Author note at the end. Enjoy.
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A noise at the bathroom tensed everyone, making them snap towards it. "Quiet!" Lilly ordered, with her and Kenny taking point to reach towards the small room. Immediately, they could hear the growling of a walker. "Shit." Kenny, muttered.
That was enough for Carley to take out the gun she was hiding and pointed at the door, while everyone that was close to that corner, Doug, immediately ran to the other side of the room, eyes wide in fear.
"What do we do?!" He hissed to others, body trembling, while Alex shivered, his foot getting weak all of the sudden. His mind conjuring images of dozens of walkers jumping out of that tiny room, before he shook his head. "Focus." Alex told himself, his voice snapping everyone out of their fear. "Alex." Kenny whispered, glancing at the 19 years old, who was slowly composing himself, before his eyes steeled.
Taking a deep breath, steadying himself. "Okay, we need to handle this carefully," he whispered, his mind racing through potential solutions. "We can't let it out, and we can't risk shooting it. The noise could attract more." He glanced at the windows, everyone following his gaze and gulped.
Lilly nodded, reluctantly, "You got a plan on how we get out of here?"
"No, but I bet he has one." The southern man turned to Alex, who was already in deep thoughts, eyes closed, as if trying to remember something. "Are you kidding me?" Larry hissed, but Kenny stared at him before waiting for Alex.
"You good anything, Alex?" Kenny asked, body tense, but voice firm, trusting him to come up with something. "I think so." He muttered, while being on the floor. "Doug," He called out and the IT guy turned to him from staring outside through the cracks of the boards covering the windows.
"Yes?"
"Before we got here, I think I saw an electronic store across the street. Or maybe TVs?" He unsurely asked, as Doug got back to staring outside, trying to find it before nodding. "Yeah." He whispered.
"What has that got with us getting out of here." Carley calmly asked, turning to him. "Distraction." Kenny realized. "We keep our voice down, wait for Lee and Glen to finish and come back with the pills. Once we're prepared, we can get out of this town."
"Yeah." Alex muttered. "What about the damn thing in the bathroom!" Larry spoke up, glaring at everyone, while a gasp left his throat. A hand in his chest, a muttered fuck from Alex. "Dad!" Lilly walked up to him, eyes filled with worry. "Make him take deep breaths." Alex instructed, while Lilly was doing precisely that.
Kenny wanted to continue with the plan but a shake of head from Alex silenced him. For a minute, everyone stayed quiet, while Larry was slowly lowered to the ground by his daughter, no one moving to help her out.
Once Larry calmed down, Alex took hold of the conversation. "We don't have to take care of it or anything."
"Kenny, you're the strongest of us, can you check if the door is locked from the inside?" He asked the man, who's eyes widened. "What?" He asked, breathless. "Lilly," Alex called her. "You said you were in the military. Can you handle a big knife?" The woman nodded, glancing at the machete in Kenny's hands.
"Alex." Kenny called him with uncertainty, a vice grip on the weapon. "If the door is locked, we can ignore it. But if its not, I need you to be ready to use both of your hands to hold it back for a second while someone kills it."
"Fuck, fine." He muttered, giving the weapon to Lilly very reluctantly, who nodded firmly in return. As Kenny cautiously approached the bathroom door, the group held their breath. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly, and tested the handle. To everyone's relief, it didn't budge.
"It's locked," Kenny whispered, his shoulders sagging with momentary relief.
Alex nodded, his mind already racing to the next step. "Okay, that buys us some time. We need to-"
His words were cut short by the sound of footsteps approaching from the back of the store. Everyone tensed, hands reaching for weapons, until Lee and Glen emerged from the office area.
"We got the pills," Lee announced quietly, holding up a small bottle. His eyes narrowed as he took in the tense atmosphere. "What's going on?"
Lilly quickly filled them in on the walker in the bathroom and the plan to distract the horde outside. Lee nodded grimly, handing the pills to Larry.
