EXTINCTION EVENT

chapter eighteen: first blood

[ season 1, episode 6; the good man ]

NIGHT 15

Heather and Meghan broke off first to go to their own home, while Alicia and Chris continued on down the street. They entered the darkened abode, quickly greeted by Holly before they continued on to the living room where Katie was. The blue light illuminated her side profile as she worked diligently, packing up one of the boxes Meghan had prepared earlier that day. From a quick glance around the house, it looked bare. Anything that could be of use, from the food in the kitchen to the curtains on the wall, were stripped and packaged up into neat containers.

"Mum?" Meghan spoke up first.

"Good, you're here," Katie responded, barely sending them a glance. "There's only a few boxes left, grab those, then we'll do a final sweep throughout the house."

"So we're leaving tonight?"

"Right now," Katie affirmed, hoisting the box up against her chest before she turned to leave. "With Madison's family."

Meghan and Heather shared a confused look, but nonetheless complied, each grabbing a box and following their mother out to the rental car. Once they'd fit the supplies within the trunk, Meghan turned to Katie once again. "I know the plan was to get the Clarks onboard then ditch, but I didn't think it would be so sudden," Meghan brought up. "What changed?"

"It was like I said," Katie stated. "When the time came, the Guard would have to make a choice; us or them. The time came, and they didn't choose us. It's not safe to stay here anymore." With that, she closed the trunk and went back into the house, leaving Meghan standing stunned by the car.

Meghan made sure to grab her crossbow from where she had left it the other night in the hall closet, keeping it on her person for the final walk-through of what had been their home base during their time in the Safe Zone.

Meghan wasn't the type to be sentimental, especially over someplace she'd only been for less than two weeks. But she supposed things were different, when she was looking at leaving a secure shelter and heading out to face a world of unknown dangers.

She took a breath, bid the house goodbye, and closed the door.

✖  ✖  ✖

Once Katie had finished packing and left her family safely within their car that she'd moved to park in the Clark's drive, she went inside to review their plans with the other heads of household.

On the Tran's kitchen counter, Madison and Travis had already laid out what few weapons they had assembled. For their part, they'd contributed a shotgun and a hammer, which Katie then added to by laying out her own meat cleaver.

Madison frowned at the paltry display. "This is all we have?"

"Couldn't get the tank past TSA," Katie said wryly. At Madison's sharp look, she added, "Heather has a fire axe, and Meghan has her crossbow."

"Are you sure you're okay with them handling those kind of weapons?" Travis questioned, a crease in his brow.

"The crossbow's more useful with Meghan than with me," Katie said. "And I'd rather not leave any of my kids defenseless. We can make do with what we have. Besides, Daniel has the gun he took from Adams, and I'm guessing he's a better shot than any of us."

A brief silence fell over them as they acknowledged her words, and Travis reluctantly bobbed his head in agreement.

At the sound of footsteps thudding up the stairs, they turned to look as Daniel poked his head out, and gestured for them to follow him down.

Katie followed Madison and Travis as they entered the room where Adams was being held in the Tran's basement. Daniel was already there, keeping vigil over their captive.

Pale blue light emanating from the torch on one of the side tables illuminated the sweat beaded on the soldier's clammy skin, though his eyes betrayed his lucidity. They darted across the group, alert and responsive. Unlike earlier, he was well-aware of the danger of the situation he was in.

Daniel began to speak as soon as they entered, updating them on his whereabouts earlier while they packed. "I found the place he spoke of, with the dead inside," he informed them. "It's close to their base. We can use it."

"How can we be sure the dead won't turn on us?" Katie voiced her concerns. She didn't want a repeat of the dorm — especially not with 2,000 of the infected as opposed to a dozen.

"The dead are attracted to noise, movement," he said calmly. "The soldiers will keep them distracted with their guns while we go in another way." Daniel turned to them, half his face hidden in shadow, though Katie didn't miss the way he fingered his gun. "I think he has given us all he can."

Travis seemed to be having the same thought as her, though he came to a vastly different conclusion. "No, we still need him," he protested as Adams let out a muffled noise of alarm.

"He can escape," Daniel stated, gun still in hand. "He can warn the others."

"The soldiers are leaving," Madison tried.

"The soldiers are still here," Daniel corrected. "They have guards."

"We could leave him," Katie compromised. "Keep him tied up, gagged. The soldiers are pulling out anyway, they won't find him."

"With no way out, no food, no water?" Travis asked incredulously. "We might as well sign his death warrant."

"We let him go, we sign ours," she insisted.

Daniel interjected. "Leaving him here would be foolish. We take care of it now, so it doesn't come back to harm us later."

Travis raised his voice at him. "Hey, I said no."

Behind them, Adams had escalated in his panic, shouting as loudly as he could through his gag, though his voice was significantly muffled.

"—the compound," a muffled shout came through his gag, "you know where the compound—" Madison walked up and ripped off the duct-tape, giving Adams a chance to catch his breath before he continued pleading his case. "You don't know — you know where the compound is, but you don't know where to go once you're there. Which building, what floor, what hall. You don't know where your family is inside," Adams reasoned. "Okay? The place is like a goddamn maze and I can draw you a map, alright?" he offered. "You won't get in without me."

Travis looked directly at Daniel. When he spoke, it was clear this was no longer a debate. "We're bringing him."

