FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Come on..." Max mumbled. He sat in the driver's seat of a sedan, currently working on hotwiring it. After a few minutes of tapping exposed wire together, the engine finally turned over and roared to life. Max let out a sigh of relief and loaded his gear into the backseat, then shut the door and pulled off. He glanced into the rearview mirror, smirking to himself as he saw several of those undead husks get left in his dust. He eases off of the gas as he reaches more open road, relaxing and taking a breath. Glancing at the fuel gauge, he smiles. There wasn't much gas left, but a little gas was better than no gas at all. Things have been relatively easy for Max. Ever since the world went to hell, he's been on his own. No one to worry about but himself. He preferred it that way, really. But being alone with nobody to talk to but himself was starting to take a toll on him. He reached down and twiddled with the knobs of the radio, but of course, all he got was silence. It didn't hurt to try, though. Max was an optimistic individual, despite all that was happening.

He stops on the highway to get his bearings. He looked around at his surroundings. To his left was the skyline and coastline of Emerald Bay, his home city. To his right was part of downtown Emerald Bay, sprawling suburban hills in the distance. Ahead were the mountains. He sat and thought on things for a while, pondering the choices. He could head uptown. Surely it was chock full of supplies, but he wasn't well equipped to take on the undead that infested it. Or he could head for the suburbs. Less supplies, but that surely meant less undead, and more shelters too. Or he could risk leaving the city with what he had and venturing out into the world. He settled on the suburbs. He starts back down the highway, turning down an exit and speeding off to what he hoped was a safer area.

~Chapter One~

Somewhere on the outskirts of Emerald Bay, a small group of survivors were gathered in an old warehouse. It was small and the warehouse itself was breached, but they settled in the large fenced in courtyard. The fence was fortified, and two watchtowers stood high. On the left tower, a coyote sat on guard. Admittedly, he was quite bored. There wasn't a single walker in sight. He sighs and busies himself with cleaning his rifle. But he stops and snaps to attention when the sound of a vehicle fills his ears. He stands up and looks in the direction of the noise, only to smile.

"Guys, he's back!" he shouted to the group as he jumps off the tower and rushes for the gate. He pulls it open just in time for a truck to pull through. He closes the gates as the blood splattered and dented up black Dodge Ram parked close by. The only occupant, a tall, well built dragon, stepped out. He smirks slightly as he makes his way to the back of the truck.

"Damien," he says to the coyote. "Help me out with these."

Damien nods and picks up a rucksack. He smiles wide when he felt how heavy it was. "Damn, Haze, where'd you find all this?"

Haze responds with a pretty proud smile. "That old military quarantine down at the high school. Seems like nobody thought it was a good place to scavenge."

"Really?" Damien asks, a little surprised. "I figured that place was raided already."

"Yeah, well... There's a reason it was untouched. The whole place was overrun. I barely got out of there alive."

"Shit... " Damien's ears flatten a little. He didn't think things were that bad yet. Only a month and a half in and things already seemed worse than when it all began.

"Heh... Just don't tell Hannah. She'll go ballistic." Haze chuckled softly.

Damien chuckled too. "Your secret is safe with me, man." He grabs another rucksack and slung it over his shoulder, then headed to the storage area to unpack and sort out Haze's gatherings.

As Haze picks up the remaining rucksacks, a female figure rushes him. "Haze!" She squealed happily. She practically leapt into him.

Haze let out a surprised gasp, then laughed softly and caught the petite fox. "Hey, Hannah." He places a soft kiss on her forehead.

"God, I missed you so much. I was so worried..." She looks up into his eyes as he held her, her hands on his chest and her tail gently swishing from side to side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, baby. Just a little worn out." He sits her down and gently caresses her cheek. He and Hannah were practically inseparable. They had met in the first week when the group had formed, and they have been together ever since.

