Sugarcane

"I'm innocent, you know."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n"So what's going to happen to me?"\n\n<<display '02'>>

I don't want to say something out of line, so I remain silent. I look toward the truck where Roy and Christa are still playing Memory. Roy is hanging his head in defeat once again, and Christa is pumping her one arm in the air in victory.\n\n"He cares about you, you know," Hannah suddenly says.\n\n"Huh?"\n\n"Roy. He cares about you a lot."\n\n<<display '44'>>

"Alright, let's do this."\n\n"That's what I like to hear," Roy smiles. "<<display '13'>>

"There must be a million split ends."\n\n"Better to have split ends than a split head, as my father used to say."\n\n"Your father used to say that?"\n\n"No."\n\n<<display '27'>>

"Just as a friend?"\n\n"That's the thing. A<<display '60'>>

I keep my mouth closed.\n\nAaron huffs and prepares to bring the axe down again, but as he does, <<display 'a8'>>

"How about we push you a little farther?" I ask in a low voice.\n\nAaron looks at me, confused. "What?" <<display 'b6'>>

"Oh," I say in a low voice, "I understand."\n\nAaron smiles. "I'm glad to hear that." <<display 'b6'>>

I open my mouth to tell him, but as I do, <<display 'a8'>>

"Nate, watch it," I yell. This time he moves and the metal slams harmlessly on the grass. He and Owen begin hauling the pieces over the the bed of the truck.\n\nHannah and I continue prying panels off, one by one, but it seems that an awkward silence has grown between us.\n\n[["How is Christa doing?"|43q]]\n[["What was Mark like?"|43w]]\n[[(Maintain silence)|43e]]

"I thought this was just recon."\n\n"It was, but the car's right there."\n\n"True."\n\n"That's a good girl. <<display '13'>>

__Chapter 1: Eavesdrop__\n\nI wonder if Christmas has passed. It's definitely December. It was almost Thanksgiving when this whole mess started. This city never really got snow in December. It got rain – frigid, street-flooding rain, like tonight – but never snow. As I lie on the ground trying to sleep in the lonely back room of the safehouse, the cold night air pours in through the wall behind me, creeping through my thin blanket and up my back, causing me to shiver. This building doesn’t offer much escape from the plummeting temperatures, but at least it's dry.\n\n"<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>You can't expect me to go anywhere with her, Roy," I hear from the other room. "Did you hear me? She //killed// Emmett."\n\n"I heard you, Hannah," Roy replies calmly, "but I also heard Owen. He said that Kerry was defending herself. Emmett took her out there to murder her."\n\n"We don't know that for sure," Hannah says in a pleading voice. "Owen didn't go out until after whatever happened, and you only just got back an hour ago. None of us can know for sure what happened between the two of them, and we can't risk the lives of these three children by trusting someone like her<<else>>I don't feel safe going anywhere with her, Roy," I hear from the other room. "Did you hear what I said? She and Emmett went out there together, and he wound up dead. Either she killed him, or she failed to protect him, just like she failed to protect Mark."\n\n"I don't mean to be insensitive, Hannah," Roy replies calmly, "but I really don't think Kerry's the kind of person who would slaughter other survivors for the hell of it, and she //did// protect your daughter when we were separated after the fire. You remember that, right?"\n\n"You're missing the point," Hannah says in a pleading voice. "And you weren't here. You only just got back an hour ago. When she and Owen walked back in here, all covered in blood, you didn't see them. You didn't see the look in <<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>that little boy's eyes, like he knew what Kerry had done, but was afraid to say<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>her eyes, like she had just drowned the last of her conscience<<endif>>. I know that none of us can be sure what happened, but we can't risk the lives of these three children<<endif>>. Don't you think we should err on the side of caution?"\n\nRoy's silent for a while, then I hear him sigh. "Well, I have an errand to run in the morning, and it's going to require another adult, so we're going to have to keep Kerry around at least a little longer."\n\n"But she's injured, anyway. She was shot in the shoulder, remember? You dressed the wound before she went to bed."\n\n"I know. But unless you want to take her place and risk either leaving the kids alone here or bringing them out with us, she'll have to do. It's just recon, so she won't have to strain. We need her. Okay?"\n\nHannah says nothing, but huffs loudly.\n\n"I'll talk to her in the morning when I take her out," Roy says, "and we'll see if we can come to an understanding."\n\nI can hear Hannah standing up. "I just want you to remember to look at this situation objectively," she says before storming off into the bedroom where the three kids are sleeping.\n\n"What is that supposed to--?" Roy begins, but he's cut off by the bedroom door shutting. He lets out a long sigh and I hear the creaking of his chair as he leans back in thought, then I hear his footsteps nearing the back room. The door starts opening slowly. He doesn't know that I'm awake.\n\n[[(Pretend to be asleep)|01q]]\n[[(Stay up)|01w]]

"I heard you guys out there," I say quietly. "What's going to happen to me?"\n\n<<display '02'>>

__Chapter 3: Just Recon__\n\n<<display 'scene1'>>\n\nWe peer around to see some hunters exiting a pick-up truck.\n\n"There's our ticket." Roy whispers. "There are only three guys there. We've got this in the bag."\n\n[["I thought this was just recon."|12q]]\n[["I don't have a weapon."|12w]]\n[["Let's do this."|12e]]

"I don't have a weapon."\n\n"You're gonna get one. Ready?"\n\n"I guess."\n\n"That's what I want to hear. <<display '13'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "O">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "O">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I can't help but grin at Aaron's final, oblivious moments. <<display 'b6'>>

"Asshole missed all my insides, but this still hurts like hell." He looks up and around, then he notices the three dead bodies. "Whoa," he mutters, "did you kill them all?"\n\nAs I try to respond, I'm overcome with joy and relief, and I can hardly breathe. I sniffle loudly and wipe my eyes.\n\n[[(Nod)|24q]]\n[["I had help."|24w]]\n[["They kind of killed each other."|24e]]

He looks up at me and pauses. "What happened to your hair?"\n\nMy hand shoots back to feel the newly shortened locks. The blade was so sharp that it had sliced right through the entire tangled mess, though my scalp still aches from the few strands that had been tugged out by the katana's momentum.\n\n"It happened when I was fighting those two," I say, waving toward Kane and his partner. "That guy was holding me out for the big one, Kane, to cut down, but I pulled away at the last second, and he cut through my hair and hit the guy's arm instead. That's when I got the chance to grab a gun and shoot them both."\n\nRoy looks dumbfounded at the bodies lying in a clumsy heap over each other, the katana still wedged in one of their arms, then he looks back to me.\n\n"You're kidding. That's, like, action movie shit."\n\nHis disbelief is so exaggerated that I can't help laughing, but then I find myself thinking about what could have happened if <<if $shootRoy eq true>>Roy's injuries were only a little more severe<<else>>I had pulled that trigger<<endif>>. My shoulders start trembling as I try to fight back another wave of tears, then I feel Roy placing his hand on my back.\n\n<<display '26'>>

"Don't worry," he says softly. "Your hair looks fine."\n\nI smile.\n\n[["Yeah, that's why I'm crying."|26q]]\n[["It's the latest style."|26w]]\n[["There must be a million split ends."|26e]]

I look around us one more time.\n\n"We should try getting back soon, huh?"\n\n"Yeah," he says. "Hannah still thinks we're just doing recon, so she's probably worried by now."\n\nAfter a few minutes of helping Roy to stand, I find the car's keys on one of the hunter's corpses. We gather up their weapons, get into our new pick-up truck, and make our way back to the [[safehouse|28]].

[["Don't do this."|20q]]\n[["We need you."|20w]]\n[["I need you."|20e]]\n[[(Back away)|20r]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "G">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "G">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<timedgoto "23w" 9.0s>>I hold up the gun and realize how badly I'm trembling.\n\n"Please, God, no."\n\nRoy twitches, wheezing again, and turns.\n\n[[(Fire)|23q]]

I glance behind Aaron to see that the corpse has already made it halfway here. If I can just keep Aaron occupied for a little longer...\n\nI hear a short whimper. It's Owen. Aaron bends down to look the boy in the face.\n\n"You must be the kid I saw in the garage window. Keeping watch? Not too great at it, huh? What's wrong now, son?"\n\n[["Leave him alone."|b3q]]\n[["You just murdered his brother."|b3w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|b3e]]

Owen becomes silent. Nate looks at him, then turns to me again.\n\n"She had cancer a couple months before the biters started. She went through that radiation therapy thing, so she didn't have hair for her last few weeks. She still made jokes about being a bald barber, though, and how her future customers would probably be pretty nervous. She was always smiling for us, even when she knew she wasn't gonna make it."\n\n"I think you guys would've liked her," Owen adds. "She was at her best when everything else was at its worst."\n\n"She sounds like a great mom," Christa says.\n\nNate takes a long breath. "Anyway, you're lucky to look like her, Kerry. She was very pretty, especially with a stupid haircut."\n\nOwen and Christa look at him sharply at the word "stupid", but he seems not to notice that he's said something insulting. I laugh. Owen and Christa nervously join in, and Nate is still unaware.\n\n"Kerry," Roy calls from the door. "Come on in. We're ready to start planning."\n\n"Coming." I turn to the three kids. "[[Let's go|31]]."

<<display 'scene3'>>\n\n"Your mom must've had a pretty legit sense of style, then," I tell them, running my fingers through my questionably fabulous locks.\n\nNate laughs. "She liked to think so, too."\n\n"It's kind of uncanny, though," Owen says. "You look a lot like she did before she--"\n\n<<display '30'>>

__Chapter 4: Car-full Planning__\n\nWe park the pick-up truck in a garage beside the safehouse, and I help Roy out.\n\n"Thanks, but I can still walk," he says, obviously still in pain, but forcing himself to deal with it as he marches toward the door on his own. It swings open before we reach it, and Nate and Owen pour through.\n\n"Roy," Owen calls, "did you--?" but he pauses with a look of relief when he sees me, then he notices Roy's wound and my haircut. Nate notices neither. His eyes dart right to the truck.\n\n"We saw the car," Nate says. "You guys got a car?"\n\nHannah and Christa exit behind them and look to the garage. Hannah puts a hand to her mouth.\n\n"A car," she gasps. "How did you get that? I thought they'd all been stripped or taken."\n\n"Aaron's men collected them, and they've started taking them out on their supply runs," Roy explains. "Hey, Nate and Owen, check the back."\n\nThe boys run over and peek into the back seat of the truck.\n\n"Are those guns?" Nate asks.\n\n"And a katana?" Owen adds excitedly. "How did you find a katana?"\n\n[["One of the hunters misplaced it."|28q]]\n[["We killed a ninja."|28w]]\n[["I pulled it from a magical stone."|28e]]

He looks back into the truck window to gaze at the blade. "Can I use it?"\n\n"Maybe later," Roy says. "We have to plan our next move, first. Come on." He turns, and Hannah notices his blood-soaked shirt and the gash in his stomach.\n\n"Oh my gosh. Roy, are you okay? What happened to you?"\n\nHe looks down and covers the wound with his arm as if to keep her from worrying. "We found some hunters. The one with the katana got the better of me, but Kerry took them out. She saved me, and she's the only reason we have that truck now."\n\nHannah looks to me, then back to Roy. "I need to talk to you before we start planning," she tells him, and the two of them walk inside, leaving me with the three kids by the car.\n\n"We're leaving this dump of a city soon," Nate says to Christa. "No more worrying about Aaron."\n\nShe smiles and nods. "Yeah," she says, but it's obvious her mind is on something else.\n\n"What is it?" Nate asks her. "Christa, you've been really quiet today."\n\n"I guess I'm just still thinking about the people who've... died," she admits. She turns to me. "Kerry," she starts, but she pauses, considering how to put her next words. "Mom said that... that all our friends deaths so far have been your fault."\n\n"That's a load," Nate immediately retorts. "Your mom should be thankful because Kerry and Roy are the ones who found you in that trailer, right?"\n\n"I know. I just wanted Kerry to know that... that I don't agree with my mom. She's still sad about my dad, and she blames other people for stuff when she's sad."\n\n"It's okay, Christa," I tell her, but her mother's words linger in my mind. Each death so far being my fault?\n\n"By the way, Kerry," Owen says, bringing me out of my somber thoughts, "what happened to you and Roy? He's covered in blood, and your hair's--"\n\n"Gone," Nate says. "You look kind of like our mom when she used herself for barber practice."\n\n[["Ouch."|29q]]\n[["You don't like it?"|29w]]\n[["Your mom had style."|29e]]

<<set $loveRoy = "maybe">>"Why do you care?"\n\nShe shrugs. "I don't have my television shows anymore, so this is the most romantic drama I get. So, do you feel the same way?"\n\nI don't say anything, but it's very obvious that my silence is enough for Hannah, who looks like she's about to shriek like a schoolgirl. "Oh my gosh, Kerry," she squeals, trying to contain herself, "have you said anything to him?"\n\n"I didn't say I felt the same way," I remind her. "And besides, it's the end of the world, Hannah. Not a soap opera."\n\n"Kerry," Hannah says, putting both hands on my cheeks and forcing me to face her. "Kerry, if it's the end of the world, you have to tell him."\n\n[["Okay, okay."|45a]]\n[["Please let me go."|45b]]\n[["Maybe after we escape.|45c]]

"I'm really nervous. I can't sit still."\n\n"Well, try to enjoy this little moment of quiet while it lasts," she says. "Our journey isn't over when we get out of the city. We'll have to make our way to your parent's house, and hope we don't run into any more trouble on the way." She smiles and returns to her duties.\n\n<<display '52'>>

"Almost."\n\n"Enjoy this little moment of quiet, while it lasts," she says. "Our journey isn't over when we get out of the city. We'll have to make our way to your parent's house, and hope we don't run into any more trouble on the way." She smiles and returns to her duties.\n\n<<display '52'>>

''Just Short of the Dead: Episode Four'' by Tom Gould

<<display 'scene3'>>\n\n"Ouch," I groan, reaching to feel the split ends on the back of my head.\n\n"He's not calling you old or anything," Owen says, laughing. "Our mom was very young. You look a lot like she did before she--"\n\n<<display '30'>>

"Owen?" I call to the still boy. "OWEN!"\n\nI turn back to Aaron only to see him shaking his head.\n\n<<display 'b5'>>

"What have you done?"\n\n<<display 'b5'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "D">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "R">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>You told Hannah and the others that it was you who killed Emmett. Is that what happened?"\n\n"That's not the whole story."\n\n"I know. You wouldn't have admitted to it, otherwise.\n\nA few seconds of silence pass before Roy continues.\n\n"And why did you do it?"\n\n<<display '11'>><<else>>I'm prepared to keep a secret if you want, but I need you to be honest with me, first. You told Hannah and the others that it was hunters that killed Emmett. Is that what happened?"\n\n[["It's true."|10q]]\n[["No, it isn't."|10w]]<<endif>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "H">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "L">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"I think it'd be best to keep quiet."\n\n"We can stay alert and talk quietly," he says. "Besides, it's important. It's about Emmett."\n\n"Oh."\n\n<<display '10'>>

I face the wall with my back to the door and breathe slowly as though I were already asleep. There's no point in letting Roy know that I heard him and Hannah debating my fate. As I keep as still as I can, I hear him walking closer. I hear something soft being unraveled, then I feel the warmth of an extra cover as a comforter is dropped onto me. I don't open my eyes, I don't stir, but I hear Roy backing away and lying down in another part of the room. He lets out another exhausted sigh, and I drift off to [[sleep|03]].