Daniel fixed Travis with a sharp look, glaring at him for a minute before he left without a word.

Madison gave Travis a disagreeing look and leaned in towards Travis. Under her breath, she muttered something Katie couldn't quite hear before she started to follow after Daniel.

"Why?" Travis spoke up. Madison turned to face him, almost shocked at the coldness in his tone. Travis stared back at her, unabashed. "Ashamed of something?" He looked in-between the two women, as if trying to shame them with the weight of his gaze. "You afraid the kids will see?"

"If Chris was in danger, you'd do anything you could to protect him, wouldn't you?" Madison asked him, not bothering to rise to his obvious bait as she turned and left.

Katie lingered silently, listening to the sounds of Madison's footfalls getting further away.

Travis broke first, a sharpness in his words. "Shouldn't you be with your girls right now?"

"I'm not here to argue with you, Travis," Katie said simply, fixing her dark eyes on Adams, who squirmed briefly in his seat at her calculating stare. "There's just a few things I want to know before we leave."

"You didn't get enough out of him earlier?"

Katie ignored the barb and walked forward, keeping her eyes locked on the soldier as she watched him become increasingly uncomfortable. It was important that she didn't speak first — that would be a sign of weakness.

If there was one thing she could not afford, it was weakness.

"What do you want?" Adams finally spoke, an edge to his rasping voice.

"You said there was an evacuation plan for the military," Katie started, her expression unreadable. "Where were you going to evacuate to?"

"It was never confirmed," Adams responded. "We didn't — we didn't have a plan in place for where we were gonna go."

"There had to have been some plan," Katie stated. "Wouldn't be good for morale to kill your family, friends, neighbors, and just stay sitting on the bodies." At Adams's flinch, she knew she struck a nerve. Behind her, Travis winced, and crossed his arms before he looked away. In his mind, he still saw the soldiers as good — or at least possessing good intentions. Faced with the reality of what Adams was actually capable of didn't sit right with the man so adamant about saving him.

"If there was, I didn't know it. We don't get orders straight from the higher-ups, it's filtered down—"

"Even if you weren't getting the information, someone on your team was," Katie reiterated. "If you can't tell me what the information was, then you can at least tell me how they got it."

"I don't know, okay?" Adams all but yelled, his voice hoarse. "Moyers gets intel from command, not me, so ask him!"

"Moyers is dead," Katie said bluntly. "And your friends have all left, so I have no one to ask but you."

He clenched his jaw, then looked down and away, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. When he spoke, his voice was tight. "Some of the guys, they mentioned Edwards Air Force Base, but that was a rumor, Moyers never confirmed it."

"How would he get confirmation?" Katie demanded. "How exactly did he know what to do next? How many rations to give out, where to station patrols, when to pull the plug on the Safe Zone?"

Faced down against Katie's relentless line of questioning, Adams finally acquiesced. "We never communicated directly with command. HQ would get print-outs, instructions, plans for the next stages of Cobalt as needed. They keep the originals in one of the offices. When we get there, I can show you—" Adams began to offer.

Katie cut him off. "A million things can go wrong between now and the time we get there, and then I don't get the answers I need. You're here now, so you're going to tell me now. Consider it an act of good faith."

"How..." Adams's voice was hoarse, "would I consider anything you people have done to me to be in good faith?"

"You will," Katie responded. "When I convince Daniel to let you go, once all this is over."

The soldier let out a disbelieving scoff. "There's no way he would ever let me go after this. Why the hell would he listen to you?"

"He trusts me," Katie said, with far more confidence than she actually had. "Trusts me to deal with you, trusts me enough to look after his own daughter. I'll make your case, not in some dark basement, but in front of Ofelia, the kids. Daniel won't do anything to hurt you in front of her — he'll let you go."

There was a glint of hope in Adams's eyes as he searched hers for any sign of deception. He let out an unsteady breath, shoulders sagging forward slightly before he admitted, "HQ kept their paperwork in the admin building. There's signage leading straight to it, you can't miss it."

Katie drew back, satisfied with the information she had gleaned from their interaction. "It's gonna be okay," she assured the soldier. "You'll get out of this, I promise."

He didn't give any indication of a response, and Katie turned away.

She passed Travis, who stoically avoided her gaze. Rolling her eyes at his behavior, Katie began down the hall, calling back, "All yours."

✖  ✖  ✖

In the Clark's driveway, Meghan and Heather leaned against the side of their rental car as they waited for their mother to return from her meeting with Daniel, Madison, and Travis.

The night air was chill, and a heaviness had settled over the group that stripped the day's former levity away. Now, everyone's nerves had become as tightly wound as a coil of barbed wire, liable to snap at any minute and draw blood from whoever came too close. Chris was already in the back of the Clark's car, head in hands as he leaned against the side door. Alicia stood beside the passenger car door, turned towards the house as she silently willed her own mother to appear. Heather had preoccupied herself with entertaining the dog, who had developed her own brand of anxiety due to the nervous energy of the group, and spent her time weaving between the two girls, tail set firmly between her legs and ears pinned back against her scalp. Meghan's head was on a swivel — watching for any headlights coming down the road, alert at the faintest sound from their neighbors going about their daily lives. Unbidden, she winced again as a door slammed down the road — what on earth was taking the adults so long?

