Zombie Story: Threads of a Tire p2

Thats good enough for me.

-Los Angeles, California-
-Day: Unknown-

=He had been travelling all throughout the days=
=Saving those that needed to be saved=
=He kept on the move, no doubt he was possibly the last person from the old forum to stay in America. Atleast to his knowledge=

=He has taken up residence in an abandoned home=
=He is on the balcony of his temporary home, sitting down in a chair=

=His rifle was useless to him now. No ammunition. He had long since abandoned it=
=He had equiped himself with a crossbow from a Walmart he had scavenged=
=Many arrows fill the two quivers=

=He takes a Dorito out of the bag. The last=

Hmm...Ill save you.

=He places it back into the bag=
=He looks to the sky as he takes a recorder out, turning it on=

Name. Dakotah Edward Welch.
Location. Los Angeles.
Time. Unknown.
Day...

=He sighs=

Unknown.
Status. Still Human....Well. As human as human can be in this time.

After a few minutes of silent driving. I thought of an old song. I started to sing it softly.

"Warm yourself by the fire, son,
And the morning will come soon.
I'll tell you stories of a better time,
In a place that we once knew.

Before we packed our bags
And left all this behind us in the dust,
We had a place that we could call home,
And a life no one could touch."

The sun begins to set, I didn't want to be in the wilderness when it did. I knew there was a building up the road, I didn't know what to expect when we got there. I sighed, and whispered under my breath "Audaces fortuna iuwat…" [(phonetically speaking) Fortune favors the brave] We could find some useful things in the building, or not. Either way, the dead shall be returned to their original state. In regards to zombies, Aut agere aut mori (either act or die). I could feel my machete on my back, pressed between me and the seat. There will be a time to use it shortly, I was certain of that.

I sang a little louder.

"Don't hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don't need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Don't hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don't need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Down!

We are the angry and the desperate,
The hungry, and the cold,
We are the ones who kept quiet,
And always did what we were told.

But we've been sweating while you slept so calm,
In the safety of your home.
We've been pulling out the nails that hold up
Everything you've known."

I held my rifle ready as I saw a small building up ahead.

"shush, I don't want to attract any unnecessary attention!" I said quietly to Garth. Zombies were attracted to any disturbance, so noise is best muffled when possible. Then I had alter cogitatione. "Actually, while your at it......" I honk the horn on the cart.

"Listening for any zombies nearby? Smart. Partly why I was singing."

We got closer to the building, and I could start to see some of the details of it.

=He continues to speak into the recorder=
=Softer now=

I dont know what to do.
If I did. I would be out of here.
Gone, just simply gone.

I will stay in L.A. for awhile.
I will leave for Japan, then try to gain access to China.
Albeit a longshot.

My ultimate goal is Ireland.
If anyone finds this.
There are many others that tell my story.

Aim for the head, do not waste ammo.
Draco out.

=He turns off the recorder, laying it down on the table=

=I looked at the building myself. Hell, I couldn't help but say it=

So, who wants to check out the creepy abandoned building first?

=I watched for any hands. Living hands=

=Xazhi looked at them=

Ah, hell. I'll take this.

=He hops down off the back of the cart=

"I'll come with. Just gimme a sec."

I hope off the cart and go around to the back and open the chest full of melee weapons. I take a Reaper and then grab my Riot shield from behind the trunk. I put my F2000 in the firearms trunk.

"I'm set."

=He unslings his M1-Garand and hands it to Alex=

Can you hold this for me till i get back?

=He turns back towards the building=

Alright, let's go.

"Need another blade before we go in? I got a few combat knives and various other blades."

=He chuckles=

It may not looks like it, but i carry all 17 of my knives, including my Bowie knife, a tomahawk, and my katana on me at all times.

"I'll take that as I no.'

I smirk and walk over to the building with Xazhi.

"I'll go in first. Anything in there, it'll go after me first. If I don't get it, you get it, got it?"

=I held the M1, admiring it. Hey, it was a gun that made it from WWII, all the way to the Vietnam war. It deserved admiration=

Got it. Lead on.

=He puts his left hand on his sword, which was on his left side=

I went over to the door, and yelled, loud enough to be heard inside.