Thank you for playing\n''JUST SHORT OF THE DEAD | EPISODE FOUR:\n"Things Unsaid"'' by Tom Gould\n\nEnd Music: "Escape" by Jóhann Jóhannsson\n\n__SOME OF YOUR CHOICES:__\n<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>''It's True'': You explained to Roy your side of what happened to Emmett<<else>><<if $royTruth eq true>>''Coming Clean'': You readily told Roy what really happened with Emmett<<else>>''Something to Hide'': You tried to hide what really happened to Emmett from Roy<<endif>><<endif>>.\n<<if $shootRoy eq true>>''Safety Off'': You were prepared to shoot Roy if he turned<<else>>''No More'': You hesitated to shoot Roy, even when it seemed like he'd turned<<endif>>.\n<<if $aboutMe eq "right">>''All My Fault'': You told Hannah she was right to blame you, and gained her trust back<<endif>><<if $aboutMe eq "wrong">>''Not My Fault'': You told Hannah she was wrong to blame you, and she agreed<<endif>><<if $aboutMe eq "none">>''I Can Take It'': You allowed Hannah to vent, and learned that she was ready to trust you again<<endif>>.\n<<if $loveRoy eq "yes">>''Confidant'': You told Hannah about your feelings for Roy<<endif>><<if $loveRoy eq "no">>''Wrong Idea'': You told Hannah you had no feelings for Roy<<endif>><<if $loveRoy eq "maybe">>''Gossip-Free Zone'': You hid your feelings toward Roy from Hannah<<endif>>.\n<<if $sacrifice eq true or $loveTalk eq true>>''Confession'': Roy finally confessed his feelings for Kerry<<else>>''What He Left Unsaid'': Roy never got a chance to tell Kerry how he felt<<endif>>.\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>>''My Rock'': <<if $loveConfess eq true>>Kerry got to tell Roy that she felt the same<<else>>Kerry and Roy remained friends to the end<<endif>><<else>><<if $loveTalk eq false>>''He'll Never Know''<<else>><<if $loveConfess eq true>>''What I Left Unsaid''<<else>>''Better Left Unsaid''<<endif>><<endif>>: Kerry never got to tell Roy how she felt about him<<endif>>.\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>>''Sacrifice'': Kerry turned herself in, and her selflessness allowed her friends to escape<<else>>''Escape'': Kerry tried to flee with the others, and they all met a terrible fate<<endif>>.\n''Their Fate'': <<if $sacrifice eq true>>Roy, Hannah, and Christa escaped, but Nate was killed and Owen was taken by Aaron<<else>>Roy, Hannah, Nate, and Christa met with a fiery fate. Owen's state is unknown<<endif>>.\n''Her Fate'': Kerry was brought in for <<print $end>>.\n\n----------------------------\n\nThis is the penultimate episode of my interactive apocalyptic tale, "Just Short of the Dead". If you have questions or feedback, message me or leave a comment on ''thegouldenway.deviantart.com''. In this episode, I tried my hand at humor, romance, and two very different endings based on the last big choice. I'd love to receive feedback on those particular aspects, but I live for criticism of all sorts, so let me know if what you think of anything from typos to the overarching plot.\n\nI began this series in the hopes of becoming a better writer and storyteller, and to wrap my mind around crafting choices and consequences in games. I'll be the first to admit that it's a rocky start, littered with writing no-no's and embarassing mistakes, but I really did learn a lot from this project, and so while I'll be relieved to finish it, I'll still be putting my all into ending it with a bang. I'm beginning work on the finale immediately, so you won't have to wait nearly as long as usual to find out how it all ends.\n\nA quick reminder: in order to properly carry over progress to the final installation, you'll need to keep your letters for all previous episodes, so be sure to remember all the letters listed below.\n\nBased on how you played, these are the letters you will input into "Episode Five" to carry over your choices from the previous four episodes: \n\n''Episode One'': <<print $Episode1>>\n''Episode Two'': <<print $Episode2>>\n''Episode Three'': <<print $Episode3>>\n''Episode Four'': <<if $sacrifice eq true and $loveConfess eq true>>A<<endif>><<if $sacrifice eq true and $loveConfess eq false>>B<<endif>><<if $sacrifice eq false and $loveConfess eq true>>C<<endif>><<if $sacrifice eq false and $loveConfess eq false>>D<<endif>><<endif>>

I face the door as Roy enters the room.\n\n"Oh," he whispers as he notices my eyes on him, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were awake." He walks over to the opposite side of the room and lays down.\n\n[["I heard you guys out there."|02q]]\n[["What are we doing tomorrow?"|02w]]\n[["I'm innocent, you know."|02e]]

I say nothing.\n\n"You don't want to talk? Alright then." He looks at Nate. "What about you? Do you know where Roy went?"\n\nNate says nothing either. He just stares right back at Aaron.\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

<<set $aboutMe = "wrong">>"You're wrong about me," I finally tell her.\n\nShe gives me a disapproving look, but then her eyes wander to her daughter, and her face suddenly becomes softer.\n\n"I know," she says in a quiet, apologetic voice. "I used to think you were at fault for every bad thing that happened, but what I think, or what I thought, doesn't matter right now. Right now, we need to get out of this city. You brought us a truck and gave us the chance to do that, which counts for something. Christa and Roy have come to trust you, and these two boys obviously have your back no matter what, so for the sake of the group, I'm going to put my trust in you, too." She looks me right in the eyes. "Please don't let that be a mistake."\n\n"I won't, Hannah."\n\nHannah and Nate return to packing without another word.\n\n<<display '33'>>

"About Emmett?"\n\nHe nods. <<display '10'>>

fter the fire, when I thought you were gone, I realized something."\n\n[["Me too."|60q]]\n[["What's that?"|60w]]

"I was getting the door for you," I say, opening the door to illustrate.\n\n"Maybe next time you can tell me that before I throw myself through a window," she says with a short laugh<<display '41'>>

Suddenly, I'm woken up by a sound -- or, rather, the privation of a sound. I look around. Roy has shut off the tools and stopped working.\n\n"It is finished," he declares. "Who's ready to get out of this stupid city?"\n\nNate and Christa jump up, grab all the games they can carry, and run over to examine Roy's handiwork.\n\n"Do the doors still open?" Nate asks.\n\n"Of course," Roy says with a slight chuckle. "I think." He reaches for the handle of the back door which is just barely visible behind the layer of metal covering the door and window. "Okay, so the back doors are sealed tight, but the front ones can definitely open. Hannah and Christa, you two can get in first. Climb into the back and get low to the ground in case any bullets end up coming through the armor. Nate and Owen, you two will be next."\n\nAs Hannah and Christa climb inside, Roy brings me over to the corner of the garage, away from the others. "Would you mind having a quick talk?"\n\n"What about?"\n\n"About... us."\n\n[["I'd like that."|59a]]\n[["We can't."|59b]]

Everyone is engaged in something, so I sit down beside the tools. My stomach is fluttering with the anticipation of our daring escape. Will the car really survive breaking through the wall? Will we have enough gas to make it to my parents' house? Will my parents even //be// at our home? With all the questions flying through my mind, I barely notice that I'm [[falling asleep|59]].

shootRoy = true/false

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "K">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $d3 = true>><<set $boardgame = "none">>I catch up to Nate as he walks around the garage. "What are you doing?"\n\n"Well, I was half-thinking."\n\n"Half-thinking about what?"\n\n"About the hunter I <<if $nateHunter eq true>>killed."\n\n"Oh."\n\n"I'm not happy that I killed him. I know that, now. At first I thought I was proud of it, but I'm not. I have bad dreams about it still."\n\n"You can't keep worrying. It's in the past. We make choices that are hard to live with, and we have to move on with the consequences. You can't change what happened, but you can be better prepared the next time you have a similar choice."\n\n"Right, and I think I'd do it again, if I were in the same position. If we're in danger, we have to defend ourselves. I guess that doesn't mean we have to like it, though. Once it becomes easy, then we have to worry."\n\n"Right."<<else>>almost killed."\n\n"Oh?"\n\n"I'm glad I didn't do it, because he didn't end up finding us, anyway, but I'm ready to kill if it means protecting us. I'll always try to be sure it's absolutely necessary, but we can't be too hesitant, or we might get killed ourselves, right?"\n\n"That's true."\n\n"But still," he says. "I'm glad I didn't kill that one."\n\n"That's good."<<endif>> He's silent, so I continue. "Are you half-thinking about something else?"\n\n"Kind of. I'm looking for a game for me and Christa. She asked me to play Memory, but I've seen what she's done to Roy." Nate's face becomes severe. "She's broken him."\n\nI can't help laughing at his serious tone. "Okay, well, where have you looked?"\n\n"Pretty much just around the car and the tools."\n\n"What about this bin?" I walk over to a small bin that seems to be filled with a few random means of entertainment. There's chalk and a couple rubber balls, and under those are a few boardgames.\n\n[[(Chess)|55q]]\n[[(Checkers)|55w]]\n[[(Stratego)|55e]]

<<set $d2 = true>>I walk over to the window where Owen is staring out into the street. "Hey."\n\n"Oh," he says, turning. "Hey, Kerry."\n\n"Quiet night, huh?"\n\n"Yeah. No biters. I guess Aaron's men have been doing a pretty decent job of killing them off, or at least getting them to go somewhere else." He reaches for his arm to scratch it without thinking, but he winces as he touches it and pull his hand away.\n\n"How's the burn doing?" I ask.\n\n<<if $burnRight eq true>>"It's a lot better, I think," he says. "I had Roy look at it when he got back, and he said you did a good job, considering what you had to work with."\n\n"Cool. I probably should've been a doctor."<<else>>"It's not too great," he says. "I had Roy look at it when he got back, and he said I should've seen him about it much sooner. He checks it every once in a while, and he says if I start to feel sick, I need to tell him right away."\n\n"Oh. Well, it's a good thing we have a real doctor around, then."<<endif>>\n\nOwen smiles. "By the way, Kerry, I <<if $owenTruth eq "none">>had something to ask you."\n\n"What is it?"\n\n"Well, after what happened to Emmett, you said it was hunters. I understand why you'd lie to Hannah. She didn't really trust you too much. But what about me? I wouldn't have said anything."\n\nI take a moment to look for the right words. "I didn't want to burden you with that," I tell him. "You'd have had to lie for me, and I couldn't make you do that."\n\n"Whatever," Owen says, unimpressed by my excuse. "But I want you to know that, from here on out, you have to be honest with me, okay? We're a team. I'm with you until the end, alright?"<<else>>wanted to thank you."\n\n"For what?"\n\n"For trusting <<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>me. You told me what happened to Emmett. I wanted to thank you for trusting me with that secret until you were ready to explain it to Hannah."\n\n"Well, you're a trustworthy guy, Owen," I say, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. "Thank //you// for not telling anyone before we got it sorted out."\n\n"No problem. We're a team. I'm with you to the end, alright?"<<else>>us after your fight with Emmett. You didn't have to tell the truth, but you did anyway."\n\n"Well, I knew that at least you'd believe me, Owen," I say, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. "You believed in me the whole time, and that meant a lot."\n\n"No problem. We're a team. I'm with you to the end, alright?"<<endif>><<endif>>\n\nI smile. "Alright."\n\n"Anyways, I'm gonna get back to watch."\n\n"Sounds good."\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<set $d5 = true>>I walk over to Roy. <<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true and $d4 eq true and $d5 eq true>>It looks like he's almost done with the "armor"<<else>>He's still working on the "armor"<<endif>>, but he stops when he sees me walking over.\n\n"Hey, Kerry. What's going on?"\n\n"I was just wondering if you had a second to talk."\n\n"I'd love to, but I've got to finish this. Check back in a few minutes?"\n\n"Deal."\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<set $d4 = true>>I sit on the floor beside Christa and she looks up at me. "Hi, Kerry."\n\n"You look pretty intense over here by yourself. What's going on?"\n\n"I'm waiting for Nate. <<if $d3 eq false>>I asked him to play Memory with me, but he doesn't want to."\n\n"He's probably just afraid he'll lose miserably like Roy."\n\n"In my defense," Roy calls over to us, "that girl is a monster."\n\nChrista laughs maniacally.\n\n"You're a scary kid," I tell her, and she smiles with mischievous glee<<else>>He's looking at the <<print $boardgame>> box to see if all the pieces are there."\n\n"You think he'll beat you?"\n\nShe looks at him, that turns back to me with a disturbing grin. "No."\n\n"Alright," Nate says, walking over and sitting across from Christa. He places the box on the ground. "Looks like everything is here. Do you know how to play?"\n\n"It doesn't matter what we play," Christa says in a sinister voice. "I will crush you."\n\n"You wish," Nate retorts. "I'm a pro at <<print $boardgame>>."\n\n"He actually sucks," Owen calls from across the room. "<<if $boardgame eq "Chess">>You could beat him with just a King."\n\n"Grandpa only did that once," Nate calls back. "And it was by fluke<<endif>><<if $boardgame eq "Checkers">>You could beat him with just one piece."\n\n"Grandpa only did that once," Nate calls back. "And it was by fluke<<endif>><<if $boardgame eq "Stratego">>He can't remember what half the pieces do."\n\n"That's a lie," Nate calls back. "I only forget how the spies and bombs work... and the flag<<endif>>."\n\n"Well, have fun," I say, leaving them to their game<<endif>>.\n\n<<display '52'>>

