"You'll like them. They're really great people."\n\n"I know I will. They raised you, and you came out okay, so they've gotta be good people." He smiles up at me.\n\n<<display '72'>>

"Me neither. It's been way too long since I've been home."\n\n"Are your parents nice?"\n\n"Yeah, and I took that for granted until I was gone. I swear I'm gonna hug the hell out of them when we get there."\n\nOwen smiles. "They're gonna go nuts way they see you. I know it."\n\n<<display '72'>>

Another crash against the door and the chair makes an awful creaking sound. I could swear I see Owen stir once more when I look back at him.\n\n"The door's not going to hold much longer," Samantha says. "Go, Kerry. Don't look back. Find your family. Leave Owen here."\n\n[["Okay. I'll leave." (Leave Owen)|91q]]\n[["But... Owen is my family." (Take Owen)|91w]]

__Chapter 1: Home and How I Left It__\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display '2'>><<else>><<display '3'>><<endif>>

"We don't know if they're still there, Owen."\n\n"I know, but we can't stop hoping. That's what's gonna get us through whatever's in our way from here on out, right?"\n\n"Right."\n\nHe smiles up at me.\n\n<<display '72'>>

<<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'>>

"Lay down."\n\n"I've been laying down, haven't I?" <<display '30'>>

"You okay?"\n\n"Of course I am," he says. <<display '30'>>

"Hi."\n\n"Hi," he replies.\n\n"You already said that."\n\n"I did? Sorry." <<display '30'>>

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

"We were threatened, yes."\n\n"That's a shame," Vinny says.\n\nPat scratches his chin. "I'm sure she didn't have any choice, especially with the kid, Vinny."\n\n"Yeah?" Vinny says with a huff. "Well, you must have had some opportunities to take him out while he slept or something. Did it ever occur to you that it was dangerous to follow a violent psychopath?"\n\n<<display '35'>>

[img[http://orig04.deviantart.net/e7d7/f/2015/081/0/f/13_by_thegouldenway-d8mstaz.png]]

"How about you eat the fucking bullet."\n\n"I'll take that as a 'shoot me and kill the boy slowly', because my dying isn't an option."\n\nAs he pulls the gun away from Owen's head, the boy finally frees his arm and swings the hammer into Aaron's shin and I grab the gun from his hand as he doubles over in pain and throws Owen viciously against the floor. Now he stands at the opposite end of the barrel, his eyes filled with something absolute, something I didn't know existed in his deranged soul: fear.\n\n"Now it's an option," I say.\n\n<<display '82'>>

[img[http://orig13.deviantart.net/fecc/f/2015/081/7/d/11_by_thegouldenway-d8mp7nh.png]]

[img[http://orig06.deviantart.net/f8c3/f/2015/081/c/c/10_by_thegouldenway-d8mo50s.png]]

"I was in charge."\n\n"Were you, now?" Vinny says.\n\n"Calm down, Vinny," Pat says. "I'm sure she didn't order him to execute our people. He probably flew off the handle."\n\n"Yeah?" Vinny says with a huff. "Well, did it ever occur to you that it was dangerous to have a violent psychopath in your group?"\n\n<<display '35'>>

"I followed him willingly."\n\n"Is that so?" Vinny says.\n\nPat scratches his chin. "If I was in your position -- with a kid and all -- and he was keeping us alive, however that was getting done, I might've been in the same boat."\n\n"Well," Vinny says with a huff, "did it ever dawn on you that it was a violent psychopath leading your group? Didn't that seem wrong?"\n\n<<display '35'>>

I don't say anything.\n\n"No answer, huh?" Vinny says. "Then I assume you were too dense to realize you were following a dangerous psychopath, huh?"\n\n<<display '35'>>

"Me. I'll take it."\n\n"Good choice," he says, "you fucking coward."\n\nAs he pulls the gun away from Owen's head, the boy finally frees his arm and swings the hammer into Aaron's shin and I grab the gun from his hand as he doubles over in pain and throws Owen viciously against the floor. Now he stands at the opposite end of the barrel, his eyes filled with something absolute, something I didn't know existed in his deranged soul: fear.\n\n"I told you I'd take the gun," I say.\n\n<<display '82'>>

"Owen. Give it to Owen."\n\n"Alright, but you die first. Get on the ground."\n\nHe points to the floor in front of him, but in the second he pulls the gun away from Owen's head, the boy finally frees his arm and swings the hammer into Aaron's shin and I grab the gun from his hand as he doubles over in pain and throws Owen viciously against the floor. Now he stands at the opposite end of the barrel, his eyes filled with something absolute, something I didn't know existed in his deranged soul: fear.\n\n"Should've shot him when you had the chance," I tell him.\n\n<<display '82'>>

*<<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.

