their tents and ignored the screams of the wounded stallion outside.
"C-Command Chain?"
"Surprised you regognize me luitennant."
"What are you doing here?"
"Heard the noise, thought I'd join the party."
"Noise?"
Windy Nights asked as she turned to FireStarter.
"The generator I guess?"
"Damn it."
Windy Nights turned back to see Command Chain closing the door behind him and walking over, revolver cycling between the two.
"So, I have a little bone to pick with you, luitennant."
"How so?"
Command Chain noticed FireStarter's horn starting to glow, and moved his sights onto him.
"Don't even think of drawing a weapon or I'll put you both down. And I won't do you the mercy of shooting you in the head."
The light on FireStarter's horn dimmed, and he slowly backed away.
"What do you want Command Chain?"
"Your little incident killed three innocent survivors, one of which was my wife. And after that, High Road, who I thought I could trust, left with almost all our remaining supplies. I shouldn't have given her the chance to leave, I should have killed her when I had the chance. And just yesterday, I was forced to go scavenge for some supplies to feed me and my son, and I come back to find..."
Command Chain looked down, and soon looked back up, aiming the sights in between Windy Night's eyes.
"Now I have nothing. Nothing but three bullets and bit of a vendetta."
"Listen, I'm very sorry for whatever happened to you, but you gotta remember where we are. We have no control over what happens to us. It's the apocalypse, remember?"
"Yes, but your little adventure with explosives blew the hole in the wall, which led to three deaths, one unaccounted for, and the loss of most of our supplies."
"Alright, fair point, but accidents happen, right? It was just an accident. Are you sure there's no way you can-"
Windy Nights had inched close enough to Command Chain to knock the gun out of his grasp and swing a hind leg that just scraped his jaw. Command Chain stumbled back and focused his eyes on the gun at the side of the room. For a second, both Windy Night's eyes and his own locked, then they both lunged for the weapon. Windy Nights having the winged advantage, she got a hold of the revolver and aimed it at Command Chain.
"Don't make me do it Command Chain. We both know I will, but we also both know that having you as an ally could benifit us all."
"All? You've found more?"
"Plenty."
Fire Starter stated, stepping forwards. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Command Chain.
"Now, I'm not sure with what reason we can trust you, but I'm willing to give you a 'trial run' so to say. More of a mission, to prove yourself."
"I have nothing to prove to you."
Command Chain spit on the floor at FireStarters hooves, to which FireStarter chuckled.
"Well."
FireStarter walked over to the counter and pulled a bottle out of the fridge with his magic. As he walked over to where Windy Nights was standing, gun still aimed steady, he switched the bottle into his hoof.
"Well general, if you'd be kindly leaving us, that would be wonderful. Have this though."
FireStarter threw the bottle to Command Chain, who managed to catch it before it hit the floor. Just as FireStarter was waving Command Chain off with a fake, overplayed smile, there was a loud thud from behind them. FireStarter drew his pistol and aimed it at Command Chain, signalling Windy Nights to check the noise. Windy Nights nodded back and started towards the door, but was soon interupted.
"Wait. Why don't we make him do it?"
"What?"
"Why not? No risk for us, just him. Unless you wish to go check on the things that move around in that dark room?"
Windy Nights contemplated the decision. Something about it felt, wrong. Like forcing rats through an electrified maze. As she looked at the two stallions, a variety of choices ran through her mind.
"S-s-sure. Sure, let's do that."
"You heard her. Go on."
FireStarter's mannerisms were odd and almost sinister to Windy Nights. He almost seemed to be enjoying sending Command Chain into an unsure situation. It was understandable if he asked her to take point, as she would be equipped and ready. But sending somepony in unarmed was different. As Command Chain stood in the doorway, he looked back at Windy Nights with a look that she almost read as fear. The second Command Chain stepped in the door, All ears perked up atbthe sound of the tripwire snapping. All eyes darted around the room for any signs of danger, but saw none. After a few seconds, a sound much like metal hitting wood came from the room. A few seconds later, three infected walked out, one of them sinking it's teeth into a frozen still Command Chain, a scream erupting from him. FireStarter aimed to shoot him and the zombies, but Windy Nights stopped him.
"We gotta do this as quietly as we can."
Windy Nights pulled the hatchet from the side of her leg, and turned to face the group. FireStarter grabbed one of the beer bottles with his magic and smashed it against the counter. He ran over and stabbed the only remaining zombie in the side of the head with it, dropping it dead to the floor. The two looked at Command Chain, writhing on the floor as the infection slowly took him.
"So, who's gonna-"
"I will. Just, give me a second."
Windy Nights held the hatchet in her wing, slowly moving it about as she watched Command Chain's eyes close. As soon as they were shut, Windy Nights close her eyes and brought the weapon down on his skull. The noises emmited when she pulled the hatchet from the corpse made her wretch. She fell back to the counter, coughing as she dropped the hatchet.
"You alright?"
FireStarter asked after a fee seconds, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
"I'm fine. It's just, I don't know, that was weird for me. I've never really had to kill anypony that close to me. As off-putting as his personality may have been, him and I were pretty close."
"Well, let's not think about, let's just do what we came here to do."
"No, I don't want to anymore. Let's just grab some of this stuff, we can share."
Stone Temple looked down at the rifle in her hooves as her hoof tapped rapidly against the wall. She looked through the hatch that had been put into the side of either tower and waved to StarFire. StarFire waved back, but didn't have the smile that Stone Temple had. Stone Temple frowned and picked up the walkie talkie beside her.
"What's goin' on girl?"
"I don't know, I'm feeling really exposed out here."
"Don't worry, they reinforced these, it'll take a pretty serious caliber to hit us, unless we're peeking up at the time."
"You're really not helping. Also, if we do see anything, what the hell am I going to do?"
"Well, I guess the common comparison is a camera. Am and shoot, sis."
"Great, that sure helps."
Stone Temple chuckled as she set the walkie talkie down, but started staring at the weapon again. It was the rifle that Windy Nights had found. She poked her head above the sheet metal of the tower and looked around. As she slowly scanned the horizon, her eyes fell upon the car that StarFire had been rescued from. She suddenly shifted forwards and pulled the rifle out, aiming the scope on the situation that was unfolding. There was a tall, black maned stallion standing by the car, pointing at it and yelling at a mare. The mare was motioning towards the car, and seemed to be panicking. There were a few more moments of what seemed to be heated argument before the stallion walked closer and snapped the mare's neck in seconds, before pulling a pistol out and putting a round into her skull. Stone Temple flinched back in horror, dropping back down into the tower.
"What did you see?"
The voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, startling Stone Temple.
"Uh, I-I'm not too sure. Something bad though, and I have a feeling it's the group responsible for the trap you were in."
"What?!"
Stone Temple looked through the hatch to see StarFire aiming down the sights of her rifle at the car. After a few seconds, she heard her drop back down, and soon after came the static of the walkie.
"Son of a bitch, that's the stallion!"
"Really? How many were with him?"
"I don't know, I'll check."
StarFire peeked over the top again, nervously gripping the rifle she had been given. As she scanned the area around the car, she only spotted the stallion and three other assorted ponies. Her scope eventually moved over to the stallion that had imprisoned her, and he was looking right back. StarFire gasped as she dropped back down into the tower.
"Fuck, I think he saw me!"
"What? Shit. Quick, run inside and tell Stitch and Redline to be ready."
"Okay."
StarFire quickly ran down the stairs and into the main building, where she sae Redline and Stitch talking.
"Hey, you two!"
The two stallions lookrd at her before Stitch sighed and walked over.
"What is it?"
"That stallion who put mr in that trap saw us in the tower?"
"Just the stallion?"
"Plus three."
"Damn. Well, let's see if we can at least try to make this easy."
The group started running towards the door, StarFire splitting off to run back into the tower. When she arrived back up, the enemy group was standing outside the front gate, and Stone Temple was talking to them.
"Ah, there she is."
The stallion chuckled after spotting StarFire.
"Just walk away, we don't want any trouble!"
"Neither do I. I simply ask that I get my subject back."
"Subject? Kinda twisted game are you playing?"
"It's not a game, I assure you. It's more, a test. To see if you can stay at our compound."
"You really need to test people to stay at your compound?"
"I just figure why not?"
"Alright, that's enough talk, you four can leave."
The stallion turned to see Stitch just behind the gate and Redline just outside the front door. Redline had his rifle trained imon the group, and Stitch had his sub-machine gun in his holster.
"You know, it's a little rude I think, that I show up with no weapons drawn, and yet all I'm met with are the barrels of yours."
"Well, sorry if there's an absense of trust. Why the hell would you make such a device?"
"The car? It's actually more of an experiment, that one is."
"Why? Don't you have enough to worry about?"
"Me? No. I'm just about as worry free as I can be. However, I'm concerned that my experiment was a failure."
"Alright, I've heard enough, give me one good reason why we shouldn't put the four of you down right here."
The stallion chuckled for a moment before looking up at StarFire. He started slowly backing up after motioning to his group.
"You found yourself a good group, good luck. I sure hope there are more of you inside, because we'll certainly have more than four next time."
As the group slowly trotted away from the compound, Redline, StarFire, and Stone Temple slowly lowered their guns. Stitch let out a long sigh before walking back to Redline.
"Find someone else for todays tower duty, I have to figure some stuff out."
"I didn't really realize how low we were on meds."
"Unfortunately we were. Thank heavens you two went on that supply run."
"Yeah, yeah, good thing."
Windy Nights blinked the memory of executing her superior officer out of her mind and continued following Angel Boulon as she re-stocked the shelves.
"So, if I may ask?"
"You may."
"How exactly do you have all this medical training? Were you a nurse of something?"
"One of the farthest thing from actually. Your welcome to a few guesses if you'd like, unless you just want an answer."
"Well, I only really had the one guess."
Angel Boulon grinned as she put the last bottle on the shelf and started towards the sleeping area.
"I was a reporter for a newpaper in ManeHatten for a while, then I got put on an assignment that brought me to PonyVille, and I eventually moved there. Somewhere along the line, Redline and I met, and I moved in with him."
"Huh. Well, you two do seem pretty good together, despite how different you two are."
"Well, I suppose on the surface we do seem like opposites, but they say do that those attract. Hey, you didn't happen to see ThunderBolt while you were out, did you?"
"No, why?"
"He told me he needed to go somewhere right after he got back from tower duty, and he hasn't been back since. Left me with his daughter, who luckily enough has been entertaining herself with Oscar."
"Weird that he would just run off like that. Did he say that he was looking for supplies?"
"Well, he was actually quite vague unfortunately. Told me that he needed to go somewhere and that he wanted me to take care of Bubble."
"How long has he been gone?"
"Well, it's about half an hour by now, but he was walking to wherever he was going, which is the strange part, considering how fast he flies."
Angel sat down beside the dog and the filly beside it and sighed.
"I'm not saying that I'm worried, it's just strange."
"It is, it really is."
There was a long silence while Windy Nights thought over her next words.
"Hey, if you want, I can go out and look for him really quick."
"What? No. No, I can't let you do that. We have no means of communication in case he get's back, and we have no idea where he is and what danger awaits either of you."
"I can make it quick, I'll come back one hour, tops."
Angel Boulon looked at Bubble Blitz for a while before sighing again and looking up at Windy Nights.
"One hour. If you're lucky, and you fly fast, you may be able to catch him. I think I saw him go west."
"I'll be back in no time."
ThunderBolt slowly pushed open the double doors and walked into the main room. As he looked from left to right, he saw not what he wanted to find, but rather three zombies. He drew his revolver and shot all three down, bowing his head afterwards.
"She isn't here."
He walked up to the counter to his right and gently lowered his forehead onto the finished hardwood. His front hooves moved from being beside his head to wrapped around it. After a few moments, the door creaked open behind him, and he spun around, drawing his revolver.
"Oh, it's you. The hell'd you catch up to me, and how did you find me to begin with?"
"Well, Angel saw you walking west, so I flew until I heard those gunshots, and I've been outside for a bit."
"I see, spying on me were ya?"
"I wasn't spying, it's just that Angel was a bit concerned with how hastily you left."
ThunderBolt scoffed slightly as he walked back over to the door.
"She doens't need to worry about me. I assume you'd like to be going?"
"Hold on, I have a couple questions."
"Don't we all. Shoot."
"First, why did you come here?"
ThunderBolt sighed and sat down on one of the stools at the bar.
"Come sit. So, back before this all began, before Bubble Blitz had even coke into my life, there was this mare. Never ever happened between us, but believe me when I say I wanted something to. So, we got to talking one night when business at the nightclub she owned and ran was kinda slow. One of the topics was post-apocalyptic plans. Her's was just to hold up in her club, arm herself to the teeth, wait till it all blew over. I knew she would, and I knew that that's where I'd be able to find her if anything did happen. When I saw that we weren't even in Equestria when this started, I lost all hope. Bad enough that I was initially seperated from Bubble Blitz. Poor damn thing, found me half cut in a basement, ten seconds from putting a fucking bullet in my head. Tell you what, can't even imagine what the girl's going through."
"So wait, how come nothing ever did happen, between you and whoever this is?"
"Oh, pfft, she was a lesbian, no hiding it. She was a great pony though, we could talk for hours. I knew that I'd kill just to talk to her again, and I sure as hell wasn't going to die before I even gave a shot at finding her. Eventually, I found this place, painted the name of her club on the outside, and I come back every now and then hoping to see her."
"Sounds like you two were pretty close."
"Ha, close is an understatement. Basically the closest thing to a relationship without it being one."
"You think she's still alive?"
"She'd live through this, I know she would. I also knoe that she'd rather sell her soul than die here alone."
"What makes you think she's alone? Surely she's met up with somepony."
"Maybe, but I doubt it. She never really had anypony. No siblings, her mom died when she was six, and she hasn't spoken to her dad since she moved from ManeHatten to PonyVille."
"Huh. Well, I'm sure you'll find her."
"Yeah, hopefully."
ThunderBolt let out a long sigh before tapping his hoof on the bar and standing up.
"Well, let's head on home then."
"So soon?"
Both ponies at the bar turned and aimed at the unfamiliar voice that had entered the room and spoken. It was a stallion with a long black mane that drooped down to his grey shoulders. He walked into the room weilding a UMP sub-machine gun in his magic, and he was surrounded by at least four ponies, armed with pistols and shotguns.
"Who are you?"
"That's not important missy. What's important is that you drop your guns, and come with us."
"What exactly for lad? What's the big idea here with your guns and all this?"
"The big idea is that you two have just been selected to be a part of something greater than yourselves. Now I'm going to give you three options. Either come with us, or we can shoot you. Or of course, you could try to shoot us before we can shoot you, but..."
The stallion trailed off, while several of the ponies around him racked their guns, each with individual audible clicks.
"So, decision?"
"What if we just say no?"
"No? Listen here little lady, this isn't a 'say no and we walk away' kind of deal, this is a say yes, or you die kind of deal. So, I ask again, what's your decision?"
ThunderBolt and Windy Nights looked at each other for a seconds before both sighing and dropping their weapons to the floor. The stallion levitated them to a stallion with a saddlebag and smiled.
"Good. This is always easier when they're cooperative."
When Windy Nights and ThunderBolt arrived the enemy compound, they looked around at the inhabitants. There were so few outliers, all of them were middle aged, well built, and armed almost to the teeth. This wasn't a community that accepted the weak, and certainly wasn't one that would welcome them with open arms.
"Sit them down."
The two were each pushed down against the wall, the cold steel of the cars sending chills down their spines. The black-maned stallion looked at the two and smiled.
"You two look like some pretty good subjects."
"What do you mean subjects?"
"Well, you see, we're focused on studying and eliminating the zombie threat to what is now our world. The only way that we can study their nature and the overall effects of the virus is if we have certain, control groups. Bonus, if you pass the test, you get to stay here. Assuning you live through it of course."
The gravity of the situation made the two uneasy. Windy Nights frantically looked around the compound, searching for both any way out and any clue as to what this group's intents were. She looked over at ThunderBolt, who seemed to be keeping his cool incredibly well.
"So, since I am kind, I am allowing the two of you to wait here for the night. Under proper survaillance of course. Shadow Spot!"
Windy Nights noticed ThunderBolt's pupils dialate, as a pink coated mare with a black mane walked up and stood beside the stallion. He smiled and looked at the two captives after putting a hoof around her.
"Alright then, lead these two to their tent for when the night comes."
"They should've been back by now. At least Windy should've."
Stone Temple aimed her gun the way that she had seen Windy Nights fly, and sighed as she set it down after a few moments of looking.
"Maybe they just got caught up talking because they found each other?"
"Doubt it. Angel told me to look out for her return in one hour exactly."
"How long has it been?"
Stone Temple looked through her scope one last time, scanning the west direction.
"Longer than that."
After a few more seconds, Redline came up into Stone Temple's tower.
"Shift's over Stone."
"Ok. How's my sister? She sounded pretty nervous over the walkie."
"Seems about fine, so don't worry none. Who's in the other 'gain?"
"High Road."
"Ah, right, thanks. Well, you go in take a break them, and I may also suggest gettin' a bite to eat."
"I surely will, thanks."
The two exchanged smiles, and Stone Temple ran inside the mini-mall, quickly spotting her sister.
"Hey."
"Hey. How are you?"
"Well, considering the circumstances, I'm feeling ok. What about you?"
"Tired, worried, wishing I was back home."
"I know how you feel, I miss home so much. By home I mean PonyVille, I was getting so sick of ManeHatten."
"Well, if there's any chance of us gettin' back home, it'll be wonderful having you back."
"It would be nice to be back. You ever wonder if maybe somewhere out there in this world, there's a farm just like the one at home?"
"You know, if there were one, one just like the old one, I wouldn't want it here. The farm was just, too prestine, to beautiful to ruin here."
"Guess that's a better way of looking at things."
Stone Temple smiled as she sat down beside her sister, back against the wall.
"Remember it? The farm?"
"I'd never forget. The house always smelling like mom's cooking, dad always telling us a story beside our bunk beds, spending stormy days out in the loft of the barn with Daisy."
"Dammit I miss Daisy. Dumbest dog on the planet but hell if she wasn't the cutest."
The two sisters chuckled, trying to ease the pain of what their lives had become. Stone Temple looked around at the head count, and having it seem rather low, turned to her sister.
"Where is everypony?"
"Well, you know where High Road and Redline are, ThunderBolt and Windy Nights are still out, and I think Stitch wanted FireStarter to look at something."
"What something?"
StarFire shrugged and pointed toward the rear exit.
"They went that way if you wanna find out."
"Well?"
"Well, the body seems to be in tact as much as it can be, aside from some minor rust spots and some abbrasions. However, we have several small problems."
"What problems?"
"For starters, this exhaust system is riddled with holes. It'll still run, but expect company, because it'll be loud. Second problem, there seems to be some wiring problems in the ignition system. Nithing I can't handle, it'll just take some time. Third, and this only is gonna be between you and me, ok?"
"Ok, what is it?"
FireStarter get off from his spot on the ground and stood up close to Stitch.
"This thing only has six seats. If you're planning to take all of us plus supplies, we're gonna need a bigger one."
"Maybe my intent wasn't to take you all."
"Well you know, I'd say the amount we've helped you out, we've kinda earned it."
"Well let's see if I have this right, even if you were the top contributer, there would still be some left behind. I'm judging this by character and contribution, and only so many can make it. If we use all six, here's what we got. Me, Redline, Angel, ThunderBolt, Bubble Blitz, and Windy Nights."
"That's still three of us left behind, you don't think that just maybe we could find another one?"
"Listen. There are only so many vehicles nearby, and none of them are very much bigger than this. Unfortunately, some will have to get left behind."
"Unless you can get two running."
The two stallions looked at Stone Temple, who was leaning against the doorway. Stitch looked to FireStarter, then back to Stone Temple as he walked towards her.
