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tinkabelle24 · 18 days

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Remains

Chapter 3: Mutual Desperation (PART 1)

An unexpected illness divides the group.

TW! Blood/Gore.

Chapter 2

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(6 months earlier...)

Exhaling shakily, Addie finally bit; selecting Matt's contact icon and pressing 'Call', removing her facemask as she lifted the screen to her ear.

She was a ring away from being sent to voicemail, when he picked up. "Yeah?"

The blonde pushed her tongue to the wall of her mouth, stifling a scoff. You don't speak to me all day, and the first thing you say is 'yeah?'. Whatever...

"Hey. I'm, uh..." She shifted awkwardly against the break room counter; voice low, in consideration for the few co-workers attempting to eat their reheats in peace. "...I'm gonna need you to pick Luc up again tonight. Please."

"...Why?"

What the hell's with these one-worded responses?

Addie couldn't help herself, this time. She scoffed. "Matt, I've been under the pump all week, with this virus going around. You know that if I could leave, I would."

"Can't you get an exception?" He sighed in exasperation. No, I can't. You know I can't. "I have stuff on tonight, Ad-"

"What, got a date with your side-piece?" Addie caught one of the women staring, and not with concern. She hurled the nosy bitch an admonitory look, before swiftly turning her back; stepping to the furthest wall.

"...Ad, we've had this talk, many times: nothing physical ever happened-"

"Yeah, and I still don't believe it. But you keep telling yourself-"

"Want me to pick Luc up, or not?"

"...What happened to your oh so important 'stuff'-"

"Like you give a shit about what goes on in my life."

Tears seared the blonde's eyes, as she shot back: "That's not true, and you know it!"

"Uh-huh, sure. We'll see you tonight, whenever that is. Bye."

"Matt-"

Click.

Addie cursed as she tore the device from her ear; clenching it tightly, imagining her husband's throat.

You're such a... fucking... NO!!!

Not here! Dear God, please, not here!

Sucking in a trembling breath, Addie proceeded swiping the tears from her cheeks with her undershirt sleeves; sniffling, as she pocketed the phone.

Shake it off. Just a few more hours...

Tentatively, she turned; the woman was still staring.

"Eyes down, Sandra! Krijg de kolere..."

Chaos.

That was the best way Addie could describe the atmosphere, the moment she stepped back onto the floor - utter chaos.

The blonde kept her gaze low as she strode down the crowded hall to her station; narrowly avoiding careening hospital beds, frantic physicians, and zombified nurses.

The amalgamation of sounds (alarms, chatter, crying, coughing, groaning...) assaulted her senses, skyrocketing her already intense anxiety.

Typically, it wouldn't bother her; she'd lived in this environment long enough, it'd devolved into semi mollifying white noise - not this. This was like standing under an idling plane.

Addie's heart sank when she spotted one of her fellow nurses, Ben, slumped awkwardly against a trolley - unconscious. Poor guy had been here long before she clocked on, thirteen hours ago.

I can't possibly leave you like that...

Snatching a thermal blanket from said trolley, she quickly tucked a it around his shoulders, then proceeded pushing his legs further toward the wall. They were out so far into the walkway, it was a miracle he hadn't been run over-

"On your left!"

As the startled Addie pivoted inward, then upward, she was abruptly yanked, by the collar of her scrubs, toward the hospital bed whizzing past; staring down the swollen, pus-filled throat of a screeching patient-

Addie yelped when a sharpened pole suddenly pierced the walker's temple - inches from her face.

She yelped again as she was then wrenched backward; reflexively tightening her grip round Lucas' trembling body.

Whipping her head around, she found Leo tearing the gore-riddled smock from her torso; surrendering it to the undead already gripping it. She felt a giant, calloused palm press between her shoulders, and panicked breath against her neck, as he resumed hurrying her forward; toward the truck slowly circling the parking lot.

The music still boomed, evenly dividing the ravenous crowd.