As the group huddled to finalize their escape plan, a new sound emerged from the bathroom - a slow, methodical scraping, tensing everyone. "Before it makes a noise and attracts other walkers. We need to get out of here." Lee spoke and everyone nodded, with Glen going to the counter Alex was leaning and supporting him.
"How's the foot?"
"Good, nothing seemed broken." Alex answered and he gulped, looking at his sneakers. He thought running shoes would be better, but instead he went with sneakers that factory workers wear to prevent their feet being broken when something heavy fell on them.
"But that confirms it. Maybe… Possibly…" Alex muttered, getting Glen's attention. "It's not the bite, their main goal is to get their murky thing inside their victim's body. Basically, any parts of their body. Anything gets in, you'll be turned. The only thing unclear is the duration."
As Alex's words about the infection method sank in, a heavy silence fell over the group. The implications were staggering, and for a moment, everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts.
"You know about them?" Lilly asked, as Larry took a pill dryly and gulped it.
Alex nodded, clearer headed than ever at the moment. "I've studied them, at least, as best as I could have." Glen proudly smirked, remembering the Alex before the apocalypse. The same man that had spend a fortune tailing after doctors, before he shook his head.
The scraping sound from the bathroom grew louder, more insistent. The walker inside was becoming increasingly agitated and the gunshots outside were becoming more frequent.
"We need to move. Now." Lee's voice cut through the silence, snapping everyone back to the present danger. Him being the closest to them, Larry pushed him away with a growl, snapping everyone to them, tense. "Get away from us." He spat, standing taller than Lee. "Dad!" Lilly hissed, but her father ignored her.
"Listen," Lee said, his voice low but firm, "we don't have time for this. That walker in there isn't going to stay put forever, and we need to get out of here before it attracts more."
Larry glared at Lee, but Lilly put a hand on her father's arm. "He's right, Dad. We need to work together if we want to survive this."
Kenny stepped forward, machete in hand. "Alright, let's go over the plan one more time. Doug, you said you saw that electronics store. How far is it?"
Doug swallowed nervously. "It's about half a block down. I…" He hesitated before steeling himself. "I can create a distraction if I just have a remote."
"Oh, here." Glen spoke up, giving the guy exactly what he requested. "I found it in the drawer, at the back office." He turned to Lee who looked away guilt.
With Glen, Doug opened the front door just a little to take a look outside, finding the area filled with walkers, but none of them paying attention to the drugstore. In the middle of the street, close to their current hideout, there was also the RV that Alex and others came in.
"Okay." Doug muttered to himself, trying to find the courage to go through while programming the TV remote to turn on the TVs from across the street. With it, they could make enough noise to sneak into the RV and get out.
'Seems easy.' Doug whispered to himself, as he worked, while Glen eyed the slingshot that was just by the caged entrance.
As Doug worked on programming the remote, Glen's eyes remained fixed on Alex's slingshot lying just outside the caged entrance.
"I'm going to get it," Glen turned to Alex, nodding towards the slingshot.
Alex's eyes widened. "Glen, no. It's too dangerous."
"It'll just take a second," Glen insisted. "We might need it."
Before Alex could protest further, Glen was already moving towards the entrance, his movements slow and calculated. The group held their breath as Glen carefully unlatched the door, wincing at the small creak it made.
Meanwhile, Doug's fingers trembled as he finished programming the remote. "It's ready," he announced quietly.
Kenny nodded, taking charge. "Alright, everyone get ready. Lee, you'll lead with the machete. I'll cover our rear. Carley, keep that gun ready, but only use it if absolutely necessary. Doug, Glen, help Alex, Lilly, take care of your dad."
As the group prepared to make their move, a new sound emerged from the bathroom - the distinct click of a lock being manipulated. Everyone froze, eyes wide with horror.
"It's... it's figuring out how to open the door," Alex whispered, his face pale. A flash of memory resurfacing. The walker in the neighborhood that they had found Lee.