Something was going on with them, they knew that much — but Katie had been scarce on the details. Meghan didn't bother to press on the issue, as she knew Katie would let her know sooner or later. For now, they had bigger things to focus on.

Madison finally exited the Clark home, a duffel in one hand. With her left, she gestured to her daughter. "Alicia, get in the car," she said, not pausing in her stride as she went to open the trunk.

Out of the house, Ofelia emerged, and Meghan's attention swiveled to her. She hadn't seen her friend since they had gone for their ration run. Despite the fact it was only the morning before last, it felt like it had been years since she'd seen the older girl. Ofelia was carrying two bags, one slung over her right shoulder, and the other in her left hand. As she went down the last of the front steps, she stumbled, and Meghan spoke up. "Need any help carrying those?"

Ofelia shook her head as Meghan approached. "No, I'm alright."

Meghan held her hand out anyway, and the girl sighed, handing over her striped tote. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it," she brushed off as she fell in step with Ofelia, walking over to the side of the SUV. As she slid the door open, Meghan shot her a look of concern. "Are you okay?"

Ofelia let out an incredulous burst of air, swinging her bag in with more force than necessary. "Do I seem okay?"

Meghan averted her eyes, a sheepish look crossing her face. "Not really," she mumbled, and placed Ofelia's bag carefully on the floor of the backseat. She added, "I'm sorry about your mom."

Ofelia's lips thinned and she looked down, eyes fluttering. "Yeah, me too."

Meghan jumped despite herself as a dog began to bark on the corner on the other side of the street, quickly responded to by Holly, though Heather shushed her. By the back end of her car, Madison stared at the dog-walker for a long time. Ofelia drifted over by her, while Meghan hovered a few feet behind her in turn, not wanting to be too close to the Clark woman. "What?" Ofelia questioned softly as she sidled up beside the mother.

"My neighbors don't know," Madison responded distantly.

At her response, Ofelia scoffed derisively and marched back over to the SUV, almost knocking into Meghan as she passed. "They did nothing when they came for us," she snapped.

Unsure of how she could comfort either of the two, Meghan stood still for a moment, picking absently at the skin around her fingernails, then went back over to rejoin her sister.

Katie arrived outside to find Meghan and Heather waiting beside the car, Holly already curled up in the backseat. "Ready to go?" Heather double-checked.

Katie nodded. "Everything's been taken care of," she responded before getting into the driver's seat, followed shortly by her two daughters.

The group soon pulled out, the Salazars leading in an SUV they'd taken from the Tran's house, followed by the Clark's car, Travis's truck, with the Darcys bringing up the rear.

Heather watched out the window as they drove through the neighborhood, forlorn as she watched the houses pass by. In one window, a family was eating dinner by candlelight, and on the streets, several were out walking their dogs.

Katie caught her daughter's distraction in the rearview window and gently spoke up. "Hey," she spoke, bringing Heather's focus back to her. "Don't let yourself get caught up in this. We have to look after ourselves now."

Heather listened to her mother's advice, then said quietly, "They don't know what's coming. They don't know they got left behind."

Katie's lips thinned and she nodded. "I know," she said softly. "But we can't be the ones to help them, sweetheart. They have to help themselves."

Her mother's words seemed to do little to soothe the girl — it was information she already knew, and accepted. It didn't make it any easier, watching as they passed by dozens of families with lives that would inevitably be cut short come morning.

When they arrived at the gates, they were completely abandoned and unmanned, a sharp contrast to how they had been over the past two weeks.

"Feels like a ghost town," Meghan muttered as she peered up at the watchtowers through the windshield.

"Just be grateful it won't make ghosts out of us," Katie commented in reply. Two cars ahead of them, Daniel got out and began to tamper with the gate mechanism, flipping the switches. He turned the three knobs below the red lights to the right, earning a blaring buzzer and a green light as the gate began to open.

Ofelia pulled the SUV ahead enough for the other three cars to follow, then parked, and Madison and Travis did the same. As Daniel began to walk back to his car, Katie pulled hers through the gate, then parked and undid her seatbelt.

"Mum?" Meghan questioned.

"Wait here," she instructed before getting out of the car and jogging over to the gate mechanism.

Once there, she turned the knobs the opposite direction as Daniel did, and waited as the light turned red and the buzzer blared again before she darted through the swiftly closing gate.

When she returned to her car, Meghan asked, "Why did you do that?"

"We're about to release over 2,000 infected on this city," Katie responded as she buckled herself in. "We may not like these people, but they deserve better than getting eaten alive when we could've done something to stop it." Meeting Heather's gaze in the rear-mirror, she added, "This is the best we can do to help them."

At Heather's small smile, Katie knew she understood. They turned on the car, and followed the group as they drove away from the Safe Zone for the last time.

✖  ✖  ✖

The drive was quiet, and tense. They kept their headlights low, unsure if the military would have patrols beyond the limits of their headquarters. They stopped the caravan at the stadium and let Daniel out, then drove off to get ahead of the horde of infected. Looking at the sheer size of the stadium, which easily dwarfed the entire group, sent a chill down their spines.

The families pulled into the below ground parking garage and waited for the alarm to go off that would signal that Daniel's plan had worked. Travis remained in his vehicle, while the others got out to convalesce — Meghan and Heather both toting their respective weapons. Meghan kept vigil with Ofelia, while Heather spoke quietly with Chris and Alicia. Katie remained on guard, watching for any potential threats.