"Distraction, Donnie-"

"Yep!" The tallest, purple-masked one shouted in response; jerking the tip of his bloodied staff from another walker (simultaneously impaling another with the other end), before plucking what appeared to be an unlit Molotov cocktail from the largest pouch on his well-equipped utility belt.

"I've gotchu, bro!" The shortest, orange-masked one covered his comrade, beating walkers over the head with his steel nunchaku, as the latter ignited the wick; tossing it through the smashed window of the Toyota Yaris beside him.

The resulting blaze drew in a sizeable portion of their assailants, like moths to a flame; widening the laneway to their destination.

The truck was already roaring round the corner, when Leo lifted his fingers to whistle it over; brutally dispatching all walkers in its path. The cabin door was shoved open, as it jerked to a roll; revealing a fourth green being, frantically beckoning them inside.

He - the brawniest, red-masked one - hollered in a thick, Brooklyn accent: "MOVE YA FUCKIN' ASSES!!!"

The group readily obliged, practically throwing themselves inside.

"GO, APRIL-"

The vehicle immediately lurched forward, hurling those not quick enough to grab hold of something, to the floor.

Snatching one of the handgrips dangling from the ceiling, Leo caught Addie's waist, right before she and Lucas made impact; pinning her back against him as they finally sped away.

The last thing the blonde saw was a snarling, stumbling crowd, backed by a fiery inferno...

Then Red slammed the door closed, plunging them into darkness.

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"No, take the left," Leo enjoined, gaze fixed on the approaching intersection as he guided a shell-shocked Adrie to an empty seat.

Even under multiple layers of clothing, he could feel just about every rib, every vertebrae... Her son, dressed in only a long-sleeved 'Finding Nemo' pyjama top and bottoms (no socks, nor shoes, nor jacket) looked like a living skeleton.

It broke his heart.

"We're steering clear of all freeways, from now on - it's too risky. We don't have the gas to double back, if there's another pile-up."

"We don't have the gas, period..." Donnie mumbled dejectedly; shifting in his seat, opposite the newcomers.

April nodded stiffly. "Got it."

Leo gripped the back of Adrie's seat as the truck swerved onto the adjacent road, toward Rothrock State Forest; passing several walkers beelining for the KinderCare bonfire, and clipping two.

"We'll swap, once we hit the treeline," Raph 'offered', earning a piqued look from the dark-haired woman.

"I'm quite capable of navigating the road, thank you, Raphie-"

"Please, don't call me that-"

"Well, then, quit patronising me," she bit out, as the red-masked terrapin thrust open the front passenger door on an incoming walker. "I'll decide when I need a break."

"Alright, alright - fine! ... S'cuse me for tryna look out for-"

"Raph," Leo snapped, glare piercing his brother's rancorous side-eye. "For once in your goddamn life - listen."

Those words carried more vitriol than he'd anticipated...

A tense silence fell over the cabin as the two dragged out their staring match, daring the other to break first.

April, watching through the rear-view mirror, scoffed softly; shaking her head. The youngest brothers shared her sentiment.

"Hey, what about the husband...?" Mikey - seated alongside Donnie - enquired carefully, attempting to shift the subject.

Leo promptly folded; anxious gaze falling on the blonde (limply cradling her whimpering child) before him, still seemingly staring into space.

"Are we just gonna leave him there-"

"We had to." The leader sent his youngest brother a doleful look.

Understanding immediately, Mikey and Donnie both lowered their gazes; April and Raph shared a look, before returning their attention to the vehicle-scattered road ahead.

Silence befell the group once more, as a cautious Leo finally lowered himself onto the edge of the last seat, beside Adrie.

Cocking his neck slightly, he watched, with increasing self-reproach, as the woman's steel blues welled with tears, and a despaired whimper forced its way past her trembling, chapped lips.

Minutes, hours... Addie wasn't sure how long they'd been driving, but eventually the truck choked then shuddered to a halt; in the middle of an open road.

The blonde's tentative gaze followed Leo, as he stood, glimpsing her bloodied machete, dangling from his belt; and the other woman's (April, was it?) striking grey orbs, once again.