"I pulled it from a magical stone," I tell him.\n\n"That's Excalibur," Owen says, smiling. "That's just a regular-shaped sword, I think." <<display '29'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "J">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "J">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<if $d1 eq false>>[[Hannah|53]] has just stepped out of the car<<else>>Hannah is standing beside the truck, checking our food and weapons<<endif>>. <<if $d2 eq false>>[[Owen|54]] is looking outside through a small window<<else>>Owen is keeping a vigilant watch<<endif>>. <<if $d3 eq true and $d4 eq true>>Christa and Nate are playing a game of <<print $boardgame>>, which seems like a much fairer match than Memory would have been<<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[[Nate|55]] seems to be aimlessly wandering around<<else>>Nate is checking through the <<print $boardgame>> box for all the pieces<<endif>>. <<if $d4 eq false>>[[Christa|56]] seems lost in thought<<else>>Christa is awaiting a challenger<<endif>><<endif>>. <<if $d5 eq false>>[[Roy|57]] is working on the car, alone<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true and $d4 eq true and $d5 eq false and $loveRoy neq "no">>. He keeps looking up at me<<endif>><<else>>Roy is still working on the car<<endif>>.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true and $d4 eq true and $d5 eq true>><<display '58'>><<endif>>

"Good job." I can't help the sarcasm in my voice.\n\n"Give me a break. It's my first time doing one of these runs," she says, giving a short laugh<<display '41'>>

I pull myself forward toward the gun without hesitation and the katana's downward slice misses my head by inches, ripping through the hair being gripped by my captor, and getting lodged in the arm he was using to hold me by the shirt.\n\n<<display 'scene2'>>\n\nHe screams again as I grab the gun, spin around, and fire once into Kane's skull, and thrice into my mutilated captor. Both bodies collapse to the floor and the entire room is still.\n\nMy whole body is shaking with fear, anger, and adrenaline. I rush to Roy's side. He still isn't moving.\n\n"Roy?"\n\nHe's motionless.\n\n"Roy, come on."\n\n[[(Yell at him)|19q]]\n[[(Shake him)|19w]]\n[[(Slap him)|19e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "W">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "B">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

As the gun falls, I hear a body hit the ground, too. I look over. My heart jumps. I see Roy's bloody figure lying limp in the doorway.\n\n"No..."\n\n"Hey, Kane!" the man holding me shouts. "Help me out with this one."\n\nThe swordsman, Kane, lifts the katana and grins. The man holding my hair uses his left hand to grip my shirt and hold me at arm's length from himself, like some kind of practice dummy. Kane runs at me with the sword. My captor's gun is still on the ground beside us, but it's just out of my reach. My hands go back and feel my captor's face.\n\n[[(Scratch his neck)|18q]]\n[[(Claw at his eye)|18w]]

"We met some hunters when we spotted the car," I tell him, "and one of them misplaced it."\n\n"How clumsy of him," Owen says, playing along. <<display '29'>>

"It's the latest style."\n\n"Oh, well, duh. You could model for 'Apocalypse Fashion Monthly'."\n\n<<display '27'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "E">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"We killed a ninja," I tell him, "and pried it from his cold dead hands."\n\n"Did you get his throwing stars, too?" Owen asks, playing along.\n\n"No, sorry. He was fresh out of those."\n\n"Too bad." <<display '29'>>

<<if $Episode1 eq "None">><<else>><<if $Episode2 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode Two"?\n\n[[A|A1]] . . . [[B|B1]] . . . [[C|C1]] . . . [[D|D1]] . . . [[E|E1]] . . . [[F|F1]] . . . [[G|G1]] . . . [[H|H1]] . . . [[I|I1]] . . . [[J|J1]] . . . [[K|K1]] . . . [[L|L1]] . . . [[M|M1]] . . . [[N|N1]] . . . [[O|O1]] . . . [[P|P1]]<<else>>Episode Two: <<print $Episode2>>\n[[See Recap for "Episode Two"|RE2]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB2]]<<endif>><<endif>>

<<if $Episode1 eq "None" or $Episode2 eq "None">><<else>><<if $Episode3 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode Three"?\n\n[[A|A2]] . . . [[B|B2]] . . . [[C|C2]] . . . [[D|D2]] . . . [[E|E2]] . . . [[F|F2]] . . . [[G|G2]] . . . [[H|H2]] . . . [[I|I2]] . . . [[J|J2]] . . . [[K|K2]] . . . [[L|L2]] . . . [[M|M2]] . . . [[N|N2]] . . . [[O|O2]] . . . [[P|P2]] . . . [[Q|Q2]] . . . [[R|R2]] . . . [[S|S2]] . . . [[T|T2]] . . . [[U|U2]] . . . [[V|V2]] . . . [[W|W2]] . . . [[X|X2]]<<else>>Episode Three: <<print $Episode3>>\n[[See Recap for "Episode Three"|RE3]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB3]]<<endif>><<endif>>

"They're going North," I admit.\n\n"Sorry," Aaron says. "You'll have to be more specific."\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

<<if $Episode1 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode One"?\n\n[[A]] . . . [[B]] . . . [[C]] . . . [[D]] . . . [[E]] . . . [[F]] . . . [[G]] . . . [[H]] . . . [[I]] . . . [[J]] . . . [[K]] . . . [[L]] . . . [[M]] . . . [[N]] . . . [[O]] . . . [[P]]<<else>>Episode One: <<print $Episode1>> \n[[See Recap for "Episode One"|RE1]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB1]]<<endif>>

"They're going West," I lie.\n\n"Sorry," Aaron says. "You'll have to be more specific."\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<set $d4 = false>>\n<<set $d5 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>"What the--?" I hear Roy's confused voice coming from the door as it opens. "You already got it?"\n\n"Yup."\n\n"Huh. Well, I guess we can get to it, then. Let me look around for some tools."\n\n"You keep using the word 'tools'," Hannah says. "Do you even know what tools you need to use to attach armor to a car?"\n\n"How hard can it be to figure out?" Roy says with a shrug as he starts rooting through drawers and boxes. "Ah, this looks about right."\n\n"That's not a very high-powered drill," Hannah tells him. "You won't be screwing metal plates into the car with that."\n\n"Well, if you know what we're doing here, I'd appreciate the help."\n\n"I'm not an expert, but Mark was an engineer-wannabe, so I like the think I learned something from our years together." She walks over to a collection of large drawers, opens one, and immediately finds what she's looking for. "Hey! I know this thing. We can plug this into the generator."\n\nRoy walks over and examines the instrument she's found. "Oh, see, that's the thing I was thinking about. What's it called?"\n\nHannah pauses. "I... uh... I don't know."\n\n"You don't know?"\n\n"No."\n\n"You just made fun of me for using the word 'tool' instead of something more specific..."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n"And now you don't know its name either."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n"Hypocrite." Roy smiles as he snatches the "thing" from Hannah, and plugs it into the generator. Hannah drives the truck into the garage and turns it off, then we close the door behind it to make sure the noise from the generator doesn't draw too much attention.\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $watch = "H">>\n<<endsilently>>"Keep an eye on Hannah."\n\n"Oh." Owen nods. "Okay. She seems off since she learned about Mark's death, so I'll watch her while you guys are out."\n\n<<display '05'>>

"You killed his--"\n\nBut Aaron slaps me across the face before I can finish.\n\n<<display 'b4'>>

"I... care about him, too," I say, confused about her meaning.\n\n"Oh, come on, Kerry," Hannah says, grinning. "He's made it very obvious." <<display '45'>>

"Leave him a--"\n\nBut Aaron slaps me across the face before I can finish.\n\n<<display 'b4'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "U">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Boy," Aaron demands. "You answer me when I talk to you."\n Owen finally looks up at him and scowls. "Fuck you."\n\nAaron's face becomes tranquil as he huffs and stands up. Then he kicks Owen in the face, and the boy drops to the ground.\n\nI lose track of the corpse as my eyes shoot to Owen's motionless body.\n\n[[(To Aaron) "What have you done?"|b4q]]\n[[(To Owen) "Owen? OWEN!"|b4w]]

"I'm sure that's going to leave a nasty scar," he says, "assuming he wakes up, that is. I didn't want to do that to him. I never wanted to hurt any of you, but you pushed me too far. You understand that?"\n\nThe corpse is right behind Aaron now, and it's mouth is open wide.\n\n[["How about we push you a little farther?"|b5q]]\n[["Oh, I understand."|b5w]]\n[[(Grin)|b5e]]

"I had help," I manage to tell him. He smiles.\n\n"Yeah right," he says, looking at his wound again. "That was all you. Nicely done." <<display '25'>>

But just as I bring my foot down towards the thing's head, Gordan appears and holds both legs still\n\n"It's poetic, if you think about it," Aaron hisses into my ear as the corpse gets closer and closer. "Just let it happen."\n\n[["Please let me go!"|b7q]]\n[["I'll do anything!"|b7w]]\n[[(Flail one more time)|b7e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "M">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>I walk over to Hannah as she opens the back door of the truck and starts going through our supplies.\n\n"Hey, Kerry. Can you believe we're almost out of here?"\n\n"Not really. It seems impossible."\n\n"I know. I'm shaking. But this is real. We're almost there."\n\n[["Almost."|53q]]\n[["I'm feeling nervous."|53w]]\n[["I'm glad you're with us."|53e]]

__Chapter 8: Unraveling__\n\n<<set $sacrifice = false>><<playbgm L4ljmowphvI>><<loopbgm L4ljmowphvI>>"We're going to make it," I assure everyone. "He doesn't know we have the truck."\n\n"Damn straight," Roy says throught gritted teeth. "We'll go right through the garage door. I know exactly where his fort is from here. We'll leave them in the dust."\n\nOwen and Nate both climb into the back with Christa, and I follow them in, shutting the door behind me.\n\nHannah turns the key in the ignition and the dashboard lights up to the roar of the engine. "Here we go," she says, slamming the gas.\n\nThe truck bursts out of the garage and sections of the door bounce off the roof and onto the ground.\n\n"We made it," Nate cheers. "This'll get us through the wall, no problem!"\n\nBut just as he finishes that thought, we're blinded by the headlights that appear from an alley beside us just as another car slams into the side of our truck, taking it off its wheels. We land upside down with a horrible crash and I struggle to regain my bearings. I see Nate crumpled on the ceiling, his neck snapped and his eyes wide open. Christa's crying, probably out of shock. Owen grunts and tries to correct himself, then he sees his brother and freezes. I hear Roy shaking Hannah.\n\n"Hannah?" he calls. "Hannah!" No answer, but I can see blood pooling on the ceiling below her limp body. "Son of a--" Roy slams at the window beside him in a frantic attempt to get out. "Who's still breathing back there?"\n\n"Kerry, Owen, and Christa," I tell him.\n\n"Oh, no," Roy mutters. "Kerry, break the back window, NOW!"\n\nIt's the only window beside the windshield that wasn't partially covered with metal. I kick the glass with all the strength I can summon from my position, and it shatters.\n\n"Kerry, get out and then help the kids, I'm going to--"\n\nSuddenly a loud smashing sound signals a pool of fire erupting across the front of the car. Molotov cocktails.\n\n"Kerry," Roy calls. "Go!"\n\nI squeeze through the small window and then turn around to help Owen out.\n\n"Take Christa first," he pleads.\n\n"She's stuck behind you, Owen," I yell over the growing flames. "You need to get out first." He wastes no more time grabbing my hand and pulling himself out of the car, but as I reach back in for the terrified Christa, another crash rings out from the side as a Molotov hits the ground next to the window. Christa disappears behind a wall of fire. I can only watch as the truck is completely engulfed.\n\n"NO!" Owen yells. Then two large hands grab us both by our necks and drag us away from the fire, dropping us at Aaron's feet. I look up to see him glaring daggers at us.\n\n<<display 'scene5'>>\n\n"I didn't realize //you// took that truck of ours," he says. "But I suppose I should've guessed. Did //anybody// die in the fire we started back at the Dead House?"\n\n[["One of our friends."|b1q]]\n[["Not a one."|b1w]]\n[[(Stare at him)|b1e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "M">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $watch = "C">>\n<<endsilently>>"Keep an eye on Christa."\n\n"Oh." Owen nods. "Okay. She seems like she's trying as best as she can to handle all the death that's been happening, so I'll watch her while you're out."\n\n<<display '05'>>

"I realized something, too."\n\n<<display '61'>>

<<set $royTruth = false>>"It's true."\n\nRoy stops walking and turns to face me. His eyes are severe. "Don't lie to me, Kerry. I want to be on your side, and you just made it very difficult for me to do that."\n\n"What are you--"\n\n"I looked at the scene, Kerry," he says, turning back to the street. "There were two pools of blood: yours and his. I find it unbelievable that anyone would shoot both of you and then just leave you there without bothering to either finish the job or at least steal something."\n\nI'm speechless.\n\n"Let's skip the denial, alright? Why did you do it?"\n\n<<display '11'>>

<<set $end = "experimentation">>The empty breath of the corpse just barely licks my shin before its teeth sink into my flesh. The pain is excruciating. My skin and muscle are severed and violently pulled apart. I can swear I feel the infection start running through my veins just before my head goes numb.\n\nThe last thing I hear are Aaron's orders: "Take it off and bring them in. Doc's going to be very happy to see them."\n\nThen, everything goes black.\n\n[[END]]

<<set $royTruth = true>>"No, it isn't," I admit.\n\n"So you did kill him?"\n\n"That's not the whole story."\n\n"I know that, Kerry. You wouldn't have told me if it were."\n\nA few seconds of silence pass before Roy continues.\n\n"So, why did you do it?"\n\n<<display '11'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $watch = "N">>\n<<endsilently>>"Keep an eye on Nate."\n\n"Oh." Owen nods. "Okay. He's been dealing with everything just fine, I think, but I'll watch him while you're out."\n\n<<display '05'>>

"I don't know, Kerry," he says. "I don't know." He grabs the comforter that was set aside for him and throws it over to me. "I'm staying up to keep watch. Please just get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us."\n\nI spread the comforter over my thin blanket and soon my body heat has filled it with enough warmth to lull me to [[sleep|03]].