"Safety!"

No response. If someone was in there, specifically a Traveler, they would have responded, 'claimed' for no room or 'welcome' if there was room. I opened the door to darkness. I reached for a light switch, and the lights flickered a bit, but didn't turn all the way on.

"Oh, just fucking great...."

I walked in, making as much noise as I could and holding the shield ready.

=Xazhi followed in closely behind Garth, holding his bowie knife, waiting for anything to come out of the dark=

I heard a shuffle to my right. I turned towards it and a Zombie shambled towards me. I pinned it's legs with the shield and stabbed it in the side of the skull. It dropped, dead again, and I wiped off the blood on what was left of it's clothing. I tried to calm my heartrate.

"I hate it when that happens..."

Yea, but i can think of worse. Like when a zombitch creeps up from the side or something and tackles you to the- SHIT!

=A zombie falls onto Xazhi from his right, and takes him to the floor. He takes the knife and shoves it into its throat. The 'blood' drips onto him=

Thats just nasty...

I help pull the Zed off of Xazhi.

"What was that about thinking of worse?"

I try to hide a grin, but fail horribly. I extend my hand to help pull him up.

=He takes Gath's hand and stands. He takes a red rag from his back pocket and wipes the blood off himself=

I was saying, its worse when a zombie gets its blood-ooze on you and the stench doesent go away for weeks. Ugh...

I chuckle.

"We'll find a river and get that off of ya. For now, let's just clear the building."

I turned and made my way further into the building. Checking each room, damning myself for not grabbing a flashlight.

=Xazhi opens a door, his knife ready in the other hand. As soon as he can see inside, he jumps back out into the hall=

Garth! You may want to see this!

I go over to Xazhi.

"What?"

=He pulls out a piece of paper=
=Given to him by a group he met a few hours before=
=He had helped them fend off some of the undead. He asked if there was anything else=

-Flashback-

=The last freak dropped; an arrow through the head=
=He is approached by the 'leader' of the group=

Marshal-Damn, you've got zombie killing in your blood.

Dakotah-Years of preparation, nerdy. I know.

Marshal-Hey, it's always good to be prepared.

Dakotah(looks to the others)-Yeah, I guess.

Marshal-Well, if you want anything, we're in your debt man.

Dakotah-No, keep your things.

=He goes to leave=

Marshal-Hey, man. I know it's a bit forward of me to ask this, but you helped us out.

Dakotah-I'll help anyone in need.

Marshal(goes for a paper in his pocket)-A few days ago, some friends were kidnapped by a group of raiders. They want supplies.

Dakotah-Have you tried to get them.

Marshal-Yeah, but they are loaded...listen...please help us out.

-Current Time-

=He sighs=

Yeah...

=He walks into the room and goes beside the bed, where a man was lying apparently dead. His skin was shriveled and gray, and there was blood coming from his eyes and mouth. All his hair was gone, and he looked overall like a half-decayed corpse. There was an obvious bite mark on his arm, and his right leg was missing along with his left hand=

Well... we appear to have about 7/8ths of a dead person. Looks like he got chewed up pretty bad and came here to.... What would he have come here for? To die?

(referance pics: No.1 , No.2)

=He stands from his seat. The sun had set=

Night is always best.

=He grabs his quivers, bringing them across his back=
=He takes the crossbow and heads out=

=He checks his nine then three as he exits the building=
=under his breath=

clear.

=He looks around, he was close to the raider camp, atleast thats what the map told him=
=He goes into a slow walk, careful to not make much noise=

=He turns a corner, walkers dot the area=

Lets see how good my sneaking skill really is.

=He goes down the road. Lamps that were still standing bring the only light=

I drive over to the other side of the house. It used to be a farm, then the zombie-infection happened. So, It was Alex and I. I parked in the back, bringing the cart to a stop smoothly. I silently got out and took out my machetes. I looked at Alex expectantly.

"Are you coming?"

I continued walking to the abandoned farmhouse. I was approaching the posterior door. As I've said before, I've been training for five years, I could easily kick down a door, or rip it from it's hinges with my hands. Not that I would, a locked door can occupy a zombie for a long time. The noise would wake everyone up, so no worries. Well, sort of. I prepared myself for battle.