She'd been stealing glances after every turn.

"There it goes, again..." Donnie - the other voice Addie recognised - muttered wryly; heaving a sigh as he, too, hauled himself to his large, combat boot-clad feet

He joined Leo, Raph(?), and April, in the cockpit; the orange-masked one remained in his seat, 'sneaking' concerned glances her way.

"We can't trust the gauge, anymore..." April sighed.

"Like I said: this stuff's over six months old," Donnie explained, shaking his head to an equally crestfallen Leo. "It's practically water, at this point."

"I don't think we'll be travellin' on wheels much longer... Hey," Raph abruptly reached over the centre console; resting a giant, three-fingered hand atop April's tiny shoulder. "Ape, you okay?"

"Yeah- yeah..." She murmured, nodding stiffly. "I'm okay..."

"We'll find somewhere," Leo reassured; sharing a curt nod with Raph, as he comfortingly petted the woman's seat. His contradicting stance (power pose, accompanied by a lowered gaze) betrayed his insecurity.

"I know-"

Addie's focus was disrupted when a sudden coldness struck her chest. A gasp escaped her as she snapped her head downward, finding Lucas clutching her now bare breast.

"Nee!"

The four whipped around, right as Addie, beet red from embarrassment, tugged her soiled tank top back up. The worse they may have seen was some cleavage...

The orange-masked one however had, apparently, seen everything.

"Everything alright?" Through matted hair, the blonde found Leo carefully approaching.

She maintained a vice-like grip on the fabric, as her grizzling son continued grabbing at it.

Leo watched her struggle a moment; metaphorical cogs in his brain turning, as the scaly ridges where his brows would've been steadily furrowed.

Without another word, he swivelled on his sandaled heel; beelining for the rear of the truck, outside her periphery.

She listened to the rustling and clanking of items that followed (avoiding the others' prying gazes, shifting between herself and him), till the sounds eventually ceased.

Leo crossed in front of her, re-settling into the seat alongside. "Here."

Addie's eyes damn near sparkled at the clear zip-lock baggies of dried meat and fruit now before her.

Chef Boyardee was nowhere near enough...

"Don't worry about us," Leo reassured, catching the blonde's gaze flickering outward. Tilting his head to redirect it, he levelled her a severe look. She could drown in those cerulean orbs, of his.

"There's more than enough to go around..." His expression softened considerably as he nodded to the baggies, holding them out further. "Please. You both look like you need it."

Relief enveloped Leo as Addie finally, tentatively obliged. But, curiously, she made no move to open them; not even when her son feebly whined and tugged at them.

Hugging the baggies firmly against her chest, the woman continued staring; eyes brimming with apprehension as she silently studied the... man, and his comrades, before her.

Leo abruptly realised:

"Forgive me," he maintained the gentle tone and lowered his gaze slightly; an effort to further encourage trust. "We've not officially met – my name’s Leo. That, there, is my brother Mikey-"

At the gesture in his direction, the orange-masked one - flushing a deep shamrock, still unable to look Addie in the eyes - smiled sheepishly.

"Donnie-"

The purple-masked one gave a polite nod, pushing his tape-riddled glasses to the bridge of his snout.

"I probably don't need to tell you we're also related, heh... uhh, so, our friend April-"

The dark-haired woman smiled warmly, giving a short wave.

"...and Raph-"

"Were ya bit?"

Leo sighed inwardly at that as Addie followed his brother's narrowed gaze, downward. Looking at her, bedaubed with dried blood and gore, like she'd bathed in it, the leader would be lying if he said he wasn't suspecting the same.

He wouldn't have been nearly as terse with his questioning, though.

"Just give her a minute," he held up a placating hand, glimpsing panic in the woman's eyes. Could they be correct in their suspicion, or was she simply afraid of being left behind? "Let her gain her bearings-"

"Why? It ain't like it's gonna change anythin', if she were. Might as well get it outta the road now, so we can..." Raph faltered a moment, as he warily glanced an incredulous-looking April's way; clearly debating whether to finish his sentence.

