Can't believe it's been a month since I last updated this. *sigh* Time goes by so fast. I am really sorry though. Life and stress got in the way I guess.
Episode 20: The Vultures (Part 2)
“Whoa Whoa! Wait! Did you just say your sister?!” Vince growled.
“Well, uh..yes.”
“Don’t tell me she was the psycho in the cat mask!”
“Well, uh..yes. Well technically it’s a fox mask, but…”
“I don’t care what it is. Your sister almost killed us!” he snarled. He grabbed the boy by his hoodie and thrust the gun under his chin. “Give me a reason not to kill you right now!”
“Vince. Please,” I said weakly.
The young man was shaking. He stuttered. “No..pl pl…please. I’m not like her. I just want to…”
“Yeah. Yeah. You just want to help. You starting to sound like a broken record.”
I shook my head. “Vince, let him go.I…I think he’s telling…the truth.”
“I…I…I am sir!”
Vince shot me a look that could kill, but he let the boy go and lowered his weapon. He pointed his finger at him in a threatening manner and the boy began babbling again.
“I apologize for her actions. Sincerely. If I can undo what she did I would, but I can’t. But if there is something I can do to make up for what happened, I’ll do it. Just please,” he begged.
He frowned and looked away. “This better not be a trap or I swear…”
“No, sir. It’s not,” Billy pleaded. “I understand your mistrust, but it’s really not. Lin will tell you. She’s really nice.”
“Nice? Are you sure you got the right Lin?”
I laughed instantly regretting it but I persisted. “So is she ok?”
“Well, she hurt her leg. She was unable to walk when I found her. I ended up carrying her. Got her to safety before the alarms and herd rolled in. She was also pretty out of it, but she remembered your names that’s for sure. Begged me to go find you. Well, that’s after she realized I wasn’t trying to hurt her. She put up a good fight all while cursing at me in Chinese."
Vince rolled his eyes and smirked. “Yep. That’s her.”
I continued. "Where did you take her?”
“I took her to where I stay sometimes. It’s a shipping container like this, but it has a bed and lights. When I left she was resting. It’s safe there,” he said gleefully. “Like I said, I can take you there. We can exit out the other side. Should be all clear on that side.”
“Then you go first then,” Vince scoffed gesturing with the gun.
“Oh..well sure. That was the plan actually. I’ll just open it and we can get going… if that’s ok with everyone. Is that ok with everyone?”
I smiled nodding in agreement with my cohorts. “Yes, Billy. We can go.”
He flashed us a reassuring smile and pulled his mask back over his face. He faced the door taking one last uneasy breath and opened the iron doors. They creaked open with an ominous sound. He peeked his head out and gestured for us to wait.
Vince scoffed. "Another empty container and I don’t see Lin. Looking more like a trap.”
"Have more patience sir. It’s not. We just got to go a little further.”
“Hopefully, not too much further. Thanks to your sister, my patience is wearing thin,” he snarled aiming his gun at the boy’s back. He came right up behind him whispering. “I will not hesitate to shoot you if you’re fucking with us. Remember that.”
Oh, yes, sir. I know, but I’m telling the truth. Honest.”
“Well, I’ll start trusting you when I see Lin and stop calling me sir!”
“Yes, sir. I mean…um… nevermind.”
We did it two more times in a row just like this. To shipping container to shipping container. We took a break after that. Walkers were on the other side. Both me and Vince were also out of breath from our injuries, but this didn’t stop Vince from complaining.
“Hey. Why you got to wear that creepy ass mask?” the ex-con asked looking annoyed as ever.
Billy sighed. “I need to keep up appearances. I’m supposed to be paroling and looking out for stray survivors. Not helping them.“
“You guys do this all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Well, how come I didn’t see you people here last time I came here?”
The young man shrugged. “Depends on when you came and if you were alone. We usually only rob groups, so that might be why. Using our resources and time for a single individual would be a waste. If we were here, we were probably hiding. Hiding and watching.”
“That’s right. ‘We’re watching you’,” he murmured thinking back.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
The walkers moved on and we did our a little run again. He went ahead. We followed. Everyone staying alert. We stopped again waiting for a few of the dead to pass. This time Vince pulled me aside to air out his complaints.
"Do you trust this kid?”
“I don’t know. I’m not exactly the best judge of character lately. I do think he wants to help.”
“Yeah. Help us into a trap!”
“Well, maybe he’s just stupid.”
