IN ANOTHER PLACE

A man is running away from a swarm of runners chasing after him through a massive street. His panting also becomes a a dinner bell for the biters to feats on him. From 3 to 10 to over 50, the swarm has exponentially turned into a horde and it makes everything harder for him. His feet starts to become heavy and painful because of the continuous running. He trips down on the the ground and and easily gets back up, one of the runner catch but he jumped out of its way and it falls into a construction hole. He sees a excavator and climbs on top of it, realizing what he has done he starts to lose home. He grabs half of his broken pike and readies to kill any that comes close to him.

The horde surrounds him and their arms tries to reach him. He feels safe but slowly is loosing his hope. In a alley in front of him a armored truck comes driving in and its occupants raining down on the horde. They all go after the armored truck but the men were fast enough to act and kill them. 'Get in here' One of the men shouts, he stepped down and he ran towards the truck, they opened the door and he jumped in. One of the biters grabbed him but he manages to stuck his pike through its mouth and threw it away. The truck closed and they started to drive off.

"Alright, what's your name?"

"Zachary"

"Nice to meet you Zach, I'm Kane, this man beside me is Joel and that man beside you is Andre"

"Nice to meet you"

"Yep"

"Hi, thank you for saving my ass back there"

"No worries... so where you heading?"

"South, to Arizona... we heard of a new settlement down there.. you guys know it?"

"Yeah we do, we live there"

"Really?"

"Yep"

"We were sent to look for supplies here in Sacramento"

"Isn't that a bit too far?"

"yeah, we also might find people like you"

"Thank you ....then"

"Welcome... well hit the hay, we'll wake you when we get there"

"yeah"

Zach lies down comfortably and rested. The trembling in his feet still hurts him after all that running. The three men continued to look outside in the city and in a shattered expression. Looking at those biters walking, running, standing without the faintest proof of that they can still be saved. As if their own bodies have been stolen. After a few hours of driving and sleeping, Zachary wakes by himself in the truck. He looks outside to see the orange flame and the three men eating and singing songs.

Joel noticed Zach and call him over to hang out with them, and so he did. The first few steps felt a bit painful for him as his foot has become sore. He walks slowly towards them and the three men continued singing. He slowly sat down with his right leg being opened. Kane hands him a drink.

"Just water, your lips are dried to shit"

"Thanks"

He took a sip of that cold water and his body fully refreshed. He asked for more and then gave him more.

"Wait, aren't I waiting you guys' water.. its fine we got plenty, like 5 gallons in there... so go crazy"

"Thank you"

He chugged down cups of water until he is satisfied. The men singing away to what ever song that they have created throughout the viral storm. After a few songs the men wanting to know more about the new character that they have picked up asks him about somethings.

"So when the outbreak started, how old were you?"

"9 years old, then me and my family were saved by these people in a town called Denton"

"Which Denton?"

"Maryland"

The three men are in shock upon hearing where he came from.

"Holy shit, you came from the other side of the country?"

"You obviously had people with you right?"

"Yeah, I did"

"So, how'd end up as a lone wolf?"

"I..... I was on Seattle for a bit looking for something, I can't remember what, until I saw a couple of people and chased after them, they took me in and they were monster"

"How?"

"They would kill anyone who disagrees with them"

"shit"

"Damn"

"Yeah, after that I decided that I would leave, and when we got Sacramento he attacked me and I shot him. The show attracted those biters and I just started running"

"Holy shit, well the place that we are going is a haven"

"Really?"

"Yeah, good people"

"So how about you guys?"

"Us?"

"What were you doing before the dead came back and started gnawing on us?"

Kane spoke first, he was a retired policeman and living his days on his own farm. He would raise his cattle and sheep and start out into the beautiful view of his farm. He retired because of the passing of his wife, and his two kids lived their own lives. They would visit him every week and he will hang out with his children. When the outbreak started the last messages he got from his children was only, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you'. He smiled upon remembering the days when the only thing they worry about is how to be happy.

"I'm sorry for your lost"

"No worries, all I know is that my boys would have protected their family... even if they became one of those things... they'll be with their momma"

"...."

Andre then tells of his past, he used to be a soldier sent in order to contain and protect civilians, and a familiar place comes up from him.

"Where were you assigned?"

"Utica, New York"

"Really?"

"Did... did you know by any chance a Tobias Cramer?"

"Tobias.... hmm... Oh yeah, yeah, we lost him..."

"Well, no"

"No?"

"He was one of the people I survived with"

"Really? Well, where is he now?"

"I.... dead.."

"I'm sorry to hear that"

"We found what's left of him, just a torso with his clothing on it"

"I'm sorry"

"Its fine, its been 5 years"

"How old are you?"

"15 now, I was ten when he saved me and my sister"

"Where's your sister?"

"Back home, I was separated from them... hopefully back home"

Joel then speaks, he was also a retired man just like Kane. He was far from the city living off the things that he created for himself. He built a self-sustaining farm even before his retirement. He used solar panels in order to power his own land. When the outbreak came, people from the city found his place and seemingly took it as their own. Not until the dead caught up to them, he destroyed his own home and rode in one of their cars. He then meet the other two also on the road and from then on they were the best of friends.

After their little recollection of their past they start to pack things up. They put out the fire and packed everything into the back of the truck. Kane put out a map and it has scribbles and drawings on it.

"What does all of that mean?"

He then points to different parts of the map and labeling the drawings.

"The circles are areas that might have some supplies, the one with the one line across are the ones with the dead, and the two across are with men that might kill you"

"Oh, good to know"

"yep, get in we will have a bit of a long road ahead of us"

In the map the path they will be taking to Arizona is filled with the different markings. Maybe one of this places will keep them trap for a certain amount of time.