I just stare back at him silently.\n\n"Yeah, that's about what I expected you to say," Aaron says. <<display '11'>>

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

<<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'>>

"Why?" I ask.\n\n"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Aaron says. <<display '11'>>

"No more interrogations?"\n\n"Don't call them that," Aaron says. <<display '11'>>

"You're sure you can heal him? Keep him safe?"\n\n"I'm sure, Kerry. You need to trust me."\n\n<<display '91'>>

"Just... Nevermind."\n\n"I'm really sorry, Kerry," he says. "I didn't mean to upset you."\n\n<<display '65'>>

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

I try to ask them what's happening -- the last thing I remember is hearing Aaron tell him men to take us in -- but <<display '5'>>

"You won't be alone. I promise."\n\n"Thank you," he says. <<display '44'>>

I try to ask about where Owen is -- the last thing I remember is watching Aaron kick him in the head, and seeing the poor boy falling limp to the ground beside me -- but <<display '5'>>

"It's insulting," I tell him, "to everyone who gave their lives in the fight to get you this far."\n\n"I didn't mean to insult anyone," he says. "I just miss... I'm sorry, Kerry, really."\n\n<<display '65'>>

"It... It hurts when you say that."\n\n"I didn't mean to hurt you," he says. "I just miss... I'm really sorry, Kerry."\n\n<<display '65'>>

"But we were... we were supposed to stick together... until the end. We promised each other."\n\n"Kerry, he's a child. He'll grow up. He'll understand. It's not about breaking the promise."\n\n<<display '91'>>

"I won't leave you. I promise."\n\n"Thanks," he says. <<display '44'>>

I can't think of what to ask, and I suppose it doesn't matter, because <<display '5'>>

"I'm sorry, Owen."\n\n"Stop saying that," he says. <<display '44'>>

"Do you think they found your parents?"\n\n[["I hope so."|60q]]\n[["They must have."|60w]]\n[["I don't know."|60e]]

"Was it our fault that they... that they were caught? We could have gone outside to distract Aaron. Maybe they could've gotten away, then. Do you think we could've saved them?"\n\n[["Maybe we could've."|62q]]\n[["What happened happened."|62w]]\n[["No. We couldn't."|62e]]

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

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

<<set $Epilogue = "C">>As it gets closer, the silhouette on the horizon slowly grows into the house I remember. I can see the iron-clad pick-up truck in the yard. Roy, Hannah, and Christa made it. Aaron lied about their deaths. I'm overcome with relief, and I park the car and hurry out. I run to the patio and the front door opens. Roy and Christa poke their heads out, and the little girl's eyes meet mine. "Kerry!" She runs outside and sprints at me, tackling me with a one-armed hug. "You're alive! I knew you'd be alive! You had to be!"\n\nRoy comes out next, followed by Hannah.\n\n"Aaron said..." I choke. "Aaron said he found you."\n\n"I'm sorry we left you behind, Kerry," Roy says, "but we're fine. Don't worry about us. We're fine. We're all fine."\n\n"Your parents," Hannah says, "they weren't here. We found this, though." She holds out a map with several markings and routes planned out. "They left this for you. It hadn't collected much dust, so it has to be recent. We got it out of the house and hid before Aaron burned it down."\n\nI receive the map from her. "Thank you."\n\n"Where are Nate and Owen?" she asks, looking toward the sedan I'd driven up in. "Are they still in the car?"\n\n"Aaron murdered Nate the night you escaped," I tell her. "Owen... he was--" \n\n"Stop, Kerry," Roy says, placing his hands on my shoulders. "There's nothing we can do now."\n\n"I'm sorry," Christa says.\n\n"It's alright," I tell her.\n\n"If you don't mind my asking," Roy says, "what happened to Aaron?"\n\n"We got him," I answer. "He's not coming after us ever again."\n\n"Good," Hannah says. "Then maybe we can move on. Take a look at that map."\n\nI look down and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn the map over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\n"Are you okay?" Hannah asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.\n\n"Yeah," I lie as I wipe my face. "I was just... I was really hoping to see them, you know?"\n\n"You will," Roy says. "We'll pack up whatever we have and we'll go after them. We can probably catch up before long if they're travelling in a group."\n\nChrista grins in excitement at the proposition. Hannah sighs at Roy's enthusiasm but smiles in agreement. I feel a small drop on my nose and it begins drizzling, even as a few holes appear in the grey clouds above. Sunlight and rain pour down as Christa takes my hand.\n\n"Come on," she says. "Let's find your family."\n\n[[END]]