"Kerry?"\n\nI pry my eyes open against the oppressive rays of cool blue light streaming in through the window above. As I sit up and wipe the tired sagging feeling from my face, I see Owen sitting beside me.\n\n"Kerry," he says again. "Roy needs you. He's leaving. Where are you guys going?"\n\n"I don't know yet," I tell him. As I try to climb to my feet, a shooting pain runs through the bullet wound in my shoulder and I almost cry out loud, but I manage to hold it in and stand.\n\n"You're coming back, though, right? Hannah's trying to convince Roy not to bring you back, but he will, won't he?"\n\n[["He will."|03q]]\n[["Maybe not."|03w]]\n[["I don't know."|03e]]

__Chapter 2: Out Here__\n\nThe air is cold and filled with the misty remains of last night's storm. The pavement is still running with trickles of water making their way downhill, and the grassy yards of the nearby houses are like swamps. The sky is still covered with grey clouds, but at least it's brighter than the past few days.\n\n"So," Roy starts, "I suppose you're wondering where we're off to."\n\n[["Yeah, just a bit."|06q]]\n[["Not really."|06w]]\n[["My grave?"|06e]]

You remember Aaron and Gordan, right?"\n\n"The two assholes who killed Mark and set our apartment on fire?"\n\n"Yup."\n\n"Never heard of them."\n\n"That's very funny. Anyway, while I was... scavenging yesterday, I thought it'd be best to try looking for a way out of the city, and I found that the only way out that's still plausible is the bridge way out west, which is guarded by their camp."\n\n"So what does that mean for us?"\n\n"I'll show you."\n\nWithin the hour, we've made it to a building that overlooks the bridge. Roy guides me to a window on the fifth floor and points out.\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display '07a'>>

"Well, can I come with you guys? Just to be sure?"\n\n"You know Roy won't let you."\n\nOwen groans, but he knows I'm right. "Then," he starts with a new flare in his eyes, "then what can I do to help while you're gone?"\n\n[["Keep an eye on Nate."|04q]]\n[["Keep an eye on Christa."|04w]]\n[["Keep an eye on Hannah."|04e]]

"Thanks, Owen."\n\nWe meet Roy by the front door and I give a short goodbye to the others.\n\n"Ready?" Roy smiles.\n\n"Yeah," I say, and the two of us [[step outside|06]].

"So," I step back from the window, "you want to get a car and...?"\n\n"And ram the shit out of that wall."\n\nHis confidence is kind of contagious, but I can't help worrying about the guarded sections of the wall.\n\n"We might get shot a few times, but if we line the sides with a little something to absorb a few bullets and protect us and the wheels, I think we'll at least make it through to the other side of the bridge. Then we'll have to think on our feet from there. It's no military evacuation, but it'll at least get us away from Aaron's hunters."\n\n[["Sounds like a plan."|08q]]\n[["Sounds really dangerous.|08w]]\n[["Sounds stupid enough to work."|08e]]

We leave the building and head back into the inner city. Roy leads the way through the streets as we search for one of Aaron's vehicles.\n\n"While we're walking," Roy says, "I think we should have a little talk."\n\n[["What about?"|09q]]\n[["We should stay quiet."|09w]]\n[["About Emmett?"|09e]]

"No one alive," I hiss.\n\n"Oh, so living with corpses wasn't enough. You started giving them rides, too?"\n\nI don't answer.\n\n"Ah. You mean //we// killed them. Good."\n\n<<display 'b3'>>

I say nothing.\n\n"Shame," Aaron says.\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

<<set $aboutMe = "none">>I remain silent, awaiting another accusation, or mere scolding, but Hannah's eye wander to her daughter, and her face suddenly becomes softer.\n\n"That's what I used to think of you," she says in a quiet, apologetic voice. "But what I think, or what I thought, doesn't matter right now. Right now, we need to get out of this city. You brought us a truck and gave us the chance to do that, which counts for something. Christa and Roy have come to trust you, and these two boys obviously have your back no matter what, so for the sake of the group, I'm going to put my trust in you, too." She looks me right in the eyes. "Please don't let that be a mistake."\n\n"I won't. Thank you, Hannah."\n\nHannah and Nate return to packing without another word.\n\n<<display '33'>>

I pick up a shard of glass that seems to have fallen from the window and chuck it through. It shatters audibly on the hardwood floor inside. Hannah and I listen, but no sounds follow.\n\n<<display '40'>>

"What was... Mark like?" I ask, breaking the silence.\n\nHannah looks up. "What?"\n\n"I wanted to know what Mark was like. I only knew him a little while."\n\nShe's quiet for a while, deep in thought. Then, she answers. "You saw him when everything had already gone to hell, so you know what kind of man he was. He was willing to make hard decisions if it meant saving the ones he loved. He'd do anything for us. He was always slow to become indebted, and always quick to repay people for their kindness. He was the perfect man to raise our two girls, but now he and one of my baby's are gone." She wipes a tear from her eyes. "The only thing keeping me going is the thought that Heaven exists -- that they've found each other there, and that they're watching over us."\n\nI look down toward the truck where Roy and Christa are still playing Memory. Roy is hanging his head in defeat once again, and Christa is pumping her one arm in the air in victory.\n\n"He cares about you, you know," Hannah suddenly says.\n\n"Huh?"\n\n"Roy. He cares about you a lot."\n\n<<display '44'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "E">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I grip his shirt and shake him. He doesn't wake up.\n\n<<display '20'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "B">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "P">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "C">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "P">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I look around for another way in, and as I turn the corner of the building, I see another window, but this one is already partly shattered. It's looking into another hallway, still no hunters in sight. Maybe I can quietly [[pull on the broken glass|15w]] to pry it apart.

"Are you okay?"\n\n"Yeah, yeah," she says, panting as she lifts herself back onto her feet<<display '41'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "G">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"There were innocent people in that truck," I hiss. "People who'd never done you any harm."\n\n"I assume you're talking about the bitten girl and her family -- no, wait -- just her mother. Gordan killed the father, didn't he? Either way, she could have been dangerous. We're not sure, and we're certainly not pulling her out of that wreck on the possibility that she's not contagious. Although, we do have a doctor who's very interested in finding out how the disease works."\n\n<<display 'b3'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "M">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "K">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"They're going South," I lie.\n\n"Sorry," Aaron says. "You'll have to be more specific."\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

"Roy," I call again. "Roy!"\n\nHe doesn't budge.\n\n<<display '20'>>

"I'm glad you're with us."\n\nHannah turns to me and smiles gently. "Thank you. I'm happy that I can finally say the same. I won't say that the losses don't still hurt, but we need to focus on the land of the living for now, don't we? There are plenty of the dead here as it is."\n\n"Well said."\n\n"Anyway, enjoy this little moment of quiet while it lasts," she says. "Our journey isn't over when we get out of the city. We'll have to make our way to your parent's house, and hope we don't run into any more trouble on the way." She smiles and returns to her duties.\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "O">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"I don't know," I tell him. "Hannah's not too happy about what happened."\n\n"She can't stay mad at you like this," Owen says. "<<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>It was Emmett who started that fight, anyway. Why don't you tell her that?"\n\n"She wouldn't believe me."\n\n"But you told me, and I believe you. Why wouldn't she?"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "all">>You already told her that Emmett started the fight, right? Why doesn't she believe you?"\n\n"There were no witnesses, Owen," I point out.\n\n"But--"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>It was hunters that attacked. We heard Emmett yell, 'Hunters,' when you two were out there. Why is she angry at you?"<<endif>>\n\n"I heard her talking last night. She's thought about it a lot. She's suspicious of me and very protective of Christa. She doesn't want to take any chances."\n\n"So she thinks that you took the opportunity to kill Emmett for no reason, and now she wants Roy to leave you to die because of it?" Owen concludes. "That's just stupid."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n<<display '04'>>

<<set $loveTalk = true>>"I'd like that."\n\n"Great."\n\n"We're almost out of here, aren't we?"\n\n"Yeah. Yeah, we are." He looks back at Christa hopping into the front seat and trying to scale the back without falling. "No more meaningless deaths, right?" He turns back to me and rubs the back of his neck. "So... remember our promise to Stanley?"\n\n"To watch out for each other. Of course I do."\n\n"Right. Since the night he died, I've tried to think of you as a friend. A good friend. The kind that I'd always want to have by my side."\n\n[["I think of you the same way."|59q]]\n[["Just a friend?"|59w]]

"It was an accident<<display '12'>>

<<set $loveTalk = false>><<set $loveConfess = false>>"I'm sorry, Roy, but we can't. Not here."\n\n"Right. You're right. That's fine. Maybe later?"\n\n"Maybe later."\n\n<<display '62'>>

"It was self defense<<display '12'>>

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<<set $d2 = true>>I walk up to the switch beside the garage door. It says "open". I press it, <<if $d3 eq false>>but it's obvious that it needs power to work. The door doesn't budge.\n\n<<display '50'>><<else>>and the door slowly rolls open.\n\n<<display '51'>><<endif>>

I raise my hand and bring it down across his face. The sharp sound that follows startles me, but he doesn't budge.\n\n<<display '20'>>

<<display 'scene4'>>\n\n"Maybe after we escape," I say, pulling out of Hannah's grasp.\n\n"But what if something happens to one of you before then?"\n\n"Then I guess it won't matter how we felt, will it?"\n\n"Don't say that," Hannah sighs. "I'm sorry for pushing you." She frowns. "Anyway<<display '46'>>

I say nothing, but continue staring back at him.\n\n"That's getting old. I want to talk like civilized human beings, even if you //do// mingle with corpses."\n\n<<display 'b3'>>

"He will," I tell him. "I'm sure of it."\n\n"Hannah can't stay mad at you like this," Owen says. "<<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>It was Emmett who started that fight, anyway. Why don't you tell her that?"\n\n"She wouldn't believe me."\n\n"But you told me, and I believe you. Why wouldn't she?"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "all">>You already told her that Emmett started the fight, right? Why doesn't she believe you?"\n\n"There were no witnesses, Owen," I point out.\n\n"But--"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>It was hunters that attacked. We heard Emmett yell, 'Hunters,' when you two were out there. Why is she angry at you?"<<endif>>\n\n"I heard her talking last night. She's thought about it a lot. She's suspicious of me and very protective of Christa. She doesn't want to take any chances."\n\n"So she thinks that you took the opportunity to kill Emmett for no reason, and now she wants Roy to leave you to die because of it?" Owen concludes. "That's just stupid."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n<<display '04'>>

"Maybe not," I tell him. "Hannah's not too happy about what happened."\n\n"She can't stay mad at you like this," Owen says. "<<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>It was Emmett who started that fight, anyway. Why don't you tell her that?"\n\n"She wouldn't believe me."\n\n"But you told me, and I believe you. Why wouldn't she?"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "all">>You already told her that Emmett started the fight, right? Why doesn't she believe you?"\n\n"There were no witnesses, Owen," I point out.\n\n"But--"<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>It was hunters that attacked. We heard Emmett yell, 'Hunters,' when you two were out there. Why is she angry at you?"<<endif>>\n\n"I heard her talking last night. She's thought about it a lot. She's suspicious of me and very protective of Christa. She doesn't want to take any chances."\n\n"So she thinks that you took the opportunity to kill Emmett for no reason, and now she wants Roy to leave you to die because of it?" Owen concludes. "That's just stupid."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n<<display '04'>>

I feel like my insides are falling apart as I sit back and look at him lying there. The gash along his torso has bled a lot, and he's covered in bruises from his fight with Kane. "He doesn't deserve this," I mutter to myself, choking. "He's the last person to--"\n\nThen I hear a wheeze. I turn and see the first gun-holder -- the one who'd hidden behind the desk -- crawling toward me. He's dead, and his mouth is wide open, dripping with blood and drool. I'm still holding the [[handgun|22]] I killed his partners with.

There are two broken windows on either side of the door, which is bolted shut.\n\n"Is it safe to climb in through the windows?" Hannah wonders aloud.\n\n[[(Throw something inside)|39q]]\n[[(Call into the house)|39w]]\n[[(Enter)|39e]]

__Chapter 6: Collecting__\n\n"Are you sure you're okay with driving, Roy?" Hannah asks. I can do it if you'd like."\n\n"I'm not //that// injured, Hannah. Besides, I have to get used to driving this thing, because I'll be the one driving it through Aaron's wall. The rest of you are going to be in the back, away from any stray bullets that might make it through our armor."\n\n"That's insane," Hannah argues. "We should find you a bulletproof vest or something."\n\n"I doubt Aaron's men forgot to loot vests from any stores that carried them," Nate says. "That would be one of the first things I'd get."\n\n"Nate has a point," Roy says, "plus, it'd add too much time to our already thin window of opportunity. We'll be fine." He looks down the street to our left. "Here we are."\n\nAs the truck slows to a stop, Hannah and I climb out, each with a handgun drawn and a knife in hand.\n\n"Make sure the building is clear," Roy calls. "We don't want any surprises when we... you know what? Why don't I just come with you guys?"\n\n"Stay in the car, Roy," Hannah scolds. "You'll never heal if you keep moving around like that."\n\nChrista leans over the seat and holds out a deck of playing cards. "Hey, Roy, want to play Memory?"\n\n"Come on, Christa," Roy sighs. "I know you're just trying to distract me." He looks at her pleading face. "Aaand it worked. Fine."\n\n"Yes!" She smiles and hops into the front seat.\n\nHannah shakes her head and turns away from the truck, and the two of us quietly [[approach the house|39]].