=He felt a tickle in his nose=
=A sneeze=

great...

Don't you freaking do it. Hold it. HOLD IT

=He continued on=
=Taking an alley as three passed=

=The urge became stronger=
=He rose up his arm to muffle the noise=

God..

=He shakes his head and heads back out=
=A walker pops from behind him, grabbing him=

=He drops back, rolling off the thing=
=He aims the bow and fires=

Do not. Sneak up on me.
Bad zombie.

=He looks around. The others had begun moving towards him=

Frick.

=He breaks into a sprint. Hitting the intersection and takes a left=

I shook my head.

"Maybe. If this place was important to him, he could have wanted to die here, at peace. Or at least as much as you can in this hell."

=He approaches the body, covering his face with a rag to keep out the stench=

This fucking reeks.

=He examines the man, noticing fresh blood=

What the hell...? These bites are fresh.

=The man's eyes open, and he starts moaning loudly in pain. Xazhi jumps back and falls into a chair=

FUCKING SHIT, HE'S ALIVE!!!

=Among the noises, faint words can be heard=

'heeeeeelp meeeeee...!'

Poor shit must be turning!

I walk forward and put my knife to his neck.

"I'm sorry for your pain, and that I cannot do anything else to take it away."

I quickly slit his throat.

=Xazhi sits there in the chair he fell into, clutching his chest jokingly=

Ah! Ah me heart!

=He stops at another alleyway after some time of running=
=He looks out=

clear.

=He takes out the map and looks it over=

Hmm...

=He hears a moan from behind him=
=Quickly taking out his knife and he slices the neck=

I really need to look into the alleys...

=He shakes his head and goes back. Following the map=
=After a short time he finds a 'stronghold' of sorts=
=The map marked it as the raiders camp=

Fun.

I turn to Xazhi.

"You mocking me for that?"

=He crouches down=

Alright. I could approach thm directly and ask for the prioners.
And possibly be killed.

=He shakes his head=

No. Wouldn't work.

=He takes a peek around the corner=
=A makeshift wall made of broken dividers=
=He can see no person=

Hmm...

=A 'doorway' is seen=

Well...coast is clear...

=He runs from cover to cover, approaching the 'camp'=

No, im spimply stating that i was just scared shitless by something. That's a very rare occurance, you know.

=He stands=

But holy shit, that poor son of a bitch. So, what did you find in this dusty old place?

"Not much else. I think it's clear. We can set up shop here for the night and then we can head out in the morning. Let's go tell the others."

I start working my way towards the door.

=He approaches the door=
=Opening it slowly=

=He walks into the camp=
=A sharp pain greets him as someone bashes a baseball bat on the back of his head=
=He drops. The arrows slide out=

Marshal-Can't believe you would trust people you don't know.

=Marshal kicks him=

Marshal-Your mom never taught you to not talk to strangers.

=He yells out=

Marshal-We got another one!

=He picks up the bow=

Marshal-Had my eyes on this first time I saw it.

=Dakotah blacks out, moved to a 'cell'=

I didn't wait for his response. I pushed the door in, it squeaked like it does in one of those horror movies. I was disturbed by it, I'll be honest, it gave me pause. Then I gathered myself and entered the quiet house. The house was a one story plus a basement with about 6 rooms. That's what it looked like from the outside, to me, anyway. My mind worked like that, analyzing things, objects, buildings. I was a walking talking objective and subjective analysis machine. I've become brutally honest and forward about my opinions. Absolutely brutal.

"decent sized adobe." It was a shame. The house was surrounded by farmland. Whoever lived here had been a farmer, a damned well decent one too. They grew crops for Ireland, whether or not they were for export was unknowable from my current standing. Moreover, approximately six to eighteen people worked here. I heard a commotion in one of the rooms. A chair, a heavy thump, voices, Garth and Xazhi, Andrew, if I remember correctly. I theorized that Andrew sat down in the chair, and was looking at something, he was startled and fell backwards, Garth moved forward and ended the disturbance. If it was man who had been infected, I hoped garth had the sense to sever the neck. The process of infection is gruesome. Even if the victim is recently dead, post-mortem turning is possible. I found that out the hard way, I killed 'it' before anything could happen, I beheaded the foul creature. I enjoyed it. I did not enjoy the fact that it looked like my once good friend and fellow warrior against not only the undead, but bandits, thieves, cretins of this world. We were, very much so, like heroes of old. Lot of good that did him. He had been bitten and asked me to kill him, I did, but I didn't sever the spine and spinal cord. I learnt my lesson.