She pulled away a little, her arms draped around his neck. "C'mon, lets go get you cleaned up. You're filthy." She giggles softly and pulls away more, slipping a hand into his. They both head off for their tent.

~~~~

Halfway to the suburbs, Max's sedan ran out of gas. Now, he was walking the rest of the way, his backpack slung over his shoulder. The afternoon sun beat down on him. In no time, he reaches the outer limits of the suburbs. A sign beside the road read: "Welcome to Opal Springs!" in big white letters. After reaching a house, he equips his hunting knife and peeks through a few windows. Noting the coast seemed clear, he went for the front door. The knob turned, but the door seemed blocked. He let out a soft, but frustrated sigh, then looked around at the windows. Before he resorted to just breaking the window, he checks to see if any were locked. There was only one unlocked window, so he slipped it open and crawled through.

The house was a godsent from the heat, sort of. The shade was a blessing, at least. Cautiously, Max stepped through the kitchen and into the living area. The reason for the door being stuck was clear now. It was barricaded shut. But a barricade could mean a survivor, in Max's mind. Although if there were any, they would have been alerted by now. He slid his backpack off and placed it on the loveseat. Gripping his knife, he crept around the rest of the house. Sure enough, it was empty. He slides his knife back into its sheath and gets to work. First, he hit the bedrooms, searching for anything he could use. He finds nothing of use. He then hits the bathrooms, only finding a few painkillers. He heads to the kitchen, finding a small stockpile of canned food. Next, and last, was the garage. Scavenging their, he finds a few scrap parts, a couple of batteries, and a radio.

A radio! What a stroke of luck! It seemed to be intact, too. Maybe now, he could try and reach out to anyone. He immediately switched it on and started fiddling with a tuning knob. Old radios like this were quite picky, so he had to be slow and steady. Finally, the radio crackles softly. He picks up the mic and takes a breath, before saying a simple word.

"Hello?"

To his surprise, a voice frantically responded. "Hello? Hello?!"

~Chapter Two~

Max stayed quiet, reeling from the surprise of the voice. Finally, after two and a half months of total solitude and silence, he heard a living voice. He could hardly believe his luck.

"A-Are you there?" The voice asks.

Max snapped back to attention and spoke into the mic. "Yeah, I'm here."

There was a relieved sigh. "Thank god. I haven't heard anyone on this frequency for ages."

He chuckled. "I haven't heard anyone at all."

"Are you on your own?" The voice asks.

"Mhm. I have been ever since this whole thing started."

"Wow... I can't imagine what it must have been like. I'm with a group."

"A-A group?" Max sputtered out. "Where?"

There was a pause. "How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you aren't gonna just rob us?"

Max's ears flattened. "Why would I rob my only hope of surviving?"

There was another pause, this one longer. It made Max worry. Then... "We're outside of town, in the old packaging warehouse. We have a reinforced fence and a couple of watchtowers. You can't miss it."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you... Thank you so much. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Be careful. The roads near here are pretty jammed." The voice says, then the radio falls silent.

Max scrambled into the living room, packing up all of his belongings. He gives the house one final look, in case he missed anything useful. All he found is a crowbar, which he took without hesitation. A knife was cleaner, but he didn't want to risk getting too close to one of the walkers. Gripping the crowbar tight, he exits the house and sets off for the packaging warehouse.

~~~~

At the warehouse, Gem had bolted from the radio room, frantically searching for Haze. "Where is that dragon?" She huffed as she hurried passed a few other furs. She tracked down his tent and barged in, only to see Haze and Hannah laying on their bed, covered in blankets. They both gasp at the shock of Gem's sudden entrance.

Haze scowls. "What the hell, Gem? Can't you see we're in the middle of-?"

Gem interrupts him. "I made contact."

His anger fades to surprise. "You did what? You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm serious," she put her hands on her hips, her long tail flicking with impatience. "He's on his way as we speak."

"What?!" Hannah exclaimed, sitting up and covering herself. "You just told a complete stranger to come here?!"

"Easy, Hannah..." Haze says to her. "Let's give him a chance. Maybe he won't be like the others." He smiles a little.

Gem smiles as she hears this. Despite all that happened, she always loved giving newcomers a chance.

Hannah huffs. She didn't trust strangers, no matter what. But if Haze thought to give him a chance, she would give him a chance too.

"Thanks for letting me know, Gem." Haze says, pulling Hannah close to him.

"I'll leave you two alone now," Gem turns away quickly, leaving the tent. She let out a short sigh as she hiked back to the radio room. Once she reached it, she gently closes the door and sits back down at the radio. Being the only one in the group that knew how to work it, she was on constant radio duty. In all honesty, she hated it. She would rather be out in the world, gathering supplies and killing walkers. She looked over at the old radio with a short sigh. If she knew Haze was going to keep her crammed in the radio room for hours on end, she would've volunteered to teach the younger survivors MMA and defensive moves. But, she was the only one in the group that knew how to operate a radio like this one, so she was the only option.