<<set $Epilogue = "D">>As it gets closer, the silhouette on the horizon slowly grows into the house I remember. I park the car in the yard and hurry out to the patio. I run up the steps and pull open the front door.\n\n"Hello?" I call inside. It's dark. Nobody answers. I step inside and look around. "Mom? Dad?" I'm becoming worried. I search every room of the house but there's nothing. No corpses. No people. No parents.\n\nI return to the front hall where I notice a map lying on a table against the wall. It's been drawn on with different colored markers, but it's barely covered with any dust. It must have been left here very recently. I pick it up and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn it over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\nAs I finish reading the note, I dry my eyes and look around. They can't have gotten too far if they left so recently, especially if they're in a group and have to clear cars off the road along their way. Maybe I can catch up to them. No -- I //know// I can catch up to them. I know I can. I walk out to the sedan with the map and feel a drop on my nose and it begins drizzling, even as a few holes appear in the grey clouds above. Sunlight and rain pour down washing away my worries. I know I'm going to make it, and while being alone makes me wish I had Owen back by my side, knowing that he's alive and safe is all the encouragement I need to get into my car and head out to find my family.\n\n[[END]]

<<set $Epilogue = "B">>He turns and keeps his eyes open, scanning the plains until something comes into view. He points out the windshield.\n\n"There," he calls excitedly. "There it is."\n\nAs we get closer, the silhouette on the horizon slowly grows into the house I remember. I park the car in the yard and hurry out with Owen right behind me. We run to the patio and I pull open the front door.\n\n"Hello?" I call inside. It's dark. Nobody answers. I step inside and look around. "Mom? Dad?"\n\n"Mr. and Mrs. Kerry?" Owen calls.\n\n"That's not their name," I say, smiling, but inside I'm becoming worried. We search every room of the house but there's nothing. No corpses. No people. No parents.\n\n"Kerry," Owen says once we return to the front hall. "Look at this." He points to a map lying on a table against the wall. "It's not that dusty," he observes. "It was put there recently, and it's got writing on it.\n\nI pick up the map and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn it over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\n"Are you okay?" Owen asks.\n\n"Yeah," I lie as I wipe my face. "I was just... I was really hoping to see them, you know?"\n\n"Right," Owen says quietly. He sighs, but then his eyes widen and he jumps up excitedly. "It's okay. We'll just go after them!"\n\nI look at him. "Are you serious?"\n\n"Dead serious! They didn't leave too long ago. We can probably still catch up to them if we follow their route. They're travelling in a group, right? They can't be going too fast, plus they'd have to clear cars off the road on their way. We'll find them in no time!"\n\nI can't find words to express how I feel at his suggestion. I'm too relieved and anxious, but more than that, I realize how lucky I am to have him with me. He grabs onto my hand and smiles.\n\n"Come on," he says. "We've got to //Kerry// on."\n\n[[END]]