The house was quiet. I walked through it, avoiding the room Garth and Andrew were in, making sure the whole house was clear. It was. Whatever happened, no one was at work, or home when it happened. I had scouted this place before. Took what I thought I needed. I had some food packed, but I wasn't about to start a fire to cook it. I wasn't hungry anyway. I did another sweep of the house, and began to barricade it for a safe night.

I cut the head off the body, just to be safe. I dragged the body and head out to the yard, past Nic and his working on barricading. By this time, Alex came in, and both him and Xazhi started working on finding a good place to sleep. I got to work dragging the bodies out of the house so we didn't have a stench. I decided to bury them in the morning, saving tonight for sleep. In my belief, you spend a few hours under the sky before being buried. One last time before the gods, you could say. Either way, I let them be.

=The darkness fades as he regains consciousness=
=He shakes his head and opens his eyes=
=He was caged up. People in the cells to his left and right=

=He moans=

This puts a damper on my plans.

=He looks to the two people. They were either asleep, or dead=

=I found a nice little place to sleep: it was close to a window, so that I'd have a quick escape route if needed, yet far enough from the window that I wouldn't get seen by any passing stenches. Also, I had a good view of the door, so I could see who left, and who came in. And of course, it let me have a good path to run for the door, if needed. I pulled out my crossbow, sat down on the floor against the wall, and laid the weapon next to me, just in case=

Once I was done with the bodies. I helped Nic barricade the house up, just in case. Xazhi had already gone to sleep by this time. I could hear him snoring, and I knew Alex didn't snore. Once we got it all done, I found a nice little spot upstairs near a window, and fell asleep.

=A fun trick I picked up in my five years of Hell, was sleeping with one eye open. Well, one eye half open at any rate. I was already a light sleeper (thank you nightmares) and the possibility of being eaten in my sleep was not lost on my sub-conscious. That said, five years of walking makes a guy very tired, and prone to deep sleeping. Which was why I tended to sleep sitting up. Don't ask why, but it's much easier for me to sleep, and still be aware, when I'm sitting up in my sleep. It took a few minutes, but I managed to enter a light sleep, though I still had some bad dreams=

=He hears the rusty door open=

Guard-UP!

=He sits there=

Why.

=The guard enters the cage and lifts him up, putting a gun to the back of his head=

Guard-Let's go.

=They walk out of the cells. They approach the door and it opens=
=He is shoved outside=
=The sky was a gloomy color=
=Rain falling=

Guard-Go.

=The area he was in was blocked by a makeshift wall=
=Guard towers on the corners=

=He begins walking=

After the house was barricaded the way that was necessary to prevent zombies from entering the home. We were safe for the night. I sighed, I put rags, and what was left of the sheets along the windows, to further seal them and keep heat in the house and the cold out.

"Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici" [By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe]
I said quietly as I looked at the sky, through a window on the far side of the house, away from the others. I thought of the road ahead.
"Via, Veritas, Vita" [The Way, the Truth and the Life]
I whispered, thinking of my personal journey, thinking of all that has happened. Thinking of what lay ahead.

"Veritate et Virtute" [Truth and Virtue]
I again whispered silently, stating what I believed in the most in life.

"Veritas vos liberabit" [The truth will set you free]
I whispered, as I recalled how the truth set me free, in my time of need.

"sed Veritas odium paret" [but Truth creates hatred]
I again said, in the same manner as before, thinking of all that has happened, and what people have done in the world.

"Sic transit gloria mundi" [Thus passes the glory of the world]
I again said, thinking of earth, my home, and in all respects my mother. Gaia was the mother of all things earthborn.

I sat down, leaning against the wall, and fell asleep.

"et Scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem." [and Knowledge has no enemies but the ignorant]