"Alright then, there's your next mission. Find another vehicle, and find a way to get it back here. You and your group can take one vehicle, the rest will take another. We get the fuck out of this place before those guys can come back and attack us."
"Deal."
Stone Temple's hoof commected with Stitch's, and the two nodded to each other as they shook.
"You'd better get to work."
Stitch said as he turned and looked at FireStarter before heading back inside. FireStarter sighed after the door closed and Stone Temple looked at him.
"Congratulations, you've officially bitten off more than either of us can chew."
The tent was just barely big enough for the three of them, so Shadow Spot would occaisionally leave to get some fresh air. When she came back in for roughly the sixth time, Windy Nights was trying to comb her hair with her hooves, and ThunderBolt was lying on the ground, facing the wall of the tent. Many silent, awkward moments passed before Shadow Spot sighed and looked at TunderBolt.
"So, how have you been?"
ThunderBolt didn't even look at, let alone respond to the mare. She shook her head and looked at Windy Nights.
"How about you, how are you doing?"
"Don't."
The two mares looked at ThunderBolt, who was now standing up and turning to face Shadow Spot.
"Been a long damn time hasn't it? Mind explainin' what was going on with mister freakshow earlier?"
"Don't even get started on him, I hate him just as much as you do. Besides Bolt, you know he's not exactly my type."
"Yeah, right, and you're still into dubstep, and you still own a club. Same pony as before, right?"
"What the hell is your problem ThunderBolt? I swear, nothing happened between WheelSmith and I."
"WheelSmith huh? So what's to stop 'WheelSmith' which is a really stupid name by the way, from getting what he wants?"
"Because.."
Shadow Spot poked her head out the tent's entrance and looked around. Nopony was in the immidiate area, the only guard on the wall she could see was looking off intonthe distance, and all the other lights in the tents were off. She pulled her head back in and motioned for the other two to come closer.
"I have a plan ok? If we can sneak out of here and get to those front doors I can get them open if we make an outside distraction loud enough. It's a longshot, but those work sometimes. So, you two in?"
"I'm in."
Windy Nights chimed as she put her hoof out with not hesitation. Shadow Spot smiled and put hers on top of it. The mares looked at ThunderBolt, who after a couple second smiled and walked over.
"You haven't changed one bit Shadow."
ThunderBolt wrapped his hooves around Shadow Spot in a quick hug before putting his hoof on top of the others.
"I'm in."
"Supposin' we can't?"
"I'm not saying that we can't, it's a matter of how smart an idea it is."
"What are you two bickering about?"
Stitch and Redline both turned to look at Angel Boulon, who had entered from the tower after speaking with High Road.
"Your husband is thinking about getting us all killed."
"Tell me something I don't know. What is it sweetie?"
"So, if them's guys is thinkin' 'bout attackin' us, what about a pre-emptive strike?"
"So, we hit them, before they can hit us? Could work, I suppose they wouldn't be expecting it."
"See? She get's it."
"Yes but getting it isn't the problem, it's the logistics. Every detail counts nowadays Redline, I thought you knew this. We have no location, we have no guess of how many ponies are there, and we have no idea how well armed they could be!"
Redline looked down at the ground and let out a long breath.
"Know what, what if I go get 'em?"
"Who?"
"Windy and Thunder. I'll go out tomorra and go look for 'em."
"No. We already have so few ponies here and if the worst has happened to them, we can't risk losing them."
"Well what the hell can we do then? Guarentee ya we's outnumbered and outgunned, and we don't exactly got much ammo to spare anyhow."
Stitch put a hoof to his chin in deep though for a second. Soon, he perked up, and even smiled slightly.
"Say, Redline, what all fo you know about cars?"
"Worked on a few, why d'ya ask?"
"I think I have a plan, go find Stone Temple and FireStarter for me."
"Move."
The trio quickly followed the command, and ducked down behind the tent. Shadow Spot peeked around the corner at the guard that was walking around, and motioned for the others to move again. When they stopped for the second time, they were up against the wall, close to the corner adjacent to the exit.
"Alright guys, it's basically a straight shot to the exit from here."
"Question, how the hell do get the gates open?"
"That won't matter, I have a plan. Since you two can fly, we could get out easy. But obviously I can't, and I don't know how keen you two are on carrying me."
"Not very."
"I'm with him."
"What I thought. Either way, that guard up there will walk over the doors at some point, and when he does, we're gonna push him off and let one of tee dead attack him."
"Question."
"Yes Bolt?"
"How does that help us escape?"
"In all the commotion, we'll either be able to slip out, or if we can find another way out, we do that."
ThunderBolt looked at Windy Nights, who was rather blank faced looking atbthe ground.
"You alright there?"
"I'm just thinking it over. There's no way somepony won't notice us. And even if a zombie gets to him, what's to say he won't just kill it, them most likely do the same to us?"
"Well, looks like we're gonna need a few more zombies."
"Dear lord, what convoluted plan are you thinking up ThunderBolt?"
"Answer me this, where are the vehicles in this llace kept?"
"Well, in the garage outside. There's a way into it from here, but getting one out without starting it or the door making noise is your problem."
"If you can get me a key to one of the vehicles, I can handle the rest. You'll just have to give me 'till morning."
"ThunderBolt, we don't have the time. That psycho wants to put us in one of those things they found StarFire in, remember?"
"Just trust me ok? I know what I'm doing."
The two mares of the group looked at each other, Shadow Spot shrugging and looking at ThunderBolt.
"The keys are kept in the storage tent in the corner to the northwest, the door is just to the left of it."
"Good, now I have one little thing."
"As always, what's your discrepancy this time?"
"There are still some innocent ponies here, do you think we could get them out in any way?"
"I can try to get some to leave just before morning, but I really can't promise anything."
"Well, as long as we can get out, and I can get back to Bubble Blitz, that's all I care about. I'll see you two in the morning."
ThunderBolt quickly checked the corner before darting over to a tent, then dissapearing behind a different one. Windy Nights turned to Shadow Spot with a confused look on her face.
"How the hell does he know what he's doing? Has he like, done this before?"
"Who knows, let's just hope it went right last time if so. We should get back to the tent, gonna need to be sharp tomorrow morning."
Redline's breath was almost visible in front of his face in the cool night air. His rifle was leaning against the wall to his right, while he was smoking a cigarette, leaning over the front. He looked over at the opposite tower, where Stone Temple was pouring a few pills into her hoof, quickly swallowing them followed by a gulp of water. Redline decided not to press about the pills, just in case it was a personal or embarrasing reason, and looked back at the city. He squinted as he saw a short flash of light coming from the way the enemies had walked.
"Shit."
He mutteref to himself, grabbing his rifle and aiming in at the driver.
"What the actual-"
The roar of the engine grew louder, and as the inside light of the RV flicked on, Redline saw the brilliant blue eyes through the familiar black and red mane.
"Son of a bitch."
Redline chuckled to himself, putting his rifle on his back and running down into the main building. The RV was just pulling up to the front gate as Redline reached it. ThunderBolt shut the car off and twirled the keys around in his wing as he got out.
"Oh hey."
"Where in the hell've ya been? And also, where'd'ya get this baby?"
"Oh, near a compound I was taken to. Same group that put StarFire in that trap. Say, anypony awake?"
"Yeah, probably are now, c'mon in."
Redline opened the gate so that ThunderBolt could get inside. As soon as the two stallions got inside, ThunderBolt ran over to where Angel Boulon had Bubble Blitz. The filly ran over to ThunderBolt, and he knelt down and embraced her.
"Hey, hey, it's alright sweetie, I'm ok."
"So what's going on?"
ThunderBolt looked up at High Road, and stood up fully upright. He looked back at Redline, then cleared his throat before walking closer to High Road.
"Well, Windy Nights, along with a friend of mine, they're in a camp out that way, and the guy running it is more than likely gonna get both of 'em killed when they see that I'm gone. So, here's the plan."
Shadow Spot was sitting outside the tent when the sun was rising, and High Road was inside, sleeping. WheelSmith walked outside of his tent, several others coming out of theirs as well. Shadow Spot gulped and looked toward the vehicle pool, hoping ThunderBolt really did know what he was doing. WheelSmith walked up to Shadow Spot and smiled at her, lifting her head up with his hoof.
"Good morning sunshine, ready for the execution?"
"Exec-, what?"
"You think I didn't hear? The little plan, that funny-talking one leaving here, him coming in to save you? Well, you'd better hope he comes quick, because you've got about five minutes."
WheelSmith drew a switchblade from the side of his holster and flipped it open beside Shadow Spot's neck.
"You were the last one I expected to betray me. Now, you'll be the last one that ever will."
After flipping the knife closed again, WheelSmith threw Shadow Spot toward center of the compound, where a guard took her and restrained her. Seconds later, Windy Nights emerged from the tent, WheelSmith holding a knife to her back.
"Comr in then, both of you, on your knees."
The mares followed the command, kneeling down facing the front gate.
"Dammit Bolt, where are you."
Shadow Spot muttered to herself as WheelSmith walked in front of them.
"Everypony, look and listen. The other night, you sae what happens when you betray those who took you in, fed you, armed you. Those who kept you off the streets, sheilded you from the hell outside these walls. These two are the last ponies that will ever betray me, or will ever betray any of you."
WheelSmith drew his revolver with his magig and aimed it in between Shadow Spot's eyes. He clicked the hammer back and looked back to the gathered survivors.
"This, is what happens when you turn your back on people!"
Just as he turned back to fire the gun, all the survivors turned when they heard a musical horn mixed with an engine slowing to idle. The two guards on top of the wall aimed their guns at the RV.
"Don't fire."
WheelSmith walked up the stairs onto the wall and looked at the RV as he switched his revolver for his SMG. After a few motionless seconds, the door opened, and a white flag waved around before ThunderBolt emerged.
"Hello then!"
"Well well, look who came crawling back."
"Sorry about the hard feelings and whatnot, just came for the pick-up, believe I ordered two mares?"
"Real funny. Why don't you do yourself a favour and drive right back outta here funny man, I got a new plan."
"Really, does it involve, this?"
On the last words, the two guards beside WheelSmith were shot in the head in rapid succession.
"Two shots in about two point oh three seconds. Now, I assure you I'll have absolutely no trouble with the rest of your compound, so why don't you just open up them fancy gates, and I can be on my way."
"Nice try, but you're too late, the execution's already taken place."
ThunderBolt, who was leaning against the front of the RV, put his two front hooves up and pushed himself forwards.
"I get it, I get it. When you're right, you're right."
ThunderBolt whistled for Redline to jump back in, and the vehicle started up and took off after both stallions were inside. WheelSmith chuckled and walked back down the stairs.
"That was your rescue plan? Birdbrain coming in and asking politely?"
He laughed as he walked up to Shadow Spot and smacked her in the side of the face with the stock of his gun. Shadow Spot was knocked unconcious, but WheelSmith chuckled and looked at her while speaking.
"He's really something, that one is. Too bad he has an terribly premature sense of when to quit."
"He's got great timing though."
Windy Nights said, promting WheelSmith to look at her. Once again, just before the trigger was pulled, the horn sounded again. This time however, the RV came crashing in through the front gates, making those unarmed scatter. ThunderBolt had his left wing out the window, shooting down any armed ponies with his revolver. Redline had the windows open, and was doing the same with his rifle. After they had all been cleared out, and only WheelSmith remained, the two mares started smiling. When WheelSmith had initially ducked for cover, he dropped his UMP, and now tried to levitate it before Redline shot it, pushing it further away as well as damaging it.
"Well well, quite the compound you got here isn't it? Anyways, since you two are with me, I suggest you just jump up and-"
ThunderBolt was cut off when Redline screamed out after being tased by a guard that was either hiding or not hit. ThunderBolt took no time in shooting the mare in the head, but unfortunatley was too late to prevent Redline from being incapacitated. WheelSmith drew with revolver with his hoof, and shot at Windy Nights. Windy Nights couldn't react fast enough, and the shot hit her just beside where her right wing connects to her body.
"No!"
ThunderBolt yelled as he jumped at WheelSmith, who fired a shot that fortunately missed. The revolver was knocked out of WheelSmith's grasp, and slid over to Windy Nights. Having the jump on him, ThunderBolt was able to land a few hits on WheelSmith, but soon the fight flipped, and WheelSmith was landing mutiple hits to ThunderBolt's face. After about nine or ten hits, ThunderBolt stopped fighting back, and WheelSmith smiled with blood-stained teeth as he drew his knife.
"Any last words you little freak?"
ThunderBolt looked to his left to spit some blood on the ground, and saw that Windy Nights was shakily grasping the revolver in her hooves. He smiled as he turned back to the other stallion.
"You're name is fucking stupid."
ThunderBolt turned his had to the side, the blood that came from the fired bullet racing through WheelSmith's head only splattering onto the side of his head. The stallion's body fell on top of him, and he pushed him off slowly, rolling over onto his stomach afterwards.
"Windy."
ThunderBolt started pushing himself off the ground as he watched the gun fall from Windy Night's hooves. As her head hit the asphalt, he crouched down beside her.
"Cmon...cmon...you can make it through this Windy."
At this point, Shadow Spot was starting to come to, and the first thing she saw she saw was ThunderBolt holding pressure on Windy Night's abdomen.
"Thunder, get her to the RV, I'll get your friend!"
Shadow Spot pushed herself off the ground and ran off to Redline.
"Hey, sir, wake up!"
When Redline opened his eyes, he shook his head and shot up, looking around.
"What happened?"
"No time, start the RV, we need to get out of here ASAP."
Redlime nodded and got off the ground with Shadow Spot's assistance. As he hopped in the vehicle, Shadow Spot ran over and helped ThunderBolt lift Windy Nights up and into the RV. The RV sped out of the compound, spinning a quick one hundered and eighty degrees before tearing out of the parking lot, leaving the remaining members stunned. Windy Nights was laying on the bed in the RV, ThunderBolt and Shadow Spot at either side. She was concious for the most part, but fading in and out every so often.
"Come on, you can get through this."
"How far to your camp?"
"At the speed we's goin', 'bout five minutes."
"We don't have that time."
Shadow Spot said to herself as she moved back to the bed. As she pulled out the knife she took from the kitchen, ThunderBolt's eyes widened.
"Woah woah woah, what're you doing there?"
"The bullet didn't go through, we gotta get it out and clean it up."
"Are you sure about this? It really doesn't seem sa-"
"Bolt, I need you to trust me on this. For her more than me."
ThunderBolt looked at Windy Nights, who was looking uo at him after just coming back into conciousness.
"What do you need?"
"Some alcohol, and some bandages or gauze. There should probably be a medkit somewhere on here."
"On it."
As ThunderBolt darted out of the bedroom to fetch the supplies, Shadow Spot exanined the wound.
"Almost all the way through. Ok sweetie, this is gonna hurt a hell of a lot if you can feel it, but you gotta be strong."
Windy Nights gave a weak nod to Shadow Spot just before she started slipping out of conciousness again. Shadow Spot wasted no time in cutting Windy Nights open just above the wing. Windy Nights gave a small cry of pain, but soon fell unconcious.
"Shit."
"Found it, here."
"Just in time."
Shadow Spot used the knife to pull the mishapen chuck of lead out of Windy Nights body, and tossd it aside as she took the medical kit in her magic.
"Ok, I need you to see if she's breathing, and if she isn't, you'll have to perform CPR."
"What? I don't know how to do that!"
"Now's a hell of a time to learn then isn't it?"
Shadow Spot quickly poured a rather copious amount of rubbing alcohol onto two sections of guaze and held them on both wounds. ThunderBolt softly put his head against Windy Nights' chest, and after hearing nothing, leaned back and took a deep breath.
"Guess we're doing this now."
Shadow Spot looked up from her bandaging to see ThunderBolt locking his lips onto Windy Nights', attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few breaths, ThunderBolt moved his head back to Windy Nights' chest, and again heard nothing. He cursed under his breath, and Shadow quickly taped up the bandages.
"Here, I'll give it a shot."
ThunderBolt stepped back and nodded as Shadow Spot took in a deep breath, put her lips against the other mare's, and softly blew. After a few attempts, Windy Nights' eyes shot open. She pushed Shadow Spot away and began vomiting into the garbage can beside the bed.
"Oh come on, I can't look that bad."
"This isn't from you."
"I know. Welcome back soldier."
Shadow Spot walked to the other side of the bed and sat down, gently patting Windy Nights' back.
"Thank you, by the way."
"Hey, don't mention it."
As the three in the back felt the vehicle slow down and stop, ThunderBolt looked out the window at the compound, Angel standing in the gated front section with Bubble Blitz.
"Well, we're home."
"Good thing, we need to get Windy patched up and back up on her hooves."
"I'm fine, I've just never been shot before."
"Well, wouldn't it be nice if we could all say that."
"Unfortunately it seems like it may happen to all of us. Come on, I'll help you out."
The puddles of water hadn't yet dried up the next morning, so FireStarter's back and mane were more or less soaked when he stood up from under the car.
"Well, that's about all it needs I think. The wiring on this thing was scrambled pretty well somehow."
"Any resonable explination?"
"Not really. Only thing I can really think of is some sort of EMP."
"Excuse me?"
"Electromagnetic pulse. Basically they're used mainly by the military to disable certain electronic devices."
"Why would military use it now?"
"Well, there could have been something really bad going on in this world before all this, we really have no way of saying. Maybe whatever they were trying to stop was what caused all this."
"Maybe this is what they were fighting."
Stitch remarked as he closed the hood of the car and threw the keys to FireStarter.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Start it up?"
"Are you sure? The exhaust leak still isn't fixed, and the noise might attract a lot of-"
"Just do it. If it does start, we'll shut it off quickly."
Meanwhile, inside the compound, Shadow Spot was just waking up from her sleep, and looked over to see Angel Boulon sitting against the wall. Her eyes were open wide and bloodshot.
"Angel? Wh-what's going on? What time is it?"
"Almost noon. I couldn't sleep last night Shadow. It's ThunderBolt, and Bubble Blitz."
"Look, all the time that I've known ThunderBolt, and that's a long damn time, he's always been able to get himself out of a bind."
"Yes, but what he's told us, his 'binds' are trying to remember what happened the night before, not looking for his daughter in the zombie apocalypse."
"Well, I guess that's true. But still, I'm sure he'll be able to-"
"It's not just him I'm worried about, it's his daughter more specifically. Just an innocent foal in the middle of the apocalypse."
Shadow Spot didn't exactly have a response to that, as the same thing worried her. Angel was almost in tears at this point, thinking about the survivors outside.
"I just can't...take this anymore. I always just wake up thinking 'maybe it's all a dream' but, it never is. I just try and think that just maybe there will be an end to all this. We've lost too much, all of us."
Shadow Spot sat beside Angel and wrapped her hoof around her, moments before the car outside fired up and started to idle.
"They got it started."
"You know what that means, right?"
"What?"
"We've got another way outta here."
Shadow Spot tried her best to comfort Angel Boulon, and it almost seemed to work before the back door burst open, ThunderBolt falling inside as Stitch struggled to keep him standing. FireStarter and Bubble Blitz followed inside as the commotion attracted all but Redline and StarFire, who were on tower duty.
"ThunderBolt, you're ok!"
"That's a relative term Shadow."
Shadow Spot looked down at ThunderBolt's left rear leg and gasped. It had a bullet wound just below the knee joint, and most of the dripping blood had already dried up. She quickly helped Stitch carry him over to the medical care area, where multiple of the compounds residents gathered around again. Angel was one of the fiest on the scene, and delivered good news.
"ThunderBolt, I checked over your daughter, and she seems fine except for-"
"Yeah, I know. She got caught up in another one of those fucking traps, but I was able to patch her up. Someone please get this damn bullet outta my leg."
"On it."
Angel quickly ran for her medical bag as an already hopeless Windy Nights approached the table.
