Shane leads us at the front of our little group, having gotten the most information from the previous group to arrive. We’re walking through one of the back alleys of this small town, trying to avoid being out in the open and potentially getting spotted by more walkers than we can take right now.

Looking around, I can tell that things are starting to get overgrown. The cracks in the concrete are starting to sprout weeds, and the fences behind the buildings have vines growing up them. The buildings themselves seem to have a green coating starting to form in random spots.

It’s kinda haunting, seeing how little nature cares for the fact that humanity used to live here. Like we were a blemish it could easily erase if we weren’t able to keep marking ourselves a place in it.

It makes me think back to my past life. I vaguely remember there being a house near my parents. The owner of the home was an old woman who ended up passing away soon after I was born. As a kid, we’d drive by the house every day on the way to school. Every year, the forest around it would take over more and more of it like a gluttonous beast.

Eventually, when a hurricane came through, a thick tree branch fell on the house and collapsed the roof. When I finally started going to college, the forest had completely taken over the house. You couldn’t even see it anymore. You’d never know it was there.

As I’m lost in my thoughts, I see Shane stop at the corner of the building, and peek around the edge. He leans back and nods to us, before speaking in a hushed tone,

“Alright, there’s quite a few of them there. At least two dozen. Everyone’s got a suppressed gun on ‘em, right?”

I nod my head and look at the others, seeing Gerard with a suppressed M16, Amy with her bow and a suppressed 1911, Glen with a suppressed Glock, and Hector with a suppressed M16. Shane leans back against the wall, taking a deep breath, before heading around the corner.

Shane takes the first shot, doming a walker with ease. I’m the next one out, I take my DMR and level it out at the head of a rather large walker, squeezing the trigger and clearing its mind. We keep walking forward in a line, taking shots at each walker as we come closer. As we advance forward, I notice my [Walker Sense] beginning to flare up. I turn my head to the right, looking down an alleyway.

“OH FUCK!”

I yell out to the group as I see a horde of walkers coming from further down the road. They’re all packed together like sardines. As they see us, their awful groans begin to fill the air. Thankfully, they’re a good distance away still. As Shane sees them, he yells back to us,

“This mission’s a bust, let’s go back to the cars!”

We all nod our head in agreement and walk a little further down the street around the edge of the building to our left. As we turn to the left, I immediately feel my [Walker Sense] flaring up again. Coming from the road just to the right of our cars is another horde of equal size.

Quickly, I start looking around. In the alleyway by the shop with the solar panels, I manage to spot a fire escape with its ladder down behind a chain link fence. I quickly call out to the group while taking Amy’s hand,

“Quick, follow me!”

The group quickly follows as I pull Amy behind me, making sure to go just at her speed. When we get to the ladder, Shane, the last one to arrive, pulls the fence shut behind him. I make Amy climb the ladder first and command the others,

“Alright, you guys go up, I’ll keep you covered down here!”

Gerard’s about to contest this, but Shane stops him,

“When you get to the top of the ladder, you’ll cover us!”

Gerard nods his head and rapidly ascends the ladder, reaching the first flight of stairs in a few seconds. Next, Hector starts to climb up the ladder. He’s a bit overweight so it takes him a little longer to reach the top, giving the walkers enough time to reach the fence. Immediately, the fence begins to bow and the walkers closest to the fence begin to unleash disgusting noises as their bodies are crushed by the weight of walkers behind them.

Shane hurries up the ladder as soon as Hector reaches the top. Gerard, Amy, and Hector begin to fire at the horde as the fence crumbles to the ground beneath their feet. I feel my adrenaline pumping as I start to clamber up the ladder. I miss my footing as the horde of walkers slams into the ladder, causing it to bend just enough to make me have to climb at an awkward angle.

*creak*

“Shit shit shit!”

I can hear the hinges at the top of the ladder beginning to give away. Just as I reach the top, a loud snapping noise rings out and the ladder is popped off the hinges. Shane reaches his arm down for me. I know that I don’t have enough time to grab his arm before I fall into the wave of death below me. That’s when I quickly draw my revolver, activating [Dead Eye]. Time starts to slow down, and I can feel my arm beginning to burn as I swing it as fast as I can towards his hand.

I can feel my life flash before my eyes as my mind, which is moving faster than my arm, comprehends the fact that I may just be torn apart here. My hand inches there slowly as a headache begins to tear into my skull. My heartbeat pounds away inside my skull, exacerbating the already excruciating headache.

As I look up at the group, I can see Amy angrily shooting down at the walkers below me, Gerard yelling out towards me, and Hector scrambling to help Shane get me.

As my hand makes contact with Shane’s, and I feel his palm wrap around my own, I’m forced to cut off [Dead Eye] as my nose begins to bleed.

“GRAH!”

Shane shouts out as my weight pulls his chest down into the metal grate below, my feet dangle dangerously close to the horde underneath as Shane struggles to pull me up. Without thinking, I store my revolver in my inventory and reach up with my other hand, using my last bit of strength to pull myself up far enough to reach the platform above. With the combined efforts of Shane, Hector, and I, I finally reach the platform above. Just in time for me to collapse to the ground in exhaustion.

I clutch my shirt taking in ragged breaths as I wipe away the few tears threatening to run down my face. My entire body feels cold as the adrenaline stops pumping through my system, and my hands start shaking. I feel Amy’s hand on my arm as I look up at her.

She leans down and holds me in a hug, which I reciprocate with my shaking hands. She mutters under her breath,

“Thank fucking god…”

Sorrest

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