Episode 4

Steve smiled at Megan, cleaning his gun, and she looked at him oddly.

"What?" Megan scoffed, shaking out a shirt.

"I think we should go do a perimeter check since Edmond, Terry, Teresa, Mike, and Andy aren't back yet."

Megan shook her head and hung the shirt on the line.

"Perimeter check on camp or me?"

Steve smirked and winked.

*******************

"This is Officer Daniels of the Baker County Sheriff's Department. Does anyone copy? Over," said Abraham over the CB, but there was nothing but static in return.

"Maybe, we're not close enough yet?" suggested Bella, rolling a joint, and her father glanced at her.

"I don't know if I like you smoking that stuff."

Bella laughed, slipping off her boots and crossing her legs underneath.

"Daddy, I'm seventeen. I get straight A's, top of my classes in school and training, and I hate to break it to you, but I've been smoking since I was fifteen. You need not worry, my dear old-fashioned man," she teased.

Abraham laughed, shaking his head, and Bella lit the joint.

"Old fashion, huh?"

She giggled, opening a window, and her father made a disgusted face.

"Uh, that stuff reeks. How can you enjoy that?" he asked, and she busted out laughing.

"It smells better than rotting flesh and old blood."

Bella's smile faded, and she looked at the floor.

"I just hope we're not too late," she whispered, and Abraham gave his daughter a caring look.

"Hey, Bell. Don't think like that, little bird. We're going to find them."

She looked at him with tears rolling down her cheeks and sniffed.

"I'm sorry. I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but Megan is still my mom, Charlie is still my brother, and I love them so much. I really hope nothing bad happened to them."

Abraham touched his daughter's shoulder and sighed.

"Me, too, kid. Me, too."

Suddenly, a crackle and a broken-up voice came over the radio, and Bella grabbed the mic.

"Hello, this is Daniels's family. Do you copy?" she asked.

The voice was static and distant, and Bella looked at her father.

"Drive faster, Dad. I think the signal is coming from the city," she said, and he stepped on the gas.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Bella asked again.

The voice was still distant and hard to make out, but Bella and her father knew the signal was getting stronger.

********************

"Who is this?" Mike yelled into the radio, but there was no response.

Andy, Terry, Teresa, and Edmond looked at him, and Mike shook his head, cursing. Mike was of Korean descent with pale skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, and he was thin. Terry was tall, the average weight for a man in his late forties, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and he was rude and mean. He and his brother Dale were bikers who stayed with the group from the highway, and no one liked Terry much.

Andy was short and muscular with red-brown hair, a beard, and green eyes, and he was very quick on his feet. Edmond was of Latino descent with light brown skin, stocky, dark hair, and dark eyes, and he knew the city well. Teresa had dirty blonde hair, gray eyes, average height, and weight, and was quick with a gun.

A female voice came over the radio but sounded broken up and distant.

"Probably some kid who got a hold of their daddy's radio," laughed Terry, and Andy scoffed.

"What would a kid be doing with a radio? Especially since we are the only ones dumb enough to come back to this dump," said Teresa, and Mike, Andy, and Edmond agreed.

The group had come to the city for a supply run but got trapped on top of a shopping mall by a herd of the undead, and now they were on the roof trying to contact their camp.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" asked the female voice over the radio, but she still was breaking up.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" asked Mike.

Andy, Edmond, and Teresa looked at each other and sighed in relief.

"Sure can, but the signal is faint."

Mike looked at his group, and their eyes lit up with hope.

"Where are you? Are you at the refugee camp?" asked the girl.

Andy, Edmond, Teresa, and Mike looked at each other oddly, and Terry chuckled.

"Refugee camp isn't that cute. Has this bitch been living under a rock the whole apocalypse?" he laughed, and Teresa scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"No, sorry. There is no refugee camp. City's been overrun for a couple of months now," sighed Mike.

"Then what are you doing there?" asked the girl.

Andy blew a breath, grabbed the radio, and put it to his mouth.

"Because our dumbasses got trapped doing a supply run for our camp. It's outside the city. If you can get us out of here, we'll take you back with us," he said.

There was a long pause, and Andy looked at the group.

"How many of you are stranded?"

"Five," said Andy.

Another long pause, and Teresa sighed heavily, feeling hopeless.

"Alright. We are reaching the city now. Where are you?"

Andy looked at the group in question, and Teresa shook her head.

"She said we. I don't think this is a good idea. We should just try to contact camp and get Steve and the others to come to get us," she said.

"But it's been two days. We have never been gone this long and still can't contact Liam. I say we give these guys a shot," said Mike.

"I agree with Mike," said Andy, and Edmond agreed.

Terry looked at the group and chuckled, cleaning his sunglasses.

"You know, Blondie here does make a good point. The kid said we and the world's gone to shit. We don't know what kind of people they are, but you were quick to invite them to the place we rest our heads."

Andy scoffed and shook his head.

"How many of you are there?" he asked over the radio.

"What?" asked the girl, and Mike grabbed the radio.

"How many people are in your group?"

"Uh, two. It's just me and my dad, but we can get you out of the city if you just tell us where you are."

Andy and Mike looked at each other, and Andy shrugged, nodding.

"The mall," said Mike.

Terry snorted, and the group looked at him in question.

"What? As I said, it's a kid. How will a kid and her papa save us if five people can't get their heads out of their own asses and save themselves? Think about it. They're going to get themselves killed, and we will still be stuck here."

Mike thought for a moment and sighed.

"What's your plan? How do you plan on getting past these things?" he asked into the radio.

"Trust me, as long as you do exactly what I tell you to. We will get you out of there safely. Now, just keep an eye out for us. Green truck."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Edmond.