"...figure- behind-!"

The woman barely had a chance to register the warning, when a deafening THUMP behind her, jolted her out of her seat.

"SHIT-"

As she flew into the red-masked one's arms, a full, rounded belly suddenly entered into Addie's field of vision, ripping a startled gasp from her.

She's-!

"Dead fucker-!"

Practically dropping April into his seat, Raph proceeded snatching the pair of pronged weapons from his belt; thrusting open the cabin door with one swift, facile movement.

"Careful-!" Leo exclaimed over Lucas' strangled shriek, as a second surprise walker - EMS uniform dangling in bloodied tatters from its waifish body - lunged itself at his comrade, followed closely by another.

Raph wasted nary a moment kicking the nearest one to the gravel with his giant, two-toed foot, then impaling the second's skull through the chin. The furthest had already met the lethal end of Donnie's bō, by the time Raph's slumped to the ground.

The catalyst walker, allured by the commotion, came staggering round the truck. The two men (Reptiles? Turtles? Turtle-men? Turtle men) dispatched it together, dashing its now shattered body against the grille.

Inside, the women finally released their breaths, sharing a knowing glance as Addie proceeded consoling her child. She relented with the jerky.

"We can't stay here," Raph remarked; glowering at the blonde's very brief, hushed monologue to her son - clearly not in English (German?). He knew she spoke their language; she did so over the radio. So, why the hell wasn't she using it now? "We're sittin' ducks without a set'a walls 'round us."

"Agreed," Leo nodded, mentally noting his brother's veiled hostility.

"That building over there looks good," Donnie offered; pointing to the tall, cream-coloured double garage several hundred feet down the road. At least a dozen vehicles, engulfed by overgrown greenery, surrounded it. "Should fit the truck, with some change."

"Wait, wait-" Mikey's baby blues and gesture grew wide. "You wanna push this?? Wha... all the way over there??"

"What's the matter, baby bro?" Stepping a foot inside the cabin, Raph proceeded thumping the orange-masked brother's shoulder, knocking the wind out of him. "'Fraid ya weak ass is gonna embarrass yaself in front'a the ladies?"

"Unless you'd rather risk our necks hauling everything we need back and forth-" Donnie countered distractedly, elbowing Raph's bicep. Another walker, stumbling out the side gate of a nearby house, had snatched his attention.

Raph promptly called dibs.

Pushing the 20-odd ton vehicle to safety was a three-man job which Leo, Raph, and Donnie grudgingly endeavoured, while Mikey brought up the rear to protect the women and child. Thankfully (or concerningly), no additional walkers presented themselves.

Their new sanctuary: a double-storey automobile workshop – Glenny’s Garage. After a brief once-over of the outmoded but seemingly undamaged and secured exterior, Donnie and a reluctant Leo split off to sweep the interior; leaving the others waiting by the truck, for several agonising minutes.

Raph’s chartreuse peepers scrutinised Addie’s every move, attempting to will all her ‘secrets’ out into the open. Yes, he’d advocated hard for her rescue, very nearly exchanged fists with Leo over it, but that had shit all to do with trust or sympathy (save for the kid; he wasn’t that far gone, yet…) – only what she could do for April.

Anything for April…

“Hey, Raph?”

The turtle-man in question shifted his gaze, finally granting a visibly tense Addie respite. April – who’d been standing alongside, looking like something crawled up her ass and died – had summoned him.

“What’s up-”

"Could you be a dear and go fetch us some waters, please?" The brunette's tongue dripped with honey, but her eyes hissed, 'don't you dare argue'.

"Two, thanks- no, I asked you. I'm sure Mikey's more than capable of watching over us for the two seconds it'll take for you to go inside and come back..."

After a brief staring match, Raph finally relented, shooting the object of his ire one last pointed look before disappearing inside the cabin.

