The Trail

Chapter 1: The Risk

6 AM, May/17/2021

It was already one day since the infection started and almost all of manehatten was destroyed broken cars, blood, and body’s covered the streets and after what we heard on the radio we dint have much time left to stick around. At the time all of us where in our hotel room that we got when we arrived in manehatten.

Cardgames was having a panic attack while the girls were trying to calm her down I was with my little girl and XEN. Me and him where the only ones thinking about what we were going do

"40 Hours Clover, that isn't enough time, what are we going do!?"

XEN said in a nervous tone.

I looked at my daughter her face was filled with fear…I hated seeing her like this.

"We gotta find supplies or at least a way outta here fast." I Suggested

"I know Clover, I know, but how? I mean we can’t just walk outside like we own the place, you seen what the hell is goi-"

I stopped him before he could finish his sentence

"I Know whats going on But, I’m not going to stay here and die without trying to save my family."

XEN looked down, he was feeling ashamed of what he said as he thought it through.

"Wh-Whats our then plan then?" XEN Asked

"Well considering the time being,

We go outside and make it worth it, Find everything we need come back and get the fuck outta manehatten

And the girls, they’ll stay in here, I don't want to see any tragedies happening any time soon."

XEN nodded in agreement

"Alright,

By the time we were done talking Cardgames already had settled down and the three where sitting on the bed

XEN and I went to the girls

I wanted to see if the girls were alright so I asked

“Are all of you ok” ?

“Ya honey….were fine…I just don’t know whats going to happen we don-

XEN interrupted

Clover and I are going to go out…were going to find supplies

Ditzy and Applejack looked at us

Applejack then yelled

“ARE YALL TWO NUTS”!!

“DO YALL KNOW WHATS IN THE HAY IS OUT THERE”!!!

Then Cardgames got into the conversation

“…..You two can’t be serious I mean what if-

I cut her off there and I told XEN

“XEN you talk with Applejack and Cardgames….and I’ll talk with my family”

XEN agreed

I went to the kitchen while he stayed in the living room

I sat down with Ditzy and Kalie and explained the plan to them

"Look Ditzy..…dear I want you to listen to me… I know this seems like a unreasonable idea but after what we heard,if we stay here any longer we are not going to make it"

She placed her hoof on mine and looked at me

"I know…but…I…I just don’t want to lose you….I Don’t know what we’ll do without you…"

"Daddy…"

My attention turned towards my daughter

She started to speak

"You and uncle XEN will be careful right…I don’t want you getting hurt…me and mommy don’t want you to leave…We want you to stay…"

"I know you don’t want me to leave I want to stay too but you want to get outta this place don’t you?"

I said to her

She nodded

"Well the only way is for me and XEN to go out….I promise I’ll come back…me and XEN will be Extra careful just for you,okay?"

She ran up to me and hugged me I hugged her back

I looked up back at Ditzy and she nodded

As much as I didn’t want to let Kalie go I did and went back to XEN

When I came back Applejack was crying on his shoulder

XEN kissed applejack and told her he’ll be right back

He came towards me

So, how they feelin about the idea?

I looked back at my family

Ditzy holding Kalie in her hooves

I look back XEN

"I’m not sure how to answer that actually

You ?"

He looked back at applejack as she wiped her tears off her face

"AJ’s scared…Cardgames is too,

I don’t blame em… this does seem like a suicide mission"

I patted XEN on his back and told him

"We’ve through a lot worse man"

XEN smirked

"Ya….we sure have haven’t we?"

"Indeed."I responded

XEN got back on his hooves

"Alright let’s do this"

I nodded

After that me and XEN departed and starting looking for stuff that could be useful in the hotel room

There was hardly anything but XEN did managed to find some things

He brought back a map, tape, a broomstick, a knife, a Hanger And a lead pipe

I asked

"Where’d you get all this…?"

"From the restroom and kitchen what you find?" He asked

I looked around me….there was nothing I had

He obviously knew my answer and went back to what he was doing

He got the broom and laid it on the counter after that he managed to break off the brush to the broom and tape the knife he found to the end of the stick

He grabbed it and handed it to me

“Here you take this I’ll stick with the pipe”

As soon as I grabbed it I didn't know what to think

Should I have been wondering how he knew how to do that or he was just that creative

He grabbed a greenish bag that he had with him and started putting everything he found inside

As we were getting ready to head off I realized that the hotel we were in was completely vulnerable to an attack by the infected or anypony who came in with the wrong idea

Plus the girls had no kind of defense against anything that came through.

"XEN,Doesn't this place seem a bit insecure ?"

I asked.

"What do mean seems ok to me…?"

I wasin't too sure if he got the concept

"I mean just look there only one Exit one way in one way out, and if anything comes in here what are the girls gonna do ?"

"Hm,you got a point,What do you have in mind?"

he asked me

"Come here I’ll show you"

I called all over the girls over to the living room and told them what I wanted them to do when we left

I specifically told them to barricade to place when we left

I said to put the heavy furniture on the windows like the couch and the bed

On the door I just told them to put the desk and anything you can board up to put it there as well

The girls understood and said they would do it as soon as we left

10 minutes past and we were set to go

But before we left me and XEN went to our wives and shared a moment with them to say goodbye

"So….this is it…were heading out…"

I said to Ditzy,trying to sound as relaxed as I could be.

"Ya….i know…just please…please be careful….Like I said we can’t los-"

I stopped her sentence with a passionate kiss

I broke the kiss and told her

We promise We’ll come back I put that on Kalie’s life

We closed our eyes and leaned are heads on eachother for a moment then I open my eyes to see her tears dropping from her eyes to the red carpet on the floor,I kissed her once more then go to my daughter hugging tightly and then kissing her on the check

Then she told me

"I'll miss you"

"I’ll miss you too..I love you both"

I responded

I turned back towards the living room trying to hold my tears back as I walked back to XEN

When I seen XEN he has green back pack on with his lead pipe attached I seen him wiping tears from his eye’s

"Ok…..le—lets go….we don’t have time to lose"

I nodded,

Cards,XEN and I walked to the door

Cardgames put her hoof on the lock

"You sure you guys wanna do this…?"

she asked in a nervous tone

"This is for ya’ll so course"

XEN Responded quickly,

I nodded in agreement and said

"Whatever gets us outta here faster I’m down for it"

"Ok…whatever you two say"

1….

2…

3! GO!

As soon as she opened the door we ran outside

Once we were out Cardgames closed and locked the door

Me and XEN looked beyond the city..

All we seen was a living hell…

Building collapsing slowly but surely,body’s littered the streets along with the sounds of screams and muffled gunfire in the distance.

XEN started his watch

"32 Hours left…

Let’s get a move on clover.."

As we walked down stairs to the roads crowded with empty carriages and bodies of the unfortunate,

all I could think about is whats going to happen next

If I was going to come back to my wife and daughter

Or I was going to become but a snack to these things

I quickly pushed the thoughts outta my mind and we started walking towards our first destination…the clock was ticking and we didn't have time to waste

To us the countdown to death has just begun .