Gem is a bit of an oddball. Heck, Gem isn't even her real name. Ever since the group formed, she had insisted on everyone calling her Gem. Nobody dared question her, though. She was a wildcard, and after a little... Incident involving a small opening in the border fence and a couple of walkers, she had proven her capability in combat. The only one that knows everything about her is her mate, Dorian. She sighs heavily. The static from the radio was maddening. With the exception of earlier, she only got dead air on the radio. It drove her crazy, not only because of the noise, but because of the fact everyone else in the city might be dead. She switches off the radio, then heads into the warehouse to raid the kitchen. She was pretty hungry.

~~~~

Max walked for several hours, the sun thankfully sinking below the treeline now. He panted softly as he hiked up the road. The suburbs and skyline of Emerald Bay were long behind him, but the town of Opal Springs was in his sight. He hasn't been this far until now, and if he was correct about his assumption, the packaging warehouse shouldn't be too far. As he walked into the town, the first thing that hit him was the silence. Back in the city, there was always the ambience of distant moans and groans from the dead. He looks around, then spots a gun store. It looked relatively intact. The windows were barred and welded shut, as was the door. Seemed like someone didn't want anyone, or anything, getting in or out.

With a bit of a smirk on his lips, he made his way to it, looking around for some way in. The front was obviously out of the question, so he checks the sides. There was a rusted ladder on the right side, so he tries his luck and ascends it. He let out a relieved sigh as he reached the roof, thankful that the ladder was still sturdy. He takes a moment to scan over the roof, hoping for some kind of entrance. There wasn't one. However, he didn't let this deter him. He retrieves his crowbar from his backpack, then pries away one of the tiles and slips on inside. He carefully landed on the floor of the store, only to come across a sad sight. The store looked empty. The racks and shelves were all barren. But, out of naive hope, he starts to scavenge. He finds empty cans, used shell casings, and empty ammo boxes. He hops over the counter and checks there.

Under the counter, he finds a small safe, which looked intact. He takes his crowbar, then tries to force his way in. He grunts and uses all of his strength, then eventually succeeds. He falls back and the crowbar snapped, the pieces hitting the floor with several loud clangs. He scurried over to the safe and opened it up, smiling wide at what was within. Buried under stacks of money was a .38 caliber revolver, along with a few boxes of .38 caliber rounds. He smiles wide and reaches into the safe, but his blood runs cold and his heart stops as he heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped. He felt the end of a barrel press against the back of his head. A cold male voice is heard behind him.

"Don't move, you little shit."

~Chapter Three~

Max slowly got up to his feet, taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm. He glanced behind him, trying to get a look at the man holding a gun to his head. The man was a boar, fat and smelly. Two months without showering didn't agree with some furs, and he was one of them. He reeked of body odor, beer, and cigarettes. Seemed like he had a hefty stockpile.

"Mind tellin' me what yer doin' in my store, punk?" He growls.

"I... I thought this place was abandoned. I-I need a gun. Please, just let me go." Max stammers out, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Ya need a gun, eh...? Well, I need some stuff too."

"Like what...?" Max asks cautiously.

"Food, weapons, medicine... Clothes..." He sneers. "And someone to keep my bed warm..."

Max's heart rate picked up, the fear in him escalating. "Listen, I've got food and medicine. Just, please let me-"

"Ya so much as make a move fer yer little exit, I'll pop a cap in yer ass. Now why don't you be a dear and turn around... Lemme get a good look at ya..."

He takes a breath, then slowly turns around to face the man.

He smirks, getting himself an eyeful of Max's body. He lowers his Remington a little. "Obedient. Tha's a good thing... Now, why don't ya just hand over yer shit and take off yer-"

Without warning, Max lashed out, taking the man by surprise. He had time to raise his gun, but Max pushed it up towards the ceiling. In the struggle, the boar squeezed the trigger, causing a loud boom to fill the small store. He was bigger than Max. Stronger, too. Max fought with all his strength, but the boar shoved him away. He pumps his shotgun while Max scurries for the safe. He aimed his gun, then fired at Max. Max let out a pained howl as an immense pain courses through his leg. He grabs the revolver from the safe, then brings it up and pulls the hammer back, aiming haphazardly. He squeezes the trigger, and another gunshot filled the store. The boar squeals as the bullet sails through his shoulder. With a furious snarl, Max fires again and again, his shots landing the boar right in the chest. He falls back and collapses. Max struggled to get to his feet, then limped over to the boar, aiming his new weapon right between his eyes and squeezing the trigger one last time. The boar went silent and limp, blood leaking out of the holes that riddled his body.

Whining lightly, Max hobbles into the back room. This was where the boar was hiding out, clearly. Beer cans riddled the floor, as did other pieces of trash. He leans against the wall, keeping himself balanced as he hobbles over to a small crate. Upon reaching it, he opens it and starts to look through it. He finds a roll of bandages hidden among empty ammo boxes and empty chip bags. He slumps down and looks over his leg. The boar had managed to hit him right below the knee. That area was a bloody mess. He starts to tightly wrap up the wound in the bandages he found. Once he finishes, he puts the bandages away in his backpack, as well as his revolver. He scrounges up the boxes of .38 rounds, as well as the remaining boxes of shotgun shells and the Remington the boar used against him, then limps out of the gun store through the rear exit.

~~~~

Night had fallen now. The full moon was high in the sky and stars dotted the inky black sky. Hannah laid on top of a shipping container behind the warehouse, her eyes glittering in the light of the stars. Quietly, Haze had joined her. He laid beside her, his hands behind his head. There was a peaceful silence, which was eventually broken by a sigh from Hannah.

"Have you ever seen so many?" She asks him in a soft voice.

"Nope," He responds. "The light pollution didn't really let me see much."

"Oh. Well... If there's one thing I'm thankful for in all this, it's this. I've never seen the sky this clear." She looks over at him and smiles softly.

He looks back at her, returning the smile. He slides his hand into her hand. "You know, I've been thinking about something."

"And what might that be?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I had a thought. We might not be able to stay here forever. Where would you want to go if we had to move on?"

"Move on? Haze, we can't just move on... We have a great system here." She says with a frown. "We can't abandon this place. It's sturdy, it's safe, and it's large enough for everyone here."

