Part Twenty Three

Eden: Paradise Lost

Part Twenty Three

Finch screams in pain as Lance lays a hard right hook across his face as Terry and Mary trade off punches to Adam as the entire group have Finch and Adam tied down. 

Kris: Ease up, you guys. 

Finch spits out blood as his right eye is closed up, Lance snorting as he backs away, Miles coming over with Kris as he pulls out his Bowie and stabs it near Finch's right cheek. 

Finch: Were sorry! We're sorry!

Kris: tell that to the thousands who've died because of you!

Kris uppercuts Finch as Adam starts to tear up as Brianna puts her .44 to his chin. 

Brianna: Why'd you help them, Adam. Look at me!

Adam does as Brianna looks at him sternly. 

Brianna: Why!?

Adam: I just wanted...to not be here anymore. but I didn't know about this...not like this…

Kris grabs Finch and pulls him closer. 

Kris: Where's the other guy!?

Finch: we don't know...he went to get a vehicle out of a warehouse down by the docks…

Kris: And he hasn't come back?

Finch: No! why else would we still be here!

Lance: He's telling the truth. Too spineless not too. 

Terry: Maybe he got overtaken, there's a lot of walkers and runners out there. 

Mandy: That guy is a professional, I doubt he gets taken down by just just dead heads. 

Jared: The cult. 

Kris: What?

Jared: The cult probably got him, used the hideaway to get into the Prime's. I'm willing to bet they're held up in the warehouses, would bet it all. 

Lance: Makes sense. Could've caught him off guard like they did us. 

Kris: inclined to believe it. So, let's go get him. 

Lance: Why?

Jared: It's more about stopping the xhlt then getting the fucker, right boss?

Kris: Not entirely. I want that piece of shit in our custody one General Marcus's men arrive, but if it means we take care of this cult also, then so be it. 

Brianna: What if they've already killed him?

Kris: No loss, but the cult needs to be stopped. 

Dustin: This seems offly risky. 

Terry: I say we focus on getting lower back on throughout the city.

Max: That's right, according to Finch, the emp was placed at the sub control hub of the power plant out in fools landing. If I could offset and get enough juice to restart the system, I could pump the entire thing back on. 

Lance: Risky, too much risk involved in either play. 

Miles: A necessary risk I'd say though. 

Millie: Maybe, but that's a long leg to fools landing. 

Kris and Lance weigh their options. 

Kris: What about Shane and Collin?

Lance: Nothing we can do for them now. 

Jared: Power throughout the city will help a lot of people boss. 

Kris: I'm not disputing that. 

Brianna: Then give up on going after the…

Kris: I know. 

Miles: Boss…

Kris: Do what y'all need to do, but I'm going to that warehouse. 

Nick: Don't be brash, you can't go alone. 

Kris: Only if you want too. 

Rebecca: Nick, there's no need to offer yourself up everytime…

Nick: I can do what I want, I'll be fine. 

Rebecca shakes her head and fumes frustrated as Amber and Lyndsey clasps hands. 

Amber: Why don't we just hold up here?

Kris: Y'all will, but most of us need to decide who's going where. 

Miles goes to Lyndsey as he looks the others over.

Miles: I'll stay with the girls. 

Millie: Me, too. 

Rebecca: Yeah, I'm not leaving. Need to stay off is this ankle.

Lance looks at Max

Lance: can't let you go alone. 

Terry: I'll go with Max. 

Kayla: Me too 

Mandy; I'll go. 

Kris: Whose with me?

Nick: Me.

Jared: I'm with ya boss. 

Dustin: I want to kill some of those cult fuckers, I'm down. 

Brianna: I'd love to have fun, but someone's gotta watch these boys. 

Brianna nods at Finch and Adam. 

Kris nods as everyone begins to gear up, Kris going over to Miles. 

Kris: Make sure she stays in bounds with those two. 

Miles: You got it. 

Kris walks by Brianna as she eyes but then looks away. 

Elsewhere, the Bank.

Shane tosses a grenade into a clump, watching as the explode as as Collin watches more and more appearing from every street.

Collin: This is hopeless...there's no end in sight!

Shane: Shut up, and shoot! We can clog them and keep them from getting inside!

Don: Why do you keep fighting? You would be better off giving me your brains…

Collin: No!

Shane: Don't listen to that dead fuck! Just keep shooting, take a breath and

Collin: This is hopeless, Shane...we can't…

Shane: Do not! don't do anything stupid!

Collin watches as the dead bodies they had killed were stacked but the never sending sounds of groaning dead was starting to get to him. 

Collin drops his sniper rifle as he pulls his pistol out and goes to the edge of the roof as Shane fired and spots him.

Shane: Collin, goddamnit, no!

Collin: You might as well face facts..

Shane: No!

Collin puts the gun to his and pulls the trigger, his hand dripping the gun as the bullet tears through his skull and his body slumps over as he falls off of the roof and onto the herd of zombies, Shane watching on horrified as he sees Don tear through the pack of undead as he tears into Collins skull and begins eat his brains as the zombies around him begin to tear his limbs off as they start to feast on his lifeless corpse. 

Shane looks about as he was now alone, the dead becoming more and more aggressive as Shane grips his rifle and screams as firing down randomly as he shoots at the zombies that were eating Collin. 

