Chereads / The Walking Dead : This Lucky Bastard / Chapter 41 - chapter 39 : Runners

Chapter 41 - chapter 39 : Runners

Calvin left there in his vehicle with Jonathan driving while he and Paul sat behind. He and Vincent had agreed to launch the attack on the other outposts and that he would contact him to define a precise plan.

 "Boss, do you really trust them?" Paul asked Calvin who looked at him with a slightly exhausted expression, his meeting with Vince had really exhausted him mentally.

 Cal: I don't trust these weirdos, but I did trust you to manage things in Lincoln where you were needed. My trust or distrust in them is not important because as I told you, it is not about me but about innocent survivors who suffer the worst abuse for not being born into a certain race . I witnessed some reality at one of their outposts, This apocalypse has awakened the basest human instincts in some people .

 Paul : Did you find the girl?

 "She is in one of the outposts according to the little investigation I carried out, the hôtel outpost." Jonathan at the wheel said proudly and Calvin congratulated him for his work, he had given him the photo of Rebecca for him to find out while Calvin spoke with Vincent and he got the information thanks to a young Hispanic man.

 "What do we do? Shall we go back to my son and your ? " Paul told Calvin who looked at him before sighing, Paul was there and wanted to help so even if he didn't like it, he could find use in him 'cause Paul was the best of his men.

He had extensive military experience and led the military group that wanted to take power by force before Calvin showed them who they were dealing with by massacring more than half of them. Paul was sincerely devoted to Calvin despite his pastis, in his eyes, this young black man, although younger than him, had frightening resources and leadership.

 Cal : We're not going back until this is all over, I promised this kid I'd come back with her sister. We'll find a comfortable place to stay and tonight I'll infiltrate and observe the riddled outposts...

 Paul: Scouting, knowing the terrain on which we are fighting to take advantage of it. I'm glad you're applying what we've taught you...

 "I had good teachers…" Calvin said without showing emotion as he crossed his arms and that made Paul smile.

Jonathan told them he knew a cozy place and he led them out of the city center and they avoided several small hordes of zombies along the way before arriving in a suburb where they found an abandoned villa with a sturdy fence but the gate was half open.

 Paul : Where are we?

 "At home, it's been months since I went to get food and those bastards took me with them by force. (looks at the gate) I'm sure I left my gate closed..." Jonathan said before parking the vehicle.

 Cal : There are definitely people alive or walkers inside, so let's stay vigilant. I go to the front, Jonathan in the middle since you are the weakest and Paul you cover our rear. (gives Jonathan an ice pick) You use this to puncture a walker's skull if we're attacked, guns make too much noise and it's exclusively for fighting humans. Ready ?

 Jonathan: Uh...yeah …

 "Roger…" Paul said and they got into formation before heading back in, taking care to close the gate behind them. Very quickly, they saw a blue Van which, to his surprise, Jonathan recognized as being his ex-wife's vehicle.

Paul examined the vehicle and reported that due to its condition, it had not been used for just a few days. As they got closer to the villa, they suddenly heard faint knocking sounds inside.

 "I have a really bad feeling..." Calvin said seriously as Paul looked at him, they gave each other a meaningful look before pulling out their long daggers and moving forward into a fighting stance, Jonathan wanted to know what it was happening but Paul asked him to be quiet.

Paul had been around Calvin long enough to know that he was a real living danger detector, every time he said he had a bad feeling thanks to his superhuman instinct, there was indeed danger.

 They entered the house and Jonathan wanted to call his ex but Paul seriously asked him to be quiet, they moved a little further when they noticed the large amount of blood that was on the floor near the kitchen and it freaked Jonathan out.

 "KAREN ? Chris ? WHERE ARE YOU ?" he shouted and Paul, completely angry, slammed him against a wall and asked him to shut up when knocking and high-pitched grunts were heard downstairs, in the basement of the villa.

 Cal : Shit !!

 Paul: (whispers) What was that??!!!