He frowns. "Come on, Hannah, don't be like this... You know I'm trying to look out for the group."

"Well, I think everyone will be happy if we all stay right where we are. We're safe here."

He sighs. "I guess you're right..."

She smiles and wraps her arms around his arm. "Let's just stay here for a while longer, okay?"

"Okay." He smiles a little and looks back up at the sky.

Out at the front gates, Damien was back on watch. He yawns a little as he looks down the road towards Opal Springs. Upon seeing a shadowy figure off in the distance, he squints and aims his rifle. He peered down the scope at the figure, waiting for it to come closer. But after looking at the figure for a while, he lowers his rifle and realizes something. The figure wasn't moving as stiffly as a walker would. So, he hops off of his guard tower and called out for Haze.

Upon hearing Damien's shouts, Haze sat up and looked around, as did Hannah. Haze hopped off of the container, then ran to the front area. "Damien, what is it?"

"I think we've got a live one coming."

"A live one?" Hannah asks. "You think it's the guy Gem told us about earlier today?"

"It could be." Haze shrugs.

"Well, come on, let's go find out." Damien says with a smirk.

"I think I should go." Haze said to him.

"Alright... If he tries something, I'll keep you covered."

Haze nods, then heads to the armory and retrieves his AR15. As Damien climbs back up onto the watchtower, he heads through the gate and makes his way to the hobbling figure cautiously. The figure stops when he approaches. He stopped and smiled a little.

"Hello." Haze said with a polite smile.

"Hi..."

"Are you the one we heard on the radio earlier today?"

He nods slowly. "Name's Max..."

Haze frowns. "Are you alright?"

Max shook his head. "No... Had a bad encounter in town. Got shot. Can you help me?"

He sighs a little. "Of course. Come on." He turns around and leads Max to the warehouse. As they walk in, Hannah stormed up to Max, then held her gun up to his head. "Hannah!"

Max stared at Hannah as she pressed the gun right against his forehead, then he sighed and growled out. "Listen, I already got a gun held to my head today. I don't need you doing it too."

Haze rushed over to Hannah and pulled her away. "Hannah, what the hell is wrong with you?" He growled.

"How do you know we can trust this guy? What if he's with a different group?"

She and Haze went on arguing for a while, ending with Hannah storming away. Haze sighed and approached Max. "Sorry about that. We've had a few bad encounters, and Hannah isn't exactly eager to meet new furs."

"I understand." Max said.

"Here, follow me. Cassidy will get your leg fixed up." He smiles, then sets off for the warehouse, Max following behind him. "While she's fixing you up, I'll try and make a spot for you to sleep."

"Thank you." Max said with a small smile. He was exhausted. A day of walking and getting shot can take the energy out of anyone. He was escorted to the infirmary, where a skunk was waiting. Upon seeing them, she smiled.

"Hello, Haze." She says, her smile fading as she notices Max. "Who's this?"

"This is Max. He's the one we heard on the radio earlier today."

"Ah, okay." Her smile returns. "So what do you need, Max?"

He limps closer. "I got into a fight on the way here." He mutters softly as he motions down to his injured leg.

"Oh dear..." She helps him over to a chair and sits him down in it. She retrieves a small stool and props his leg up on it, then slowly removes the bandages. She gasps softly at what she saw beneath them. Max's leg was torn up by the buckshot from the shell fired at him.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?" Max mutters with a grim smile.

She looks at him and gives him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure it isn't as bad as it looks." She stood up and went to gather up some medical supplies, then starts working on fixing him. She slowly pulls the leg of his pants up, which made him whine a little.

"Alright, now this is gonna hurt a little." She says as she opens up a bottle of peroxide. She then poured it over his injury, which made him gasp and hiss loudly. "Sorry, sorry." She mutters, closing the bottle. She wipes the blood away with a cloth, then leans down and gets a better look at his leg. "Well, the good news is that all of the shrapnel seemed to pass through cleanly." She smiles and starts wrapping his leg up in fresh bandages.

He smiles, relieved. "That's good to hear, then."

Once she finished bandaging up his leg, she stands up and helps him up to his feet. He stumbled a little, but gained his balance. Haze returned, smiling.

"Alright, Max, follow me." He said to him.

Max nods, then waves goodbye to Cassidy and follows Haze out of the infirmary. He escorted him outside and out to a grouping of tents. Soft snores can be heard from within a few of them. He stops in front of one of the tents.

"Okay, here's where you'll be sleeping." He whispered. "Come find me in the morning. I'll get you oriented."

"Thank you for this." Max whispers back with a big smile.

He returned the smile. "Goodnight, Max." With that, Haze turned and left for his own tent.

Max sighs and slowly opened the flap of his tent, then crawled in. He slips off his backpack and lays it down, then slowly lays himself down on the small air mattress in the middle of the tent. He stared up at the roof of his tent, the ambient sounds of the night filling his ears. He wondered how long this would last, but his exhaustion caught up with him, and he was sound asleep in no time.