<<set $Epilogue = "C">>But as it gets closer, I notice the smoke against the grey clouds, and I realize that the silhouette on the horizon is that of a collapsed, blackened wreckage. Aaron really did burn it down. I stop the car in the yard and hurry out. I spot the iron-clad pick-up beside the house, then I stare at the scorched foundation and the remaining walls. Roy, Hannah, and Christa made it here, but so did Aaron.\n\nThen I see the corpses. They're lying in a pile just off the side of the patio. I slowly move toward the horribly deformed bodies, but they're so burned that it's impossible to tell who they were. "It can't be them," I tell myself.\n\nThen there's a creaking metal noise behind me. I turn to see a big door swinging open from the ground. A safe room.\n\nRoy and Christa poke their heads up, and the little girl's eyes meet mine. "Kerry!" She jumps out of the underground safe room and sprints at me, tackling me with a one-armed hug. "You're alive! I knew you'd be alive! You had to be!"\n\nRoy climbs up next, followed by Hannah.\n\n"Aaron said..." I choke. "Aaron said he found you."\n\n"I'm sorry about the house, Kerry," Roy says, "but we're fine. Don't worry about us. The only 'people' he burned were a few straggling corpses. They weren't us, and they weren't your parents."\n\n"Your parents," Hannah says, "they weren't here. We found this, though." She holds out a map with several markings and routes planned out. "They left this for you. It hadn't collected much dust, so it has to be recent. We got it out of the house and hid before Aaron burned it down."\n\nI receive the map from her. "Thank you. How did you guys find the safe room?"\n\n"I remembered you saying your dad was a hurricane-prepper," Roy says, "so that's the first thing I looked for when we got here, just in case."\n\n"Where are Nate and Owen?" Hannah asks, looking toward the sedan I'd driven up in. "Are they still in the car?"\n\n"Aaron murdered Nate the night you escaped," I tell her. "Owen... he was--" \n\n"Stop, Kerry," Roy says, placing his hands on my shoulders. "There's nothing we can do now."\n\n"I'm sorry," Christa says.\n\n"It's alright," I tell her.\n\n"If you don't mind my asking," Roy says, "what happened to Aaron?"\n\n"We got him," I answer. "He's not coming after us ever again."\n\n"Good," Hannah says. "Then maybe we can move on. Take a look at that map."\n\nI look down and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn the map over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\n"Are you okay?" Hannah asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.\n\n"Yeah," I lie as I wipe my face. "I was just... I was really hoping to see them, you know?"\n\n"You will," Roy says. "We'll pack up whatever we have and we'll go after them. We can probably catch up before long if they're travelling in a group."\n\nChrista grins in excitement at the proposition. Hannah sighs at Roy's enthusiasm but smiles in agreement. I feel a small drop on my nose and it begins drizzling, even as a few holes appear in the grey clouds above. Sunlight and rain pour down as Christa takes my hand.\n\n"Come on," she says. "Let's find your family."\n\n[[END]]

"I almost did."\n\n"Almost?" <<display '54'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>"Do you trust me, yet?"\n\n"Trust you?" Samantha says. "You're the only person I really know to any degree beyond medical facts, apart from my brother. I'm wary of you, of course, and the other people here won't let you carry weapons because of your history, but seeing you with that boy over the past few weeks has been more than enough to make me at least trust that you're a good person."\n\n"I... Thanks."\n\n"Don't mention it. My turn. Do you trust me?"\n\n[["Definitely."|55q]]\n[["I'm wary."|55w]]\n[["No."|55e]]

"My eye... it's gone?"\n\n"Yes. I'm so, so sorry."\n\n"I thought you'd left."\n\n"What?"\n\n"I thought you left me here. When I woke up, you were gone."\n\n[["I was just outside."|39q]]\n[["I told you I'd be back."|39w]]\n[["You need to calm down."|39e]]

<<if $sacrifice eq true>>I stand up and exit the room, sitting in a chair in the hall outside to wait<<else>>Samantha helps me up and I grab the crutch beside me, then I make my way out the door and into a chair in the hall to wait<<endif>>. Two men stop and look as they walk past me.\n\n"Wait a second," the tall one says. "You're Karen?"\n\n[["It's Kerry."|33q]]\n[["Why do you care?"|33w]]\n[["Who are you?"|33e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|33r]]

"Is there something else on your mind, Kerry?"\n\n"Kind of." I'm a little afraid to ask. "What is it like?"\n\n"What?"\n\n"Being in a coma. What do you suppose it's like? Do you dream?"\n\nSamantha is silent for a long time. "My father was in a coma for almost three months during the last year of his life. When he came to, he said it felt like... like falling."\n\n"Falling?"\n\n"Just falling through darkness. He said he thought he was already dead... on his way into Hell. All alone. No light. No hope. Just falling in darkness. We never really got along, but when he woke up, he looked at Aaron and me and just cried and cried."\n\nI turn to Owen. He looks so peaceful. Could he really be going through something like that?\n\n"I'm sorry, Kerry," Samantha says. "I didn't mean to--"\n\n"It's alright. I'm the one that asked."\n\n"Anyway, if you wouldn't mind, I'm going to start the check-up. If you could wait in the next room for now, I'll let you know when I'm finished."\n\n"Alright."\n\n<<display '33'>>