The alarm startled them when it first went off, Meghan jumping out of instinct as Heather looked around frantically for the source of the blaring siren, fingers wrapped tight around her axe.

Their reactions made sense to Katie — the last time an alarm had gone off, back at the dorm, they all almost died.

Luckily, all the alarm constituted now was a dinner bell for the dead in the soldier's direction, and away from them. They settled in again, Ofelia and Meghan speaking in hushed tones while Heather became increasingly impatient, tapping her foot and bouncing in place, swinging her weapon back and forth. Katie eventually intervened when it became clear Heather was planning on using the axe as a fidget spinner, and left the girl to sulk on their car's hood.

A few minutes later, Daniel jogged in. "I led them to the North gate," he said, echoing across the garage before he slowed to a walk, lowering his voice. "So all the soldiers are distracted. We can go now. We should move."

Travis finally exited his truck, closing the drivers side door and walking over to the rest of the group. From where she was, she couldn't see anyone left in the truck. Travis had come alone. Katie resisted the urge to let out a weary sigh. They had an agreement.

Daniel noticed at the same time she did, fixing the taller man with a glare. "What did you do?"

"He told me where to find them," Travis said, placating.

"He told you?" Daniel was incredulous.

"Yeah. I believed him, okay?" Travis's voice took on a tinge of accusation. "Like you believed him."

"How do you know he won't let all his military buddies know we're here?" Katie questioned.

"They seem to be preoccupied right now," Travis stated, then gave Katie a stony look. "Does it matter? You already got everything you needed from him."

Madison finally interjected, covering for her boyfriend and breaking up the impending argument. "It was the right thing to do."

"You'll see what doing the right thing gets you." Daniel pointed at her sharply.

The families broke off into separate groups, Travis and Madison instructing their respective kids on what to do while they were gone. The Darcys followed suit, as Katie pulled them aside to deliver her orders. Almost immediately, Meghan began to argue in low tones.

"Why do you have to go in with them?" Meghan asked, forehead furrowing as her eyes grew wide and desperate. In a hushed tone, she insisted, "We got Griselda medicine, you supported Madison in the Safe Zone, we don't need to do anything more for these people."

"There's strength in numbers," Katie responded.

"We can be part of their caravan, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be, I just don't think you should be risking your life for them. It's not like one of us is in there, Heather didn't get taken!" Meghan hissed out, increasingly agitated. "If the dead see you, they'll kill you. If the soldiers see you, they'll shoot you, and you're about to waltz into a building full of both."

"If I don't get a gun, we're dead in the water anyway," Katie snapped, and Meghan quieted. "I stay here, I'm safe for tonight. But what about tomorrow? The next day? This isn't going to be fixed anytime soon, and we need a gun." She paused, glanced back to the Clarks, who were still deep in their own discussion, then delivered her next statement in a hushed tone. "I spoke with Adams. The Guard had plans after this, a place they were going to extract to."

"But the Guard is killing everyone," Heather said, glancing between the two. "That's what Alicia said Madison had told her. If we go there, they'll kill us."

"We're not going there," Katie said. "The point is, they have plans. Supply caches, bunkers across the state, things we can use to ride this out."

She turned her attention to the girls — Meghan, who still had a deep furrow between her brows and had crossed her arms, hugging them tight to her chest, and Heather, whose lips were drawn tight and eyes wide and watery.

"Hey," Katie fixed her eyes on Meghan, going between her and Heather. "It's not going to be like it was at the dorm. We know what we're dealing with now. Anything goes sideways, handle it as quickly as possible, and get the hell out. Don't hesitate."

Reluctantly, both girls nodded. Katie nodded them towards her. "Come here." She hugged each of them in turn, starting with Heather, then Meghan. As she pulled Meghan in, she spoke softly in her ear, "Anything happens, take Heather and run. Don't try and protect the others."

When she pulled away, Meghan's eyes were wide, expression conflicted.

A bit away from them, the Clarks were finishing up their own goodbyes.

Ofelia shouted from her place by the door. "Let's go!"

Madison gave a final hug to Alicia, then joined her by the door.

Katie followed after them, meat cleaver clenched firmly in hand, and sent a final look back to her daughters. Meghan caught her gaze, bit her cheek, and nodded sharply. Katie let out a faint sigh. She understood.

Satisfied, Katie went up the stairs.

✖  ✖  ✖

In the darkened landing, the only thing Katie could hear over the heavy sound of the others breathing was screaming and gunfire.

Through the slim window built into the stairway exits door, they waited until the soldier manning the gate deserted his post to assist in handling the horde at the north gate. Once he had gone, they were off.

The door swung open, Ofelia leading the group, her bolt cutters clutched tightly in hand as she dashed to the fence, already beginning work on the chains that kept the gate shut. Katie jogged alongside Travis and Madison, armed with a shotgun and a hammer respectively, while Daniel jogged behind with Adam's handgun, keeping an eye out to ensure they weren't followed or seen. Katie forced herself to loosen her grip on the meat cleaver, just a bit, as the wood dug uncomfortably into her palm. She couldn't let herself freeze up, not now.

The sound of even footfalls beside her stuttered to a halt as Madison fell behind, staring in horror at something to her right. "Oh my God."