"Did, did Oscar make it out?"
"I'm sorry Windy. I didn't exactly see it, but I'm pretty sure he got bit, and possibly worse. It's probably better off that way though, judging by what I saw."
Windy Nights teared up, and held a hoof to her mouth just before turning and walking quickly away. Ivroy Spark walked forward and looked at ThunderBolt.
"What did you happen to see?"
ThunderBolt took a deep breath in as he looked at the faces around him, and was just about to speak when Angel came back.
"Clear out please!"
The gatherees moved back, all except for Ivory Spark.
"What did you see?"
"Not now!"
Ivory was pushed out of the way, and his wife took him away from the now operating table. Many turned and looked away, but Ivory Spark, Shadow Spot, and Stitch didn't as Angel Boulon pulled out an anesthetic needle and jabbed it into ThunderBolt's leg. ThunderBolt's eyes opened wide at first, but soon relaxed and started to close. Angel quickly started examining the leg, looking for where the bullet was.
"It almost went through, I'm just gonna cut it out."
Angel levitated a scalpel up to ThunderBolt's leg and cut a thin two inch long slit on his leg. After a few moments of using a pair of medical forceps to find the bullet, she raised the now bloody tool, and dropped the bullet on the floor.
"Done. Now just give me a minute to patch this up. While I'm at it, somepony please turn that noisy car off."
While Angel started patching up ThunderBolt, Stitch walked outside to shut off the car. When the door shut behind him, the car revved up, and started driving out of the lot.
"Hey!"
Stitch aimed his SMG at tee drivers seat and shot half the clip into the door, unsure if the shots hit the driver or not. Much to his dismay, they hadn't, and the car sped away from the compound. Multiple survivors rushed outside at the sound of gunfire, including High Road, Shadow Spot, and Ivory Spark.
"What the hell happened?"
"What happened is somepony just stole our car."
"Well, we still have the RV, right?"
"Of course, but that car was-"
Stitch cut himself short, and sighed roughly as he walked over to the broken section of fence. He stared down the road, gun now holstered. He stood there for a few moments before looking all around and reaching for his gun again.
"Back inside. Back inside now!"
As the car stopped just outside of the incomplete high rise and the engine slowly stopped, the stallion inside let out a long sigh. He turned off the fast-paced music playing from the radio and pulled the key out of the ignition. He looked down at the left side of the seat, watching blood from the bullet wound on his leg drop down onto the floor. Letting out another sigh, he picked up the still-lit cigarette from the ashtray in the cupholder and brought it to his mouth. After only a few drags, the loud exhaust had, as predicted, brought some unexpected company to the car. Calmly, the stallion opened the sunroof and pulled out one of the smaller assault rifles from the duffel bag beside him. He checked the ammo in the clip, and after being assured he had enough, he put it back in and racked the gun. Letting the cigarette drop from his mouth to the ashtray, he pulled himseld onto the roof of the car and looked around at the gathered mass of zombies. Pulling a silencer out of his pocket and carefully screwing it onto the barrel of his gun, the stallion began gunning down the horde. All the zombies easily fell with the delivered headshots, and after only expending a mag and a half, the stallion looked at his body count with a smile that barely showed from under his long dark cloak.
"Never gets old."
He softly chuckled to himself as he slid off the roof of the car onto tee ground, opening the door and grabbing his guns from the passenger and back seats. Draping the duffel bags over his back, he slowly started his long ascent to the top of the building.
Stitch slammed the door shut behind the group and pushed a shelf in front of it. The commotion grabbed the attention of almost all the compound's current residents, all except the two on guard duty, who were now finding their own problems. StarFire was scoping around the area, when she spotted a small group of zombies appear from behind an alleyway from afar.
"Group over at the flower shop."
"Let me get 'em, yer rifle ain't silenced."
Redline quickly set the bipod of his rifle on the edge of the tower and aimed at the group. He took in and held a deep breath as he lined one zombies head up before even more zombies excited the alleyway. After them came more, and more. When Redline looked away from the group, and turned his head away from his rifle to look at StarFire, he could tell that she had seen them.
"Go inside, warn the others. I'll try 'n take care of this as much as I can."
StarFire didn't need to be told twice, immediately dropping her rifle and running into the main building. When she got inside, she was met by chaos. Stitch and Windy Nights were trying to hold the back door closed, while the rest were arming themselves or packing away supplies into backpacks. She stood still for a few seconds, realizing that both sides were compromised, there was no way out. Stone Temple noticed her and grabbed a second rifle, running to her sister.
"Take this! If that door breaks open, you'll need it!"
"I can't! They're all over the front too!"
Stone Temple muttered something that StarFire didn't fully hear, and looked back up to nod.
"Okay. Go keep them out of the front, we'll work on this."
StarFire nodded to her sister before moving forward to hug her.
"Please stay safe."
Stone Temple nodded to her sister after they parted, and ran off to defend the rear exit. StarFire, now armed with an automatic rifle, ran out the front door behind the gate, and saw that Redline had already aquired a decent body count. However, many more undead were swarming in, from more directions than before as well. StarFire racked her weapon and aimed it at the group to her left. Her inexperience with firearms lead to her missing seven out of twenty shots, and only killing nine zombies out of the shots that did hit. She sighed in slight anger as she dropped the magazine out and replaced it with a full one. Redline, still in the tower, was quickly turning and shooting down zombies with impecable accuracy. When he noticed the growing horde at the gate to his left, he turned and tried to minimize it. StarFire was able to hit a few more shots now that they were closer, and many of the zombies were falling rapidly. Inside, Stone Temple and High Road were at the back door with their guns trained on it, Stitch and Windy Nights still holding it.
"We gotta do something, we can't hold this forever!"
"The front's pinned, we have to until they deal with it. There is no escape."
Stitch's rather grim words resonated in Windy Night's head for a second, making her zone out slightly as they triggered an old memory of hers.
Windy Nights and one of her fellow soldiers, private Bonfire, were stuck behind enemy lines on a stealth mission, trying to sneak out of the rogue military camp. It was deep in the jungle to the south, and they were a long way from home, also just as far from any backup. The two were behind a pile of sandbags, waiting for the guards to move to somewhere they wouldn't see them.
"Alright, I think if we move now, we'll be able to make it out."
"Don't be too hasty private, we have time. If we rush it, we'll surely make a mistake."
Windy Nights poked her head around the corner, then pulled it back when she saw more soldier walk into her view.
"Alright, we may have to backtrack. Let's go back the way we came in, and we'll just-"
"Drop your weapons!"
A raspy voice ordered, making Windy Nights freeze up. Bonfire however punched the sallion in the face, and held him in a headlock for a few seconds before the two of them were shot multiple times. Windy Nights watched in horror as multiple other stallions came to the situation and aimed their guns at her. She dropped her gun, raising her wings up and out fully.
"Lock her up, we'll see how much info we can get outta her tomorrow."
As two stallion walked toward Windy Nights to takeeher hostage, she looked at down Bonfire.
"There is no escape."
As the memory ended, Windy Nights eyes widened, and the burning hate of that memory filled her body.
"Yes there is. High Road, hold the door."
Windy Nights grabbed the gun from High Road as the two switched places, and looked at Stone Temple for a second.
"I really hope you've got a plan, girl."
Windy Nights didn't respond verbally, but rather pulled the molotov cocktail from her backpack and held it out to Stone Temple.
"Now? But, our plan only works if FireStarter-"
"I'll make it work. Stitch, are there any ways up to the roof from in here?"
"Of course, in the janitors closet by the bathrooms, there is ladder to roof. What is your plan?"
"I'll explain later. Stone Temple, when the zombies get in there, you need to throw it. I'll only be ahead of them by so much, so you need to get up to a nearby rooftop and wait for me there, now."
Stone Temple had an unsure look on her face, but nodded and gave her gun to the other mare before she took off. Windy Nights ran away and through the front doors, helping StarFire gun down a few more zombies outside before flying over the gates and landing behind them.
"Come on! Over here!"
Windy Nights followed her taunting by shooting into the crowd, also while motioning for StarFire and Redline to go back inside. The two were able to get the message and went back inside, the zombies now following Windy Nights. Stone Temple watched this happen and ran to the back of the roof to do the same with the horde at the bacm door.
"Hey! Up here! Come on!"
The zombie group's attention turned to the shouting mare on the roof, and they started shambling toward her. Stitch and High Road felt the pressure on the door release. Stone Temple ran across the roofs of the buildings, intermittently shooting a few rounds into the crowd. Windy Nights was a good distance from the group behind her, and she too was shooting rounds into them at an interval. When she reached the pharmacy, she looked up to the roof of the garage where they had first met Stitch, and saw Stone Temple jump onto it. Windy Nights signalled to her with her wing, and Stone Temple signalled back, before Windy Nights ran into the building. When she was inside, Windy Nights quickly grabbed ther gas cans and started spreading the liquid all over the pharmacy, dropping the cans in the middle afterwards. She looked at the office, and nodded to herself before running in and shutting the door behind her. The lock was busted off, and the handle was broken. She would have to hold or jam the door shut. Stone Temple watched, a catch forming in her throat, as the dead poured intonthe building. The group from the back of the mall had merged in with the ones from the front along the way, and when almost all of them were inside, Stone Temple pulled the lighter and molotov from her bag. She lit it and stood still for a moment, waiting on the signal.
"I sure hope this works."
Stone Temple said aloud, seeing the gunshots being fired through the hatch in the roof. After letting out a long breath very slowly, she adjusted her stance, and threw the cocktail with all her might at the front door. When it struck the ground, the glass shattered, spilling the alcohol and letting the flame spread.
"Come on Windy, just get outta there."
Stone Temple was too distracted by the burning building and zombies inside to notice the zombies creeping up on her left. Just as she did, a shot raced through it's skull, and Stone Temple turned to see where it came from. When she saw Redline on the roof, she felt relieved, before noticing that his rifle was at his side.
"Um, th-thanks for that."
"Nope, that wasn't me."
"I didn't think so, but then who the hell was it?"
Redline turned around and looked at the tops of the buildings, spotting a sniper glare on top of a high rise.
"Well I'll be damned. Looks like the sum'bitch is on our side."
Redline chuckled slightly as he stood beside Stone Temple and watched the fire.
"She get out yet?"
"No, I'm still waiting on that. She might have though, when I had my back turned."
"Maybe. Say, y'all didn't happ'n t' fully clean out tha place, did ya?"
"No, why?"
"Well, it's just that some'them chemicals in there may be kinda volatile, and-"
Redline's sentence was cut off by exactly what he was talking about when an explosion went off, blowing out all the windows and sending copious amounts of blood and body parts flying.
"Windy!"
Stone Temple cried out, Redline having to grab her and keep her from running to the building. She fought the restraining, but eventually have up and cried as Redline held still her. StarFire was just now arriving on the scene, having stayed behind to check up on the inhabitants. Her mouth dropped open, and she raised a hoof to cover it as she watched her sister cry, and looked just to the right to understand the reason. A few tears started rolling down StarFire's face, and they landed on the asphalt roof as she hung her head. All Stone Temple could do was watch as the building continued to burn.
It was a cold night outside, and even colder inside the mini-mall. ThunderBolt shivered as he walked up to the tower door, just having put Bubble Blitz to bed. He traded off with High Road and took his place in the tower, checking the rifle for it's ammo count. Redline was still up in the adjacent tower, but ThunderBolt didn't look at him. There was of course some awkwardness between them, due to the fight just before ThunderBolt stormed out. However, Redline wanted to make peace, and picked up his walkie-talkie.
"How's the leg?"
"Fine. It's healing fine."
"Good. I'm, uh, I'm assuming you heard-"
"About Windy? Yeah, yeah, I heard. It's a damn shame. Probably gonna fall apart with her."
"What?"
"Well, I mean, she was kind of our leader. Sure Stitch's leading this place, you're basically second in command, but Windy really seemed to keep us in order. Man, really feel bad for Stone Temple though, I kinda think that something was going on between them."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"One thing you gotta learn about me Red, I can read personalities perfectly. That also includes sexuality, and Stone Temple, she's for sure batting for the other side."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Natural gift, lots of experience, take your pick. Gotta tell you though, comes in handy for the whole apocalypse thing."
"Bet it does."
A few more minutes passed, the only noise being the ambient sounds of the night, before ThunderBolt sighed and picked up his walkie again.
"Listen man, I'm sorry about what happened."
"Don't be, I understand. I should be the one apologizin'. Shouldn'a tried to stop you."
"Well, Bubble Blitz is safe, we're both still alive, I'd say all's well for that situation. Wasn't exactly either of our faults."
"Well, I think it was mine. And what you said, about Angel and I... well, truth is, we wanted to, and we tried."
"Oh, what happened?"
"I don't 'member most of the medical jargon, but either way, no dice, no matter how hard we tried. So, we went to an adoption clinic and, well-"
Redline stopped talking to levitate his wallet out of his gun case and toss it over to ThunderBolt. When ThunderBolt looked inside, he easily found the picture of a white coated unicorn colt with a bright blue mane.
"He was the one. Angel's heart melted the second he was brought into the room."
"So what happened?"
"We adopted him. Cutest little kid, so full'a life 'n joy. But, nopony knew 'till too late, he had an enlarged heart. Poor bugger didn't even make it to hearts warming with us. Words can't even express how Angel felt after that."
ThundeBolt looked over to see Redline staring blankly into the night sky. A few distant gunshots shook him from his trance, and he looked to the direction from which he heard them.
"How much you wanna bet that that's that sniper guy?"
"Willin' to bet that. Who's side ya think he's on anyhow?"
"Probably on his own side."
"S'not a bad side to be on."
"In the apocalypse it is."
ThunderBolt let out a long sigh as he leaned back in the tower.
"You go it alone, you're almost guarenteed to die. Sticking together's just about the only thing we have going for us nowadays."
"Well, if it'll get us through this, I'm all right with that."
There was little more talk outside in the towers, but inside, Stitch and Angel were having a discussion.
"Get everypony up early so we can move out of here as quick as possible."
"I disagree. Just because some things have gone wromg lately doesn't mean we have to leave. This place is still good."
"Sure it is, but we need to think about the greater possibilities. We've got to run out of supplies around here soon, and we can't just keep sending groups out further and further each time."
Stitch opened his mouth to respond, but Angel's stare made him stop.
"I suppose you're right, but we can't just run away blindly. Get somepony to go out and look for a place we can drive to."
"Why not just drive west until we find something? If those rumors are true, we wanna stay as far away from it as we can."
"We only have so much gas though, remember that."
"I'll send somepony out for it."
"You know, you're going to have to go out at some point. We only have some many able ponies left, and we need two guards out there. Also, if we're moving out, you'll need to move without fearing the dead ones."
"I know, I've wanted to go out with Redline and get some training, but he hasn't had the time, either on tower duty or sleeping to recover from it."
"Well, I'll go switch with him, then he can take you out in the morning."
"Or I can."
Stitch turned around and saw Stone Temple, who was now standing beside Angel Boulon.
"You're really good at that."
"Yeah, did it since I was a kid. Either way, does that sound good?"
"Angel?"
"Well, I suppose that would be-"
"Great, I'll see you tomorrow morning at ten."
Stone Temple said as she walked back to her sleeping mat and laid down. Stitch motioned for Angel to come closer so he could say something to her more quietly.
"Just be careful, she's been through a lot, her thinking might not always be there. Loss makes you do stupid things sometimes, that's why we grieve."
There she was again, back against the wall, screaming at the mare before her. Still no response, almost as if she was trying to scream but no air was coming out. Then the mare turned, and she was running. Being chased? No, no, it looked like she was chasing something. She ran after her, running through dark hallways that came to an abrupt stop beneath a single hanging light. There she was, lying dead on the floor, several bullet wounds in her chest. Nothing more. No scrapes, cut, burns, bites, scraches, nothing. She walked up to the body, and leaned in closer to it's face, just before it's eyes snapped open.
The zombie was barely able to get a groan out before Stone Temple's shot went straight through it's head.
"Just like that. Your turn. Magic or hooves, I don't care."
"Alright."
Angel Boulon took the pistol in her magic as Stone Temple attracted another zombie's attention.
"Alright, now just breath in, line up your shot, and squeeze the trigger. Or however it works with magic, I don't know."
Angel aimed the gun in between the dead pony's eyes, and was prepared to pull the trigger, but she couldn't. There was something inside her that told her that these were still living, thinking ponies, that they could be cured. Stone Temple saw that Angel had frozen up and grabbed a nearby 2x4, walking up and swinging it hard into the back of the zombie's neck. The blow both knocked it to the ground and Angel out of her trance, and she watched in horror as Stone Temple proceeded to beat the undead's skull into a pile of gore. Stone Temple threw the plank to her side and grabbed the gun out of Angel's magical grasp.
"Yeah, you may need to work on that."
"I'm sorry, it's just, I can't bring myself to kill anypony. It's so far out of my nature, it makes me sick to even think about it."
"Heaven forbid if Redline wasn't there for you through all your life."
"Excuse me? I can handle myseld perfectly fine you know. I don't recall ever having to kill anypony! This whole zombie thing, pretty damn new to me!"
"Well you're gonna have to learn then aren't you? We can't afford to have anyone untrained, it doesn't work that way anymore."
Stone Temple said coldly as she turned and started walking. Angel scoffed slightly and caught up to her.
"May I remind you that this was your idea?"
"Yeah, because you need to learn how to kill these things, not because I wanted to chat. What's your problem with it anyways? You've seen what they can do, that one kid and his mother died right in front of us all!"
"I'm well aware of what they're capable of, but as I said, it's not in me to take another pony's life."
Stone Temple stopped walking and turned to Angel with a sarcastic chuckle.
"You, you actually think that it's taking a life to kill these? They're dead! They probably died a long time ago, and they're coming back to kill, and worst of all, eat us! These are things that we need to put down, it's just a fact of life now."
Angel stared blankly at the mare, frozen where she stood. Stone Temple noticed the trance and turned around. She drew her pistol and shot the zombie down, it's body falling at her hooves. She started walking again, looking back at Angel to comment on the kill.
"See? Easy as that."
"I think you're also forgetting the fact that you're trained with firearms."
"Yeah, well, so are a lot of us. It helps to be."
"Let me ask this then, was it that easy for you then? Was it that easy to pull the trigger on that unarmed stallion?"
Stone Temple stopped again, looking to Angel over her shoulder with a cold stare before turning around fully and stepping toward her.
"What the fuck did you just say?"
"That's right, I heard about that."
"Yeah, well you heard wrong, guy had a knife."
"That's not what the evidence said, and that's not what the reports said. So I'd watch myself if I were you."
"Or what?!"
Stone Temple screamed as she pulled her pistol out and aimed it at Angel's head. The standoff was deadly still for a moment, before Angel shook her head gently from side to side.
"Alright, just put the gun down, I won't say a word."
"That's right, you won't."
Stone Temple was just about to holster her gun when Angel took it in her magic, turned it around, and fired.
Most of the ponies at the compound were just finishing up packing their belongings into the RV, and Stitch was speaking with Shadow Spot and ThunderBolt about where to go.
"I hadn't seen anything out west before I found those other guys, so I have no idea what we're headed for."
"I can fly out if you want, check what's up, see if I can find out what's taking the other two so long."
"No, we need to stay and wait until they return. Unless... You said that this compound you two were at had vehicles? Working ones?"
"Yeah, what about 'em lad?"
"I hate to contradict what I just said, but we need ro go there."
"Why?"
"Don't you get it? They have vehicles, vehicles need gas to run, therefore-"
"They have gas, ok, I get it. But uh, just one thing there then."
"What?"
"Pretty sure they aren't gonna be all happy and excited about trading gasoline with the ponies who drove through their gates, killed almost all of their guards, including their leader, and rescued two captives. Three if you count me. Also, we stole a bunch of their guns thanks to Redline."