I fire through the corpse's head, reducing it once again to a lifeless heap. I let out a long, exhausted sigh. It's not going to stop. This disease. The constant death. It's never going to stop.\n\nThen I feel numb at the sound of another wheeze. I turn to Roy.\n\n"Please, no."\n\n[[(Ready gun)|23]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "H">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

__Chapter 5: Packing__\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>[[Owen and Christa|34]] help [[Roy|35]] bandage himself, but he still has trouble moving around much. As he sits in the truck, [[Hannah and Nate|36]] pack our few remaining supplies into the back.

"Everyone's here," Roy confirms as we all sit in a circle on the floor, "so here's what's going on: Aaron's fortress is blocking the only way out of the city. He's built a wall that goes across the road. Luckily, the part that's built on the road is the least fortified so far. It's weak enough where we could ram through it with the car."\n\n"Awesome," Nate whispers, nudging his brother who quickly shushes him.\n\n"The problem," Roy continues, "is that the wall is guarded on either side, so it's likely we'll take a few bullets no matter how fast we're going."\n\n"So we need armor?" Nate suggests.\n\nRoy looks at him and nods. "Basically, yes. I know a few buildings with thin scrap metal. I'm no professional, but I think that a few layers of that should serve us well enough, so our first step will be to gather what we can into the bed of the truck, then we'll find a garage with working tools and I'll see about dressing it up with some 'armor'."\n\n"And that's it?" Hannah asks.\n\nRoy nods again. "That's it. From there, we drive straight through the wall before Aaron has a chance to know what hit him. We'll start collecting scraps at that old shop with the metal roofing down the block. The panels are already falling off, so we can climb up and pry a few down without any trouble. That should get us off to a good [[start|32]]."

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "H">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"That's the last of it," Nate suddenly announces, slapping his hands together. "We're ready to go."\n\nEveryone piles into the car, and we leave the empty safehouse behind us. Next stop: the [[metal-roofed shop|38]].

<<set $d3 = true>>I approach Hannah and Nate as they walk back and forth between the safehouse and the back of the truck with bags and boxes.\n\n"Hey, Nate."\n\n"Hey, Kerry. How's your shoulder?"\n\n"It's okay-ish. Do you guys need help?"\n\n"Psh. No. I'm not asking to make you do work."\n\n"Oh. Okay." I notice Hannah passing by, and I wave her down. "Hannah. I think we should probably talk."\n\nShe's quiet for a moment before asking, "About what?"\n\n"About what you think of me."\n\n"What I think of you?" She repeats quietly. "You mean what I think of how you <<if $fault eq true>>put<<else>>won't take responsibility for putting<<endif>> my husband in harm's way? You mean what I think of how you <<if $owenTruth eq "all">>killed Emmett with no witnesses and claimed it was 'self-defense', right after he tried to convince us to find his family instead of yours<<else>>went outside with Emmett alive and came back with him dead, right after he'd tried to convince us to find his family instead of yours<<endif>>?" Hannah's past the point of hiding her anger. She's just barely keeping herself from screaming. "Those deaths are on your hands, and there's nothing you can do to change that."\n\n[["You're right about me."|36q]]\n[["You're wrong about me."|36w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|36e]]

<<set $d2 = true>>I walk over to Roy.\n\n"So, are you still sore over that papercut?" I ask him.\n\nHe chuckles between winces. "That's funny, but just so you know, I call dibs on the katana when I'm well enough to swing it, you got that?"\n\n"Sure thing."\n\n<<display '33'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>I walk over the Owen and Christa. They've finished helping Roy into the truck, and now they're crouching down over something on the road.\n\n"What are you guys looking at?" I ask.\n\n"There's an upside-down bug," Owen answers.\n\n"It's some kind of beetle," Christa says with a smile. "Its legs are all like this." She flails her arms through the air. "I don't think he can get up by himself."\n\nOwen looks up at me. I must've made a face out of unconscious disgust, because he laughs. "It's not //that// gross, Mo--"\n\nSuddenly he falls silent, realizing his mistake, and his face turns red. Christa looks confused. Owen turns back to the bug, reaches toward it with his finger, and tips it back onto its feet.\n\n"There you go, little guy," Christa says in a sing-song voice as the beetle dashes into the nearest crack in the street.\n\n<<display '33'>>

he says, breaking into tears as he wraps his arms around me, and I find myself hoping under my breath.\n\n//Please, as long as I live, no matter how short or how awful my life may become, please don't ever let me forget this moment, these people, this feeling.//\n\nAs I pull away, Roy's eyes beg me to stay once more. It crushes my heart to smile turn away from him.\n\n"We're going with you," Owen says, standing between me and the door.\n\n"No way. Get in the car."\n\n"You said it yourself," Nate said. "Aaron saw you in here, so you've got to go out to keep him from coming in. But he also saw Owen, and neither of us is going to leave the other behind."\n\n"You know you could die out there, right?"\n\n"Then we'll die right next to you," Owen says. "You can't stop us." He reaches for the side door and swings it open, then the two of them march outside.\n\nI look back one more time at the armored pick-up that was going to be our salvation. If this works, at least it'll still be theirs.\n\nI turn to the door and walk [[outside|a3]].

<<set $Episode2 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $Episode3 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $Episode1 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

There's no point in looking for another entrance. Roy already said it was just the front and back. If there's another way in, it's another window that has to be broken. I tap the glass with the butt of my handgun, and it cracks. A piece of it falls to the floor inside before the whole thing bursts and shatters. There's no way they didn't hear that.\n\n<<display '16'>>

<<set $boardgame = "Chess">>"You like Chess, right?"\n\n"Yes! Thank you, Kerry. I'll remember this." <<if $d4 eq true>>He takes the box and runs over to Christa, who seems excited about the new game.\n\n"It doesn't matter what we play," Christa says in a sinister voice. "I will crush you."\n\n"You wish," Nate retorts. "I'm a pro at Chess."\n\n"He actually sucks," Owen calls from across the room. "You could beat him with just a King."\n\n"Grandpa only did that once," Nate calls back. "And it was by fluke."<<else>>He takes the box and opens it up, sifting through the pieces. "I'll make sure they're all here, first."<<endif>>\n\n<<display '52'>>

"Let's start simple. I want to find Roy. He has been slaughtering my men -- men with families and jobs -- almost as if for sport. He's sick, and he needs to be punished. As a matter of fact, just today, a group of three went missing, and with them, we also lost a--"\n\nSuddenly the truck bursts out of the garage, out of sight from Aaron's men, but certainly not out of earshot. Aaron looks up just in time to see the reflection of the tail lights fading from the windows across the street as the truck escapes his whole army. I look up and see his shocked expression as he stares blankly at the corner of the garage and the broken sections of the automatic door now littering the street. His eyes slowly return to the three of us.\n\n"That was Roy, wasn't it?"\n\n[["Sorry you missed him."|a4q]]\n[["Who's this Roy fellow?"|a4w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|a4e]]

"Yeah," I admit. "Just a bit."\n\n"<<display '07'>>

"They kind of killed themselves," I tell him. He laughs shortly.\n\n"I didn't know you were so persuasive." <<display '25'>>

"No, sir. We'll cooperate."\n\n"Good." He smiles. <<display 'a4'>>

"Not a one."\n\n"Is that so? What a shame." <<display 'b2'>>

"I'm afraid you are mistaken."\n\n"Which, by extension, means that //you// are mistaken. Mistaken in thinking that this is some kind of game. I can make this a very painful experience for you." He smiles. <<display 'a4'>>

"Not really."\n\n"Well I'll tell you anyway." He smiles. "<<display '07'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "S">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

right\nwrong\nnone

As I look, I can see that there is a wall running perpendicular to the highway, across the road just before the bridge. It seems well-fortified, except for the <<if $d1 eq false>>[[section|07q]]<<else>>section<<endif>> that rests on the road, which seems newer and less fleshed-out. On either side of the highway are <<if $d2 eq false>>[[buildings|07w]]<<else>>buildings<<endif>> -- probably the living quarters of Aaron's camp -- as well as several parking lots filled with <<if $d3 eq false>>[[cars|07e]]<<else>>cars<<endif>>.

We pry another piece of metal off the roof and she continues. "During the fire, Roy must've gone back into the inferno a hundred times looking for you, and when the place collapsed and he didn't know where you were, he dug through it until his fingers bled." We pry another piece of metal up and drop it to Nate and Owen. "When he still didn't know where you were, he started going on lone errands, hoping to find you somewhere in the city, or at least to get revenge for your death. He came back covered in blood every night until you returned. When he walked into the safehouse and saw you sitting at the table, wounded from the ordeal with Emmett, his face went white like a sheet, and every time he sees you, he lingers on you just a little while after you've looked away." We pry one more metal sheet off the roof and drop it down into the yard, and Hannah looks at me until I meet eyes with her. "The big question, apart from, 'Will we make it out of here alive?' is, 'Does Kerry feel the same way about Roy?'"\n\n[["I think so, yes."|45q]]\n[["He's like family."|45w]]\n[["Why do you care?"|45e]]

"Should I turn off the generator?" Nate asks.\n\nRoy turns to him. "Yeah, go ahead. It's almost out of gas, anyway."\n\nAs the engine of the generator slows to a stop, I expect a silence to take over the garage. What I hear instead makes my stomach churn.\n\n"Are those cars?" Owen asks. The low rumbling is coming from outside, down the street, I think. It's faint, but the garage is so insulated that we shouldn't be able to hear it at all. "It's coming from the other side," Owen says, realizing he's been looking out the wrong window. He runs over the the opposite wall and peeks outside. "It's cars. A lot of them. I can see their lights.\n\n"Damn it," Roy growls. "How did they find us?"\n\n"They must've seen the lights inside," Hannah says.\n\nRoy wipes his forehead, straining to think of some way out of this.\n\nBut just then, a voice amplified by a megaphone sounds from the street by the garage's side entrance.\n\n"Kerry?" it calls. "Kerry, we know you're in there."\n\n"Aaron," Roy mutters. "The coward's finally come out of his fort."\n\n"One of my scouts saw you enter the garage, Kerry," Aaron continues from outside. "Who else survived that fire? I think I saw a boy in the window. Is he yours?"\n\nOwen looks petrified. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm sorry."\n\n"Come out with your hands up, Kerry, and we'll have a civil talk about where your other friends are. You must have a hideout somewhere around here, right?"\n\n"He doesn't know about the rest of us?" Christa asks.\n\n"His scout must've only seen the garage from the side when Kerry was looking for a way in," Hannah says. "He didn't see the truck in front."\n\n"What do we do?" Nate asks. "We have lots of guns. Maybe we can take him out once and for all."\n\n"We may have guns, but he's got people. We'll be overwhelmed in no time if he realizes we're all in here." He faces the garage door and realizes something. "He's not covering the front of the building. Everybody get into the truck, now. We're going to make a break for it, right through the door." Suddenly, Roy collapses, clutching at his stomach. Hannah jumps out of the car and helps him to stands, then she walks him over to the passenger's seat.\n\n"You're not driving," she declares, and he's too winded to fight back. She climbs into the driver's seat.\n\n"Kerry," Aaron calls again. "If you come out, we can just move on and find your friends. If you don't, we're coming in there to get you, and I highly doubt you'll be able to kill too many more of my men before one of us gets a shot at something you can't live without."\n\nI turn back to the others, and I realize I only have two choices.\n\n[[(Give myself up to Aaron)|a1]]\n[[(Escape with the others)|b1]]

<<set $aboutMe = "right">>"You're right about me," I tell her, looking at the ground.\n\nHannah pauses. "What did you say?"\n\n"You're right about me. About the deaths... all of them being my fault."\n\nHannah is silent. Roy is stumbling out of the truck to see what's going on, and the children are all standing, their eyes fixed on me.\n\n"Stanley was a security guard who was bitten trying to help me out of my office building. We brought him to the apartments where we found Emmett and his friends, and then he turned. He killed their friend, Alexia, <<if $saved eq "Eric">>then he killed their friend, Robert<<else>>then //she// turned and killed his brother, Eric<<endif>>. That all happened because Stanley got bit saving my stupid ass."\n\nRoy looks like he wants to say something, but I continue.\n\n"The next one was Mark. He came with me to help find my phone. My stupid... stupid phone. It doesn't even work, but he said he'd help me find it anyway. We went into that alley, and that's where Mark..."\n\n"That's bullshit," Nate cuts in. "If it weren't for you, Christa and I would've died for sure. We were alone after that fire."\n\n"The fire that was only caused because Aaron tracked us to the apartments," I remind him. "The fire that ended up trapping <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Eric<<else>>Robert<<endif>> and costing him his life. When Emmett realized that I'd taken all his friends away, and was about to steal his chance to find his parents, too, he tried to kill me. I couldn't blame him, but I still couldn't let him do it, so I fought back<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>, and I killed him instead<<else>>. I killed him, and then I lied to you about it because I was afraid of yet another death being my fault<<endif>>."\n\n"Kerry," Hannah says, but I continue.\n\n"But they really were all my fault. Every single one of them. I already knew that. You didn't figure it out yourself. Even today, Roy almost--"\n\n"Kerry," Hannah shouts over me. I freeze and everyone turns to her. Her face becomes softer. "Kerry, you're wrong. //I// was wrong. That's what I was trying to tell you. I've been trying to fault you for every bad thing that's happened, but what I think, or what I thought, doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we get out of this city. You brought us a truck and gave us the chance to do that, which counts for something. It's more than I've done, that's for sure. Christa and Roy have come to trust you, and these two boys obviously have your back no matter what, so for the sake of the group, I'm going to put my trust in you, too." She looks me right in the eyes. "Just, please, don't let that be a mistake, okay?"\n\n"I won't, Hannah."\n\nHannah and Nate return to packing without another word.\n\n<<display '33'>>

[img[http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/045/9/7/scene_0_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm64.jpg]]\n\n''Just Short of the Dead\nEpisode Four | Things Unsaid''\n------------------------------\nWritten by Tom Gould\n------------------------------\n------------------------------\n<<set $Episode1 = "None">><<set $Episode2 = "None">><<set $Episode3 = "None">>[[Begin]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "K">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Please, Roy," I plead, backing away from him. "Please just get up."\n\n<<display '21'>>

"My grave?"\n\nHe lets out a short chuckle but, realizing that the suggestion is well-founded, he stops. "Calm down, Old Yeller," he says. "<<display '07'>>