He sits back a little, but remains tense. "Is today the day?"\n\n"The day for what?"\n\nHe looks left and right, then says in a low voice, "The day we escape."\n\n"No way," I tell him. "I doubt you could walk, let alone escape. Just rest, alright?"\n\n"But--"\n\nThe door to the private room swings open as Samantha arrives for Owen's check-up.\n\n"Oh, perfect," she says, "you're awake. Do you feel alright?"\n\n"I feel fine. Can I get up?"\n\n"No," Samantha says, smiling. "No, not just yet. I'm here to check on how you're coming along, though, so we'll get you up and running in no time, okay?"\n\n"I'd like that."\n\n"I'm sure you would." Samantha turns to me. "If you could wait in the hall, that'd be great, Kerry. This'll only take a few minutes."\n\n"Why does she have to go?" Owen asks, sitting straight up again. "When can she come back?"\n\n"She can come back right after the check-up," Samantha says, "provided you're still awake."\n\n"I will be," Owen says with absolute certainty. He looks to me. "Come back when she's done. Promise?"\n\n"Of course."\n\n<<display '33'>>

Samantha says, appearing from the room beside me. "Maybe she did pal up with a murderer, but it was a murderer created by our own. I'm sure if any of us lost what Roy thought he'd lost, we'd have been driven mad by revenge."\n\n"But--"\n\n"Enough."\n\n"Yes, ma'am." Vinny and Pat turn and continue walking down the hall.\n\n"Pay no mind to them," Samantha says. "I told you a few times, now, most of the people here don't like you very much. They associate you with the friends and family they lost to Roy outside, but they won't actually hurt you. They care about Owen, and by proxy, about you."\n\n"Thanks. How's Owen doing?"\n\n"He's <<if $OwenComa eq false>>out. It'll be a few hours at least before he comes to again<<else>>still out<<endif>>. For now, I think it'd be best <<if $sacrifice eq true>>if you take a lunch break. If you'd like to sit with him first, I'll put my things away and meet you back here in a minute, then we'll head over to the cafeteria<<else>>if we tried to fit you into that prosthetic leg again. You've just about gotten the hang of it. Today I think we can finally make it permanant<<endif>>."\n\n"Alright."\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display '36q'>><<else>><<display '36w'>><<endif>>

[["I could say the same of you."|35q]]\n[["I guess not."|35w]]\n[["He was only dangerous to bad people."|35e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|35r]]

"My name's Vinny. This is Pat. We haven't really seen much of you around here."\n\n"That's probably for the best, too," Pat says. "You don't seem like the people-type, which is fine."\n\n"You were with Roy, huh? Did you follow him willingly, or did he threaten your boy or something?"\n\n[["I followed him."|34q]]\n[["I was in charge"|34w]]\n[["He threatened us."|34e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|34r]]

<<set $d2 = true>>"Do you have any other family?" I ask her.\n\n"Other than Aaron?" she says. "I used to. My father and mother died years ago. It hurts every day, but I know they wouldn't have lasted long when the dead started walking, so it's best they moved on when moving on was still final. My husband broke his leg on the day it all started. He was killed during the riot at the hospital on the first day. My son was at home, waiting for us to pick him up. I didn't make it back in time."\n\n"I'm sorry to hear that. How old was he?"\n\n"About ten years old. A real handful, but I miss that about him." She pauses. "My turn. I know Owen's not related to you, but you worry for him like a mother would. Have you had a child of your own?"\n\n[["Yes, once."|54q]]\n[["I almost did."|54w]]\n[["Not any more."|54e]]