Stitch looked down in contemplation, thinking of another way to achieve the direly needed fuel.
"Then we do stealth op. Send in two ponies who have never been there, posing as survivors in need, then they steal gas when they can."
"Question, over here."
"Yes Bolt?"
"Yeah, um, are you crazy? Because A, I'm pretty sure they've seen almost all of us. B, we-"
"Wait wait wait, the only ones who were here are dead, so anyone who was never at their compound is still safe."
"Options then, who does that leave? Redline is out, you two certainly are, the elder couple, they are out. So, Angel, Stone Temple, High Road, and, what was his name, FireStarter."
"Guess it's the last two then, cuz Angel and Stone are still gone."
"Yes, so it is. You go with them, lead the way, then cover from the back. Do not engage the situation."
"Wait wait, we're sending two untrained ponies to a potentially still dangerous compound?"
"Well, I'd be with them."
"Behind them, not with them."
"Either way, I'm sending it. Get them ready and out there."
The stallion sat down in a foldable chair, just a few feet away from the mare, a table in between them. The area was only lit by the lantern upon the table, the rest shroudes by the dark of night.
"So, do you, remember anything? Names, locations, anything?"
"No. No, I-I don't."
"I was afraid of that. From what I was able to find, your name is Windy Nights, do you remember that?"
There was a long pause before Windy Nights shook her head. The stallion sighed and motioned for Windy Nights to stand up. He walked her over to a small fold-out table with several items scattered about it.
"Remember any of this?"
Windy Nights looked everything over very carefully. There was a pistol, an SMG, a hatchet, and knife, and a pair of dog tags on a chain.
"Nothing is very familiar."
"Try this. Close your eyes and gently feel the objects with your wing."
Windy Night's followed the command, closing her eyes and delicately running the feathers of her wing across the objects.
"Now, does anything feel familiar?"
"This...this one does."
Windy Nights grasped the pistol in her wing and held it slightly above the table. The stallion nodded, and moved closer to Windy Nights.
"Now, do you remember how to use it?"
Windy Nights took a deep breath, moving slightly where she stood. Passing the gun in between her hooves, eyes still closed, she turned around slowly. She held her wings steady and brought the gun up to her eyes level, aiming it at the horizon. When she heard movement in front of her, her wings jerked toward it and she shot. When she opened her eyes, she saw the clay pigeon shards on the floor, and the stallion's grin.
"Well then, it seems that part of the military training has made it's way back. We'll continue in the morning, let's get to bed for now."
Stone Temple panted slightly as she looked at herself. She watched the zombies fall close to her, and scrambled to get up.
"I...I did it."
"What?"
"I pulled the trigger."
"Yeah, well you almost pulled it on me!"
Stone Temple grabbed the gun from Angel's magic and quickly holstered it. She started walking away, but when Angel followed, she stopped and turned to her.
"No. I'm not bringing you with me now."
"Look, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking at all. And fairly, you drew it on me first!"
"Yeah, but I wasn't gonna pull the trigger!"
"Well how could I have known that?"
Stone Temple thought about a response, but knew that her past would probably overpower any arguement she had.
"Alright, listen. We both know what I did back then was wrong, and I do feel guilty about it. Let's just not speak of it again, because if we get mad at each other, it'll only cause more problems, alright?"
When Angel didn't respond, Stone Temple turned around. Her eyes widened when she was the large group of zombies moving toward them, and she reached for her gun. She pulled the trigger, but her gun was empty.
"Can't catch one break."
Stone Temple grabbed Angel's hoof and led her to start running. When they were farther away from the group of undead, Angel snapped fully out of her trance.
"Well? What's the plan now?"
"I'm working on it."
Stone Temple looked around at the building, looking for one that would have an alternate way out. Up the road and to the left was a large warehouse that Stone Temple thought would suffice.
"Come on, in here!"
The two quickly reached the building and ran inside, Stone Temple closing the door behind them.
"Alright, that'll buy us some time, let's get the hell out of here."
The mares started running through the maze of shelves and boxes that towered high above them. Only a short bit in, they stopped and turned when they heard the door open.
"Huh, weak door."
Angel remarked as the two startes running again. Angel spotted a door that she thought was an exit and started running toward it.
"Out here!"
When the two ran through the door and closed it, they were shrouded in darkness.
"Um, this may not be an exit like I thought."
"Really? And your first clue was?"
"Just find a lightswitch or something. Least we can do is wait it out in here until they all leave."
"Or we could, you know, leave?"
The zombies that had broken in started walking around, and pushed over the shelves as they shambled around. Unfortunately, one of the shelves fell just in front of the door, preventing it from being opened. Angel eventually found the lightswitch and turned it on, basking the apparent storage room in a dim low.
"Huh, surprised power still works here."
"Yes, that seems rather odd actually. Either way, let's not question it."
"Yeah, let's just get out of here."
Stone Temple pushed the door open, but it only opened a small amount before the fallen shelf blocked it. She tried again, and again, before stopping and sighing.
"Well, isn't this great."
"Is there any other way out of here?"
"Maybe. Could be some sort of roof access hatch or something."
"Something like back at the mini-mall?"
"Probably. Let's go see."
After a few seconds of searching around the room, Stone Temple found a ladder that led to the roof.
"Here. How didn't we notice this?"
"I don't know, but let's just go."
Stone Temple statred climbing the ladder when Angel motioned for her to go first. The hatch at the top took a bit of effort to open, but Stone Temple was able to get through.
"Anything on the roof?"
"Nope, we're clear. Come on up."
When Angel got to the roof, she walked over to the edge where Stone Temple was standing.
"Woah, it's a lot farther down than I expected."
"Yeah, that might be a problem since you can't fly."
"Aren't there any other buildings we can get down to?"
"Didn't look like it. I think the only way we can get out is the way we got in. Forget it, I'm starting to feel a little sick anyways, let's just go back inside."
"So, how far away is this place?"
"It's like, half a minute away man, just stop asking."
"Can't blame him, I've been freaking out this whole walk. How do you know they haven't gone fully hostile since the attack?"
"Well, all the ponies that were left were basically civilians as far as I know, so I don't see any reason for that."
The trio continued walking for just another minute until the compound was in their sight.
"Alright, I gotta stop here. I'll keep an eye on you two as much as I can, but you're on your own for a bit."
"Great. This can only go horribly."
"Windy was right, you really like being condesending."
"Do what you're good at I suppose."
"Alright, alright, just go."
Shadow Spot aimed her rifle at the compound as the other two approached it. T her surprise, they reached the gate and motioned for her to come over to them.
"I got a bad feeling about this."
Shadow Spot holstered her rifle and ran over to the doors of the compound. The fact that they were wide open, and the fact that High Road was moving back with a hoof over her mouth made Shadow Spot regret walking inside.
"Holy shit."
"What the hell?"
FireStarter and a weary High Road walked through the doors after Shadow Spot. High Road was the first to wretch at the sight and smell that assaulted them. Any survivors that were left after the raid were lying in twisted, bloody piles on the ground, many of them missing large chunks of flesh and several body parts.
"They're dead, all of them. They got ripped to shreds. Who in the hell could've done this?"
"I believe you mean what in the hell, look."
FireStarter pointed to a lone mare's body to his left, and it was revealed to have giant claw marks along its abdomen.
"You think an animal did this?"
"There is a possibility that the infection affects other animals that may be around, bears, deer, whatever this place has to offer."
FireStarter stood up, drawing his pistol and walking toward a group of tents. Shadow Spot looked at High Road, who had her back to the whole thing, and walked over.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's one thing to see zombies dead on the streets and stuff, I can handle that. But these ponies were just trying to survive, like we are. To see them massacred like this, it just got to me."
"I understand. It sucks to see innocent ponies dying from something we can't even understand. But, there isn't much we can-"
Shadow Spot was interrupted by a scream and a shot going off from behind her, which soon sent her running to the tent FireStarter was running out of.
"What, what's going on?"
"I don't know, but something's in there!"
"An animal?"
"No way, has to be some kind of zombie
"Shit. Forget it, let's go. Did it-"
Shadow Spot cut herself short when she saw the gash on FireStarter's stomach, and stepped away from him. She drew her rifle and aimed it at him, continuing to step backwards.
"Please...please no, I swear I'm not infected!"
"I'm sorry, but you know what happens if they touch any kind of open wound."
"Maybe this one's different. I went in there, it attacked me, but it didn't follow me out. That doesn't fit with what we know about these things!"
Shadow Spot looked for at High Road for a moment, then started walking backwards toward her again.
"Fine. But you're carrying the gas home, and if you show one sign of turning, somepony's putting you down. Garage is over there, jerry cans are just to the right."
"And....draw."
Windy Nights pulled her pistol out and shot the zombie down instantly after the command. The stallion nodded and patted Windy Nights on the shoulder.
"Very good, your training seems to have come back very well. We'll have to work on, well, just about everything else as we go along. Come one now."
The stallion motioned for Windy to follow him to a nearby department store. When they reached the door, he raised his hoof.
"Go."
Windy Nights kicked open the door, shooting the three zombies inside down while the stallion closed the door behind them and barred it.
"Very, very impressive lieutenant."
"Please, call me...what did you say my name was? It was, Wi..Windy, Windy Nights, right?"
"Ah, yes. It's surprising to me that you were able to remember that, as I only said it once, and you didn't recognize it before. Does it, feel familiar?"
"I...I don't know. Say it again, but as if you're talking to me."
"Very well. Hello Windy Nights, it's nice out today, isn't it?"
Windy Nights put a hoof to her head and closed her eyes. Something about the name resonated with her, but she couldn't place it.
"Didn't you say something about me being in a group? Before I woke up?"
"Why yes in fact I did. Do you happen to remember anything about it?"
Windy Nights tried to picture the ponies that she had been around before she lost her memory, but once again, nothing happened.
"No. Do you, have any names or anything?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
The response made Windy sigh and holster her weapon. She sat down on a nearby milk crate and put her head in her hooves.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's just, how did this even happen?"
"Well, from what I gathered, you risked your life in an effort to save your fellow survivors. In said attempt, an unexpected explosion went off, and, though I'm not fully sure how, you lost your most of your memories. Motor and language skills seem to remain untouched however."
"Did...did it at least work? The distraction?"
"Yes, it seemed to have worked as far as I can tell."
"You sure say that a lot."
"Well, remember Windy Nights, I'm an observer. I watch from a distance and record my findings."
"So what were you before all this? A scientist or something?"
"I worked at an animal science lab, working on disease cures for dogs and other pets. Nothing special really, just standard new-age Equestria era technology."
Something in the last part of the sentence struck Windy Nights as odd, and she stood up.
"Wait wait wait, say that last part again."
"Standard new-age Equestria era technology."
"Equestria...p-pony, Ponyville? That was in Equestria, right?"
"Yes, you must have been from there. Do you remember any other towns or cities? Any other landmarks?"
"Not, not at the moment. What about you, where were you from?"
"I'm a ManeHatten stallion myself."
Windy Nights stood up and pointed at the stallion, a slight smile on her face.
"ManeHatten! My, mother was from there! She, she, she moved there, after, after meeting my dad."
"You're remember more significant parts of your life now, may wanna slow down a bit."
"Why? I'm getting my memories back, I can go back to my friends, maybe I can remember, why all this happened. Why would you want me to slow down?"
"I'm afraid that this all may cause a problem, woth the memories returning too hastily."
"That, that doesn't make any sense, how could it possibly-"
"Because, the equine brain is a complicated thing Windy, it's hard to understand! That's why ponies study it."
Windy Nights backed away from the stallion as he leaned on a shelf below the window, looking outside.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Let's just get what we need to get and go."
Stone Temple swallowed the two small, white pills with the last of her water and threw the empty bottle aside.
"Oxycodone, that's, that's rather serious, what's the condition?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're locked in a closet in the middle of a zombie apocalypse."
"Well, I suppose yes, but you had it before this, so what was it for then? And also, how often do you take it?"
Stone Temple shrugged and put the pill bottle back in her bag.
"Every few hours. So what, I like to take some Oxy every now and then, sue me. Helps nowadays, you know?"
Angel stayed silent but nodded as the other mare tilted her head back. They had both resorted to sitting on the floor, backs against the wall, facing each other. Most of the zombies had departed, distracted by other noise or simply because they wandered off. Stone Temple closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
"You know, this would be much easier if you could fly."
"Right, I'll get right to that."
Stone Temple chuckled a little bit before turning herself and laying down with the top of her head against the door.
"You and Redline. Now how the hell'd that come to be?"
"You know, he may have the whole tough exterior, but he's actually a total sweetheart once you get to know him. Once we got past the initial bumps in our relationship, he was the sweetest thing. Always surprised me with gifts or sudden dates, always something so well thought out."
"How did you two meet? Seems like he certainly wouldn't just be walking around the yarn store, or whatever you do."
"Well, to be completely honest, I was tasked with following him."
"What, like a stalker or something?"
"Reporter, though the two seem to get lost in translation sometimes. Anyways, he was on our 'suspicious' list, and well, I just happened to volunteer. Then, well, you know."
"Can't say I do."
"Well, we started going out. There's more to it-"
"Obviously."
"But, yes, that's about it."
Angel slid down the wall slightly, her now faded grey beanie getting pushed off of her head.
"You know what I could really go for? A good old-fashioned shopping spree with the girls. Haven't had one of those in a while. Just going out and spending our hard-earned money on spoiling ourselves for the day. Those were the days, weren't they?"
"Yeah, if you're into that kinda stuff."
"I'm assuming you weren't then?"
"Hell no, I hated all that girly stuff. My sister was kinda into it though, ever since she moved to ManeHatten for whoever knows why, maybe have a talk with her."
Angel was about to respond, but stopped herself when she heard a sound from outside. She stood up, re-adjusting her beanie and raising her head.
"Do you hear that?"
"Nah, my ear's kinda ringing right now, somepony must be talk-"
"Shhhh, listen."
Stone Temple rolled her eyes and stood up, listening for the sound. She made a face when she too heard the sound, and started up the ladder. When both mares were back on the roof, the sound was much clearer.
"Are those, church bells?"
"Doubt anypony's getting hitched right now. Wonder who's ringing it."
"Or why."
Stone Temple looked around for where exactly the sound was coming from, and then the memory hit her.
"Shit, the old warehouse!"
"Pardon?"
"Back before Windy, FireStarter, High Road, and I met all of you at the mini-mall, we had a place in a warehouse. Kinda like this one actually, but a little smaller. Beside it was church, and it had a bell tower, of course. That place was rignt over there, where the sound is coming from!"
"You think somepony's still alive in there?"
"Not any of the ones from before, they're all gone. But, maybe there are new one's that found it! We gotta go check!"
"Well, love the enthusiasm, but we still have to get down from here or out through down there if we want to check it out."
Stone Temple thought for a second, running a hoof through her mane.
"Ok, so, I got a plan, let's get back downstairs."
Stone Temple pushed the final cabinet near the door and sighed.
"Ok, you see what's going on?"
"Not at all."
"We can't break through the door, because I only have a knife and it's metal anyways. So, if we break down the door, we can move it out of the way and climb out."
"Ok, so what's with the cabinets?"
"I need something to hold me in place while I kick it down, and this was about all that's in here. When those hinges break off, you need to be ready for any zombies in case I'm not."
Stone Temple said calmly as she walked over to Angel, holding her pistol out to the other mare.
"Can I trust you with that?"
Angel took in a deep breath before looking from the gun to Stone Temple and nodding before taking the firearm. Angel aimed at the door, not knowing that it was empty, and Stone Temple got in position at the door.
"Ready?"
"As much as I can be."
"Ok. One, two, three."
Stone Temple raised her hoof and kicked at thelower section of the door with all her might, making thw rusty hinges creak and groan but not break. After the same countdown and another kick, the bottom hinge broke, and the door leaned out. Stone Temple smiled and moved herself to get a better shot at the top hinge.
"Ready?"
Angel nodded again, aiming at the door before Stone Temple kicked it, this time being successful on the first try. The door broke off the hinges, but the two zombies on the outside pushed it back into the room. The door jammed itself between the shelf outside and the cabinets, staying just above Stone Temple. Angel tensed up, and started to freeze, but slowly exhaled and pulled the trigger.
"Shit, I'm out of bullets!"
"Do something else then!"
Stone Temple was holding the door from falling on top of her, while the zombies tried to grab her. This time, with no idea what to do, Angel froze up.
"Guess I'm up."
As the shelf outside the room slid away slowly, Stone Temple waited for the right moment. Just as the weight of the door was about to overpower her, she let go and rolled oit of the way. When she stood up, she threw her knife into the first zombie's head and kicked it against the wall. Now unarmed, Stone Temple knocked the second zombie down and tipped the cabinet onto it's head, crushing it instantly. Stone Temple sighes from both relief and exaustion, sitting down on the tipped over cabinet. Angel had snapped back into reality at this point and hung her head slightly.
"I'm sorry."
"Whatever, you tried at least. If you had more bullets, you could've done it. You just need to work on using your surroundings."
"By the look of things, you have no trouble with that."
Stone Temple looked at the floor beneath her and chuckled slightly before pulling the knife from the first zombies skull.
"Well, maybe not. C'mon, let's go."
Redline paced nervously, waiting by the front door for two specific mares.
"Come on now Red, they'll be back."
"Yeah, I know that Stitch, but that don't mean I ain't worryin'"
Redline looked out through the glass again, and saw the group returning from the enemy compound.
"Well, there's fifty percent."
Redline remarked as he walked out the front door and opened the gate for the other survivors.
"Well, ya got the gas, that's about all I'm askin' for."
"Yeah, well, we got a problem."
Shadow Spot muttered, walking past him into the building. He looked back to High Road and FireStarter, each carrying a jerry can.
"What's'is problem she's talkin' 'bout?"
"I'm sure it's nothing, but she's a little worked up. Here, you go in and get checked out, I'll put these around back."
FireStarted gave his jerry can to High Road and walked inside, followed by Redline.
"So what the hell's goin' on?"
"Look."
Shadow Spot pointed to FireStarter's abdomen, where the area around the gash from earlier was starting to turn red. Redline immediately turned his rifle on FireStarter, aiming it directly at his head.
"Please don't, I swear I'm not infected, or I would've turned by now!"
"What the hell even did that, that don't look like no bite!"
"It was something different, if you could just give me a moment I can tell you about it!"
Redline looked around at the ponies who had been drawn to the scene and put his gun down.
"Fine, but make it quick."
"You were just about to, so I will do you the same kindness. The creature that I saw was one of us, that was clear. However, it seemed to be mutated to quite some degree. It had claws growing out of it's hooves, boils, blisters, you name it. Drooled like a dog too by the way, and I suspect that some sort of radioactive materials may be uncontrolled out east, hence the rumors."
"Yer ramblin'"
"What you're seeing is just an open wound with slight radiation burns, nothing with to do with the virus at all."
"How can ya be sure?"
"Because, we all know roughly how fast it takes to turn. The walk back from that place is at least five minutes, I would've turned two blocks from here if I got bit."
Redline sighed as Stitch walked up and nodded to him.
"Fine, you're safe this time kid. Just be careful out there for fucks sake."
"Trust me, if I could be out there less, I would."
The group dissapated, and ThunderBolt ran over to FireStarter.
"Hey, can I talk to you, in private?"
"I don't see why not."
"Good, meet me out back."
ThunderBolt ran out the back door, and FireStarter soon followed. When he got outside, FireStarter soon saw ThunderBolt leaning against the fence. ThunderBolt seemed to notice him coming outside, but didn't turn to greet him at all. When FireStarter approached ThunderBolt, the other stallion turned around and aimed his revolver at him.
"You need to leave lad."
"Woah woah woah, what the hell is with this?"
"Listen kiddo, I saw how them things you described worked, kay? Saw it myself, don't need to see it again, and none of them do either."