The realization hit them all at once - they were out of time. The relative safety of the drugstore was about to be shattered.
"Go, now!" Kenny hissed, abandoning all pretense of stealth.
Doug fumbled with the remote, his hands shaking as he aimed it at the electronics store across the street. With a press of a button, the store's display TVs flickered to life, their cacophony of sounds drawing the attention of nearby walkers.
As the group rushed towards the entrance, the bathroom door burst open. The walker stumbled out, its milky eyes scanning the room before locking onto the fleeing survivors.
"Run!" Lee hissed, machete at the ready.
They spilled out onto the street, the chaos of their exit drawing more walkers despite the TV distraction. Glen, true to his word, snatched up Alex's slingshot as they passed.
Lee took the lead, clearing a path towards the RV with powerful swings of his machete. Kenny brought up the rear, fending off the closest walkers and making sure no one was left behind.
Halfway to the RV, disaster struck. A walker lunged from between two cars, its rotten teeth sinking into Doug's arm. His scream pierced the air, drawing even more undead attention.
"Doug!" Carley cried out, raising her gun.
In the confusion, Larry saw his opportunity. As Lee turned to help Doug after killing one that was after him, Larry shoved him hard from behind. Lee stumbled, nearly falling into the grasp of an approaching walker.
"Dad, no!" Lilly shouted, but it was too late.
Larry scrambled into the RV, the door behind him. The betrayal stunned the group, leaving them exposed in the street.
"Fuck!" Kenny roared, his voice carrying over the growls of the walkers.
The shout drew more undead towards them. Carley, her face a mask of determination, raised her gun and began firing precise headshots, each bullet finding its mark.
"Get to the RV!" she yelled between shots.
Glen, supporting a limping Alex, made a desperate dash for the vehicle. Kenny, seeing them struggle, rushed to help, narrowly avoiding the grasping hands of a walker.
Lee, recovering from Larry's push, swung his machete in a wide arc, decapitating the walker that had been inches from him. He turned to see Doug, pale and shaking, being dragged away by the undead horde.
"We can't help him!" Lilly shouted, grabbing Lee's arm and pulling him towards the RV.
As they reached the vehicle, Kenny pounded on the door. "Open up, you bastard!"
Inside, Larry's face appeared in the window, his expression a mix of fear and defiance. For a moment, it seemed he might leave them all to die.
But Lilly's voice cut through the chaos. "Dad, please! Open the door!"
Something in her tone must have reached him, because the next moment, the door swung open. The group piled in, Kenny immediately pushing past Larry to get to the driver's seat.
Carley was the last to enter, her gun clicking empty as she fired her final round. She slammed the door shut just as walker hands began clawing at the windows.
As Kenny started the engine, the group could only watch in horror as Doug's screams faded, replaced by the sickening sounds of tearing flesh.
The RV lurched forward, plowing through the gathering walkers. As they sped away from the overrun drugstore, the survivors sat in stunned silence, the weight of what had just happened settling over them like a heavy shroud.
The high-pitched ringing in Alex's ears faded, replaced by the rumble of the RV's engine and the panicked breathing of the survivors. His eyes darted around the cramped space, taking in the shell-shocked expressions of his companions. The adrenaline coursing through his veins made everything seem hyper-real, almost dreamlike.
Then his gaze landed on Larry. The man who had the same expression as everyone else.
The eyes filled with disbelieve stared at each face in the RV then back to Larry, the situation slowly sinking to Alex. And before anyone could say anything, something snapped in Alex and came at full attention.
His disbelieved eyes changed, and he finally calmed down. A smile appeared on his face, adrenaline pumping in his blood, a chuckle escaped him, no matter how hard he tried to hold it back.
The fear, the tension, the horror of what they'd just experienced - it all coalesced into a white-hot rage directed at the man who had nearly left them all to die. But it was funny to Alex.