“I doubt that, but I do question your sanity,” I said trying not to laugh. “Ease on up on him for now.”
This seemed to annoy him rather than satisfy him, but it shut him up for me. Unfortunately, he wasn’t finished with Billy. He walked right up behind him after we crossed again and started badgering him again.
“Well, till the rotters are corral it’s not safe. I also need to see if the coast is clear.”
Vince furrowed his brow. "What you mean by corraling them?”
“Our group has a method of corralling the dead and using them for our benefit. Well, for example, herds can be used for cover and as weapons. We unleash the herd we have here with car alarms when we have trespassers and survivors we can take from.”
“Why am I not surprised.”
Billy shook his head. “Well, we’re almost there. Once we turn this corner, we’ll be reaching my place.”
Vince sighed and clutch his abdomen making a pained face. The boy noticed and lifted his mask. “You alright, sir?”
“I told you…” he paused and his knees buckle. The boy grabbed him holding him up, but this just seemed to agitate him more. He swatted at him as he regained his composure. “Get off of me!”
“Your sister is a real piece of work,” he mumbled.
Billy shook his head. “She’s not that bad. I mean I’m biased, but the others are much worse.”
DJ gulp. “If she’s not so bad I can imagine what the others are like.”
“Trust me. There’s much worse,” he said shaking his head. “Ace for example. Our precious leader. He’s to blame for it all this. Always thinking he’s smarter than everyone. Always quoting Darwinism and survivor of the fittest shit. He’s the reason why my sister is the way she is. Why this group functions the way it does now. If my brother was still here, we wouldn’t be like this.”
“Brother?” I quired.
“Yeah. My older brother. His name was Chris. Things were different when he was around. He kept us together when this all started. We survived without stealing. Without hurting others. My sister found solace in him. The two of them were thick as thieves. Ace was around too, but he was just a part of the group we started out with. I had no idea he would turn us into this. Chris would be horrified to see us this way. One reason I want to help. As much as I can.”
“Well, you’re doing just that. I’m sure he would be proud of you.”
“I guess. Anyway, I think there cleared out on this side. We can go.”
Despite the pain, a question tugged at my mind. I had to ask. The timing seemed right. I bit my lip thinking of a way to word it. Would he even answer it?
“Billy?”
“Yes.”
“It’s one question that’s plaguing my mind, Billy. You wouldn’t happen to know a woman named Jade would you?”
He paused looking uncomfortable but answered with a question. “You know Jade?”
“Yeah. Bald head chick. Wore her own face,” Vince rudely injected. “Yeah, me and his girl had the pleasure of meeting that creepy ass chick.”
“Creepy is one way to describe her. I can’t say that I know her that well though. I sometimes forget she’s a part of this group. I rarely see her and when I do she’s either stopping by to drop off supplies or she’s calling over the walkie talkie with some type of intel. She’s an odd one.”
“Creepy. Odd. Yeah, sounds about right, but she does seem normal compared to you mask-wearing freaks!”
“Vince really?”
Billy chuckled. “I’m sorry, but Jade and normal don’t belong in the same sentence. I can see why you would say that, but she’s far from normal. We wear masks to protect ourselves from retaliation for the terrible crap we do, but with her, it’s a different story. She wants to be seen. She doesn’t really fear anything or anyone. I even think Jade is her real name. Well, that’s what she told us. Just Jade. Nothing more. Nothing less. I don’t even know where she stays most of the time. She likes to go out alone for long periods of time. Scouting and looking for supplies supposedly. I can’t imagine what type of shit she gets up to. Nothing good I’m sure.”
“So does that mean we’re in danger?”
“I hope not. If she didn’t follow you, then you’re probably fine.”
“How about the gas station? We were staying there and when we came back it was trashed! I bet that was her doing!” Vince injected again.
“Yes. Someone even wrote ‘We’re watching you’ on the wall. Know anything about it?”
Billy looked alarmed. “Gas station? I don’t know. Oh, God! Could it?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll look into it, but for now, we should go so you can get back to your people ASAP just in case.”
He peeped his head out again to see if it was safe and back at us. A troubled expression still plastered on his face. He pulled his mask back over it and opened the metal doors wide open. Once he was outside he silently gestured for us to come. He ran and we followed barely keeping up. Then he suddenly disappeared around the corner before any of us could catch up.
"Hey come back,” Vince yelled running after him.