Katie reached the gate, pausing briefly to see what Madison was staring at before quickly turning away. The dead and damned at the north gate, dozens of them alone within their line of sight, not counting the hundreds more stretching beyond, not yet reaching the compound, but soon.

All the soldiers, everyone at the compound was as good as dead because of them.

It was what they would do to them in a heartbeat, Katie thought firmly. What they had planned to do to all members of the Safe Zone, if they hadn't escaped.

Daniel strode forward, either ignoring the sight or simply uncaring. "The hard part is done."

With a hard snap, Ofelia managed to break the chains binding the fence closed and pulled it open, ushering the others through. "If the infected get in, how do we get out?" she questioned.

Travis closed the gate behind them and they jogged inside, keeping an eye out for soldiers as they got closer to the building's entry.

Daniel's answer wasn't what Katie hoped it would be. "That would be the harder part."

✖  ✖  ✖

Heather picked at a loose strand of thread on her baseball tee absently, gazing out the window. Meghan gripped the handle of her crossbow, resisting the urge to string an arrow — reminding herself that being as jumpy as she was, she really didn't want to accidentally put an arrow in the back of Chris's seat.

Chris, evidently sick of waiting in the car, muttered, "This is crazy," and stepped out, slamming the door behind him. Heather startled at the sudden noise, and shared a look with the other two girls, who followed suit and left the SUV, the yellow lab jumping out behind them and falling in line between the two sisters.

Alicia approached him first. "They'll come back," she voiced. "If they can't get in, they'll come back."

Chris didn't seem satisfied by the response. "And leave the others?"

Alicia stared. "Would you rather they all died?

"I don't want anyone to die. I don't want that."

Meghan bit the inside of her cheek, sharing a glance with Heather, who appeared to be having the same thought running through her head. You don't always get what you want.

Alicia remained unaware of their silent understanding, and said sympathetically, "You sound like your dad."

It seemed to be the first time they'd mentioned Travis that didn't send the teenager into a fit of angst. He deflated a bit, watching the exit where they disappeared with something akin to remorse. "Yeah, well, he tries."

The group jumped as something above them thumped, and loud snarling reverberated through the floor. Meghan's hand went instinctively for her weapon, and Heather's hand was on her axe before they let out a breath, knowing whatever it was couldn't get to them.

It was quiet for a moment as the group caught their breath, hearts still racing from the scare. Alicia spoke up. "You can't save everyone."

Chris was taken aback by her statement, turning to her in shock. "Why the hell would you say that?" he asked.

"Because you can't," Alicia said simply. "Sorry, it's just — it's the truth."

Chris's gaze settled on something beyond the older girl, dark eyes going wide. "Shut up."

"What?" Alicia asked, unaware of the danger. Meghan pointed to the rapidly nearing shadows to the back of the car, approaching from the exit the others had left from. The figures jolted side to side, appearing tall and spindly in the stairwell light. Meghan grabbed Heather's arm, and motioned for her to be quiet.

"Get in the car," Chris hurried Alicia over in a hush. "Get in the car."

Heather made to follow, but Meghan's grip only tightened. Heather whipped back around, eyes wide in confusion, before Meghan waved her over behind another car as Holly followed, watching the SUV from a safe distance ahead of the car. While that meant they were farther away from the intruders, and at a vantage where Meghan could easily snipe the group down if need be, it meant they were effectively cut off from the exit.

They ducked down, and Meghan whispered, "Can't risk getting trapped all in one place."

Heather nodded, then whispered back, "If it's the dead, do we kill them?"

"Only if we can do it quietly, and there's not too many," Meghan responded.

Heather accepted the information, and hesitated. "What if it's people?" Meghan hushed her, and they peeked below the car, watching as three pairs of feet circled the SUV. She motioned Holly to lie down, and kept one hand clenched on the back of the dog's collar, just in case she decided to make a run for it.

From what the girls could make out from their low vantage point, the intruder's feet, unlike the dead, didn't stutter or drag along. They moved efficiently, quietly. They were dressed in military fatigues and combat boots. They heard a click as the soldiers tried the door handles, and a muffled gasp. Meghan and Heather instinctively held their breath, stilling as silence overtook the garage. The boots froze, then there was the sound of breaking glass, jagged pieces spilling out and shattering further on the concrete. A shrill scream cut through the air — Alicia's — and the door was being flung open, Chris and Alicia getting dragged out. Holly growled, and Heather caught it just in time, clamping down on the dog's mouth and silencing her.

Chris exclaimed as he struggled against the soldiers. "Hey! Hey!"

"Come on," one of the soldiers spoke roughly. "Shut your — come on."

"Hey! Get off me!" Chris shouted angrily.

"Get out. Come on," a soldier ordered, as the two struggled.

Meghan risked peeking through the windows of the car, watching as one soldier grabbed Chris by his hoodie, and another muscled Alicia to the front of the car.

"Get off me!" Alicia echoed Chris's sentiment with a grunt as they finally unhanded the two.

Dark eyes appraised the hostile group. Of the three soldiers, two were visibly armed with what Meghan guessed were semi-automatic rifles. Still, she couldn't be sure, as it was hard to tell from a distance. While guns had their use, and she'd had her fair share of training, she'd always preferred her crossbow, so she wasn't as familiar as she needed to be with their make and model.