~Chapter Four~

Morning soon came. The sun shined through the tent, and the noises outside caused Max to stir. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked around the tent. Now that the sun had come up, he could see a small foot locker and a camping lantern next to the mattress he was sitting on. He slowly stood up and exited the tent. He could see a couple of furs going about their businesses. He headed off for the main area, passing by a few furs and giving them a polite smile. He spots Haze nearby, Hannah at his side. Haze smiled as he approached, while Hannah looked away, her head hanging some.

"Hey, Max," She mutters to him. "I'm sorry about last night. We've had some... Incidents."

"It's alright." He says with a small, sheepish smile. "No hard feelings."

Haze smiles more. "See, Hannah? I told you he would forgive you."

She smiles a little. "Well, I should get to my post." She stands up on her tiptoes, then kisses Haze on the cheek. She heads off for the guard towers, a little bit of a spring in her step.

Haze watched her as she left, a little sparkle in his eyes. He turns to Max. "Alright, ready for the grand tour?" He asks with a proud smile.

Max smiles a little more and nods. "Oh yes. Lead the way."

Haze led the way, Max following behind him. "How long have you all been here?"

"A while. Originally, it was just me, Hannah, Gem, and Damien. After we got the radio up and running, more people started to flow in. Hannah didn't think it was a good idea, but I managed to change her mind."

"How'd you manage that? She seems awfully stubborn." Max asks with a soft chuckle.

Haze smirks a little. "I have my ways."

Max chuckles again. Their first stop was the armory, where he was introduced to a grey wolf named Dorian. Dorian greeted Max with a big, welcoming smile. After this, they moved on to the kitchen, where he was properly introduced to Damien. Damien was welcoming and kind as well. Next was the garden, where he met Dale, an elderly fox, and his wife Allie. They were both unsure as to whether or not Max was actually trustworthy enough to be in the group, but they were nice enough. Haze wraps up the tour by leading Max back to the front courtyard.

"Alright, Max," he turns towards him, "Now if you're going to stay, you're going to have to pull your weight."

"Of course. Just tell me what you need me to do." He smiles up at him.

"I'll need you in the storage area. Someone has to keep everything organized." Haze chuckles.

Max frowns. "Storage? Don't you need someone to go out and make runs in and out of town? I can do that."

"Nah. I think you'd be better off with taking inventory." He looks down at him, putting his hand on his shoulder. Max pushes his hand off and storms off. He didn't want a job that involved him being cooped up inside. He wanted to be out in the world, taking the fight to the walkers and exploring.

Haze sighs and heads back to his tent, where Hannah was waiting. "Hey, babe. Did Max like the job you gave him?" She asks.

He shook his head. "I doubt it. But what else would we be able to use him for? He's no good outside in his state."

"I know. But hey, you should let him go out with you. If he gets grabbed, you'll have a chance to get away. He won't be that useful in the long run anyway. Hybrids aren't fertile, so when the time comes for repopulation, we won't need him."

Haze stared at her, shocked by her statement. "Hannah, what the hell is wrong with you? We can't just let him die."

"Bullshit. He's gonna be a thorn in our side. We should've just switched off that fucking radio when we had the chance." She steps closer to him, growling a little. "You're getting soft, Haze. We need to stop trusting strangers and start trusting ourselves."

"What's gotten into you? This isn't like you."

"What's gotten into me? I'll tell you what's gotten into me. I'm thinking about the safety of our group. We can't trust Max. For all we know, his little 'injury' could be a big trick."

"And what do you expect me to do?! Throw him out and let him get killed?!" He shouts angrily.

"Of course I do! You're crazy if you think we can trust anyone but ourselves!"

Haze backs up, staring at his beloved with a shocked expression. "Hannah... This isn't like you. What's going on?"

She takes a few deep breaths, her angry expression melting to a somber one. She looks down at the floor. "Haze, can you seriously expect me to trust a stranger after what that boar did to me?"

He looks down. The memory was all too fresh. "I... I'm sorry, Hannah."

"I need some alone time..."

He nods. "Come find me when you're feeling better..."

"I will, babe... I love you." She steps closer and hugs his waist tightly.

He hugs her back tightly. "I love you too." He kisses her forehead, then pulls away and exits the tent. What she said rang through his thoughts as he wandered around the camp. Maybe she was right. Maybe Max couldn't be trusted. But his morals told him to give him a chance.

Several hours passed. After he finished taking inventory and organizing things in the storage area, Max decided to go and have a look around the camp. He found his way to the radio room, then peeked inside. He saw Gem and Dorian sitting together, minding their business and chatting away. Out of the corner of his eye, Dorian spotted Max. He smiles at him. "Hi there. Max, right?"

He smiles and nods, "Yup. Sorry if I'm interrupting. I just thought I'd have a look around."

"Oh, no, you're fine! Why don't you come in?" Gem looks at him and smiles warmly.

He steps in further and leans on the wall. When Dorian noticed Max's injury, he frowns. "What happened?"