FireStarter scoffed a little as he backed away a few steps.
"So what, you're just gonna kill me in cold blood?"
"Dammit, didn't you hear me? I said that you need to leave, and whatever happens out there is all you. And I'm sorry to say it, but the thing's tracking you as we speak. You're basically dead already."
"Wait...they, they do what?"
FireStarter looked down at his wound, then back up to the stallion aiming a gun at him. ThunderBolt seemed to be showing remorse, but at the same time seemed dead set on evicting him.
"How, how does it work. How do you know this?"
"Know how I've been ducking out recently? I been watching them ever since I saw the fuckin' things. The claws they got, it's what they use to track. If they don't have a confirmed kill on you, or they aren't feeling up to it or whatever, they'll claw you, and inject one of the claws into you. Something in their blood I guess, I have no fucking idea. But trust me, they'll come back for you, and they sure as hell won't be alone."
There were a lot of moments that passed by without either of the two saying anything. ThunderBolt sighed and put his gun down and nodded towards the building.
"Come on then, you gotta go tell them. I sure ain't doin' it."
FireStarter nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of his hoof as he turned to walk inside. When the two walked back inside, many of the faces inside were already looking at them, and FireStarter sighed before waliing further into the building.
"Everypony, if you would please."
The ponies inside the building stood up and moved toward the stallion. Looking around at the faces surrounding him, FireStarter sighed and hung his head.
"It has been brought to my attention that I am quite possibly endangering the inhabitants of this compound. Therefore, it is now my decision to leave."
A few gasps erupted from the gathered crowd, and Stitch walked up.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"As ThunderBolt has informed me, the creature that attacked me has some sort of tracking power through the claws it embeds in it's victims. Then, it comes for you later, and with many others."
"But wait a minute, that doesn't fit what we saw at the other compound, there's no way!"
"Yes, it does fit. That thing could've tracked one of them without them knowing how it operates. When the group wasn't expecting it, a horde of them attacked. Surely there were also many other, regular zombies. And I hate to say it, but part of me wants to think that something else, something worse could've been there too."
"Well hold on, there is no need to leave, we can get through this."
"Listen Stitch, if what Bolt says is true, then I am putting you all in danger! We don't have strong enough defenses, nor do we have enough ammo! Not to mention the fact that we're short a few ponies!"
"What if we kill the source? We go back and kill the zombie that planted it inside you."
A grim idea hit FireStarter, and he slowly reached for his knife.
"Or, if we plant it somewhere else."
As he lifted his knife with his hoof, Stitch, Redline, and ThunderBolt raised their guns.
"Careful now FireStarter."
"Put the knife down kid."
"Don't worry you two, it's not for anyone but myself."
Before anyone could stop him, FireStarter drove the knife into his side, pulling it across his abdomen to re-open his wound. Many looked away, and ThunderBolt ran over to shield Bubble Blitz's eyes. As FireStarter dug around in his side, he slowly fell to the floor. First to his knees, then rolling onto his back as he threw the claw and the knife aside.
"Somepony get the medkit!"
Stitch called out as he ran over to the stallion's body and examined the cut. It had gone deeper than was needed, and had caused significant damage to his internal organs. As Redline ran back with the medical kit, FireStarter began convulsing, and Stitch backed up. As the body on the floor convulsed and writhed on the ground, Redline walked forward and shot a single round through it's skull.
"I'm sorry."
Silence overtook the whole building for a long time, while silent goodbyes were said and the few who didn't watch could turn to the scene.
"How..."
High Road said, looking up at ThunderBolt with tears falling down her face.
"How did you know? Why didn't you say anything before?"
"What do you mean? I told the kid what happens, I tried to get him out!"
"You were just gonna throw him out by himself?"
"What else was I supposed to do?!"
"You could've told him that someone else would remove it and we'd be fine!"
"It ain't that simple!"
ThunderBolt's outburst and now closer proximity to High Road made her shudder, and she choked on her words a little.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Once you're tagged, there's no way out. These one's, the one's that did this, they're like snakes. Saw some poor bugger at that other compound rip one out of his side the other day, yet, look what happened. I'm not shocked at all by what you guys found. You want my advice, we either need to get the hell outta dodge, or gear up for a serious fight. So what's it gonna be?"
Stitch and Redline looked at each other and both nodded before turning back to ThunderBolt.
"Let's gear up."
"Let's leave."
The responses came at the same time, and ThunderBolt groaned as the two looked at each other in shock.
"Red, we need to leave, the sooner the better."
"Ok, counterpoint, Angel and Stone are still out there, and this place can survive whatever's coming, easy."
"A, we barely scraped by last time, may I remind you who we lost? And B, we can find them on the way out, but we can't stay here!"
"You heard Bolt, it knows where we are, it'll find us no matter how far we go Stitch!"
"I hate to say it, but Red's probably right, we can't risk that thing having a lock on us. We don't have much of a choice this time. I got at least twenty rounds total left. Everypony else? High Road, what's left in that rifle?"
"I got about a mag and a half. Pistol's got one full clip."
"That's good, that's good, StarFire?"
"Umm, I think, fourteen rounds left?"
"Not great but not terrible, Shadow, Red?"
"Two clips, fourteen total."
"I got eighteen rounds."
"That's a combined thirty-two more, that's a good number. And you two, you don't own any guns?"
"No sirry, we don't."
"Ok, fine, you two go now and help Shadow Spot pack whatever isn't already into the RV, keep the door open and yell for us if need be."
"Will do."
"Everypony else, get into position, I want Red and StarFire on the towers, High Road in the front gate, Stitch and I will cover the back. Let's go!"
"Well..."
"Well, if somepony was here, they aren't anymore."
Stone Temple remarked as she looked at the total emptiness of the building. Wood dust and debris lay on the floor, and the only other things that were left were bodies or useless junk.
"Looters, that was this was. Came here, wanted to find out what was in the boxes, took what they wanted, rung the church bells to cover their escape."
"As much as I almost don't wish to admit it, that's pretty clever."
"Yeah, maybe we can use that to our advantage later."
"Either way, looks like nothing's here, so let's jus-"
"What about that room?"
Stone Temple looked at the room that Angel was pointing to, and started towards it.
"That, that was FireStarter's room. Had a bunch of techy stuff in it. Hm, that's weird."
"What?"
"Whoever was here didn't break in. Must've though breaking it down would make too much noise."
"Well, did he have anything in there we could use?"
Stone Temple stepped back from the door two steps and took in a short breath.
"We're about to find out."
Stone Temple raised her hoof and kicked the door, it surprisingly breaking down. The room was dusty, clearly nopony had been in here since they all had left.
"Huh, it's all still here."
"Plasma cutters, laithes, moniter array, what was he doing in here?"
"Who knows? Crazy ass had the door closed and locked every second of the day, never came outta here unless he really needed to."
"Huh. Did he by any chance have a few guns around here?"
"Maybe. Don't know how he even knows how to shoot that well, must be all the video games."
"He was into those was he?"
"As far as I know. StarFire and I had an old computer, but we didn't use it that much. What about you?"
"I've really only used a computer for work. Redline likes a few of those video games, I've just never seen the fun behind them I guess."
"Well, we're basically living in one now aren't we?"
"I guess we are. Guess this is the time all the gamers like FireStarter would thrive then isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
There was a moment of silence as the mares searched before Angel walked over to the computer and pressed a few buttons. A small button lit up beside her hoof, and she looked at Stone Temple.
"Well, go on, press it."
"If we blow up I'm blaming you."
Angel remarked before pressing the button. To their surprise and relief, they heard something unlocking instead of blowing up. Stone Temple walked over to the now slightly ajar compartment on the side of the desk and looked inside.
"Oh my my my, what do we have here?"
Stone Temple laughed as she pulled the lever-action shotgun out of the compartment and flourished it in front of Angel Boulon.
"Holy, that could fit in their?"
"Apparently, thing's longer inside than it looks I guess. Who cares though, mama got her a new toy!"
"Alright, alright, let's get back to base before they send somepony to find us."
Redline was calmly serveying the area around the mini-mall, watching for the horde they felt was now imminent. Aside from that, he was looking around for where the two missing mares were.
"C'mon you two, gotta come back sometime soon."
StarFire was less intensely looking around, but was worried for her sister. Her ears perked up slightly when she heard something going on inside.
"You go check that out, I can cover."
StarFire nodded at the stallion, who was still looking through his scope, and ran into the building. This time, unlike the last, the building wasn't already being swarmed with zombies. She looked around at the situation that she jumped into with her mouth agape. ThunderBolt was aiming his revolver at Stitch, who was aiming his SMG right back at ThunderBolt.
"Drop the fucking gun Stitch. I don't want to hurt you man, but I will if I gotta."
"It is you who needs to put down the gun, I saw the bite, now let's just do this quickly."
"Fuck you for two reasons dude, I got that days ago, and it wasn't a zombie."
"What else would it be?"
"Remember when I came back that night after the thunderstorm? Remember, I got shot in the leg?"
"Yes, and?"
"Before that, on our way back, we tripped one of those traps, you know, and she got hurt. Found something to sterilize the wound, but I told her it would hurt, but we couldn't make too much noise. Gave her my wing to bite down on while I fixed her up. That's what you do when you're helping someone else, now put down the fucking gun!"
Stitch took a moment to slowly holster his gun and walk closer to ThunderBolt once he did the same.
"Look, you may have taken control for now, but once we secure a location elsewhere, I can assure you it'll shift."
"Really? We'll have to see about that then, won't we?"
"That bite turns out to be something worse than it seems and maybe we won't have to."
"You really gonna be the one to do it Stitch? Huh? You wanna put a bullet in my skull then fucking do it! Come on!"
ThunderBolt pulled his gun out and aimed it against his own forehead, shoving it into Stitch's grasp.
"ThunderBolt, cut it out!"
"Do it."
"Bolt, fucking cut it!"
ThunderBolt turned to look at Shadow Spot after her second exclamation, and took his gun back.
"We'll see."
He said coldly, walking away from Stitch and over to his daugher who had run away from the tense scene. Stitch shook his head as he walked away, and Shadow Spot walked up to ThunderBolt angrily.
"What the hell was that? Huh? Do you suddenly have a deathwish?"
"We don't get glory without guts Shadow, remember that."
"What the hell does that even mean?"
"Look, my gun was empty the whole time, I just needed to know what kind of pony he really is. He didn't pull the trigger, which is good for him, but also means he's growing too attached. We can't do that nowadays."
"What the fuck Bolt? What the hell's gone and made you so serious?"
"The world is changing, Shadow. It's the farthest thing from what we used to know. Bad enough that winter's coming in a few months, even worse that the dead are just fucking waltzing about the earth. If it seems like I'm having a hard time coping with all this, maybe it's because I am."
"Ok, but that doesn't mean you can go around starting shit with everypony else. And what do you mean we can't get too attached nowadays?"
"Let's face it, we're all gonna die, and none of us the right way. We need to learn how to let go before any of it happens."
Shadow Spot looked down, a tear rolling down her face.
"What happened to you Bolt?"
The question was left unanswered when Shadow Spot walked away after asking it. Outside, High Road was looking around from her designated spot in the chain link fence. She flipped the safety off when she saw a zombie come around the corner and start walking past the building.
"Just one, I should do it quietly."
She drew her knife, letting the rifle hang on it's strap beside her.
"Hey, over here. Come here boy, come on."
She jokingly singsonged at the zombie, attracting the zombie's attention and drawing it to her. Just before it reached the fence, she heard a distant but still very loud gunshot, and the zombie fell to the ground with a sizable hole in it's head. High Road stepped back, stunned by the suddeness of the shot.
"Red?"
"Yeah?"
"That wasn't you, was it?"
"Not a chance."
High Road looked around, raising a hoof to her forehead to minimize the glare of the sun. As she squinted, she could she the faint glare of a rifle scope atop an in-progress high-rise.
"Son of a bitch, I really can't tell who's side that fucker's on."
"Well, seems he don't got our number like I thought, unless 'course he was aimin' for you and missed."
"Thanks Red, always the first one to comfort me."
High Road chuckled to herself, the last part of it being said to herself. There was a short moment of the regular ambience before another shot was heard, and another, and another. High Road eventually put the pieces together as she saw a large group of zombies appear around the same corner as the other one.
"Shit, Red!"
High Road didn't even need to alert him, as Redline had already shot down two by the end of her exclamation. The ponies inside hear when High Road started shooting carefully spaced shots into the horde.
"Guess we're on then. Ce on everypony, let's get going!"
ThunderBolt ran over to the farthest tower and knocked on the door. After a fee seconds, StarFire came down and opened it.
"Yeah?"
"Come on, we need you down here, those two can cover."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, let's go!"
The two ran through the building and out back, where the rest of the inhabitants were piling into the RV already.
"Go ahead and stand out front of the RV, Shadow will need help defending. I've gotta check around in here real quick."
StarFire nodded, and ThunderBolt ran back into the building after mirroring her action. He quickly ran around and collected a few of his own personal belongings, then proceeding to run into the front gate. When he burst through the front door, he gasped at what he saw. The zombies had broken through the gate and were feasting on High Road, one of them being the creature that had attacked FireStarter. It noticed ThunderBolt's entrance and stood up and away from High Road's body, which now convulsing with acid dripping from the mouth. ThunderBolt took in the creature for a long moment, every grotesque feature. It was smaller than a regular pony, it's mouth dripped with an acidic bile, and there were all kinds of blemishes along it's entire surface, just as FireStarter had described. ThunderBolt took a moment to look at High Road, who was staring into his eyes, and he knew what to do. Drawing his revolver and firing a shot into her head no more than a second after, ThunderBolt let a single tear fall. After he watched the mare's eyes close, he ran inside, the tracker zombie soon following him. It crashed through the glass, and the shards poked through it's skin and stuck out of it's body.
"Jeez, you are one ugly mother aren't you?"
ThunderBolt pulled out his revolver and fired at the disgusting creature, missing it as it started to run at him. He was able to dodge the zombie's attack, and started running around frantically to get a better shot. Three more shots missed, and ThunderBolt was out of options. Suddenly, the back door was burst open, and Stone Temple walked ran in, shooting the zombie in the chest, which sent it flying across the room. She turned to the front door and shot down the three sprinting ones that made their way into the building. She finished her kill spree with a double tap to the tracker zombie's head when it leapt at her.
"Liking the new gun?"
"You could say that."
"Well, thanks either way. Please, do me a favour and go get Redline. We need to go now."
"On it."
The two ponies seperated, and StarFire ran up to the tower the Redline was in. The stallion was still focused, firing at the zombies, never missing a perfect headshot.
"Red! We're going now!"
"Just a sec'nd."
Redline shot one last bullet, shooting one zombie straight through the skull and hitting a second one clean in the eye. He looked up from his scope with an acomplished grin before starting to dissasemble his rifle and put it away.
"Always wanted to do that. Alright, let's go."
The two quickly turned and started running down the stairs and into the main building, where they were met with a large amount of zombies.
"Shit, back room, back room!"
Redline shouted, directing Stone Temple to the room where the ladder to the roof was. Redline slammed the door behind them and held it shut as the zombies tried to push their way in.
"Go on then!"
Redline yelled, making Stone Temple quickly scramble up the ladder and onto the roof. She ran over to the edge and looked at the back lot of the mini-mall where Shadow Spot, Starfire, ThunderBolt, and Stitch were all keeping the horde at bay.
"ThunderBolt!"
The pegasus took a short break from shooting to look up at roof to see Stone Temple and soon after, Redline.
"The hell are you doing uo there?"
"Buildin's overrun, we needs a way out!"
"Fuck. Everypony in the RV! Now! You two get out front, we'll meet you there!"
ThunderBolt ushered the gunners into the RV and jumped in the drivers seat. As the two ponies on the roof watched the vehicle drive out through a small swarm of zombies and away from the mini-mall.
"Well, we's about as screwed'sa two'b'four with Bolt at the wheel."
"Yeah, and how does him pulling up front get us down?"
"We gonna have to jump. Roof to towers to RV."
Redline stated wearily, exhaling before noving to the opposite edge of the roof. After a few seconds of waiting, the vehicle pulled up to the front of the building, just past the edge of the towers. A few of the passengers aimed their guns out any open window to try and keel the zombies away from the vehicle.
"I shoulda retired."
Redline muttered before jumping from the roof of the building to that of the tower, then jumping onto the van and climbing inside.
"Come on Stone, just do it."
Stone Temple holstered her shotgun and prepared to jump, just before she saw another tracker zombie climb up on the side of the roof.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me."
She pulled out her shotgun again as the cretin ran at her. She fired one shot that ripped through the being's shoulder, and went to fire a second at it's head, but it had reached her. Stone Temple stepped back, her hoof sliding off the edge and sending her tumbling off the roof of the building. The fall was more or less straight down, with the only thing absorbing the impact being the roof of the tower, which even then fell apart beneath her. The main body of the tower collapsed next, sending Stone Temple through a blizzard of rubble until she landed on the ground, one of her legs emitting a gut-wrenching snap. Stone Temple cried out in pain, and Stitch and Blue Roses quickly jumped out to help her. Out from one of the rubble piles jumped a zombie, and it immediately sunk it's teeth into Blue Roses' leg. She shook the creature off with a look scream of pain, and hurried back into the van.
"Go go go!"
Stitch yelled, prompting ThunderBolt to slam on the gas and turn around to drive out West.
"Clear the bed, she's wounded!"
Stitch ordered, helping Stone Temple onto the bed in the rear of the RV. Meanwhile, Blue Roses approached her husband, and silently showed him the bite. The look on Ivory Spark's face was that of pure devastation.
"You, y-you got bit?"
Blue Roses nodded, tears filling her eyes as the two embraced.
"Turn left, left!"
Angel was shouting directions to ThunderBolt as he frantically piloted the vehicle at top speed through the streets.
"Bridge, take the bridge over there!"
"Bolt, we's got some comp'ny!"
"Angel, you know how to drive?"
"No."
"Well, now's a damn fine time to learn. Take this."
ThunerBolt let go of the steering wheel, and Angel quickly moved to correct the vehicle's path.
"Wait, well, what about the pedals?"
ThunderBolt finished loading his revolver before making a short whistle sound, which brought Bubble Blitz to the front of the vehicle.
"Pedal on the right, go ahead and hold that all the way down for me, ok sweetie?"
The filly nodded and jumped down, doing exactly as she was told by pressing the pedal down all the way. ThunderBolt swung his hind legs up and out the window, holding himself out just enough to shoot down the three sprinters that were just keeping up with them.
"There we are."
He smirked as he pulled himself back into the drivers seat and sighed.
"Good job kiddo, go ahead and get somewhere safe back there."
Bubble Blitz nuzzled up to her father for a quick second just before jumping back into the other section of the RV. ThunderBolt chuckled as he looked over at Angel Boulon, who seemed to be shivering.
"What, are you cold or something?"
"Aren't you?"
"Kinda, probably just the radical wind chill I just experienced. Either way, we're off the bridge, so start looking for a place we can shack up. I mean bunker down, shack up sounds kinda....misleading."
"Classy Bolt, super classy."
"Whatever."
Back in the bedroom of the RV, Redline and Stitch were examining Stone Temple and trying to help as much as they could.
"This isn't all that bad. Minor scrapes and cuts, one slightly worse gash, but her leg seems to be broken, possibly a compound fracture."
"Oh, yeah, not too bad he says."
"Both of you shut up, and someone please get my bag."
Stone Temple was nearly passing out from the pain, so Stitch complied and gave Stone Temple her backpack.
"Water. Water, quick."
"Here."
Stone Temple quickly pulled the few remaining oxy pills from her bag and downed three of them with a gulp of water. She let out a sigh an leaned back further into the bed.
"That's better."
The vehicle suddenly turned a hard left and stopped, making Stitch run up to tee front.