We all remain completely silent.\n\n"Silent, huh? I've been learning a few tricks about curing silence." He smiles. <<display 'a4'>>

"They're going East," I lie.\n\n"Sorry," Aaron says. "You'll have to be more specific."\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

I stand up and wrap my arm around the man's neck, drawing my gun. The other two look back at us.\n\n"Aw, hell," one of them remarks. "Looks like we're surrounded."\n\n<<display '17'>>

I stand up with my gun drawn. All three of the men are in sight on the other side of the counter with their backs to me and their hands in the air. One of the men turns and notices me.\n\n"Aw, hell," he mutters, alerting the other two to my presence. "Looks like we're surrounded."\n\n<<display '17'>>

We say nothing.\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

[img[http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/045/2/9/scene_4_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm5o.jpg]]

[img[http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/045/f/b/scene_5_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm5k.jpg]]

[img[http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/045/7/c/scene_2_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm60.jpg]]

[img[http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/045/8/8/scene_3_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm5v.jpg]]

<<set $shootRoy = true>>My finger finds the trigger, and I prepare to pull.\n\n"Kerry?"\n\nI look at Roy through the tears, and seeing him looking back with a dim light still in his eyes, I gasp, and the gun slips from my fingers.\n\n"Holy shit, Kerry. Were you going to shoot?"\n\n"You were... I thought you'd... I tried--"\n\n"Don't," he says. "I must look pretty bad, huh? I can't blame you, but... I'm glad you didn't."\n\nHe winces in pain as he tries to raise himself, and I hurriedly help him to sit up against the doorway. He grips his stomach.\n\n<<display '24'>>

"Who is this //Roy// fellow you keep mentioning?"\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

"Sorry," I say, "you just missed him."\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "X">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "C">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "C">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

*<<playbgm iHBWZn9re0U 32>> plays the YouTube video starting from 32 seconds in.\n*<<playbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> plays the YouTube video from the beginning, or resumes it if it was paused.\n*<<stopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops the sound track. \n*<<loopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> makes the sound track constantly loop (although it may not quite be seamless).\n*<<unloopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops it from looping.\n*<<pausebgm iHBWZn9re0U>> pauses the sound track.\n*<<stopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops playback and resets its position to the start.

"What do you mean?"\n\n"Don't be coy, Kerry," Hannah says, grinning. "He's made it very obvious." <<display '45'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "B">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Hey," I call in through the window. My voice echoes through the empty rooms. "Anybody there?" Hannah and I listen, but no sounds follow.\n\n<<display '40'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "F">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $loveRoy = "yes">>"I think so," I tell her. "Yes, I do."\n\nHannah looks like she's about to shriek like a schoolgirl. "Oh my gosh, Kerry," she squeals, trying to contain herself, "have you said anything to him?"\n\n"Not really."\n\n"Kerry," Hannah says, putting both hands on my cheeks and forcing me to face her. "Kerry, it is literally the end of the world. You have to tell him."\n\n[["Okay, okay."|45a]]\n[["Please let me go."|45b]]\n[["Maybe after we escape.|45c]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "J">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"I think of you the same way."\n\n"Right. That we were good friends. But a<<display '60'>>

"That, to me, 'friend' just doesn't cut it."\n\nMy chest feels tight, and I'm at a loss for words.\n\n"I figured I ought to let you know before we get out of here, and pray that the feeling is mutual."\n\n[["It is."|61q]]\n[["It isn't."|61w]]

<<display 'scene4'>>\n\n"Okay, okay," I say, pulling out of Hannah's grasp. She claps her hands with childish glee.\n\n"Alright<<display '46'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "N">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

Hannah and I put our ears close to the open windows, but no sounds come from within. Nothing we can hear, anyway.\n\n<<display '40'>>

<<display 'scene3'>>\n\n"You don't like it?" I reach to feel the split ends on the back of my head.\n\n"That's not what I meant," Nate quickly says.\n\nOwen puts a finger to his chin. "It kind of works for you, I think. But you do look a lot like Mom before she--"\n\n<<display '30'>>

I dig my fingernails into the man's wrist and he howls in pain, his finger twitching and releasing the weapon. <<display '18'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "N">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "N">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I lean over, burying my head in his shoulder, and my worries come pouring out. He's still for a while -- a long while -- but then he reaches around and places his hand on my back.\n\n<<display '26'>>

Aaron feigns a humored look. "That's so cute," he says in a sing-song voice before slapping me across the face and kneeling down to stare daggers at me. "Where did he go?"\n\n[["He's leaving."|a5q]]\n[["Fuck you."|a5w]]\n[[(Say nothing)|a5e]]

I sit beside him, taking a small breath, and my worries all come pouring out. He's still for a while -- a long while -- but then he reaches around and places his hand on my back.\n\n<<display '26'>>

I work my fingers between his and try to pry his hand off the gun. It's his one hand against my two, and I overpower him. <<display '18'>>

[["It was self-defense."|11q]]\n[["It was an accident."|11w]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "F">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "F">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

," I tell him. "Emmett was afraid that we wouldn't help him find his parents."\n\n"Because some of you guys wanted to find your family instead, right? The doomsday preppers."\n\n"Hurricane preppers," I correct, "and yes. So he tried to kill me, and I protected myself, but that costed him his life."\n\n"He didn't give you much of a choice, I take it?"\n\n"No." I think back to the talk our group had had before Emmett brought me outside. "You know, <<if $fault eq true>>I let Hannah know that Mark's death was all my fault, but she sided with me anyway."\n\n"She knows you didn't mean for it to happen, but I think that, by taking responsibility for it, you earned her trust."\n\n"Just to lose it again because of Emmett<<else>>I let Hannah know that there was nothing I could do to save Mark, but she sided against me, anyway."\n\n"She might think that you're refusing to take responsibility, and she's a mother. She values responsibilty."\n\n"That wasn't my intention at all! I really couldn't do anything, and when it came to Emmett, I had no choice<<endif>>."\n\n"I think that once we convince her that you were in the right, she'll come around." Roy suddenly stops and crouches beside the corner of a building, motioning for me to [[come close|12.5]].

I peek inside the window to be sure no one is looking. Luckily, the window looks into a back hallway or something, set apart from the rest of the store, so there's no one to see me come in. I grip the bottom of the window and try to pull it open, but it's locked tight. I shouldn't be surprised, I guess.\n\n[[(Look for another way in)|15q]]\n[[(Shatter this window)|15e]]

No words.\n\nI just look at Roy with a dumbfounded, half-paralyzed stare. He looks back.\n\n"I'm joking."\n\n"Oh, //now// you're joking?"\n\n"Although, I'm serious about you coming in through the back window. I'm going to have them distracted when I walk in with my gun." He passes me his second handgun. "You'll have that with you, so you'll hold them up from behind once you get inside. We'll have them outmaneuvered. Ready?"\n\n"I'm not sure."\n\n"Hey, come on," he says. "We've got this, and once we have that car, we can finally escape this damned city. No more watching friends die, right?" He pats me on the shoulder. "We've got this."\n\nI nod. Roy stays crouched as he makes his way across the road toward the entrance to the building, and I do the same, making my way to the rear. I see the entrance Roy mentioned. Some rubble is collapsed in front of it, making it impossible to escape through, but an untouched window rests on the wall beside it. I can [[enter|15]] through there.

"Looks that way." Roy smirks. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, pull out your gun and drop it on the ground, slowly."\n\n"Sure thing," the first hunter says. "Whatever you say, boss." He starts reaching for his gun in a mockingly slow motion.\n\n"Don't make me shoot you just for being annoying," Roy warns, and the man quickens his draw. He pulls the gun from his belt but before he places it on the ground, he dives behind a desk for cover. Roy fires twice into the wooden shield which splinters and collapses the man behind, but as he falls the man in front of the counter reaches back and pulls me up and over. I fire my gun as I'm dragged from safety and I think I graze his leg, but as he kneels in pain he swiftly knocks the weapon from my fingers with his left fist, and holds me by the hair with his right.\n\n"Kerry!" Roy calls just before the man with the staff-like weapon on his back unsheaths it and swings viciously, revealing it to be a katana. Roy turns and raises his gun just in time to deflect the long thin blade before it takes off his head, but the swordsman doesn't miss a beat, and the katana bounces and swings for another blow to Roy's stomach, slicing the skin. Roy backs away, gripping the wound, but as the swordsman pulls back to swing again, Roy follows with a solid strike to the man's nose. He stumbles and coughs shortly. The man holding my hair starts to yank me down and I notice he's going for his own gun to aid his friend. Both my hands grab his as he unholsters the weapon.\n\n[[(Pry the gun from his fingers)|17q]]\n[[(Dig nails into his wrist)|17w]]

"What the hell?" I hear an unfamiliar voice growl. "Did you hear--"\n\n"Don't draw your weapons," a stern command from Roy cuts off the hunters' curiosity. I quickly climb into the hall and find my way to the main area, making sure to stay low and out of sight until I know where the three men are. "You, pull your gun out, nice and slow, and place it on the ground."\n\n"Gimme a reason not to just draw and kill you."\n\n"I've already got my weapon out. You'll be on the ground before you can say, 'Wow, he's fast.'"\n\n"What about my friends. One of them will shoot you for sure."\n\n"I can see the one over there doesn't have a gun. Are you willing to gamble that I can't kill you two before you draw?"\n\nI'm behind a counter now, and one of the men is standing against the other side with his back to me.\n\n[[(Stand up and draw)|16q]]\n[[(Grab the man and draw)|16w]]

__Episode Two__\n\nTwo weeks later, while on a supply run, Kerry and Roy run into Aaron and Gordan, two men who invite them to consider joining their group of survivors near the city's exit. Kerry and Roy say they'll think about it, and Aaron and Gordan continue on their own way.\n\nKerry and Roy come across a trailer labeled "Quarantined". Inside they find Mark and Hannah and their one-armed eight-year-old daughter, Christa. Mark explains that he cut off her arm to save her from a corpse-bite, and Roy offers to let the family into the apartment so that he can properly treat the wound.\n\nEmmett voices his disapproval when he sees that Kerry and Roy brought more people back, remembering what happened with Stanley. A gunshot is heard outside, but Christa takes a turn for the worse, and the medicine appears to be missing. Kerry decides to <<if $first eq "medicine">>find the medicine first. She, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett discover two boys, Nate and Owen, who had stolen the supplies. <<print $saved>> allows them to join the group, much to Emmett's dismay, and then the three set off to find the shooter outside. They find an injured survivor and help them into the apartment, but the survivor kills themself, referring to the apartment as the "Dead House"<<else>>find the shooter first. She, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett search outside, finding an injured survivor and helping them into the apartments, but the survivor kills themself, referring to the apartment as the "Dead House". Kerry, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett then search for the medicine, which was stolen by two boys, Nate and Owen, who ask to join the group. <<print $saved>> allows them in, much to Emmett's dismay<<endif>>.\n\nLater, Kerry realizes that her phone is missing. Mark offers to help her find it and the two descend into the alley beside the apartment building where they find Aaron. He gives Kerry her phone, then Gordan appears from behind, kills Mark, and grabs Kerry. Aaron expresses his surprise that Kerry and Roy, who he thought were good people, had been living in the "Dead House" all along. He beats Kerry into unconsciousness, then he has his men set fire to the apartments with Kerry's friends still inside, believing that the high concentration of the dead inside the building is spreading the infection, and that her friends have already been in contact for too long.\n\nKerry wakes up in a puddle of gasoline and, unable to enter the blazing apartments to help her friends, she stands helplessly outside. She <<if $fault eq true>>knows that Aaron's attack and Mark's death were her fault<<else>>knows that Aaron's attack and Mark's death weren't her fault, but she can't help feeling partly responsible, anyway<<endif>>. Then, Nate and Christa appear beside her, somehow having escaped the fire. The three of them set off to find shelter from the dead... and the living.\n\n__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A young business woman and player-character.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead; lost in the fire.\n<<if $saved eq "Eric">>''Eric'': Strong leader; trying to deal with loss of friends<<else>>''Robert'': Gun-expert; doing his best to earn the life he was given when Kerry saved him instead of Eric<<endif>>; lost in the fire.\n''Emmett'': Eric's younger brother; has a photographic memory; is still optomistic of his parents' survival; lost in the fire.\n''Christa'': A little girl who survived a bite when her father cut off her infected arm; escaped with Kerry.\n''Mark'': Christa's father; scarred by having to kill one daughter and mutilate the other; killed by Gordan in the alley.\n''Hannah'': Christa's mother; kind and motherly; lost in the fire.\n''Nate'': A young boy who managed to survive with his brother after losing their father to the dead; rash and witty; escaped with Kerry.\n''Owen'': Nate's brother; calm and smart; lost in the fire.\n''Aaron'': The leader of a radical group of survivalists; set fire to the apartment building and left Kerry to die.\n''Gordan'': Aaron's accomplice; killed Mark.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]