Max's smile fades. "I had a bad encounter on the way here. I got shot by some dick in a gun store." He chuckles a little. "It doesn't hurt that bad anymore, thank god."

Gem smirks a little. "How'd a shorty like you manage to fight him off?" She asks playfully.

"Honestly, I have no clue how I managed it. I have horrible aim. I'm lucky I hit him where I did." He sighs a little.

"Hey, adrenaline can do a lot for someone." Dorian smiles some.

"I suppose so." There was a pause. After a few moments, he decides to change the subject. "So, umm, the radio still works?"

"Oh, yeah." Gem smiles and turns towards it. "Well, kinda. Something must've chewed on the wires last night. Damn rats." She grumbles. "Dorian, do you have any idea how to fix this?"

He looks around at the back, checking on the wires. Strangely, they didn't seemed to be chewed on. Or tampered with in any way, for that matter. "I don't see anything, hun."

"What? What do you mean?" She gets up and looks behind the radio. She frowns. "Well, shit." She steps back and puts her hands on her hips.

"I should get going." Max says softly.

"Alright. Catch ya later." Dorian smiles at him.

"See ya." Gem says, not looking away from the radio.

Max steps out, then heads off to his tent. On the way there, he runs into Hannah. Literally. Max grunts and backs up. "Oh, sorry Hannah..."

"No, it's alright! I should've been paying attention." She brushes off her shirt and looks up at him. "You know, I was thinking about going on a supply run. Wanna tag along?"

He frowns. "I dunno if I can. I won't be much use with my leg..."

"Aw, come on. I won't be of much use either if I don't have a big, strong man by my side." She smirks a little.

This makes him blush a little. "I-I, uhh... I dunno... You have Haze. Ask him."

She pouts some. "Haze and I had an argument. I don't think he'll mind if I went with you. Besides... What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

"Hannah, I don't think-"

He was silenced as Hannah places a finger over his lips, leaning forward a little to show off some of her body. He couldn't help but glance down, but he looked away quickly. He backed up some, then said, "No, Hannah. I can't go. Get Haze or whoever else is available. Just leave me alone."

She huffs and crosses her arms. "Fine." She turns around and walks off, grumbling under her breath, "Fucking coward."

~Chapter Five~

The mid-afternoon sun beat down upon the empty streets and abandoned streets. Normally, this would be a day where families and friends would gather to enjoy the beautiful summer. Now, the only things out in the sun were the dead. One in particular shambled along aimlessly through the street, passing by the corpse of a wolf. He was almost completely stripped of all flesh, dried blood pooled under the body, entrails spilling out of the gaping hole in his abdomen. One unfortunate soul among millions more. The walker shuffles along further, only to stop and face a hardware store. It had heard movement inside. Letting out a dull growl, it ambled towards the store and through the open door. It looked around for a moment, then presses on towards the back of the store as faint whimpers catch its attention. It speeds up, but it was quickly halted when a screwdriver was jammed into its head. It fell to the ground with a thud.

Clutching her now bloodied screwdriver, the otter gave a soft sigh as she frisked the body of the walker she killed. Finding nothing good, she growls and stands up, kicking it in the abdomen out of frustration. She turned and went back towards the back, walking through the door that led to the back storage room. The whimpering was louder now. Hidden behind a few crates was a small sergal, no older than ten. When she notices the otter, she relaxes a little. "D-Did you find anything out there, Katie...?"

Katie sighs and sits down next to her. "Not this time, Isabelle."

Isabelle frowns and snuggles up to her. She hated it when Katie left. She was the only one left that she could call family. After she lost her parents, she was alone. She thought there was no one else left, until Katie came along. They've been with each other ever since she found Isabelle hiding in the closet of her room.

Katie looks down at her and smiles some. "Are you hungry?"

She looks up at her, then nods.

She smiles some more, then grabs her backpack and opens it up. She reaches inside and retrieves a can of peaches. This makes Isabelle smile. She loved peaches. After grabbing her can opener, Katie starts opening up the can while Isabelle watched eagerly. She removes the lid, then fetches a plastic fork for herself and for Isabelle. She took it and stuck it into the can, jamming it into a peach. She pulls it out and puts it in her mouth. The sweet juices caused her tastebuds to erupt. "Mmm..."

Katie smiles as she watches her eat. After a moment, she digs in and sighs. She swallowed her mouthful of peaches, then spoke. "So I was thinking... Maybe we should get out of town. I don't wanna deal with sleeping in a storage room every night."

She giggles. "Where would we go though?"

"Hmm... Maybe to Opal Springs Elementary? Last I saw, it was clear."

"Aww, but I don't wanna go back to school." She crosses her arms and giggles again.

Katie giggles too. "So what do you think? We pack and leave after dark, that way it isn't so hot."

"And the monsters won't see us, right?"

She smiles. "Right."

She looks away and thinks for a while. Then, she looks back up at her. "Alright, I think that's a good idea."