"Problem?"
"Nothing we can't handle, but let's do it quietly. You, me, and Red. Angel, go check on Stone."
"On it."
"Alright, let's clear. Red, let's go!"
The three stallions jumped out of the RV and made quick work of the few zombies gathered outside, proceeding to force their way into the building. The building was a large, gated manor, an incredibly lucky find for the group.
"Come on, let's move!"
All those still in the RV scrambled for their bags and quickly ran out and in past the front gate, Redline and Stitch slamming it shut once everyone was in. ThunderBolt quickly counted heads and did a quick look around.
"Wait, where's your wife?"
"I...I needed to talk to you about that. You too."
Ivory Spark motioned for Redline and ThunderBolt to follow him over to a planter that had some rotting foliage on it.
"What's goin' on?"
"Now listen, let's keep it quiet. My wife, she...she didn't make it out of that place unscathed. I told her to stay in the vehicle because, well, I didn't want anypony to do what I need to."
"You're, you're not saying..."
Ivory Spark nodded slowly to ThunderBolt, tears starting to roll down his face.
"Now, all I need is one thing, and since you two seem to be taking a lot of action, you're who I'm asking."
"Name it."
"I need the vehicle."
"Yer takin' the RV?"
"Think about it this way. Those monsters will be drawn here by the fact that we drove here. Driving it away will leave you without a vehicle, but it'll also lessen the heat for a good while."
ThunderBolt ran a hoof through his mane, a shaky sigh escaping him.
"Do you, you know, have-"
"I was given the proper tool for the job a while ago. As much as I wish it would never come to this, it seems that's what I'm faced with."
Redline was silent for a moment before nodding gently to himself.
"Take it. If there's anythin' else ya need, it's all yours."
"Well, there's really only one more thing I need from you, and I'll be on my way."
"What is it?"
Ivory Spark leaned in and whispered something in Redline's ear that evoked a very questioning look.
"Please."
"No trouble. It was... It was a real pleasure meetin' ya."
"Likewise."
Ivory Spark and Redline shook hooves, and when he turned to ThunderBolt, he was met with an unexpected hug from the stallion.
"Goodbye."
The RV pulled to a stop, zombie's starting to pool aroudd the still idling vehivle. Ivory Spark stood up, walking over to the table of the RV and sitting down across from his wife. He looked at the walkie-talkie to his left, and let out a deep, pained sigh.
"Well, it really has come to this hasn't it? I always figured we would both grow old and die together, the natural way. We sure did the first part though, didn't we? But um, somewhere along the way you start to really figure out who you are. While I can't explain exactly who I am, what I do know is that I don't want to be whoever I am without you."
Ivory Spark shakily took the miniature firearm from his shirt pocket and looked at it for a moment. He took the walkie-talkie and put it on the top of the table, holding the button down as he aimed the pistol at the barely conscious mare across from his.
"Goodbye. I'll see you again soon."
Back at the manor, Redline heard one shot go off, and another soon following it.
"Now."
ThunderBolt quickly lit a match, and threw it through the wrought-iron gate to land on the gasoline trail. The trail ignited, and after soon enough finding it's way to RV, caused an explosion that both destroyed the RV and wiped out most the zombies around it. The occupants that had gone inside to clear and put their things down had now come outside, and looked at the distant smoke plume with solemn faces. There was at least a full minute of silence before Bubble Blitz ran out of the manor, and looked up at the sky, letting the flake fall gently into her hoof.
"Are those, ashes?"
ThunderBolt asked, walkng over to the filly and holding his hoof out to catch one. The flake was white, and melted when it hit his hoof. Then itball made sense. The sudden thunderstorm in the summer, the cold that Angel had felt; these weren't ashes, winter had arrived, and it was snowing. The group watched the sky grow whiter and whiter as the snow grew more and more intense.
S2E1: Name, Occupation, Reason
The stallion watched the RV speed away through the scope of his rifle, and sighed as it grew smaller and smaller.
"They left?"
"Yes, yes, they have left."
"Good."
Windy Nights said, cocking the pistol she had pressed against the side of the stallion's head, and pulling the trigger.
2 Months Later
The snow had piled up significantly, causing Stone Temple and StarFire to struggle with the front door to the building. After straining to get it open and closed again, the mare's sighed and looked around.
"Looks pretty looted to me."
"Well, maybe we'll get lucky."
StarFire took the thick wool scarf covering her face off and spoke more clearly the second time.
"Let's just hope that Bolt and Red have more luck than we have today."
"Speaking of, I'll see if I can find something to contact them with."
"K, let's just try to be quiet."
"Got it."
Stone Temple moved upstairs, drawing the crowbar she had equipped herself with earlier and slowly spinning it in her wing. Upstairs was a small open room, with a hallway on either side, each with three doors within their lengths.
"Guess I'll go left first."
Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, StarFire was carefully opening cabinets with the machete her sister had given her and stepping back after they opened. On about the third top level cabinet, she gasped when she saw the rats infesting it.
"Fucking kidding me? Out, all of you."
She tried to shoo the vermin away from the few morsels of food left in the cabinet, but many just hissed at her and continued eating.
"Fine, you have that one. Fucker."
She moved on to the lower cabinets, and upon opening them found a small box of matches and a bottle of alcohol.
"Huh, can only imagine what's being implied here. Hmm, not exactly my type, maybe Stone will like this."
Back upstairs, Stone Temple had found nothing in any of the rooms to the left, and proceeded to the ones in the right hallway. When she opened the first door, a zombie stallion fell out and almost on top of her. She managed to dodge it, but fell backwards in the process of doing so. Her head hit against the wall, causing her vision to blur slightly as she watched the zombie stand up. With all her frayed strength, Stone Temple pushed herself up, dragging the hooked end of the crowbar and swinging it up clean through the zombies rotting mouth, knocking out almost every tooth. When she finished her swing, she readjusted her grip and drove the pointed end into the zombie's eye, killing it. StarFire walked upstairs just in time to witness the finishing blow, and looked at her sister with a look of both shock and slight envy.
"You just really aren't afraid of them, are you?"
"Can't be, that's how they get ya. What's that?"
"Could be your reward I guess, if it's your brand."
StarFire tossed the bottle to Stone Temple with a slight grin, and Stone Temple caught it with an almost mimicked one.
"Scotch? Jeez, I haven't had any of this since Mitzy died."
"Why'd you have to remind me about Mitzy?"
"Sorry. Come here, why don't you have a little?"
"No, you know I don't drink alcohol."
"Yeah right, didn't I see you down a whole bottle of Amaretto last birthday I was home for?"
StarFire smiled and sat down beside her sister, taking the bottle being handed to her.
"What's it been, six years?"
StarFire took a small sip of the liquid, happy to have an form of hydration. She recoiled slightly at the taste and sting of the alcohol, and Stone Temple took the bottle from her.
"It's strong. Not used to that."
"Well, I'd kinda hope not."
Stone Temple chuckled, taking a swift swig of the gentle amber fliud, and set the bottle down beside her.
"Probably shouldn't have too much, barely had anything to eat in almost two days, won't be much there to absorb it."
"Yeah, maybe your right."
"Come on then, we still got two rooms to check."
"And...now."
Redline and ThunderBolt quickly moved across the street, taking out the two zombies in front of the school with their melee weapons. ThunderBolt quickly opened door, and ran inside as Redline closed it.
"Hallway looks clear."
"Let's check the classrooms, we go back to back and don't break position."
"Yeah."
ThunderBolt agreed as he spun the butterfly knife around in his wing. Redline pulled the claw hammer from his toolbelt and flipped it once, catching it just before kicking the first door open. The room was just an empty classroom, only being with a few scattered desks.
"Nice entrance and all, but maybe we should do this silently next time."
"Fine, buzzkill. Where the hell'd all the desks go?"
"Suppose somepony stole them?"
"Pfft, the hell'd wanna steal desks?"
ThunderBolt shrugged as he walked back to the door.
"Barricades maybe, not an entirely terrible idea. C'mon, still got about twenty rooms to check I'm sure."
Two more half empty rooms later, ThunderBolt put his knife away and leaned on the teachers desk.
"I think this place is pretty secure, may wanna set up a secondary camp here."
"Why would we do that?"
"Think about it. If we slowly secure every building in this town, and build walls around every building we secure, we'll basically have our own town!"
"Well, we may just have t'wait 'till the winter's over for that."
"Dreamcrusher."
The two stallions chuckled as they walked out of the room and looked down both hallways.
"Well, forward or right?"
"I guess we can go right, looks like we could just loop back in any case."
"Lead on then."
ThunderBolt walked slowly down the school hallway, looking at the many foal's drawings posted up on various bulletin boards. He stopped suddenly and stared dead-faced at a simple drawing of the school. It was by no definition anything special, which is why Redline was weirded out by ThunderBolt approaching the board.
"Um, Bolt, what's goin' on?"
ThunderBolt didn't respond for a second, but instead took the drawing down and looked at it.
"Bubble Blitz...she, she did this."
"What?"
"This drawing, she did this, see!"
ThunderBolt turned the drawing around so that the two could see the back of it. Sure enough, the name Bubble Blitz was written in sub-par penmanship in the bottom corner.
"Wait a minute, so that means-"
"We're inside the school from PonyVille?"
"No, no this isn't even close to how that school looks. But, if this board and this drawing are here, then maybe some things from the old world are here."
"Oh pfft."
"No, seriously, think about it. We all got here, didn't we? So what's to say that certain objects didn't get transported here too?"
"Well, even if that did happen, why the hell would just the board get put here?"
ThunderBolt shook his head, looking from the drawing to the bulletin board and back again.
"None of this makes any sense. How the hell could this get here?"
"Maybe, and here me out, maybe we's inside some crazy virtual reality, and somepony is putting that there on purpose."
"Oh, and my theory was crazy."
"S'worth a shot."
"Well, whatever. Let's just get through this and get outta here."
"Wanna just cut it short? Runnin' on fumes here anyways."
"Yeah, seems like there isn't any threat, let's go."
The team moved around the rest of the school, merely looking into the classrooms for anything of interest before moving on. Eventually, they made their way to the office, having still not seen a zombie.
"Well, here's where I spent most of my time in school."
"Get into trouble a lot did'ya?"
"Yeah, had a bit of a thing for pranking. Me and my friends all did."
ThunderBolt chuckled as he walked over to the door and opened it. Nothing was inside, so the two of them walked in.
"Shit, empty."
"Ain't there a nurse's office 'round here or somethin'?"
"There should be, but I sure don't see one. Maybe, maybe there's a gym around here, has first aid kit in it?"
"Yeah, let's look for that."
Just outside the principal's office was a entrance and a large set of double doors that was barricaded.
"How did we miss this?"
Redline remarked as he walked closer to the doors. There was a large wooden plank in between the door handles, and writing on the door read 'condemned'.
"Well, that's ominous."
"Yeah, but it won't stop me."
"Woah woah woah, what do you think this is, Red? The sign says stay out, man."
Redline gave ThunderBolt an unamused look for a moment, then knocked hard on the door three times. After waiting a few seconds, he nodded to ThunderBolt.
"Satisfied?"
"Whatever, just remember that we don't have any guns."
"No problem, not like I haven't had any close quarters experience before. Ready?"
"Yeah."
"One, two, three."
The two stallions pushed the board out of the way and stepped back, drawing their weapons. After a few seconds of nothing, ThunderBolt nodded to Redline, who threw open the doors. The room was dark, but was surprisingly warm as they stepped inside. ThunderBolt took the flashlight from his coat and shined it around the room. His mouth dropped open when he saw the three pairs of eyes staring back at him.
"Ho..ly..shit."
Shadow Spot opened her eyes, jolting slightly as she was shooken awake. She looked up to see Haywire, the newest addition to their group. He was a younger earth pony stallion, barely even a stallion, with a light blonde mane and white coat. He smiled at her and sat down in the chair across from her.
"You alright there? You sure were shaking."
"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I-I'm fine. B-bad dream I guess."
"Really? Tell me about it."
"No, no, I'm sure you wouldn't wanna here it."
Haywire chuckled and pulled a small, many times folded peice of paper from his sweater and passed it to Shadow Spot. She unfolded it and looked at it, seeing that the word 'psychology' came up a few times.
"What's this?"
"My classes. Manehatten U. So, about this dream."
Shadow Spot smiled and tossed the paper back to the stallion.
"Alright, let's see what'cha got. In the dream, I was running through a real narrow hallway, and it was getting tighter and tighter. There was a voice, and I couldn't figure out who it was, but I could see an outline. Before I could reach them, you woke me up."
"Hm, well, I suppose that this could resemble something...who did the outline look like, anypony you know?"
"It was a mare, that's all."
"Hmm. Outline you say? Was it more of a shadow, like from a light behind them?"
"Yeah, actually. How did you know?"
"Well, when somepony has died, they'll sometimes appear 'in heaven' so to say. I believe that the dream is good, showing how the mare is in a good place."
"Huh."
After a long pause of contemplation, both heads turned when the front door opened. It was Angel, justing coming in from checking on Stitch, who was outside at the front gate.
"Still alive and well?"
"Well, he's alive. Seems he's developing more and more of a cold."
"No doubt, he's been out there almost every day for more than ten hours each time. Does he have a fire going or anything?"
"It was just embers when I came in."
"Boy's gonna freeze himself to death out there. Why do we need a guard anyway? The gate was here when we arrived, I'm sure it'll stay here for a while."
"Believe me, I feel the same."
Angel pulled up one of the kitchen chairs and sat down between the other two ponies, shivering as she pulled her scarf up around her. Shadow Spot smiled and stood up, looking at Angel.
"Here, get closer to the fire, I'm gonna see if I can get in contact with the others."
Angel smiled as she graciously took the chair, and Shadow Spot could faintly hear a conversation starting as she ascended the stairs. One of the rooms used to be an office, and had since been turned into a comms room. Slipping on the headset, Shadow Spot took a seat behind the various equipment.
"Does anyone read me, repeat, does anyone read me."
After a few moments of silence, Shadow Spot sigjed and tried again.
"This is Shadow Spot from the manor, does anypony read me, hello?"
When no response came again, Shadow Spot leaned back in the chair and sighed, covering her mouth. She let out a frustrated gasp, and threw the headset down beside the equipment.
"We'd collected a lot before the winter came, it's gotten us this far at least."
The unicorn mare sat down in the small wooden chair across from the couch ThunderBolt and Redline were sitting on. ThunderBolt was slightly tense, keeping his wing draped slightly over his weapon as he tried to get a read on the mare. Her mane was white with small streaks of various other colors throughout, atop a magenta coat. Redline took a short moment to eye the two younger ponies in the room. The pegasus stallion, or possibly still a colt, had a greyish mane, and a yellow coat. The obviously still a filly unicorn however looked remarkably similar to the mare across from him, but with a black mane instead of a white one.
"We've, well, we've been through a lot to say the least. Oh, how rude of me, we haven't even exchanged greetings. My name is Summer Bloom...It's a pleasure to see some friendly faces."
"I'm ThunderBolt, this is Redline, it's good to meet you."
"Well, I can only imagine how much you two have been through, what with this weather."
"Well, we are on a bit of a mission."
"Oh? What's that? If you don't mind me asking of course."
ThunderBolt reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. He straightened it out as best he could before passing it to Summer Bloom. It had boxes to be checked off, beside them were various prescription names in a variety of different hoofwriting.
"This is quite some list, you're obviously not alone?"
"We have a group, back about five miles."
"Five miles, oh my. You two must be incredibly tired."
"Well, this was as far out as we planned to go, so we still have enough to get us back, right Red?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Redline very seldom looked at the other two. He kept his gaze between the two younger ponies and the various objects around the gym.
"Is there, something I can help you with, sir?"
"Them, they just barely kids. Your kids?"
"Yes, technically."
"Technically?"
Summer Bloom looked over at her children longingly as they prepared tea.
"The boy, Dawnhoof, he's his fathers. Had him a year or so before we were met and married. But her, she's mine."
"So, if it ain't too sensitive a subject.."
Before Redline could finish the sentence, the mare adjusted herself in the chair and sighed.
"What was the door like to get in here?"
"There was a plank in the handles, but that's it."
"Well, it's been four days. He went out on a supply run, promising he'd be back. You haven't happened to see him, have you?"
"I don't think so."
"Yeah, we haven't really come across too many others, and it's pretty hard to see out there anyways."
Summer Bloom simply nodded as the two younger ponies placed a tray on the table and scampered away. Redline looked around, nudging ThunderBolt and nodding to him.
"Um, if you could excuse us, just for a moment."
"Sure, sure."
The two stallions stood up and walked over to the now propped open door.
"What is it?"
"We gotta go. We still have to get back before sundown, and there could be anything out there that we missed."
"Well we can't just leave them here. Don't know if you picked up on it, I kinda failed to mention what was written on the door."
"Yeah, well, that ain't our problem."
"So you're gonna leave them here to die?"
"We don't have enough resources to keep them. I would want to, but this ain't like months ago, when we had plenty. Lootin's gettin' hard enough as is, and unless they can help, they can't stay with us."
ThunderBolt sighed as he looked over at the trio of ponies across the gym, then looked back to Redline.
"Alright. I'll try to get a read on how they're stocked and what they can do. But I got a job for you."
"What's that?"
"Go out and scavenge with the boy, see what he can do. Get him a weapon, see if you can at least scope out a hospital or something. And remember, keep an eye out for the husband. I'll ask for a picture, and give it to you before you leave. We find him, we restore a family. Maybe a little good karma will come our way."
"Well, I'd say that's a wrap."
"No shit, and about damn time. Let's just hope the journey home goes a little smoother."
Stone Temple moved her hat a little further down on her head and nodded to StarFire before kicking the door open. Immediately, she regretted the decision when a shooting pain went up her leg, knocking her to the ground slightly. She had forgotten that she had broken that leg during the escape from the mini-mall, and it apparently hadn't fully healed yet.
"Shit, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I just need to stop kicking things apparently."
"Can you walk?"
"Yeah, let's try to move slow, I don't know how fast I can go."
StarFire put a hoof around her sister's neck and helped her walk back toward the house. The wind had picked up, and was affecting visibility just enough to make the journey home harder. They only came across two zombies, but when they got to the front gate, they saw that Stitch was slowly taking out a group that had gathered around it. StarFire dropped her hoof from around Stone Temple and helped finish off the last few.
"Stitch? Everything alright?"
"Yes, is fine. Good that you are back, but we may have problem."
"What's that?"
"Door opens toward you, you're going to have to move bodies."
"Shit, couldn't be easy, huh? Alright, let's do it. Think you can help, sis?"
"Probably. I really hope Red and Bolt find some damn painkillers."
As they moved the bodies, StarFire swore she heard something over the growing storm. She drew the hatchet, and as she rolled a corpse over, the one under it sprang to life, almost biting her before she drove the weapon in the top of it's head. Stone Temple and Stitch both heard the fight, and since the gate could now be opened, both came over.
"How was he not dead, I stabbed him!"
"What are you using?"
Stitch held out the small screwdriver that he was using. StarFire took it, and after looking it over, pocketed it.
"You're gonna need to find something longer, I don't think you killed it."
"Good to know, I will check around for another. Let's go, she looks wounded."
"I'm fine, just opening an old wound really."
"Go in, get her to Angel, see if she has meds."
"You're staying out here?"
"Of course, we need watch."
"You're gonna freeze to death! The wall will keep them out, come inside, at least for a little while."
Stitch looked around, through the gate and into the snowy city.
"Proklyat'ye...fine."
Dawnhoof stopped, perched on a slippery edge, and looked through the blinding white.
"Look there."
Redline squinted and looked over at where the colt was pointing. There was a large, one-level building about a quarter of a mile down the road. Though portions of it were whited out, both ponies could understand that it was a hospital.