 " We'll find out..." Calvin said before heading towards the door of the stairs leading to the basement. There was only darkness and Calvin with his superhuman hearing heard the sounds of slight grunts as well as irregular breathing not to mention the atrocious smell.

Paul wanted to ask something but Calvin who signaled him to be quiet when they heard rapid footsteps towards the stairs and Calvin's instinct went into alert when a dark-haired woman with a cadaverous body rushed towards them uttering high-pitched grunts.

 *WRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHGHH*

 She immediately rushed towards Paul who fell with her, Calvin wanted to control her but Paul told him that he would manage while the woman unleashed herself on him violently while fiercely trying to bite Paul.

With a push of his foot on the woman's stomach, Paul made her pass over him and she got up well before him to attack again but Calvin intervened.

 "KAREN...KAREN STOP, IT'S ME..." Jonathan on the side tried to call out to her in vain when, effortlessly, Calvin grabbed her by the neck before turning around and throwing Karen who flew up to the other end of the large room to fall with great brutality.

 Jonathan : STOP, SHE'S MY EX WIFE !

 "Your ex wife tried to eat my nazi friend, she's not here anymore Jon. I don't know what this thing is but if you tell me that's who you were married then that explains your divorce." Calvin said as he overpowered Jonathan.

 Paul : Boss, I've never seen a walker move like that. They are usually stinky, soft and slow but she is the complete opposite...except for the smell. This bitch is clearly stronger and faster than a regular woman...

 "I saw that, sergeant . I saw that…" Calvin said as they saw the woman get up with one of her legs broken from a compound fracture as they moved forward trying to run despite his broken leg.

Calvin threw his dagger which buried itself in the heart of Karen who ignored the wound by continuing to advance and Calvin looked at Jonathan who understood that his ex partner was a zombie while Paul advanced towards her.

 Karen tried to attack Paul who avoided the grab and bite attempts by tackling her to the ground as she struggled fiercely trying to bite and Calvin came to finish her off with a bullet in her head.

 "Oh no…Karen…" Jonathan collapsed upon seeing this when behind him where the door leading to the basement was, they heard other similar but quieter grunts.

 "Get ready..." Calvin said and they prepared for another zombie like Karen to fight it when their gazes froze looking at the little zombie boy who quickly crawled up the stairs.

 "Chri…Chris…! " Jonathan said recognizing his child, his body was mutilated and he had huge bite marks on him, his death had been horrible.

 Calvin:…

 "Holy shit…" Paul muttered, turning his face away as a tearful Jonathan watched his son crawl towards them, Calvin noticed the shape of his legs and he understood that the little boy had a deformity that during his lifetime prevented him from walking normally .

 "Don't look..." Calvin said to Jonathan as he aimed his silenced rifle at the kid and Jonathan got up to try to grab Calvin's gun shouting that it was his boy and he couldn't watch him kill him.

 Cal: Your son is no longer here Jon, Chris is long gone. If you loved your son then don't let his body amble like that.

 "I have nothing left (Cry) , I have nothing left oh my God…let him bite me, I want to join him...let me join my son (cry) ." Jon said crying and Calvin told him he couldn't let this happen.

He grabbed Jonathan and nodded at Paul who asked the boy to rest in peace by turning his face away slightly before finishing him off with a bullet in his head.

 A slight silence reigned and Jonathan looked at the lifeless corpse of his son. There was neither anger nor sadness in his expression, which became completely blank when he, with clear calm, asked Calvin and Paul to leave him alone to mourn his son for a moment.

Calvin completely respected this wish and asked Paul to follow him outside. After more than 10 minutes outside discussing what had just happened and the first variants they had just seen...

 *BLAM*

 The two were startled by a gunshot upstairs so they immediately went back into the house but didn't find Jonathan downstairs so they went upstairs to find him dead in one of the bedrooms.

He had shot himself in the head with a gun in his hand, a weapon he had certainly stashed in his room.

 "Bury me with my family…" These are the simple words written on the small piece of paper next to his corpse.

Calvin let out a long sigh of exhaustion before sitting on the bed and then lying on his back and closing his eyes, the world had truly become a nightmare.