Semi-automatic would be a good bet if the men in question weren't military, as fully automatics were highly regulated for private use. Because they were, that could cause an issue.

Semi-automatics and fully automatics both automatically loaded the next cartridge of ammo without the user having to manually load it themselves, but there was an important distinction. Semis could only fire one bullet at a time, the user had to pull the trigger, release, then pull again in order to continue firing. Fully automatic weapons, on the other hand, could fire continuous bullets so long as the trigger remained depressed.

Since they were military, it also meant that they were comfortable with their weapons, and would be able to rapidly fire even from a semi-automatic. It took Meghan at least twenty seconds to reload her crossbow — there was no competing with that.

Shit.

The soldier in the middle, who Meghan took as their leader, spoke first. "Why didn't you guys just open the damn door, huh?"

"What do you guys want?" Chris responded, his voice wary.

The soldier nearest Alicia, a white man, bearded and slightly shorter than the leader, spoke. "Transport. Son, just give us the keys."

Chris shook his head. "No."

The soldier chuckled. The leader spoke again. "Come on, man. We'll take you with us." Though his words alone seemed comforting, his tone was anything but.

"We're not going anywhere," Chris asserted again. Under Meghan's grip, Holly squirmed in discomfort. Her heart twinged with guilt over keeping the sweet dog held down, but she couldn't risk getting ousted to the soldiers.

"Suit yourself," the soldier nearest Alicia spoke again. To Meghan's horror, he turned on her. "What about you, girl?" he questioned, and took a step towards the teen.

Heather's grip tightened on her axe, and Meghan placed her hand on top of Heather's with a squeeze. Heather's eyes flashed to hers, brow creased.

Meghan shook her head, mouthing an emphatic, 'NO.'

Chris shoved his way in front. "Hey, you leave her alone-" The soldiers grappled with the teen boy, shoving him back, hard.

Heather's eyes went wide, brows knitting closer together as her mouth screwed up into a hard line, gesturing angrily towards the soldiers, who were now grappling with Chris, dragging him back.

Meghan only shook her head vehemently, shooting her sister a glare, harsh lines drawn into her face. No.

Heather's disgust at her sister's passivity was written on her face. What is wrong with you? she seemed to ask.

You're my responsibility, Meghan wanted to say. Not them. She needed to protect her, no matter what.

She squeezed Heather's hand a bit tighter before letting go. I promised.

One of the soldiers shoved back hard against Chris, slamming him back against the car door.

"Stop it, stop it, I have the keys!" Alicia shouted, finally bringing the melee to a halt. The soldiers froze, and moved away from Chris. Once he was in the clear, she took the keys out, and slowly handed them over to the soldier.

There was a moment's silence, and the duo stood tense, waiting for the soldiers to make another move, or finally take the car and leave them alone.

Then, the moment ended, as the bearded soldier from before appraised Alicia with a lecherous look, his gaze clinging to her like a second skin. He reached out his hand, grabbing a fistful of her hair and caressing it, holding tight even as she ducked back. "You sure you don't want to come-"

"Hey, don't touch her, man!" Chris shoved back against the soldier's advances on Alicia, struggling against the stronger man.

Heather went for her axe and Meghan's hand shot out, grabbing her roughly. The faint sound of tinkling rang out, as loud in their ears as a gunshot as her charm bracelet jangled against her wrist.

Meghan's breath caught in her throat. She looked up, hand loosing against Heathers as she met her sister's equally horrified gaze, dark eyes wide as saucers. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, threading against her eyebrows, but Meghan didn't dare move to wipe it away.

The garage was silent, which could only mean one thing.

They heard.

"What the hell was that?" one spoke up. The girls didn't move, paralyzed in fear. Please don't come over. Please don't come over. Please, please.

"Go check it out," the one Meghan assumed was their leader ordered. Meghan released her sister, all but shoving the dog at her as she slowly swung around her crossbow to rest in her lap as Heather struggled against the lab. "Search these two."

Meghan opened her mouth, breathing as quietly as she could as her fingers clumsily attempted to slot and nock the bolt at the correct angle. Back pressed against the passenger door, she lifted the weapon off her lap, stretching out her leg in an attempt to fumble her foot into the cocking stirrup.

She heard the sounds of shuffling and heavy steps as the soldiers presumably moved towards the two teens. The footsteps headed towards them kept getting louder.

The second the tip of her boot slid through she was pulling the arrow back, locking it into place and releasing the safety.

Chris protested aloud, shouting to leave them alone as one gave a harsh laugh. "Why so stiff, girly? I wouldn't hurt a pretty thing like you."

"Leave her alone, you son of a—"

A loud thump, and Chris fell silent. "Know your fucking place, kid."

Someone, she guessed Chris again, let out a ragged breath. "Fuck you."

The sounds of a fist meeting flesh, and the sharp release of breath echoed around the garage, but Meghan resisted the urge to check through the car windows to see what was happening. She shifted on the ground, twisting around to press her side against the car, facing the hood as she watched the soldier's boots continue to plod her way.

She leveled the crossbow up, aiming directly where the man's head would appear. She repeated her mother's words like a mantra while she laid in wait.

Handle the problem. Protect your sister. Get the hell out.

Don't hesitate.