"This is a very good thing, medical supplies are always in high demand now."
"Sure are. How's about we mark this as a future loot run?"
"Yes, we should. However, we must go, as night will be here soon."
Dawnhoof turned and started walking back toward the school.
"So kid, tell me about yourself. That school the one ya went to?"
"No, no, mother homeschooled us."
"Oh. Well, what was that like?"
"Just about as much good as anything else. Mother does have her degree of course, and I don't mind the environment. 'Drowning myself in books' as sister always says. What about you, where did you aquire your education?"
"Well, I kinda went straight to work after a few years in school. Had some pretty good connections."
"Ah, I see. Father had a good friend who did the same. It did seem to work quite well for him."
"Gotta say, you're kinda talking all, well, fancier'n me. You pick that up yourself?"
"Yes, why?"
"I didn't really get that from your mother."
"Well, you wouldn't have. I'm well aware of my parental situation, and even if she is quite different than father and myself, I love her the same."
"You a lot like yer father?"
"Spitting image, so I've been told. Always have been. Took after his mannerisms at an early age, took a firm hold of his intellect, and even happened upon his love of foreign literature."
"Wow, he sounds like quite the interesting stallion."
"Quite so. Not much of a free spirit though, quite introverted truly."
"Well, comes with loving foreign literature I suppose."
Redline chuckled, and a bit to his surprise, so did DawnHoof. As they reached the door of the school, they, they could hear a slight commotion from inside. Redline quickly drew his weapon and ran inside. As he reached the doorway, DawnHoof shined his flashlignt in the room, and both gasped. Summer Bloom and her daughter were in the corner, cowering in fear. ThunderBolt was strattling a zombie, multiple others on the ground around him, continuously stabbing his target with decreasing speed. After one final stab, ThunderBolt looked up, blood coating a good amount of his body. He could only mutter a few exasperated words before collapsing to the ground.
As Windy Nights approached the sign, she struggled to read it's entirety through the snow and various rust patches.
"Marina. I'm at the water."
She turned and took one more looked at what she could see of the city. The few infected nearby were growing closer, so Windy Nights took in a deep, cold breath, and headed onto one of the docks. Of the boats that remained, many were frozen in their places.
"Hope somepony else is being as smart as I am. I really hope it's the old group."
Reaching the farthest extension of the wooden docks, Windy Nights put a hoof gently on the ice. She struggled slightly to keep herself stable as she made her way across the frozen waters. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that her idea was valid, as the zombies were having an even more difficult time traversing the ice than she was.
"Good, I was right to do this then."
Windy Nights pulled the strap of her bag higher onto her shoulder and continued forward. After roughly half an hour of walking, a faded, snow-blinded outline of a building came into view.
"There, there it is."
After making her way to one of the cylindrical supports, Windy Nights placed a hoof on the rusty ladder. She looked up quickly, and started ascending the ladder. Once she reached the top, she looked around.
"Shit."
She drew the rifle she had most available, the silenced Scar-H on the strap at her side, and took down the two zombies in front of her. As she aimed at the third, she saw a machete swing into it's head. A pony dressed in full winter gear stepped out from around the corner and sheathed the machete, drawing a pistol and aiming it at her.
"Hey, I'm friendly!"
"Put your weapon down, and walk over here slowly."
The strong, commanding voice from the stallion was able to instill a small amount of fear into Windy Night's heart, and she followed the command. After reaching the stallion, she was pushed into the nearby doorway, and she fell onto the floor, her bag and gun falling at her side. She looked up to the the stallion aiming his pistol at her, along with another stallion and a mare.
"Name, occupation, reason for being here. 15 seconds starting now."
"I-I'm lieutenant Windy Nights, I'm just here to find shelter for the winter, I don't mean any harm."
The stallion pulled his hood off, reavealing long brown locks and five o'clock shadow around his army green face.
"Get up, kick the gun over, and step away from the bag."
Once again, Windy Nights followed the commands. After the stallion made a whistling sound and a motion to one of the mares, she ran over and picked the bag up and set it on the table.
"Alright, now just listen. We don't want to hurt you, we're just a little on edge, as you can surely imagine."
"It's ok."
The stallion nodded, and slowly lowered his pistol, signalling to the others to lower their guns.
"I'm Broken Earth. She's FireWind, he's Pendulum, and Voodoo should be around here somewhere. As long as you don't cause trouble, you should be fine to stay here for the winter."
"Keep running! They're right behind us!"
"I'm re-loaded!"
A grey coated pegasus mare shouted, turning to fire multiple rounds from her sub-machine gun into the crowd of ponies chasing them. A few fell, and the mare turned and continued running, next to her earthpony friend. She looked at the intersection ahead, spotting a few zombies and an alley way past it.
"Alleyway, twelve o'clock!"
"Walls?"
"Yeah!"
The two mares ran past the infected in the intersection, and stopped at the three walls before them. They turned to each other and nodded simultaneously before the pegasus took off and flew to the top of the building. The earth pony took in a deep breath and backed up slightly.
"Legs don't fail me now."
The mare ran at the right wall, jumping and placing one of her rear hooves on it. She pushed off the wall with it and jumped to the middle wall, throwing herself onto an awning. The fabric ripped, causing her to drop through. Luckily, she threw a hoof around the metal frame, hearing it groan as it bent under her weight. The crowd of zombies converged below her, just inches away from her dangling hooves.
"You alright!?"
"Yeah!"
The purple coated mare ran a hoof through her black and green mane, before putting it on the frame. She exhaled heavily, looking down at the hungry crowd.
"Here!"
The mare from above tossed a small green object down to her. She raised a hoof and caught it, the metal creaking more from her sudden weight shift. As she put the object in her mouth, she used her hooves to pull herself onto the frame. She pulled the objects pin and threw it into the crowd, jumping off the metal and onto the roof as she did. Her and the other mare now on the roof, they started running off in the direction they were headed, hearing the loud explosion behind them. Having to jump across alleyways to other buildings, they eventually made their way to a large church-like building. There were several planks of wood leading up to a tower that jutted out of the building, where the mares jumped through. They flopped onto the ground, exhausted from their physical exertion, and panted.
"Ah, well. How was your first time out High Road?"
The grey mare chuckled, looking towards her friend. The other mare smiled and shook her head.
"Oh, just peachy."
"Ah, I'm just joking around. It gets easier once you know what you're doing."
"I hope so. I don't know if I'm cut out for this shit though."
"Well, I thought I'd give you a shot. Better to have you out with me than somepony like Wind Up."
"I hear ya there."
The two mares smiled at each other before dropping down the hatch into the main part of the building. The three ponies inside the building looked up at them, and a stallion walked over while the others continued what they were doing. The stallion was a tall, pale coated, brown maned earth pony. His military garments were decorated with different ribbons and medals, signifying a high rank.
"Status report second lieutenant Windy Nights?"
"Found another gun, some canned goods, and a jug of water Command Chain"
The grey mare stated, pulling the objects out of her backpack and placing them on the table beside her. The stallion nodded and looked at High Road.
"And you?"
High Road blew a puff of air out, taking off her backpack and placing it on the ground.
"I got a few cans of food, some bottled water, and this."
High Road pulled out a small metal box and passed it to the stallion. He took in in his left front hoof and examined it.
"What is it?"
"We're not sure."
Windy nights answered, walking closer. She ran a hoof through her white mane before taking the box.
"We found it lying on the ground outside of the convenience stores we got most of this stuff from. There's a lock on it, so I feel like it just might be important."
"Hmm. Get Firestarter on it, I'm almost certain he can get it open."
"On it, general."
Windy Nights stated, putting a hoof to her forehead. The stallion mirrored her and they saluted concurrently. Windy Nights ran off and up a set of stairs, approaching a small door with the window covered up. She knocked twice before heaving a sigh.
"Who is it?"
"It's Windy Nights, I got something for you."
"Come in."
Windy Nights followed the stallions command and opened the door. The room she found herself in was full of different types of gadgets and gizmos, most non-functional. She walked towards the main desk, which held a vast array of computer screens, and placed the box on it. A small orange unicorn with a dark blue mane turned in his chair to look at it.
"Hmm, locked box eh?"
"Yeah, and I also got you these for if you can get it open for me."
Windy Nights smiled and pulled a small box of brownies from her backpack. She waved them in front of Firestarter and watched him frown. As he turned back to his computer, he sighed and rolled his eyes.
"The fact that you taunt me with my addiction is saddening. I hope you're disappointed in yourself."
"I don't have to be."
"Whatever. You have an undeniable knack for getting what you want. I like that, honestly. Gets on my nerves when you use it against me, but I digress."
Firestarter tapped a few buttons on the computers keyboard, turning on a light and a machine behind him. He sighed as he stood up and took the box on his magic.
"I'll have it cracked open in a jiff."
He placed the box on the center of the machines stage, and hit a button on the side. The machine started firing a beam of plasma close to the box, and he inched it closer until it cut through the lock. After shutting the machine down, he levitated the box to Windy Nights and smiled.
"There you are, it's open."
"Thanks, but was the plasma cutter really nessacery?"
"What?"
Windy Nights turned to the desk, where Firestarter had opened the box of brownies and taken a bite of one.
"You really are addicted to those aren't you?"
"And I praise you for keeping me supplied. Now get out, the job is done."
Firestarter ordered, turning back to the computer screens. Windy Nights rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, the box in her right wing.
"I got it open! Or, rather, he got it it open!"
Windy Nights shouted as she walked back doen the rusty metal staircase. Command Chain and High Road gathered around the table she placed the box on and waited for her to open it.
"Just, be ready to shoot in case somethin's about to jump out at me, alright?"
Command Chain nodded and confidently pulled his revolver out, aiming it at the box. High Road nervously went on the opposite side, but out of the line of fire, and aimed her pistol at the box.
"Alright, three, two, one."
On one, Windy Nights threw the top of the box off and jumped back, drawing her submachine gun. When nothing jumped out, Windy Nights looked at Command Chain and nodded, him mirroring her once more. They approached the box and looked inside. All they saw were assorted crummy magazines.
"Ah for fucks sake."
Windy Nights groaned, closing the lid. She walked and flopped herself down on a chair, putting her wing against her head.
"For once can we find something that we have to open that doesn't have stupid magazines or smut? Or at least can we get a good magazine?"
"I guess those are the type of ponies that were around here."
"Great."
Windy Nights scoffed, rolling her eyes. High Road chuckled a bit and walked closer.
"You know, I actually have something interesting that I found too."
"And you're just saying this now?"
"Easy now general. What'cha got?"
"Well.."
High Road started, pushing a hoof into her saddlebag. After a few seconds of blinding fumbling around, she pulled a small wooden box out and set it on the table. This one was different though, in more ways than material. It was completely seamless. The only part on it that wasn't perfectly smooth were certain parts of the grain.
"It's hollow, I know that, and there's something hard inside. I shook it around when I couldn't find an opening, and I was hearing something rolling around. I still can't find an opening, so I figure we can just break an end open?"
"On it."
Windy Nights smiled and pulled the hatchet from the holster on her right rear leg. She closed one eye and raised the hatchet, eying up her target. Aiming for the right side of the box, she swung, hearing the axe tear through the wood and into the table.
"Awesome!"
High Road giggled as she gazed at the splinters and wood chips surrounding the box.
"What in the hell is going in here?"
A tall, white coated, turquoise maned unicorn asked as he walked over and stood before the group.
"Nothing Wind Up, just some stuff we found."
"Well please try to keep it down! I had just got mother back to bed, and you all know how hard it is to get her to bed with her condition!"
"Son, just go back to your mother, I'll be over in a second."
Command Chain walked over and put a hoof on his sons shoulder. Wind Up nodded to him and trotted back to the other side of the building. Command Chain sighed and turned back to the mares around the table.
"Just try to keep it quiet. Get help from Firestarter or Stone Temple if need be. I need to attend to my wife."
"Got it sir. Could you by chance send Stone Temple over?"
"I'll see if I can find her, she always seems to be running off."
Command Chain trotted off in the same direction his son had, but walked past the gurney that bore his wife and to a staircase. He stopped halfway up and looked at the figures pressed up against the front doors. The red that had been smeared across the glass had caked, creating only a small amount of space to see the faces that snarled and snapped at them. His greatest worry was that those barricades would fail. He shook off the bad feelings he had and walked up the rest of the stairs. The stairs turned into a catwalk that ran perpendicular to the stairs, and led to a ladder. Command Chain quickly scaled the ladder and got to the roof.
"Stone Temple? I know you're up here."
A red coated pegasus mare slowly walked out from behind a ventilation shaft and looked at Command Chain. She brushed back her orange mane and smiled.
"Yes?"
"First off, why are you up here?"
"I don't know. Something about the view just really gives me inspiration for...well, anything."
Stone Temple chuckled, looking off at the cityscape and sighed. Command Chain tensed up when she walked over to the edge and laid down.
"Plus it's kinda fun to come up here and look at these little fellas. See that one there? It's one of the only ones that followed me all the way from the west side of town."
"Great, well, when you're done playing zombie petting zoo, High Road and Windy Nights could use your help."
"Great, I'll be right behind ya."
Stone Temple stood up and walked over to the hatch in the roof. Command Chain rolled his eyes and went through the hatch. He had only gotten halfway down the stairs before he saw a red flash fly over to the table on the opposite end of the building. He shook his head and continued down the stairs.
"How is she?"
Command Chain asked when he approached his son, who was leaning on the gurney that held a yellow coated unicorn mare with a turquoise mane.
"Better, but her fever is still high, which worries me. That's one of the first signs of infection."
"What? That's impossible. She hasn't been outside since we established this base."
"I know, but we have no idea what kind of bugs or parasites or vermin may have carried the infection in here."
Command Chain looked at the mares face. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were slowly moving, as if she was speaking.
"Son, does she usually do this?"
"Do what?"
"Command Chain! We have something you'll want to see!"
Windy Nights called from the table. Command Chain sighed and mumbled under his breath.
"Nevermind. I'll be right back."
After nodding to his son, he ran over to the table surrounded by the three mares. He gasped at what he saw.
"Wh...why that's military grade plastic explosives! Why do you suppose they were in that box?"
"Maybe it was somepony's last resort? Doesn't seem like a bad idea."
"I think Temple might be on to something. What if this was somepony's last line of defense but they didn't get to use it? Do you suppose we should consider that our plan now?"
"I don't know High Road. Either way, one of you should take it to Firestarter, he'll keep them locked in a safe place. Is there a detonator?"
"Yep, I got it, and I'll take them to him."
Windy Nights said, whipping her white mane out of the way of her eyes and picking up the explosives. Command Chain watched her run up the stairs and then turned to look at the sunset through a high window.
"You two, you should start getting to bed, lights out is in half an hour."
Windy Nights tossed around in her sleeping bag, and woke up with a small scream. She moved to an upright position and panted for a few moments.
"Why with that dream again?!"
She whispered to herself. It was starting to get to her. She had the same dream every night, where the same zombie cornered her mother in the same way, and...
"I need some air."
Windy Nights stood up, but she only got a few steps away from her sleeping bag before something came back to her. She walked over to the stairs to Firestarters office and mover a board beside them. She reached her wing inside the space and pulled out the plastic explosives she had stashed there after she presented to speak with Firestarter. She quietly crept over to the stairs on the opposite side of the building and climbed the stairs, then the ladder. The trapdoor creaked loudly as she pushed it open, and she tried to close it more quietly. When it was closed, she walked over and laid down near the edge of the roof, the explosives and detonator beside her.
"All of them, I swear I could get all of them."
She skimmed through the crowd, trying to make out any distinct figures in the dark. After about two minutes, her smile faded and she gasped. She saw, right in the middle of the crowd, not moving, the exact zombie from her recurring dream.
"It's....him."
An angry frown spread across her face as she stood up and grabbed the explosives in her wing. She mulled over the thought of throwing it in the crowd and setting it off, but she was torn. It was a decision that she just simply couldn't make. Suddenly, she heard a low growling noise from behind her. When she turned around, she saw a bloodied pony walking towards her. She gasped and dropped the remote detonator before the figure leapt on top of her. She used her wings to block it from her face, but the creature still snapped at her. She looked to her right, seeing the explosives in her wing. In a swift motion, she moved her right wing, shoved the explosive in the zombies mouth, and kicked it over her with her hind legs. She rolled onto her stomach and watched the zombie fall into the crowd below, hitting the ground with a crack. She panted for a moment before hearing another growl behind her. She gasped and went to move back, but a silenced gun went off, and she saw the figure drop. A feeling of relief washed over her when she looked to her left to see Firestarter.
"Thanks."
"Sure. What the hell are you doing up here?"
"I think the more important question is what are they doing up here?"
"We can worry about that later. I see the detonator, where's the explosive package?"
Windy Nights opened her mouth to say something, but no excuse came to her.
"Uhhh."
"Yeah. That's what I thought."
Firestarter sighed. He walked closer to Windy Nights and levitated the detonator close to his face. He adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses and looked at it.
"Hmm. If we get back to the lab without waking anypony, I can get this disarmed. However, you'll have the unfortunate task of telling everyone else what happened if so."
"I guess I could just tell them the truth?"
"It's your flank on the line, not mine."
Firestarter stated as he started walking back to the ladder. Windy Nights quickly followed, and they both and ascended back into the building. Windy Nights very gently closed the hatch, and then started walking back to the main section of the building.
"If you need me, I'll be working on this. And please, don't need me."
Windy Nights rolled her eyes at Firestarters comment and walked back to her bed. She lifted up her blanket with a wing, but turned back to the front doors. She sighed as she walked over and looked through the small clean spots in the glass.
"Ugh, they're relentless. It's sickening."
She frowned and continued looking the hungry, bloody figures. Meanwhile, Firestarter was back in his lab, frantically trying to shut off the bomb.
"C'mon you little red wire. Come on."
He carefully levitated the wire cutters in the device, getting closer to the wire he needed. The moment the blades of the cutters were on either side of the wire, he cut it.
"Wait a minute, that wasn't the red wire."
Firestarter realized aloud, raising his head and looking to the door. He shot out of his seat and burst through the door.
"Get up! Everypony get up now!"
Windy Nights turned around and saw the fear in Firestarters eyes.
"What do you-"
We're the only words Windy Nights could get out before the explosives just outside the door went off, tossing dirt, debris, and furniture all around. The glass of the doors shattered, sending shards carreeming towards all the ponies in the room. A bench that was barricading the door flew over and landed seat down on Windy Nights, covering her fully. The sleeping ponies in the room shot up and looked at the swarm of infected that were now pouring into the room.
"What the hell is going on!?"
Command Chain yelled as he stood up, drawing his revolver. Firestarter ran up the stairs and into his lab. Seconds later, he ran out the side of the room and onto a small platform. Behind him was a lever, and he quickly pulled it before running to the mounted machine gun on the front of the platform.
"Come on then!"
Firestarter shouted before aiming down the sight and firing into the crowd. Stone Temple was standing on top of some stacked boxes and firing into the swarm of infected with her sawn-off shotgun. Wind Up had run over and was standing in front of his bed-ridden mother, but the infected were quickly closing in.
"Son!"
Command Chain ran over and picked up his son, continuing to shoot the zombies around him. The crowd was slowly diminishing, but they were running out of ammunition.
"I'm out!"
"Me too!"
"I'm not!"
Firestarter shouted without ending the stream of bullets. The barrel of the gun was turning a shade of deep yellow, and Firestarter looked at it.
"Damn. This things overheating!"
Stone Temple and Command Chain looked at each other, and Command Chain thought of something.
"To the roof!"
His command was followed instantly by Stone Temple, who flew up and out the hatch To the roof.
"Dad..."
His sons words were weak, and he could hear the sadness in them.
"We have to."
He shot his way through the crowd and up the stairs to the ladder. The zombies were close on his tail, and he put his son down.
"Go up the ladder!"