Katie smiles more. "Cool. We'll leave at sundown. Now why don't we just relax until then. I've been running around all day."

~~~~

Night soon fell. The crescent moon rose high in the partly cloudy night sky. Most of the warehouse group was gathered around a small bonfire in the back of the camp. Haze and Hannah were together, Hannah being in his arms. Gem, Dorian, and Cassidy were talking amongst themselves. Dale and his wife were both talking to Damian, and Max was quietly munching on some jerky.

Eventually, Haze spoke up and everyone fell silent. "So, guys, it's been awhile since we all got to just sit down and bond. So, why don't we take a moment to tell each other something about ourselves."

Hannah glances over at Max and smirks a little. "I think Max should start off."

Max stopped. Everyone looked over at him. Haze smiled at him. "That's a good idea, Hannah. Go on, Max. Don't be shy."

He looked around at everyone, then sighs a little and clears his throat. "Well, umm... I like space. And I used to be a bartender... Umm..." He pauses. He wasn't sure if he should go on, but he sighs and continues. "I got arrested for stealing a car once... That's about it..."

Everyone listened as he spoke. When he finished, Hannah spoke up. "Well, I didn't know we had a criminal in the group." She said coldly. Max hung his head.

Dale spoke up, his voice gruff. "Cut him a break, Hannah. We've all done something we regret."

"Dale's right." Gem looks to Max. "Criminal or not, you're still welcome here." She smiles at him. He looks up and smiles back at her.

Cassidy cleared her throat and stood up. "Well, I'll be right back. Gotta take care of some business." She giggles and walks off.

As the group talked, they were oblivious to the looming danger. Walkers were migrating out of town, and a group emerged from the woods across the street from the camp. They wandered closer, eventually pushing through the gates. Someone had left them unlocked. Cassidy returns and looks to the group, not paying attention to her surroundings. "Hey guys, where'd we put the towels?" She asks. From behind, a pair of cold hands grab her, then a set of sharp teeth sunk into her shoulder. She shrieks loudly, catching everyone's attention. More filed out from the side and two more latched onto Cassidy, dragging her to the ground and tearing into her.

"Oh my god, Cass!" Damien called out. Everyone rose quickly as more of them approached, snarling and ravenous. Haze got up and ran for the tents, Hannah following behind him. After recovering from the shock of watching Cassidy get torn into, Damien got up and ran for the armory, Dale, Gem, and Dorian following him. Max, in a panic, fell back as one big, undead stallion approached. Thinking fast, he looked around him for something he could use as a weapon. He reached for one of the rocks that was used to contain the fire, then grabs it. Right as the walker grabbed him, he rammed the rock into the side of its head, knocking it back. He stands up and takes it to the ground, then starts bashing its head in with the rock, blood spraying all over his front. When it went still, he stopped, panting.

More walkers emerged from the darkness. The ones that grabbed Cassidy had gotten up to join the fray, fresh blood covering their mouths, chests, and hands. One lurched forward as Haze brought an axe down on its head. Another turned around, only to be met by Hannah's sharp knife. From the armory, Damien emerged with his rifle. He raised it and fired, popping the heads off of a couple of walkers. Gem and Dorian appear next, Dale following behind them. He let out an angry howl as he spotted two walkers ripping into his wife. He ran at them, shotgun in hand. He pumps it, then fires at the head of one. Blood and brain matter went flying as its head exploded. He pumps it again, then fires at the other. Gem raised her glock and peppered a couple of walkers, Dorian doing the same with his AR15. Max joins in the fight by bashing in the heads of a couple of stragglers. Silence fell. The invaders were dead, totalling in twenty-five kills.

Everyone just stood in silence, shocked by the events that unfolded. Eventually, Max spoke up, breaking the silence. "Holy shit... How did they get in?"

Haze walked off towards the entrance, only to see the gates wide open. He froze. Everyone had followed behind him. Anger was starting to build up in him.

"Well shit..." Hannah mutters. "How'd they get in? Did they pick the lock?" She giggles awkwardly, her attempt to lighten the mood failing.

"You think this is a joke, Hannah? Those things got in and killed our people, and it's all because of one of you motherfuckers!" He roars and turns to face everyone.

"Haze, calm down..." Gem says. "It was an accident. No one knew this would happen."

He took a few deep breaths, then sighed heavily and growled, "That accident almost got us killed. Hell, it got Cass and Allie killed."

"What're we gonna do now?" Dorian asks, "If that many just... Popped up out of nowhere, then who knows how many more there are. I don't know about you guys, but I think we should relocate."

"And where do you think we should go? Huh?" Haze looked around at the group. They looked around at each other in silence. Haze's question was a tough one. Where could they go?

Max clears his throat, "Well, maybe we can go into town... It's riskier, but at least we won't have to go far to find supplies."

"Oh, what a wonderful idea. Why don't we go to the things that wanna kill us?" Haze glares at Max. "That's a shitty idea and you know it."

"I don't think it's a bad idea," Damien steps in, "Heck, we might be able to find a secure place if we're lucky." He looks over at Max, then back at Haze. "Think about it. It could work."

