Dead in the Water

"Ma! Ma! Ma, she’s bit!" come the frantic cries of the man, as he breaks through the trees and towards the ring of cars that surround the hunting supply store!

The summer heat beats down, and the man is drenched through, as he carries the small child in his arms. The tiny body is lolling terrible, and the only movement anyone can see comes from the hurried run of the man holding her.

"Oh shit!" a voice calls from the lookout nest on the roof, and a moment later there’s the sound of feet on ladder steps!

The strain of metal, as the man leaps up onto the hood of a car, and the weight of he and the small child is enough to leave an impression in the car!

"Ma! She’s fucking bit!" the words come again, though this time they sound far more mournful and desperate!

Angry scratching starts up again inside the closet, as the two women go about the business of building a barricade! It wasn’t as sturdy as the cars outside but, with any luck, their opposition wasn’t going to be as plentiful either!

The final wordless communication is had between the women, and the door is thrown open! Billie-Faye readies her blow, and Shayna is there to force the thing back of the biker woman missed her mark!

Richard’s light searches for the thing! It’s only as Billie-Faye is committing to the strike that she redirects her swing to be much lower than anticipated! Dreadfully small and paper thin, the walker meets the barricade and then Billie-Faye’s huge axe puts it in two pieces!

A second swing quietens the child-walkers impotent snarls for good! Quiet falls on the hunting goods store…

A few of the others share concerned glances as Richard asks if one of them owns the dog, but they shake it off as stress or tiredness weighing the man down!

You’d travelled the river for hours, and the day had been filled with closer calls than you’d usually have to deal with: both human and walker! As you clean out the stink of downstairs, and perhaps investigate the crow’s nest for its suitability as a sleeping spot, you realize just how tired, hungry and frayed at the edges you all are!

The pontoon bobs on the river a ways away, and Vinh had done his best to tie it tight, and leave it bare enough that it wouldn’t be a target for raiders. The cars had been found strong, and secure; as had the front door of the shop, once it was properly closed and locked up.

You realize, as the work of airing out the place continues, that this is the first time in months that you’ve had solid walls between you and the world… between you and the walkers.