Elsewhere

Kris and company head down towards the elevator as Lance and company get to the front doors as Miles and Millie cover them both. 

Kris: Lance. 

Lance turns to him as Max unlocks the doors, Kris and the others heading inside the elevator. 

Kris: Good luck. 

Lance: You too, comrade. 

The elevator doors shut as Lance and the others rush out of the doors, Millie and Miles shutting them as they keep their weight against it, Max locking them back up as he runs behind Terry as Lance fires and keeps some shufflers away from them, Max putting the laptop away as they head towards the Jeep that Kris left. 

Kris, Jared, Nick and Dustin arrive to the floor with the hideaway, and head into the secret pathway as they head down the stairs, Meka taking point as Nick takes rear, the crew moving efficiently and fast as they come to the end of the passage. Kris stops them as he waits before opening the door. 

Kris: No gunshots, try to avoid a fire fight if we can, don't need to draw more attention. 

Dustin: What if they get to close? 

Kris: Simple, don't let them. 

Dustin: Easier said there, hoss. 

Kris gives him a look as he opens the door slowly, the four running out in a tactical line as they headed down the tunnel towards the pier. 

Miles skrs with Lyndsey as Brianna sits in front of Adam and Finch, staring them down as Millie keeps watch on the front of the lobby as Amber snacks on mini bags of old chips sharing some with Lily. 

Lyndsey: We're not safe anywhere we go..are we?

Miles: I don't know maybe, maybe not. 

Lyndsey: I just wish all of this was simply a bad dream. And I could wake up next to you, and our children are in the next room being loud and watching cartoons. That's what I wish I could wake up too. 

Miles: Me too. 

He holds her close as she was holding onto his arm and squeezing him tightly. 

Elsewhere

Max looks over a 3D layout of Eden from the laptop

Max: Turn right!

Lance does as he's directed as they pass some walkers as Max closes the laptop. 

Max: Take another right in about 6 miles on Wilson, then it's a straight shot there. 

Terry: Activity?

Max; Satilite has most of the activity by the bank. The rest is pretty dead in comparison. 

Mandy, Kayla and Terry start to laugh as Lance smirks as he focuses on the road as Max looks confused.

Elsewhere, the Bank

Shane checks the bag as he pulls out three of the four grenades, Shane grabbing his rifle as he sets up Collin's sniper rifle, Dom watching Shane's hectic movements with a gleeful blood stained smile. 

Don: Give it up, boy! What chance do you have here? they'll get in sooner or later and I'll have your brains all to myself…

Shane: Will you, shut the fuck up!

Don: Your friends have abandoned you, and the one who knew better...I must say his brains tasted sweet. Something about despair really makes the taste better. 

Shane aims and shoots Don in the head yet again, Don chuckling as he pulls the bullet out. 

Shane: I told you to shut up. 

Don: I'll enjoy eating your brains. 

Shane: Brains, brains, brains, that all you ever gonna talk about?

Shane aims Collins sniper rifle and shoots Don again in the neck now. Don reeling as he feels the large hole. 

Shane; You want em so badly, come get em!

Don screeches as the zombies pick up the aggressive pace as the pile of dead thankful keeps the front doors safe as Shane rubs and begins to make another pile at the back door as he drops a grenade and blows a large clump up. 

Elsewhere

Max reads over the files containing the infor about the smart zombies as he taps Lance quickly. 

Lance: What, what?!

Max; I found out how to destroy the smart zombies that are given brains. 

Terry: How?

Max: Says here that they incinerated the bodies complete till there was nothing but ashes. 

Lance: So blow em to hell. 

Max: Looks like the only option. 

Terry: Well, let's hope none of us come across one, might be screwed otherwise. 

Lance: If the person is smart, they'll figure it out once the headshots done work. By then you'd have to know something is up. 

Elsewhere, the Bank

Shane reloads as he listens to the windows beginning to give way, Shane looking at the last grenade as he sits and thinks for a moment as he smirks. 

Shane: Hey, Don. 

Don: What?

Shane: Looks like they're coming through…

Don: Soon enough. 

Shane: What say me and you have one last little confrontation before you storm in here and tear me apart. 

Don: Shoot me all you want, it's going to do you know good…

Shane stands and tosses the grenade at him as Don catches it and laughs as the pin was still attached to it. 

Don: You fool, you left the pin in…

Shane smirks

Shane: Oh, I know…

Shane takes aim and fired as Don screeches.

The grenade explodes in a ball of fire as Dom disappears behind the wall of smoke and fire, his incinerated flesh spraying all about the horde as Don's body rained chunky bits all around. 

Shane: Should've done that earlier…

The windows to the banks finally give way and shatter. 

Shane looks over as the zombies began to pour inside the windows as Shane curses and runs to the door as he slides the bag near it and grabs a machine gun as he loads it and lays the rest of the loaded guns at his feet as at the top of the stairs he had set a grenade up with a trip wire, the door that lead up into the roof being pounded against as Shane waits anxiously as he knew this was his final stand. 

The door gives way and the zombies rush upwards, tripping the wire as the grenade goes off, Shane screaming as he begins opening fire into the smoke, resigned to his fate. 

End of Part Twenty Three