Silently, she mouthed out her own addendum, her finger sliding down to kiss against the trigger.

Don't miss.

His gun poked around the corner before he did, and Meghan resisted the urge to press the trigger. You get one shot, she reminded herself, struggling to control her breathing as he stepped out.

Wait.

Wait.

He stepped out fully to face them, a cold smirk on his face before he recognized the weapon in her hands, the danger he was in. Dark eyes widened as he swung his rifle to face her, preparing to shoot.

Too late, she thought, and pressed.

The stock of the crossbow slammed back against her shoulder as the bolt shot out with a whoosh of air. His head yanked back in one swift motion, knees buckling as he fell backwards and crumbled to the cement.

A crossbow isn't loud like a gun. It's quiet, a low whistle as opposed to the angry pop of gunfire.

That's why they didn't notice at first when their friend was shot. Not until he collapsed in a limp pile on the ground.

The sounds of fabric rustling and cries of protest from the other teens dissipated as the soldiers stilled, turning to stare where their friend had gone.

Reloading takes twenty seconds. She didn't have twenty seconds.

A moment was all that she needed.

Meghan scrambled forward for the semi, but ducked back as bullets peppered against the spot she'd been trying to reach. Instead, she grabbed at his feet and yanked back, hard.

The sounds of angry feet came marching towards them as she strained against the weight of the fallen soldier. They were coming her way, and fast.

Meghan glanced over to Heather, who was still clutching Holly close as they ducked behind the wheel well. She couldn't let them get to her. She wouldn't let them die, not like this.

Come on, come on, she bit down on a frustrated cry as she yanked once more, his midsection finally hidden enough behind the car to be safe.

Suddenly, a shout rang out and a bullet went off, landing somewhere in the far wall as Meghan covered her ears in vain. The footsteps halted, replaced by sharp curses and shuffling as the soldiers struggled against whatever it was that had subdued them.

Meghan didn't question her luck, only wrenched the man's head forward and lifted the strap of his rifle over it, ignoring the way it caught on the crossbow bolt sticking out of his temple. A quick shimmy got it over his shoulder and arm, and Meghan lifted it over hers, turning to get in position beside the hood.

She'd been hunting before. She could do this.

Safety off, stock against shoulder.

Check bullets — fuck, she didn't have time.

"Duck!" Meghan shouted without looking, praying silently that Alicia and Chris would find a way to avoid the crossfire. Heather hooked Holly around her neck with her elbow and pressed her hands tight against her ears, aware of what was coming.

She twisted, leveling the AK against the hood as she fired quickly at the first soldier she saw. Her first few went wide, slamming against the side of the minivan and one in the windshield. Her next three hit him in the chest and shoulder, knocking him back and throwing his shots off course.

She flinched as the rearview mirror before her exploded, then sparks shattered out from above as his next shot hit the light just above them. Quickly fading, he toppled against the minivan, then the ground, leaving a bloody smear against the side of the passenger side door where he fell. There was a sharp crack where his head smacked against the concrete, but Meghan didn't bother to look.

A quick glance at her sister revealed she was fine, eyes screwed shut and hands still firmly against her ears. Alicia had curled up on the ground, arms crossed over her head and unharmed from the shoot-out. Safe.

Meghan's heartbeat thudded in her ears like a war drum, but she wasn't having any more trouble breathing. Her mind felt clear, an eerie calm overtaking her. Two down, one to go.

She turned back to the scene, only to be met with the image of Chris's beaten and bruised body between where the downed soldier lay, and the last one, whose gun was pointed directly at her.

Oh.

She fucked up.

In the moment before she braced for the first bullet to hit her, Chris stood on shaky legs and barreled at his midsection. The teen tackled him, and his shot went wide, flying out above their heads and into the ceiling above.

Meghan ducked out of habit, eyes wide as she struggled to breathe evenly. That was far, far, too close.

The pair tumbled to the ground, and continued to fight. Chris wrestled with him on the ground, struggling against the older man's strength, attempting to wrest the gun from him.

Meghan jerked back into action, leveling her gun at the soldier. From where she was positioned, there wasn't a clear angle, and she couldn't risk hitting Chris. Helpless, she watched as the teen struggled against his opponent, waiting desperately for any opening she could use to help him and finding none.

On the ground, the other soldier managed to flip over, and pin Chris, fighting to bring his gun down to point at the teen as Chris strained against it, the weapon caught between their torsos in a twisted game of tug-of-war.

"Chris!" Alicia exclaimed, attempting to go forward in an effort to help her step-brother, before Chris shook his head frantically.

"Stay back!" he shouted, arms shaking. "Run!" Chris strained with effort, and the gun shook from the weight of the two mens exerted pressure.

Slowly, it turned...

BANG!

The soldier froze, eyes drifting up to meet Chris's, before glazing over, twitching slightly from right to left.

The soldier opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something else...then didn't say anything at all, giving one last wet cough, spraying blood across the young man's face. He slumped, collapsing on the teenager, and went still.

Heather was the first to snap out of her shock, and ran out from behind the car where she'd been hidden to help the boy, the yellow lab following behind her. "Chris!" she exclaimed, coming to his aid. Heather groaned as she pushed the soldier off him, and held out a hand to help the boy up. "Are you okay?"