So, he laughed. And laughed maniacally, as Lee approached in concern.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!" Larry spat, cold sweat on his forehead.
In a blur of motion, Alex lunged forward, snatching the machete from Lee's grasp. Before anyone could react, he swung the blade with all his might, aiming for Larry's throat.
The sharp edge connected with a sickening thud, biting deep into Larry's neck. Blood sprayed across the inside of the RV, painting the walls and the stunned faces of the survivors.
Larry's eyes widened in shock and pain, his hands instinctively going to his throat as he slumped to the floor. Gurgling sounds escaped his lips as he struggled to breathe.
"DAD!" Lilly screamed, her voice filled with horror and disbelief. She rushed to her father's side, pressing her hands against the gushing wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.
The RV swerved dangerously as Kenny, startled by the commotion, struggled to keep it on the road. "What the fuck?!" he yelled, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Lee, recovering from the shock, lunged at Alex, tackling him to the floor and wrestling the bloody machete from his grip. "Alex, what have you done?!" he shouted, pinning the younger man down.
Carley and Glen stood frozen, their faces masks of horror as they watched the scene unfold. The RV was filled with chaos - Lilly's anguished cries, Kenny's cursed as he tried to navigate, and the wet, choking sounds coming from Larry.
Alex, pinned beneath Lee, continued to laugh, a manic gleam in his eyes. "He was going to leave us," he gasped between bursts of laughter. "He pushed you, Lee. He would have let us all to die!"
The RV lurched to a stop as Kenny pulled over, unable to drive safely with the mayhem behind him. He turned in his seat, his face pale as he took in the bloody scene and the laughing Alex.
"We need to do something," Carley said, her voice shaking as she looked at Larry's rapidly weakening form. "He's losing too much blood."
Lilly looked up, her face streaked with tears and her father's blood. "Help him!" she pleaded. "Please, someone help him!"
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Author note:
Hello, hope all of you are doing well.
I got a little better and had nothing better to do. So, decided to write one chapter. I... I'm conflicted on this chapter as you've read so far. And honestly, I hope what I'm hinting towards mc's mindset is grasped so far.
But for those who are still in the dark, Alex IS average. He's 19 years old. Someone asked me on the scale of handsomeness, 0 being sloth and 10 being keanu reeves, he's 6, 7 if he dresses up. Regarding personality, mindset, and all, I really hope you guys find it good. Because I'm going for realistic in this first simulation.
Also a reminder, this is a massive crossover, meaning after he accomplishes his missions and finishes the walking dead story, Alex will be simulated in another story. So, for that, give me suggestions on works that are on the same level as the walking dead. meaning, no DC or Marvel, unless, we remove most things. Such as superman, darkseid, thanos, stones, ancient one, anything out of earth is excluded. Examples: Gotham, a city full of crime with a guy borderline on superhuman fighting agaisnt it. Or that one captain america movie that Steve tries to get rid of Hydra and Civil war. I can somehow work in this settings.
Are they a little over the level of Walkign dead? Yes, but I can manage and keep it grounded to logic. If you have suggestions, COMMENT IT HERE.
Someone asked how Alex survived the bite in the previous chapter. I hope this chapter clarified it for you. I'm really bad at describing character appearances, their clothes, and such, such as i don't know what to call a shirt that isnt a shirt. Translation, I don't know fashion. I learned not too long ago the term polo, the shirt with the neck tie place thingy that you can wear casually... I just called it shirt. So the same happened to the sneakers factory workers wear... idk the name. Didn't bother searching since in my head, I was like, they'll understand.
Anyway, dark chapter. I had something else planned before writing this chapter and I guess Alex took over and decided to change my plans. Now, I'm kinda f-ed, since I wanted Doug, as the IT guy, to set up solar panels in the future for electricity... Now, I'm wondering what to do...
Anyway, next chapter, more chaos coming. That's all from me, stay safe.
Author out.
Funniest dark humor you've got here.