__Episode Three__\n\nAfter the fire, a displaced Kerry, Nate, and Christa hide in a bar a few miles away. They scavenge for a while and consider looking for anyone else who might have survived Aaron's attack. On one supply run, they are cornered by some of Aaron's men. <<if $nateHunter eq true>>Nate kills one of them, allowing the three to escape before the other men find them. Christa voices her disapproval at killing, but Nate assures her that it was necessary<<else>>The three manage to escape without having to resort to violence<<endif>>. When they return to the bar, they are discovered by Nate's brother, Owen, who tracked them to their new hideout. Relieved that Owen survived the fire, the three follow him to <<if $lookFor = "EH">>the old apartments to find Emmett and Hannah, who fail to save <<print $saved>> from the wreckage before it completely collapses. Owen then offers to guide Kerry to Roy, and the two follow his trail to an office building, where they find a pile of bodies, and Roy interrogating one of Aaron's men. Roy shows them that he found a map, and tells them he has to go do one more errand. In the meantime, Kerry and Owen return to the new safehouse where Hannah, Emmett, Nate, and Christa are waiting<<else>>an office building where they find a pile of dead bodies. Christa is taken hostage by one of Aaron's men just before a blood-soaked Roy emerges from the shadows and snaps the man's neck. Taking a map from the corpses pocket Roy tells them to go to Emmett and Hannah, explaining that he has one more errand to run, so the four leave him and return to the old apartments where Hannah and Emmett fail to save <<print $saved>> from the scorched wreckage. After mourning the loss of a friend, the group returns to the safehouse<<endif>>.\n\nAt the safehouse, Owen asks Kerry about her past, and she reveals that she ran away from home with her old boyfriend, who ended up abandoning her when he discovered she was unable to have children.\n\nEmmett decides that it would be best to discuss the group's plans for after they escape the city. He wants to find his own parents, who were doctors in a big city when the outbreak started, but Kerry reveals that her own parents live out in the country and that her father is a hurricane prepper. <<if $fault eq true>>Hannah trusts Kerry, and so everyone except for Emmett is on board with finding Kerry's parents.\n\nLater, Emmett invites Kerry outside, alone, under the guise of having heard some of Aaron's men, but when they get far enough away from the safehouse, Emmett explains that Kerry has gotten all of his friends killed, and is about to rob him of the chance to see his parents<<else>>Hannah does not trust Kerry, and so she sides with Emmett's plan to find his parents instead.\n\nLater, Emmett invites Kerry outside, alone, under the guise of having heard some of Aaron's men, but when they get far enough away from the safehouse, Emmett reveals that he fears Kerry's influence over Roy, who might be able to sway the whole group in her favor, and deprive him of the chance to be reunited with his remaining family<<endif>>. He shoots Kerry in an attempt to kill her, but merely grazes her shoulder. She fights back, managing to kill him first. Owen runs out to her and helps her back to the safehouse<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>, and she tells everyone that she had to kill Emmett<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>. She tells Owen that she had to kill Emmett, but she tells the others that it was Aaron's men who killed him<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>, but she tells everyone that it was Aaron's men who killed Emmett<<endif>>.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]

__Episode One__\n\nKerry, a young business woman, wakes up to a city overrun by the dead. Her office's security guard, Stanley, gets bitten by one of the shambling corpses while trying to help Kerry out of the building. With the help of a passing paramedic, Roy, Kerry and Stanley make their way through the chaotic streets to her apartment building.\n\nOn the fourth floor of the apartments, the three meet four other survivors. Eric, the leader of the new group, informs them that all the floors above them are crawling with corpses. He invites Kerry, Stanley, and Roy to stay with them, and <<if $trustCrew eq false>>although the three are slow to trust the new faces, they eventually<<else>>they<<endif>> agree.\n\nWhen Eric, Roy, and Kerry go on a supply run to the nearby grocery store, they meet a large dark man by the name of Aaron who informs them that the bitten get sick and die, becoming walking corpses. Kerry and Roy realize that they've left the bitten Stanley with the rest of Eric's crew at the apartments, and hurry to return. When they arrive, one of Eric's friends turns and attacks him, while another of his friends, Robert, is being attacked by the dead Stanley. Kerry saves <<print $saved>>, leaving <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Robert<<else>>Eric<<endif>> to die.\n\nWhen relative peace finally sets in, Kerry tries to sleep, but she hears her phone buzz with a text from the parents she hadn't spoken to in years. "We love you, Kerry. Please stay safe. Home is okay." Before she could respond, her phone died, and she was left alone with her thoughts.\n\n__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A young business woman and player-character.\n''Stanley'': An old Italian security guard; dies of a corpse-bite.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead.\n''Eric'': A well-meaning leader of the apartment survivors<<if $saved eq "Robert">>; dies of a corpse-bite<<endif>>.\n''Emmett'': Eric's younger brother; has a photographic memory.\n''Alexia'': One of Eric's friends; dies of a corpse-bite.\n''Robert'': Former military man; gun-expert<<if $saved eq "Eric">>; dies of a corpse-bite<<endif>>.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]\n

<<display 'scene4'>>\n\n"Please let me go." Hannah drops her hands and sighs.\n\n"Well<<display '46'>>

Then, just as the corpse is about to bite into his neck, it makes a high wheezing sound and Aaron turns and immediately shoves it away with terrifying speed. He faces me with eyes like blue fire. "You saw that, huh?" he growls in a frenzied voice. "You really are worse than the corpses." Then the fury leaves his eyes, and is replaced with something far darker.\n\nHe takes a handful of my hair and drags me over to the corpse which is now lying on the ground. I writhe and kick and punch and scratch but he just ignore it all. He throws me onto the road beside the wheezing corpse and rips away my right pant leg to reveal my shin to the biter's tireless jaws. One rotten hand grabs my leg. Then another. It's pulling itself towards me, lips peeled back, teeth bared, eyes wide and blank. I bring my other leg up and [[kick it off|b7]].

[img[http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2015/045/3/0/scene_1_by_thegouldenway-d8hxm63.jpg]]

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<<if $d1 eq false>>[[Owen and Christa|34]]<<else>>Owen and Christa<<endif>> are near the front of the car with <<if $d2 eq false>>[[Roy|35]]<<else>>Roy<<endif>> while <<if $d3 eq false>>[[Hannah and Nate|36]]<<else>>Hannah and Nate<<endif>> finish packing.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '37'>><<endif>>

I sit very still, suppressing the urge to let all my worries pour out. I know it'll offer me relief, but I can deal with it later.\n\nRoy isn't fooled. He reaches over and puts a hand on my arm.\n\n<<display '26'>>

My fingers find his neck and I bring my nails across it. I can feel skin getting stuck underneath them as he yells out, distracted and off-balance. Just as Kane's sword comes down, I [[pull forward|19]] as hard as I can.

I turn my body enough to reach one arm all the way back to his face, then I jab my fingers into the first gap I feel. As my hand is coated in a nauseating moistness, my captor shrieks and writhes, distracted. Just as Kane's sword comes down, I [[pull forward|19]] as hard as I can.

"Fuck you," I tell him.\n\nHe looks at Nate. "What about you? Do you know where Roy went?"\n\n"You heard the lady," Nate says with a slight grin. "Fuck you."\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

I nod. He smiles again.\n\n"Nicely done." <<display '25'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>I walk over to the big object and yank the tarp away, revealing a big, broken down car with no wheels. It doesn't look like it has any parts left to scavenge.\n\n<<display '50'>>

"Please, Roy," I plead. "Don't do this to me. Please get up."\n\n<<display '21'>>

"Please let me go!"\n\nAaron leans in close, as if merely to watch my face as it happens. "No."\n\n<<display 'b8'>>

<<set $loveConfess = false>>"Goodbye, Roy, and thank you for everything." I hug him as tight as I can while avoiding his wound.\n\n"I'm going to miss you, Kerry," <<display 'a2'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "Q">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $loveConfess = true>>I give him a quick kiss and he looks at me, surprised. "By the way, the feeling is mutual," I confess, and I hug him as tight as I can while avoiding his wound.\n\n"Thank God," <<display 'a2'>>

He faces the burning truck. "I didn't think you'd survive the fire, let alone find each other again afterwards. You were very lucky people... for a while, anyway." He waves his hand and about twenty men surround the burning car, guns drawn. "I'm very happy that you found Roy, though. He's killed a lot of my people, almost as if for sport. He really took the whole setting-your-home-on-fire-thing a little personally."\n\nHe lets out an unnatural cackle. Just then, I see a biter emerge from an opened flea market just two houses down the street. It notices the fire and starts shambling toward us. None of Aaron's people seem to notice it over the triumph of the car crash.\n\n"If you see the paramedic so much as come out for air," Aaron orders, "fire until there's nothing left to come back from the dead." He looks down at us. "I saw Roy in the front seat. Was anyone else in the truck with you?"\n\n[["No one alive."|b2q]]\n[["There were innocent people in there."|b2w]]\n[[(Stare at him)|b2e]]

"Please, Roy," I plead. "We can't do this without you. Please get up."\n\n<<display '21'>>

"I'll do anything! Just stop!"\n\nAaron leans in close, as if merely to watch my face as it happens. "Too late."\n\n<<display 'b8'>>

"Sounds like a plan."\n\nRoy grins. "I knew you'd like it. Let's go."\n\n<<display '09'>>

<<set $loveConfess = true>>I--\n\n<<display '62'>>

"Sounds really dangerous."\n\n"So is staying in this city with that psychopath," Roy counters. "We'll be careful, but we have to do this. Let's go."\n\n<<display '09'>>

<<set $loveConfess = false>>"I--"\n\n<<display '62'>>

"Please, Roy," I plead. "We can't... //I// can't do this without you. Please get up."\n\n<<display '21'>>

I flail one more time, straining every inch of my body to resist.\n\nAaron leans in close, as if merely to watch my face as it happens. "It's over."\n\n<<display 'b8'>>

I say nothing, and neither does Owen.\n\n<<display 'b4'>>

"Sounds stupid enough to actually work."\n\nRoy grins. "I knew you'd like it. Let's go."\n\n<<display '09'>>

<<display 'Episode 1'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 2'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 3'>>\n\n<<if $Episode1 neq "None" and $Episode2 neq "None" and $Episode3 neq "None">>[[Start "Episode 4"|p01]]<<endif>>

"Yeah, that's why I'm crying." I smile, making sure my sarcasm is palpable. "I'm super worried about how I look right now."\n\n"Hey, I just figured that's what you were upset about," he says innocently.\n\n<<display '27'>>

The garage is on the corner of two streets, so the side entrance is also in view of the road. I turn the knob and push. The door isn't locked, but it's blocked by something. I draw my knife and get ready to [[slam the door|49]].

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>I throw my weight into the door and whatever's behind it topples over with a deafening crash. It doesn't sound like the others heard it, though, so I guess this place is nearly soundproof. I open the door slowly and look around. The thing that was blocking the door was just a shelving unity filled with screws and other small metal bits. I don't hear any movement or wheezing coming from the rest of the building. That's a good sign.\n\n<<display '50'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "I">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

__Chapter 7: Countdown__\n\nIt's getting dark, but we keep the headlights off to avoid getting spotted any more easily than we already will be.\n\n"Here's a good place," Roy says as we roll up to a closed garage. "Seems quiet enough. I don't see any dead around, at least."\n\n"Biters," Nate reminds him. "They're 'biters', Roy."\n\n"Right. No biters. Good stuff. Anyway, there've got to be tools we can use in there. Kerry, can you come out and help me find a way to open the door?"\n\nRoy climbs out of the car before Hannah can tell him to let someone else do the lifting, and I follow him over to the garage door. He grabs the handle and pulls as hard as he can, but he stumbles in pain before he can get it to budge.\n\n"Crap," he mutters, "it's automatic. There's got to be a way to get it open from inside. Let's--"\n\nHe stumbles again, this time enough for me to see a fresh bloodstain climbing down the front of his shirt.\n\n"Roy, you're bleeding again. You're screwing up that wound."\n\n"Nah, I'm fine. Just find a way inside, and I'll go in and find a way to open the door." He leans against the wall beside the garage door and pants, clutching his stomach, and doing a very poor job of hiding his pain.\n\nI sigh, and make my way [[around the corner|48]] of the garage.

[["What do you mean?"|44q]]\n[["I... care about him, too?"|44w]]\n[["I know."|44e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "I">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

It comes off easily enough.\n\n"Incoming," I yell down as we drop the panel into the yard. Owen moves away, but Nate isn't paying attention, and the panel strikes the ground just a few feet in front of him.\n\n"What the hell?" he yells in surprise.\n\n"They told you to move," Owen tells him. "Do you want to die from falling roofing?"\n\n"Geez," Nate grumbles. "That might be the most humiliating death the apocalypse could muster."\n\nHannah and I look back to the roof and [[pry another panel off|43]].

"How is Christa doing?" I ask, breaking the silence.\n\nHannah looks up. "She's alive. Thanks to Mark, Roy, and you, she's alive. I never would have had the strength to do what he did for her." She pauses. "You know, she's part of the reason I decided to trust you again -- probably the main reason. You know what she said?"\n\n"What?"\n\n"She said she thought of you as another sister."\n\nI look down toward the truck where Roy and Christa are still playing Memory. Roy is hanging his head in defeat once again, and Christa is pumping her one arm in the air in victory.\n\n"He cares about you, you know," Hannah suddenly says.\n\n"Huh?"\n\n"Roy. He cares about you a lot."\n\n<<display '44'>>

"I don't hear anything," Hannah says, remaining very still. "Do you?"\n\n"No. Maybe this place was ransacked early on and then forgotten."\n\n"Maybe. What next?"\n\n"Next, I guess we just go inside and make our way to the roof."\n\nI carve away the remaining shards of glass from the sill and climb inside, absorbing every inch of the room I've entered. There's nothing that seems off about the place. No bloodstains, no corpses. I move over to the door and unbolt it, but before my hand touches the knob, I hear a thud as Hannah topples through the window.\n\n"Ow," she groans.\n\n[["Are you okay?"|40q]]\n[["Good job."|40w]]\n[["I was opening the door."|40e]]

. "I didn't land on any glass, did I?" She quickly examines herself, but finds no new wounds.\n\n"I don't think so. You look fine."\n\n"Good. Let's go."\n\n"You sure?"\n\n"Yeah, come on."\n\nWe carefully make our way around the first floor, but when we find nothing, we make our way upstairs.\n\n"There were windows that let out onto the roof," Hannah says, recalling the exterior of the house. "Those have to be in one of these rooms."\n\nWe knock on and open each door in the hall. Still clear. This might be the easiest sweep we've ever done. Once all the rooms are checked, Hannah finds one of the windows that look out onto the roof. She pries it open and climbs out. I hear her footsteps clanking on the metal panels above. Roy sees us emerging and calls up.\n\n"Is it clear?"\n\n"It's clear," I reply. "Weirdly clear. Send the boys over to gather the metal we throw down."\n\nRoy turns to the boys who quickly exit the car and stand in the yard ready to move whatever we pry off the roof. I turn to Hannah and we both grab the first [[metal panel|42]].