He put a shaky hand to his face, smearing the blood across his cheek, and pulled it away, eyes wide as he examined the red staining his hand. "Y-yeah," he said, swaying a bit on his feet. "Fine."

"You sure?" Heather double-checked.

Chris nodded hastily, swiping a sleeve across his face in an effort to mitigate the majority of the blood. "Yeah," he agreed. He didn't look alright, the soldiers had done a number on him. Aside from the rapidly darkening bruise coming in across his cheek and jaw in black-purple splotches, his hands were splattered with dark blood, and his skin was ripped at the knuckles. It seemed most of the damage was relegated to his midsection, where he'd been repeatedly kicked and punched during his fight, and it showed in his movement.

Just as she thought it, he gripped Heather's hand a bit tighter as he glanced around, knees wobbling at the sight of the carcasses strewn throughout the garage.

One, two, three.

It's over. They were safe.

Meghan put the safety back on, and placed a hand against the hood of the car as she pushed herself to a standing position, walking around the car to inspect the bodies.

Her hands clutched the rifle like a lifeline, her normally olive skin bleached of color at her knuckles and joints, shaking from the force behind her squeeze. Her eyes drifted downwards, scanning the three soldiers as if at any moment, one of them might get up and start walking again.

The shoot-out had lasted about thirty seconds at most, and cost three lives.

How quickly things could change in this world.

The thought chilled her. In less than a minute, she could have lost everything and everyone she held dear. And the night wasn't over yet.

She was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice the three wary pairs of eyes on her.

Heather voiced the question the others were too afraid to ask. "Meghan?" she asked cautiously, taking a hesitant step towards her sister. "Are you alright?"

Meghan didn't respond. She just continued staring down at the corpse of the leader.

Holly walked over to the girl, and licked at her still trembling hand. It seemed to break Meghan out of her stupor. She stood still a minute longer before swinging her newly acquired rifle over her shoulder and grabbing the downed soldier by the arms, beginning to drag him off as Holly followed, circling the downed soldier's prone form with doglike curiosity. She sucked in a breath, and glared at the group. "Could use some help," she huffed. "Don't want any of this guy's buddies finding him — trying to finish what he started."

Heather snapped into action first with a brief nod. "Right," she said, and grabbed the man's feet, holding him up as they dragged him back behind a line of cars.

"We should probably help," Chris said quietly, after the sisters had disappeared with the corpse. He nudged at one with his foot — the one he'd shot. "Start with this one?"

Alicia nodded, taking an unsteady breath, as she began.

The man was a lot heavier that she'd anticipated. While her and Chris had originally planned on lifting him, it became clear that was beyond their capabilities, so they followed the Darcys example and dragged him. Chris got the feet, and Alicia hooked her arms under his, heaving with all her strength as they dragged him behind the few remaining vehicles. Chris winced with each movement, and Alicia did her best to handle most of the burden, taking the weight off the injured boy.

Meghan glanced up as they approached, and her lips thinned at seeing Alicia avoid her gaze, blue eyes continually drawn to the face of her would-be attacker. The younger girl bit down on her lip and ducked her head, but Meghan caught the glimpse of a telltale shine across her light eyes. It was strange, seeing Alicia struggle so hard to keep her feelings hidden underneath, especially when Meghan felt no different at all.

It wasn't as hard as she expected it to be. In TV, they always had made it out to be this melodramatic affair. If her Nana's crime procedurals had taught her anything, it's that she should be sobbing on the ground right now, horrified at her own actions. Maybe scrubbing her skin raw in the sink, cursing, 'Out, out, damned spot!'

Instead, she just felt...numb. Distant. It wasn't like she was having an out of body experience or anything. She could feel the clammy skin giving way under her touch, could see the sporadic blood trail left over from the bodies as they dragged them away, and once in a while she gave an involuntary shiver from the night chill.

But it wasn't as intense as she felt it should be. The fact that she should've worn a thicker jacket ranked exactly as high on her list of priorities as the fact she'd just killed a man.

She should be upset. Inconsolable, even.

They tried to hurt us, Meghan reminded herself, her voice surprisingly callous, even in her own mind. Tried to assault Alicia. You did what you had to do — what Mum asked you to do. There will be time to grieve later. For now, you have work to do.

"We should move the car," Meghan spoke, cool voice breaking the silence of the group. "The windows are broken — if we move it alongside the other cars, people might ignore it, look for a better one. Having it in the middle of the garage is exactly why the soldiers noticed it before," she addressed Alicia. "You and Chris should park it — close to where we are now, so that when the others get back, they won't have to look too far. One of the soldiers shot out the overhead light, that could provide some cover. Just move the car that's there over to the end, and park ours there instead. Brush out the seats, too, but be careful not to cut yourselves. Heather and I can grab the last one."

Alicia nodded. "Okay," she replied, almost dazed. She didn't seem to have fully recognized what they had done yet, but it would hit her soon enough. "I'll drive."

Meghan watched as they left, then jerked her head for Heather to follow. "Come on. One left, and I can't carry it by myself."

✖  ✖  ✖

...To be fair, I did say at the start there would be changes between the canon FTWD and EE.

That was a pretty rough chapter to write, to be honest, but I'd been planning it since the beginning, so I'm excited to get reactions for it! 

This is going to be the beginning of some pretty big changes for Meghan. Whether or not those changes are good, I'll let you guys figure that out 😉