Haze thought for a moment. After relaxing more, he speaks. "Alright. It's worth a try... But where would we go?"

"Maybe the old elementary school...?" Max suggested. "It has a fence like this place. Plenty of room for us to spread out."

"You know, that's not a bad idea." Dale says. "Hopefully the cafeteria kitchen will be intact."

Haze finally cracked a smile. "Any oppositions?"

No one responded.

"Good. Let's pack up and get going, then..."

~Chapter Six~

"Katie, I'm scared..."

"Shh... They'll pass... Just stay quiet..."

On their way to Opal Springs Elementary, a passing horde took Katie and Isabelle by surprise. Some of the stragglers had spotted them, but Katie took them all down. The duo took shelter in the trunk of a Honda Civic. Isabelle was frightened beyond belief. One of them was scary enough, but a whole group was a nightmare to her. She clung to her companion, her body shivering softly. Their ears were filled with the sounds of the dead as they shuffled on by their hiding place. It took some time, but they all lumbered passed. Isabelle took a few deep breaths as Katie slowly opened the trunk. Seeing that the coast was clear, she hopped out and grabbed her bag, Isabelle following suit.

"Are you okay, Izzy?" Katie asks her in a soft, gentle tone.

She glances up at her, hugging her tail close to her, then nods a little. "I-I remembered the breathing exercises you taught me..."

She smiles softly. "That's good. Come on, we're almost to the school."

"Okay..." She releases her tail, then grabs Katie's hand. Katie squeezed her hand lightly as they resumed their trek. It only took them fifteen minutes to reach their destination. The school had a perimeter fence around most of it, but what they could see behind the fence made them freeze in horror. At the back parking lot, there was a few military tents, a mobile unit, and an abandoned military truck. But that wasn't all. The whole lot was crawling with walkers, and who knows how many more were inside. Isabelle whimpered softly. "Wh-What now, Katie...?"

Katie stared at the crowded parking lot in silence, not registering Isabelle's question. What were they going to do now? Sure, they could just fight their way in, but Isabelle was too vulnerable and weak to take on so many.

"Katie...?"

She snaps out of her thoughts and looks at Isabelle. She crouches down to get to her eye level. "Izzy, listen to me. We might have to fight our way in. Do you remember what I told you to do if something happened to me?"

She whimpers softly, then nods. "I remember."

"Good. We're going to sneak in, okay? If something happens, hide."

"I will. But promise we'll be careful..."

"I promise..." She smiles, then pulls her in and hugs her tight. Isabelle threw her arms around Katie's neck and hugged her tight. She was scared, but she told herself that she had to be brave. After getting back up to her feet, Katie grabbed her screwdriver and led the way towards the school. They reach a clear portion of the fence that was closer to the building. Katie lifted Isabelle over the fence, then scaled the fence herself. She peeked in through a window, then let out a gentle and relieved sigh as she saw the coast was clear. It took a few tries, but she eventually managed to force open the window. Quickly and quietly, the duo crawled through the window and into the classroom.

As Katie slowly shuts the window, Isabelle wanders around the room slowly. Her ears were perked up high, the faint sounds of snarls filled her ears. She takes a deep breath and calms herself. "Katie, I think we're okay. The monsters sound far away..."

"Good. Good..." She mutters softly. "We should stay down-"

Isabelle gasps, her eyes affixed on the windows.

"What? What's the matter?"

"I-I saw lights."

"Lights?" She asks, then looks out the window. Her eyes widened. There were indeed lights. Several pairs. They cut off soon after she saw them. The vague silhouettes of figures and vehicles were seen after the lights died. "Oh my god. Looks like we aren't the only ones that thought coming here was a good idea..." She muttered to herself.

"What do we do...?" Isabelle asks, her voice quivering.

Katie looked around the room, thinking hard. She spots a large cabinet, then ushers Isabelle towards it. Upon opening it up, they saw it had a space just big enough to fit them both in. They climb in and pull the doors shut. "Stay still and don't make a sound..."

"Okay..." Isabelle mumbled.

They both stayed still. A few faint pops are heard somewhere inside the school. Gunshots. Whoever was here had guns. Katie hoped that whoever was here didn't find them. And if they did, she hoped they were friendly. Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the classroom door open. She and Isabelle stayed quiet as the visitors spoke to each other.

"I didn't think this place would be full of walkers." One male voice said.

"Well, this place is empty too. Nice idea to come here." Another male grumbles.

"Oh, for chrissake, will you give him a break?" A female voice hissed.

There was a heavy sigh. "We should set up camp in here. Clear out the rest of the school tomorrow." One male says.

The sound of approaching footsteps are heard, then the closet doors open. Katie lunges out and tackles the one that opened the doors. He went down hard, yelping loudly. She looked down at the face of a hybrid, just around her age. He looked up at her with wide eyes. Before she could make any kind of move, the barrel of a gun presses to her head. "Don't even think about it, hun." The female hissed. Katie slowly looked behind her, only to gaze upon a calico with bright blue hair and a hulking black scaled dragon, who stood by the closet, where Isabelle sat, petrified.