“Sorry about him… he can be a real di-” April’s abruptly anxious gaze landed on the boy in Addie’s arms, chowing down on what she presumed was his seventh piece of dried venison. The baggy was nearing empty and she’d yet to see his mother take a single one for herself. “Jerk, sometimes… Are you having any of that? … Adrie-?”

“Hm?” Addie finally looked up, cursing herself for losing track of the seconds Leo had been missing from her side. It was a strange feeling: attributing safety to who’s essentially a complete stranger. She wasn’t sure she liked it, but one thing was certain: his presence was a miles better feeling right now than his absence.

“I’ve eaten already. It’s okay.” April politely declined the offer of the last jerky piece, giving the blonde a knowing smile. “Leo’s right, y’know – you should eat something-”

Addie’s gaze abruptly darted beyond her. The behemoth had thudded back into view with, to the women’s surprise, two plastic bottles in hand.

April smiled mawkishly as she plucked both from him, pushing one toward Addie before hand-waving him away with a, “We’re talking – go hang out with your brother”. He harrumphed but eventually obliged.

Addie needn't voice anything; the frown she levelled at April as Raph stalked away was question enough.

"He's a friend," the brunette chuckled, unscrewing the bottle lid to take a sip. Addie followed suit with hers, allowing a moment to relish the clean, fresh taste - a rarity these past few months - before eventually handing it over to her eager son.

"A very protective friend..."

The words had already cycled through her ear canal by the time she realised: that was the first time she'd spoken more than one word to them in person.

Judging by the mild surprise on April's face, she'd realised that also.

"So-" Addie promptly turned her head to cough. Her throat itched and voice rasped. She was no longer accustomed to using the top of her lungs, so she presumed it'd done a number on her vocal cords... "Pardon... So, y-you're safe?"

April didn't appear distressed, but the fact that she was the only female surrounded by males compelled Addie to speculate...

"I've known these guys a long time," the brunette emphasized, unwittingly stroking the top of her swollen abdomen as she smiled down at Lucas.

Though she tried, Addie couldn't help staring; a myriad of questions inundating her already overwhelmed mind.

"Trust me, there's no safer place for you and your little one to be."

Addie's lips tightened as she nodded, stealing a glance toward the problem turtle-man already side-eyeing her; blatantly ignoring Mikey's attempts at engaging him in conversation.

The jury's still out on that one...

"I'm sorry about your husband, by the way..."

The image of a reanimated Matthew dangling from that door, clawing at their terrified son, flashed through her mind; then the sickening thwacks of her machete as she mercilessly cut him down...

They discussed what they'd do should one of them become infected, early on; an effort to desensitise themselves, perhaps?

Given she had no clue whose face she was mutilating at the time, it saved her the heartbreak... then their son uttered those fateful words...

"I lost my own husband in this, also - t-three, four... months ago...?" April's smile faltered slightly as she lowered her gaze, seemingly joining Addie in remembering something - something equally painful. "It never really leaves you, but it does get easier to live with; if that's any consolation, heh..."

"How far along are you...?"

Returning her gaze to Addie's, April gave a tremulous breath; staring silently for several moments, before finally answering, "T-thirty eight weeks, two days..."

Addie's stomach dropped. Schijt...

So, any day now, this child could decide they're tired of sloshing around in their private primordial pool, and attempt to join them in this hellish world.

Addie only hoped, for April's sake, their impending exit will be quick...

The abrupt rattling of a door handle drew the group's attention toward the garage. They watched the office exit door creak open as the purple-masked turtle-man stepped through it, followed almost immediately by the metallic sliding of the nearest roller door.

Addie's gaze then fell upon Leo's face, and her heart unexpectedly lifted.

"Ladies... c-child," Donnie nodded awkwardly toward the women as he gestured inside, prompting them forward.

"Turtles-" Leo shared a fleeting look with Addie as he sheathed his unsullied blade, before turning to address his brothers. "Limber up. We've a slight incline on the way inside."

"No pussyin' out this time, Mikey."

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