His son weakly nodded and turned to run up the ladder and onto the roof. Command Chain fired the last five rounds from his revolver into the zombies before him, then ran to the ladder. He stopped at the base and looked at his wife. The zombies were already tearing into her, and she didn't make a sound. He shook off his emotions and walked up the ladder to the roof.
"Alright, what the hell happened?"
"Don't ask me, I was in the middle of a dream where I was on top of a giant cake."
"I was asleep too."
"Alright alright. Where are Firestarter and Windy Nights?"
Command Chains question remained unanswered as he looked at the two ponies in front of of him. They both shrugged and had blank looks on their faces.
"Well, what do we do now dad?"
"I don't know, I guess we wait."
Command Chain put a hoof around his son and sat down against a vent. Stone Temple laid down where she had been before, looking over the edge.
"I guess they'll leave if we create a distraction elsewhere."
Stone Temple whispered. Without warning, she drew her gun and started flying into the night, firing rounds at the zombies. Their attentions now caught, the zombies started shuffling towards the mare in the sky. As they were slowly drawn away, Command Chain and Wind Up ran back downstairs to the main building. Firestarter was just levitating the bench off of Windy Nights, and they both stood up.
"You good?"
"I'm good. Shaken up, but I'm good."
"Mind explaining what the hell hell happened then?"
Firestarter looked at Windy Nights, who sighed and looked at the floor, eyes closed.
"It was me. I did it."
"You...you did this?"
"I didn't mean for it to happen!"
"Explosives were involved! How the fuck, could you not see this coming?!"
"Calm down man, she didn't mean to do it."
"You shut your fucking mouth Firestarter. My wife is dead because of you!"
Windy Nights looked down in shame. She could hear Command Chains heavy breathing.
"I want you both out of here, immediately."
"Both? What did I do?"
"Where's the remote, huh?"
Firestarter looked at his office, then back to the stallion in from of him.
"Immediately."
It had been a few days since the attack on the compound, and all remaining survivors were still shaken. The bodies had been moved outside, and what guns weren't stolen were being handed out to the inexperienced. The place was in shambles. Several ponies were working on the gates, while others were trying to familiarize themselves with the firearms. Many had already left, some scared that another attack was immenent, some simply because they felt it was a good call. At the moment, several ponies were standing by the door, ready to leave, while others were trying to convince them to stay.
"I'm just saying that it's very dangerous out in the world, and you yourself have only just recently healed from your injuries!"
"My injuries have healed just fine, I assure you. It's not a matter of time, it's simply a matter of safety. Danger is everywhere, but seeing as how other, living threats are aware of our location, I've chosen to take me and my wife elsewhere."
The elderly earth pony stallion looked back at his wife, and nodded to them, running a shaky hoof through his greying mane.
"Well, I won't be able to make you stay will I?"
"No siree. I'm willin' to take my chances."
The brown coated stallion rubbed his also greying mustache and looked up at the sky.
"Supposin' there's about six hours of daylight left, we'll stumble upon a place by then."
"Well then Mr. Spark, I suppose if you're sure about this."
"Please, call me Ivory. Mr. Spark was my father."
"Right, sorry. You're sure there isn't any way I could sway you?"
"Nope. Sorry to say it kiddo, but I'm stubborn as a mule most times."
"Well, here, at least take this."
The old colt's laughter stopped when the other colt walked up and held a small pistol out to him.
"Oh no, I-I-I can't take no guns. The miss' don't like them and well, I ain't much for them either."
"Just please, only for an emergency. Just conceal it on you somewhere."
The elderly colt looked at the gun for a moment before sighing and grabbing it. He tucked it gently into the pocket on the side of his jacket and nodded.
"Well, good luck out there."
"Same to you in here. May you all prosper."
As the family walked away and the front gates shut, the remaining colt bowed his head, and a single tear fell.
"So what's the plan then dear?"
"Well, I'm thinking that we head somewhere that we can hunker down in for a while, maybe see if we can't find us another community that'll accept us and isn't in bad blood with another."
"You start to wonder if any of those exist anymore nowadays."
"Well don't you worry your sweet little noggin about those minor indescretions, we'll get the situation figured out."
The walk became silent for the two after the last sentence. It was a good kind of quiet; not awkward, as if something should be said that wasn't, and not boring, as if there was nothing to do. It was more of a peaceful walk through the quiet city. When the two had been walking for about ten minutes, they spotted the mini-mall, which unbeknownst to them housed the ponies who had just attacked their previous home. The blue coated mare put a hoof out in front of her husband to stop him, then pointed it as she spoke.
"That place there looks fortified Ivory, what say we try there?"
"I'm not sure, looks like they got guard posts, better we not disturb them."
"Oh nonsense, I'm sure they're not gonna be shooting at the elderly folks, and we certainly are that, aren't we?"
"Suppose we are."
The two laughed warmly as they walked to the compound. High Road and StarFire were in the towers, and both looked at each other when they heard the laughter. When High Road poked her head up to look at who was outside, she immidiately noticed the old couple, and they noticed her.
"Oh, hello there!"
"Hello."
"Is, is there any chance you have room in there for a couple more? We've no place to go, and my hooves aren't much caring for all this walking about aimlessly."
High Road looked over at StarFire, who shrugged, then picked up her radio.
"I'll go check with Stitch and Red."
High Road nodded as StarFire ran into the building, soon spotting and running over to Stitch.
"Inside in middle of tower duty and running to me? I assume is important."
"Well, we have a couple outside, and we were thinking we should have your OK on them."
"You go back to tower, I will see."
Stitch walked toward the main door, clicking the safety on his SMG to the off position. When he stepped into the gated area, he spotted the couple and walked over to the gate.
"Hello there."
"Oh, hello. You must be the one in charge around here?"
"Well, I guess you could say that, madam."
"We were simply wondering if you had any room for us?"
"Well, you two have certainly picked a good time, we were just celebrating."
"Celebrating? What exactly?"
"Well, just recently we saved a mare we'd been looking for, and aside from that, is dog's birthday."
The two elderly ponies looked at each other and started laughing together, Stitch half-heartedly joining in. Stitch was trying to get a decent read on the two, but his rule of letting in only those who can help would almost be voided due to their age.
"What do you bring with you?"
"Not the fanciest of things, but we bring some books, some sewing kits, and some food and water."
"Just about all we had, haven't much been out searching around."
"Well, I suppose there's only so much you two could do."
"We try our hardest."
The colt said, smiling proudly and pulling his wife closer. Stitch smiled back, and after a few seconds slid open the gate.
"Come on in, make yourselves at home."
The two elderly ponied smiled widely and quickly shuffled into the front gate. When Stitch led them inside, they looked around in admiration.
"Everypony, new arrivals, come say hello!"
Many of the compound's residents were holding drinks, and at the sound of Stitch's call, walked over. Ivory Spark's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of three familiar figures walking over, and started slowly backing up.
"Say, y-you folks don't happen to have a um, what do you call them, a recreational vehicle do you?"
"Um, yes, we have an RV parked out back. How did you know?"
"Uh, we-we'll just be leaving now then. We don't want any trouble. We swear we didn't have anything to do with that bad stallion!"
As Redline got closer, the elderly couple back away further.
"Woah woah woah, you was in that compound that we just rescued our friends from."
"Yes, but we weren't responsible, please sir."
"Don't worry, we were just there for our friend. Besides, you two look like you need a drink anyways."
Redline levitated two glasses of amber liquid to the couple, and after quickly exchanging glances, graciously accepted the alcohol.
"To new members of the community!"
All ponies in the circle raised their respective drinks and drained them after cheering, or some clinking their glasses.
"So, have you all heard the rumors?"
"Which rumors?"
"Well, I'm sure you of all ponies would've heard them, being at the old community."
"Yeah, but there were a lot of rumors, eventually you tune them out to some extent."
"Well, according to the late WheelSmith and the runners before, there were some mighty strange happenings out east. Something dangerous."
"What kind of dangerous?"
Stitch asked the stallion, stepping forward. Ivory Spark looked around at all the questioning faces and cleared his throat.
"W-well, I can't say for certain, all I know is that whenever a group of runners went out that way, most times they didn't come back in the same number. Fewer each time. And these were strong, able young mares and stallions, much like yourselves, armed to the teeth to boot. Eventually, though be it too late, they learned their lesson and stopped goin' out that way. I don't know exactly what's out there, mister, but if it's anything half as bad as they're saying, I sure as shoot don't wanna be here if it happens to come this way."
There was a dead silence as the ponies in the circle exchanged worried glances and expressions of slight panic.
"Alright, alright, listen up. Sure there could be something out there even worse than what we've seen, but there are two factors in our favour. One, it could be heading any direction but towards us, and two, we have a vehicle that can fit all of us! We will flee from the danger if need be, and we will start anew in a place unscavenged, and unriddled by danger."
As Stitch raised his glass as the end of his speech, the faces slowly started smiling, and then slowly raised their glasses with him.
Windy Nights had taken StarFire's place in the left tower, and High Road was still in the right one. At one point, closer to when the dusk started to take over the skies, Oscar came up into the tower, and was now sitting with Windy.
"It's a beautiful night though, shame it has to be ruined by what's happening under it."
Windy Nights sighed as she ran her hoof over the top of Oscar's head and back up to his ears. She looked over through the hatch and saw High Road, sitting down in the tower like herself, but not exactly as awake. Windy Night's chuckled to herself and picked up the walkie talkie.
"Hey there champ, still holding in?"
High Road shook awake, and after looking quickly from side to side, saw Windy Nights waving through the hatch.
"Oh, uh, nothing went wrong, right?"
"Nope, we're all good, just trying to give you a little wake up call."
"Sorry, this tower duty's rough. Ten hours straight up in here without any food, no socialization, it just gets a little boring I guess."
"Well, I think you should maybe go back inside, get somepony else to pick up for you."
"No, I'll stay out here a couple more hours I suppose. Just wish I had some coffee or something, need to kind wake up a little."
After High Road stretched and emitted a short yawn, a deafening crack of thunder boomed overhead, making her visibly jump. Windy Nights turned to Oscar, who she assumed would be whimpering at the loud noise, but he remained perfectly calm.
"I think that did the trick, I'm awake now. How's Oscar doing?"
"He's actually doing perfectly fine. Isn't it weird to be getting a thunderstorm right now? What are we like, four days into August?"
"Sounds about right. Seems kinda weird to be getting a thunderstorm right now then doesn't it?"
"Sort of. We'd get a few of them sometimes, but they don't happen much in the summer. At least it isn't raining too hard."
High Road stuck her head slightly out of the tower at the moment that thunder cracked again, and a heavy rain started falling. Windy Nights tried to hold back her laughter as High Road attempted to shake the water off of her mane.
"Ok, I get it, I'll shut up now."
"No, keep talking, say something about all the zombies suddenly dying."
High Road looked at the laughing mare and shook her head. When Windy Nights calmed down, she heard the faint whimpering of Oscar.
"What is it buddy? You want inside?"
When she reached over and held the door open, the dog quickly stood up and ran through it, into the inner compound.
"What's up with him?"
"Tired maybe. He doesn't exactly hide it if you're responsible for keeping him up."
Inside the compound, most ponies were already asleep, save for Redline, who was standing in the doorway to the motor pool, smoking. Just as he was closing the door behind himself, Oscar slipped through and into the motor pool. The rain soaked his coat immediately, weighing it down to some degree, but he held his head up, staring east. Suddenly, and without warning, he jumped off the step, and darted off into the night. However, he wasn't alone. A young pink pegasus filly had been watching him, despite the rest thinking she was asleep, and followed him. She could fly, her father had taught her, but she didn't like to in the rain. The rain flattened her mane against her face, making it that much harder to coordinate the fast steps she was taking. There was a lot of dodging over and around trash, running past zombies, and sometimes even narrowly avoiding traps as the pursuit carried on. At one point, Bubble Blitz felt her leg snap a tripwire, and ducked down just in time for a strand of wire to go over her head, avoiding her but cutting off a very small portion of her mane. Back at the base, Stitch had just traded shifts with High Road, who was more than happy to go to bed, but noticed ThunderBolt thrashing around in his sleep.
"Bolt?"
No response. It seemed like ThunderBolt was just having a nightmare, but it was incredibly vivid. After a few more seconds, he shot upright with a gasp and looked at High Road.
"Jeez, how long you been there?"
"Not very, bad dream?"
"Boy, that's the light way of saying it was a total shi-"
ThunderBolt cut himself dead short when he turned around and saw the empty cot beside him.
"Wait, wait wait wait, w-where's Bubble Blitz?"
"I don't know, I just got back in here."
"Did either of you in the towers see her?"
"No, we didn't see anything. Wait, have you seen Oscar?"
"I thought he was with Windy!"
"He was, but he came inside. He must've got out somehow, and she followed him."
"Curse her obsession with that dog. Everypony! Everyone up now!"
The bodies in the sleeping area slowly shifted and started moving to look at the pegasus.
"Bolt? What the hell?"
"This is important, so you better all wake the hell up."
Most of the ponies didn't need to wake up any further, as they were very much accustomed to being woken up in the middle of the night. Angel was one of the first to notice the concern on ThunderBolt's face, and after quickly looking around, she soon shared the expression.
"Oh no."
"Everypony, Bubble Blitz is missing!"
"What?!"
"When?"
"I-I don't know, I woke up and she was gone!"
"Hold on, hold on, she couldn't have been gone that long, I'm sure that-"
"You're sure of nothing Angel, no one's sure of anything."
ThunderBolt started toward the motor pool exit, but Redline ran up and turned him around by the shoulder.
"Hang on there, look at the time Bolt, ya can't be going out there. 'Specially not in the middle'a damn storm!"
"Hey, it's my daughter we're talking about. I'll do whatever the hell I need to."
"And what you need to do is calm down. Flipping lids ain't gonna solve nothin'"
"Think for a second Red, what if this was you, huh? You and Angel wanna have foals, don't you? Well what if this was your son or daughter out there, lost and alone, zombies all over the damn place, what would you do, huh?"
"Don't make me have t' say it Bolt."
"Say what? That you wouldn't go and look? That you would sit back and hope that-"
"Look at the world out there Bolt! Face it, neither of them are coming back. They're too defenseless, and it's too dangerous out there. I'm sorry, but you may have to move on."
"Fuck you."
ThunderBolt muttered under his breath, seconds before delivering a hoof to Redline's face that sent him backward. ThunderBolt drew his revolver and counted how many shots he had. He was one bullet short of a full cylinder, but pushed it back into ace and holstered it anyway.
"I'm going out to look. If what you're thinking really is true, then don't ever expect to see me around again."
Faces of shock and disbelief were on the ponies in the room as the door slammed shut, sending the room into an eerie silence.
"Are you alright sweetie?"
"I'm fine. Thunder's just gotta git outta'is head for a while, pwnic sets in and he becomes his own worst enemy."
At the parking lot compound, almost all ponies were safe from the rain inside their tents. All except for one stallion, the one who had tried to convince Ivory Spark and his wife to stay. He hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights, and tonight was certainly no exception. He sighed as he poked his head out of his tent, the rain instantly matting down his mane. He quickly ran over to the guard standing on the wall beside the front doors, a mare that unfortunately had no idea how to shoot.
"Anything happening?"
"Nothing so far."
The mare had to shout over the storm as the wind whipped her windbreaker around her face. She awkwardly holstered the rifle and leaned closer to the other pony.
"Think maybe we should stop with the guard duty?"
"No, we can't let down our guard."
"Come on man, I'm freezing out here!"
"Sorry, you'll just have to stick it out till morning."
The stallion walked away from the wall and back into his tent as the mare watched. She shivered as she looked back outside the compound, staring into the almost pitch black. A red glint catching her eye, she squinted to see through the heavy rainfall.
"What the hell?"
The mare quickly walked down the stairs and over to the heap of scrap car parts currently being used to block the front doors. She pulled open a hood and squeezed through it to the outside. Her rifle safety off, she shakily started walking toward the glint she had seen.
"I anyone out there?"
As her shaky voice rang out into the night, the mare nervously adjuster her rifle. She stepped forward slowly, switching between aiming through her sight and looking around every few seconds.
"Screw this, I'm out."
The mare aimed her gun away and turned to start running back to the compound, but a snap from behind her turned her back around.
"H-hello?"
There were mere seconds of rain being the only sound the mare heard before a figure from the dark leaped out and sank it's teeth into her neck. The scream she let out was enough to wake a few members of the compound that weren't awake already. Those awoken ran outside their tents and looked around, panic ensuing.
"Who was that?"
"I don't know, who was on duty?"
"What happened?"
"Everyone calm down!"
The stallion from before shouted, stopping all conversation.
"It's nothing we can worry ourselves with. Whatever happened, I'm sure we-"
The stallion's speech was interupted by a loud crash at the front doors, followed by the mare stumbling inside. Shocked expressions spread across the ponies watching as the mare fell to her knees, puke up a large amount of bile, and spasm to the floor as she died. Horrified gasps and cries erupted as the survivors watched the mare take her final breaths, the slightly acidic bile pouring out of her mouth. Many shielded their eyes, others couldn't look away. However, one stallion stepped forward, drew his pistol, and shot the dying mare in the head. The stallion had an odd gait as he walked away from the body.
"It has to be done, we can't let or hearts get to our heads."
The rain still poured as ThunderBolt flew around, every glimpse of pink, grey, or blue sending hin down to the ground.
"Alright, think, think, what way would she go? She's following that dog, so where the hell would he go?"
ThunderBolt continued to run down the street, looking all around instead of flying. A flash of grey and blue caught his eye, and he looked at the small tuft of mane that had been cut off by a trap.
"You did go this way. Please just let this be all that happened to you. Now where could you have gone?"
As he looked all around him, ThunderBolt started to panic slightly. He started to spin around as if he was being cornered, aiming his gun loosely at nothing. When he heard a noise from a nearby building, he shot towards it and immediately burst through the door.
"Bubble Blitz!"
He stumbled through the building, some sort of small restaurant, repeatedly shouting the foal's name. As he looked into the back room, a flash of lightning illuminated a small corpse being eaten by a zombie. All hope vanished from ThunderBolt's life at that moment. He stood completely motionless as the zombie began to notice his presense, looking back towards him with a snarl. ThunderBolt snapped back into reality, rage filling him as he drew his revolver and rapidly shot the zombie four times. After the body fell to the floor in it's place, ThunderBolt did the same in his. His revolver dropped to his side as he fell at first to his knees, then with his back against the wall. The tears came quickly as he sat staring at the corpse on the floor, barely visible in the dark. The body was very highly mangled and bloodied, but for ThunderBolt, it was all but confirmed. His daughter was dead. After a few moments of deep crying, ThunderBolt looked at the corpse again.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
ThunderBolt shakily raised his revolver to the side of his head, the barrel of the gun pressed gently against his temple. Seconds away from pulling the trigger, ThunderBolt's ear perked up. He heard barking, from a medium to large dog.
"That dog. Bubble Blitz better still be with that damn dog."
ThunderBolt shot out of the room, out the front door and back into the rainy night. When he heard a few more barks, he sprinted off in the direction he heard the barks coming from. When he ran down an alleyway that led him into an open roundabout with a statue in the middle. Oscar was close to the statue, staring off to the east and barking at odd intervals. When he looked to the left, ThunderBolt saw Bubble Blitz hiding behind a garbage can, watching the dog.
"Bubble Blitz!"
He half-shouted as he ran over to the filly, immediately picking her up and hugging her tightly when he got to her.
"Don't ever run off without me again, OK?"
When he looked at the filly, she nodded to him, then pointed to Oscar. ThunderBolt looked over to the dog and gasped when he saw a figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
"Oscar! Oscar!"
ThunderBolt's cries rang out, but Oscar was unphased by them, and continued to bark until the figure fully emerged from the darkness.