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "A">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"He's leaving," I tell him.\n\n"Oh, you want to be vague? Okay." He looks at Nate. "What about you? Do you know where Roy went?"\n\n"I keep forgetting," Nate says with a slight grin. "Which one's Roy?"\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "V">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = false>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "A">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "Roy">>\n<<set $burnRight = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"I know."\n\n"Is that so?" Hannah says, grinning. <<display '45'>>

"Okay," Aaron says, standing up. He grabs Nate by the neck and pulls him a few yards away from us, then he draws out a hatchet. Gordan emerges from the crowd and holds Nate still while Aaron lays the boys hand on the ground and readies the weapon.\n\n"Don't tell him anything, guys," Nate shouts. "No matter--"\n\nThe hatchet comes down and takes off two of Nate's fingers. He grinds his teeth in agony but through the anguished pants, he manages to say again.\n\n"Tell. Him. Nothing."\n\nAaron raises the hatchet again. "Where did Roy go?"\n\nOwen's mouth is moving, but no words are coming out. Nate is maintaining eye contact with him and shaking his head to warn him against blabbing, but is it really worth this pain?\n\nAaron's arm starts its downward motion.\n\n[["They're going North."|a6q]]\n[[(Lie) "They're going South."|a6w]]\n[[(Lie) "They're going East."|a6e]]\n[[(Lie) "They're going West."|a6r]]\n[[(Keep quiet)|a6t]]

"What about?"\n\n"I think you already know," he says. "It's about Emmett."\n\n"Oh."\n\n<<display '10'>>

yes\nno\nmaybe

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "A">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>"Those buildings," I point, "are those for Aaron's men?"\n\n"From what I can tell, yes. He has about sixty people that I've seen. About a third of them are guarding the wall during the day, another third at night, and the last third take shifts searching the city for supplies and survivors."\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '08'>><<else>><<display '07a'>><<endif>>

"What was that?"\n\n<<display '61'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "E">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I pry at the glass, but when the first shard pops out, the whole pane bursts and shatters. There's no way they didn't hear that.\n\n<<display '16'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>"That part of the wall going across the road," I point, "it looks pretty new."\n\n"Weak," Roy adds. "Something could ram through it if it was heavy and fast enough.\n\n"But there are plenty of guards on the sections to the sides of the road."\n\n"But they're only guarding that small part of the highway."\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '08'>><<else>><<display '07a'>><<endif>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "I">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $boardgame = "Checkers">>"You like Checkers, right?"\n\n"Checkers is good. Thank you, Kerry. I'll remember this." <<if $d4 eq true>>He takes the box and runs over to Christa, who seems excited about the new game.\n\n"It doesn't matter what we play," Christa says in a sinister voice. "I will crush you."\n\n"You wish," Nate retorts. "I'm a pro at Checkers."\n\n"He actually sucks," Owen calls from across the room. "You could beat him with just one piece."\n\n"Grandpa only did that once," Nate calls back. "And it was by fluke."<<else>>He takes the box and opens it up, sifting through the pieces. "I'll make sure they're all here, first."<<endif>>\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "T">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "none">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

__Chapter 8: Sacrifice__\n\n<<set $sacrifice = true>>"I'm sorry, guys," I say.\n\n"What do you mean?" Hannah asks, worried. "Kerry, get into the car."\n\n"No."\n\n"Kerry," Roy groans, eyes widening. "What do you think you're doing?"\n\n"I think you already know."\n\n"You can't," he argues. "Aaron will //kill// you."\n\n"If that's what it takes to see you guys get out of here, then... then that's what I'm going to do."\n\n"I'll go," Roy says, trying to climb out of the car, but finding himself in too much pain.\n\n"Don't be an idiot. I'm the one he knows is in here. If you go out there, we'll both die."\n\n"I'd rather that to letting you go alone."\n\nI look him in the eye and point to Hannah and Christa. "They need you, Roy. You know what you're doing out there. You have to keep them safe."\n\n"But--" I can see him trembling. He knows I'm right. "Kerry, you can come with us."\n\n"I can't. Not if you're going to have the chance to escape."\n\nI walk over to Hannah, who's still unable to speak.\n\nI hand her my phone. "Here. My parents will have a charger and a generator, I'm sure. Give this to them and let them know I sent you guys. Once they turn it on, they'll be able to see the text they sent me at the beginning of this." I take a deep breath. "Tell them I'm sorry for running away, that they were right about the idiot I hooked up with, that he left me after our son was stillborn, and that I was too ashamed to face them when I lost everything because of the things I said when I left. And... make sure to let them know that I always loved them, especially when I said I didn't. I need them to know that."\n\nHannah takes the phone, then she wraps her arms around me in the warmest hug I've had in years. "Thank you for saving my daughter, Kerry," she says, her voice beginning to break. Christa pops out from the back seat, her face wet with tears.\n\nI give her a big hug and dry her eyes. "You remember their address, right, Christa?"\n\n"I'll never forget," she says, pointing to her forehead. "Memory, remember?"\n\n"Good girl. If I make it out of the city, I'll find you, and if I don't, I'll make sure to tell your dad and sister how much you and your mom miss them, okay?"\n\n"And I'll tell your mom and dad the same," Christa promises, giving me one last hug. "I love you, Kerry."\n\n"I love you, too, Christa."\n\nHannah looks over to Roy, then turns to me and knods for me to go over to him. It's now or never, I guess. I face Roy, and walk around to the passenger side door where he's sitting silently.\n\n"Hey, Roy."\n\n"Hey, Kerry."\n\n"Nice night we're having, huh?"\n\nHe smiles weakly, shaking his head. "The forecast said there's a one-hundred-percent chance of assholes tonight."\n\n"Hurricane Aaron, I think they're calling it."\n\nWe try to laugh at the horrible jokes, but neither of us are doing a great job of holding back tears.\n\n"Whatever happens to you," Roy says, "I want you to know that your parents will be safe. Alright?"\n\n"Thank you."\n\n"Do you think I should tell them I was in love with their daughter?"\n\n"I dunno. The last guy who said that was almost shot at."\n\n"'Almost'? Those sound like the best odds I've had in weeks."\n\nWe both fall silent for what seems like forever. Then our eyes meet one last time.\n\n[[(Confess love)|a1q]]\n[["Goodbye, Roy."|a1w]]

<<set $loveRoy = "no">>"I'm not sure," I tell her. "I don't think I think of him that way. I care about him a lot, too, but not quite like that."\n\n"What?"\n\n"I mean, we promised an old friend that we'd look out for each other, like family."\n\n"Oh my gosh, Kerry," she whispers, trying to contain herself, "have you said that to him?"\n\n"No."\n\n"Kerry," Hannah says, putting both hands on my cheeks and forcing me to face her. "Kerry, if you tell him that, it will literally be the end of the world."\n\n<<display 'scene4'>>\n\n"Fine. I'll keep it to myself for now."\n\n"Or you could change your mind and fall in love."\n\n"Please let me go."\n\n"Oh, sorry."\n\nShe releases my head and we sit for a moment, soaking in the weirdness of the situation.\n\n"Anyway<<display '46'>>

<<playbgm L4ljmowphvI>><<loopbgm L4ljmowphvI>>Outside, Aaron is smiling with the two boys kneeling in front of him, and an army of at least twenty armed men behind. "Kerry," he calls out when he sees me. "It's been too long."\n\nSomeone grabs me and pulls me closer, then forces me onto the ground at Aaron's feet beside Nate and Owen.\n\n<<display 'scene5'>>\n\n"So you had //two// boys in there with you," Aaron says, feigning shock. "It was very noble of all three of you to come out when I only saw two."\n\nNone of us say anything, so he continues.\n\n"Now that you're here, we can start our search." He lifts a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "Stand down," he orders into it. "We have the targets. Regroup behind the garage and be ready to move out on my command."\n\n"Yes, sir," a voice reports from the other end.\n\nAaron looks back down at us. "So, since you came out so peacefully, I assume you intend to cooperate. Would I be wrong in that assumption?"\n\n[["No, sir."|a3q]]\n[["I'm afraid so."|a3w]]\n[[(Say nothing)|a3e]]

<<set $d3 = true>>"Are those cars?"\n\n"Yes," Roy smiles. "Almost all of them work now. They keep them full of gas, and I've even seen the scavengers starting to take them for their runs."\n\n"So there's a chance that we could... commandier one of those while it's in the city?"\n\n"Great minds think alike," Roy says.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '08'>><<else>><<display '07a'>><<endif>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "L">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "all">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

There's a <<if $d1 eq false>>large, aged, filthy-looking tarp covering some [[big object|50q]]<<else>>broken down car<<endif>> on the far side of the garage. Beside the garage door, there's <<if $d2 eq false>>a [[switch|50w]] with a label<<else>>the [[automatic opener|50w]]<<endif>><<if $d3 eq false>>. Beneath it, there's another [[smaller tarp-covered object|50e]]<<else>>, which should be powered up now<<endif>>.

Aaron brings the hatchet down into Nate's arm, just below the elbow. As Nate yells in pain, Aaron pries the hatchet from the wound and strikes again and again until he's completely hacked the limb off.\n\n"Ouch," Aaron sighs. He looks up at me. "Where did Roy go?"\n\nOwen is weeping. Nate is still trying to maintain eye contact with him to be sure he doesn't tell. He looks over at me one more time to make sure I don't say anything either. "Owen," he pants.\n\nOwen looks up at his brother, who smiles through the pain.\n\n"Dude," he chokes, "don't cry for me. Just shoot this asshole in the face when you get the chance, and when we meet again, I'm going to cream you in <<print $boardgame>>."\n\nOwen looks confused, then utterly horrified. Aaron lifts the axe again.\n\n"One more time. Where did Roy go?"\n\n[[(Tell him)|a7q]]\n[[(Don't tell him)|a7w]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "L">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $boardgame = "Stratego">>"Do you know how to play Stratego?"\n\n"Yes! I haven't seen this in forever. Thank you, Kerry. I'll remember this." <<if $d4 eq true>>He takes the box and runs over to Christa, who seems excited about the new game.\n\n"It doesn't matter what we play," Christa says in a sinister voice. "I will crush you."\n\n"You wish," Nate retorts. "I'm a pro at Strategy."\n\n"He actually sucks," Owen calls from across the room. "He can't remember what half the pieces do."\n\n"That's a lie," Nate calls back. "I only forget how the spies and bombs work... and the flag."<<else>>He takes the box and opens it up, sifting through the pieces. "I'll make sure they're all here, first."<<endif>>\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<set $end = "interrogation">>Nate suddenly reaches up with his remaining arm and grabs the hatchet. Before he can wrestle it from Aaron's arm, Aaron pulls back, stands up, and kicks the boy away.\n\n"You think that's funny?" he growls at Nate, who's just grinning from ear to ear. He raises his remaining arm and sticks his middle finger up. Aaron's eyes are like wildfire as he brings his foot up and stomps on Nate's head as hard as he can. "You ornery little..."\n\nI pull Owen close to me and hide his face from the terrible sight as Aaron continues stomping and kicking and cursing at Nate's brutalized corpse. Owen sounds like he's hyperventilating, and I hold him tighter as Aaron glares over at me.\n\n"I'm done for tonight," Aaron tells his men, panting as he steps over Nate's body like it's spilled garbage. "Take those two and bring them in for further interrogation. I'll start in the morning."\n\nI refuse to let Owen go until one of the hunters marches over to me and strikes me in the head. I fall. Owen yells. Everything goes black.\n\n[[END]]

<<set $shootRoy = false>>I hesitate. Then I give up. The gun drops from my shaking hands.\n\nI can't do this. I can't put him down. I can't save everyone myself. I can't make it in a world where I lose every single friend I have. I just can't do it any more.\n\n"Kerry?"\n\nI look at Roy through the tears, and seeing him looking back with a dim light still in his eyes, I gasp.\n\n"Holy shit, Kerry, you're alive."\n\nI can't speak. Roy coughs in pain and tries to sit up, and I hurriedly help him. He grips his stomach.\n\n<<display '24'>>

Now, two of them had guns and knives. The third looked like he had a bo staff or something on his back."\n\n"Seriously?"\n\n"Why would I bother joking about that? Anyway, I've been through that building they're going into. The only real entrance is the front door. I'm going to follow them in and hold them up."\n\n"But there's three of them. Why are we even going after them. We just need the car, right?"\n\n"Well, yeah," he says, "but the driver took the keys inside with him, and I don't know how to hotwire a car. Even if I did, I'm pretty sure they'd hear us before we got it running."\n\nI sigh and nod, but my heart's pounding like crazy. Roy seems so calm considering he's planning on confronting three armed men.\n\n"Here's the plan," he says. "I'm going to walk through the front, gun drawn. That'll surprise them enough for you to break through the back window, snap one of their necks, grab their gun, fire one shot through the forehead of the other gun-holder, and then another six shots into the stomach of the bo staff dude."\n\n[[...|14]]\n[[...?|14]]\n[[...!|14]]

I say nothing, but merely stare right back into his icy blue gaze until he looks away.\n\n"Hmm." <<display 'b2'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "P">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

," she says, "let's get a few more panels, then we should be good to go."\n\nAfter prying a few more panels off of the roof and watching Nate and Owen haul them over to the bed of truck, we grab one more. As we pull it up, it slips from our hands, and instead of falling with a soft thud on the grass, it slams loudly on the sidewalk in front of the door, and the lingering metallic clank echoes around us.\n\n"Oh, no," Hannah mutters. "That's enough. Let's go. The dead are bound to hear that."\n\nWe crawl through the window, run down the stairs, exit through the door, and help Nate and Owen load the last panels into the truck while Roy starts the engine. It roars to life just in time for us all to climb in, and we [[drive away|47]] just as the undead moaning reaches the property.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" I ask.\n\n"We're looking for something," he says. "I'll explain in the morning."\n\n"And after that, what's going to happen to me?"\n\nRoy is silent for quite some time. <<display '02'>>

"One of our friends."\n\n"Just one? What a shame." <<display 'b2'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>I walk up to the smaller tarp-covered object and pull away its cover to reveal a generator. Maybe it still works. I try flipping a couple switches, then I grab the recoil starter and pull. The engine clicks a few times, but then it becomes silent. I try again, a bit more rapidly, and suddenly it hums to life, bringing with it a couple scattered lights around the garage. It's a little loud, but the building is well-insulated, so that should be okay.\n\n<<display '50'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode3 = "D">>\n<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>\n<<set $nateHunter = true>>\n<<set $lookFor = "EH">>\n<<set $burnRight = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "D">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>