We followed him around the corner. All of us on edge, but we spotted him instantly in front of another shipping container in sort of a clearing. Unlike the other containers, this one was decorated with graffiti and a string of cans surrounded it much like a fence. He turned around and took off his mask.
“Here we are,” he said smiling. He unlocked the container and pulled open the doors. “Come right in.”
“Lin!” DJ exclaimed running over to her.
She looked over at Billy and squinted. “You..uh…Will? No. Um…”
“It’s Billy. Remember? You were pretty out of it. Are you feeling better?”
“I…I think so,” she said. She looked over at us as we gathered around her bed. She then pointed at Billy smiling. “Yeah, that’s right. He saved me. I thought I was going to die.”
“Yeah, we heard,” Vince said shooting Billy a guilty look. “How’s your leg?”
“It hurts a lot. I almost fell over trying to stand.”
Billy sighed. “Well, I’m no doctor, but I think your leg might be broken.”
“We have a doc…”
Lin!“ Vince yelled stopping her.
"A doctor? That’s good. I’m glad actually. You all need medical attention,” Billy said nodding. “I can do what I can here. I have some medical supplies I’ve stashed away.”
He turned his attention solely on Vince and stared at his wound. “You first. You’re not going last too long bleeding like that.”
Vince reluctantly let the man guide him over to a desk and chair nearby. The young man then pulled out medical supplies from its drawers. Bandages, gauze, and a bottle peroxide. He proceeded to treat Vince’s wound.
Vince frowned. “I guess I’m just a bullet magnet.”
Billy laughed and turned his attention to me. “You’re next.”
I came over and stood before him. He politely asked me to lift my shirt and I obliged hesitantly. He looked up at me with a troubled look after studying my chest. From what I could see a large bruise was there spending from my chest to my side. I braced fully expecting he would start poking and prodding it, but he didn’t.
He turned to DJ. “I think you’re the only one who got lucky. Only some scratches and bruises. You’re tough.”
“Thanks,” DJ laughed. He looked away suddenly. Something seemed to be on his mind. “So, Billy. I was wondering. What’s you and your sister’s codenames? Judging from your mask yours dog-related or something? ”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s an Anbu mask from Naruto. Geez, I feel like I’m the only one in this world still alive who watches anime!”
“Sorry. I’m more of a comic book fan.”
“Well, you’re no worse than my group. At least you didn’t laugh at me for stating that fact. Anyway, I would rather not say what my sister’s codename is’, but mine? Mine is pretty demeaning, to be honest. Guess they had the same idea. It’s Runt as in runt of the litter. Shows you how highly they think of me,“ he quipped.
"Why not leave then?”
“I go where my sister goes and I’m not going anywhere without her, so I can’t.”
A static sound then rung out in the metal room and a voice followed it with more static.
“Pick up! Pick up dumbass! Where are you?!”
Lin groaned and pointed to something near her. “You dropped your walkie talkie and that thing hasn’t shut up since you left. Woke me up a couple times.”
“Where are you?”
“Shit! Shit!” he mumbled picking up the device off the floor. The color draining from his face again. He whispered, “It’s my sister.”
“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Where have you been?”
Hanging out. Paroling and staying out the way like you wanted. I forgot my walkie talkie is all.“
"You’re hopeless. Well, did you find anything? Any stragglers?”
“No. All clear.”
“Good. I was sure I counted four, but maybe the last is buried. They’ll reanimate and resurface soon.“
"Yeah.”
“What are you up to?”
“Nothing!”
“Well, I’m…on the way over. To your place. We need to…to talk. Over and out.”
“What?! No, wait! Shit!” he yelled. He looked over at us. Completely pale and panicked. “You have to go. Now! Like right now!”
“I thought you said it was safe here,” Vince said glaring at him.
“I thought it was too. My sister never comes down here. I mean she knows it’s here, but she never visits me!”
“Well, we can’t exactly just go. Lin can’t even walk and this place is huge!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll show you where you can get out safely. I also have a wheelchair outback. It’s sort of raggedy, but it’ll work.”
He opened the back doors quickly and picked Lin up in one swoop. Just as he said, a battered wheelchair sat on the backside of his container. He placed Lin gently in the chair.
DJ spluttered. “But…I mean…can’t you come with us…?
“No. I can’t. I told you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go! Now! We’ll see each other again, but please leave now!”
Next episode takes us back to Audrey, Madison, and the new face we met last time. Should be easier to get done faster since I don't have to build anything.
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