<<set $d1 = true>>"When I met you, you seemed pretty -- I don't know -- unhappy. Lately you've been cracking jokes and smiling. It's nice, but I was wondering what brought on the good mood?"\n\n"I didn't really notice," Samantha says, giving it some thought, "but I guess you're right. No, you're definitely right. I guess... I'm not really sure, but I think it might be having someone around to talk to."\n\n"You mean me?"\n\n"Yeah. My patients are normally in and out of surgery or check-ups, so they don't really stick around to chat. I know your conversations with me are usually brief and about Owen, but I really do enjoy them. Plus, taking care of that little boy reminds me of the days when I was a stay-at-home mom. It's nice. Takes my mind off of everything that's happened since then. I think it also helps that my brother isn't here to..."\n\nShe stops herself, then she smiles.\n\n"Nevermind. My turn. Do you like it here in this community, save for Aaron and the guys that give you dirty looks?"\n\n[["Yes, I do."|53q]]\n[["It's okay."|53w]]\n[["No, I don't."|53e]]

<<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'>>

<<set $RoyLocation = false>><<display 'img01'>>\n\nI lift my head to meet Aaron's hauting gaze. I'm still tied to the chair in the concrete room.\n\n"Good to see your still with us," he says, reclining in the chair across from me. "I've decided that this will be your final questioning session."\n\n[["Why is that?"|10q]]\n[["No more interrogations?"|10w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|10e]]

<<set $RoyLocation = false>>I lift my head and look around. I'm in what looks like a gymnasium, but by the rows of cots and medical instruments lined up along the walls, I can only assume that this place has been turned into a makeshift hospital.\n\nSuddenly I begin to recall the events that led me to this moment. The truck, the crash, watching Hannah and Nate die, seeing Roy and Christa disappear in a fiery wreck, standing by as Owen fell limp after being kicked in the head, and then my leg...\n\nI look down, but my body is covered by a [[thin blanket|20]].

Swallowed in blackness, I hurry to my feet and look around. My eyes adjust to the dark -- or maybe the darkness itself is adjusting, I can't tell -- and with the passing seconds I can make out a door a few yards before me. It's the only thing I can see, so I move toward it, and when I'm right in front of it, I grab the knob and push it open, finding myself on a patio looking over green plains, a few trees, and a dirt road. There's a sedan grumbling at the edge of the road with a teenaged boy standing next to it.\n\n"You ready to leave this all behind us?"\n\n[["Leave what?"|7]]\n[["Who are you?"|7]]\n[["Why?"|7]]

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

"Why do you care?"\n\n"Geez, you're pretty hostile."\n\n"Are you surprised?" the shorter one asks him. <<display '34'>>

"It's 'Kerry'," I tell him.\n\n"Right," says the shorter one. <<display '34'>>

I don't say anything.\n\n"Oh, come on," the shorter one says. <<display '34'>>

<<set $Epilogue = "A">>He turns and keeps his one eye open, scanning the plains until something comes into view. He points out the windshield.\n\n"There," he calls excitedly. "There it is."\n\nAs we get closer, the silhouette on the horizon slowly grows into the house I remember. I can see the iron-clad pick-up truck in the yard. Roy, Hannah, and Christa made it. Aaron lied about their deaths. I'm overcome with relief, and I park the car and hurry out with Owen right behind me. We run to the patio and the front door opens. Roy and Christa poke their heads out, and the little girl's eyes meet ours. "Owen! Kerry!" She runs outside and sprints at us, tackling me with a one-armed hug. "You're alive! I knew you'd be alive! You had to be!"\n\nRoy comes out next, followed by Hannah, and as Christa starts mercilessly hugging Owen, Roy comes up to me. He smiles.\n\n"Aaron said..." I choke. "Aaron said he found you."\n\n"I'm sorry we left you behind, Kerry," Roy says, "but we're fine. Don't worry about us. We're fine. We're all fine."\n\n"Your parents," Hannah says, "they weren't here. We found this, though." She holds out a map with several markings and routes planned out. "They left this for you. It hadn't collected much dust, so it has to be recent. We got it out of the house and hid before Aaron burned it down."\n\nI receive the map from her, but then she gasps when she realizes we're missing someone. "What happened to Nate?"\n\n"Aaron murdered him," Owen tells her.\n\n"No."\n\n"What about your eye?" Christa nervously asks him.\n\n"Aaron cut it out."\n\n"I'm sorry," Christa says.\n\n"Thanks. It's alright, though."\n\n"It looks cool, I think," Christa adds. Owen smiles.\n\n"What happened to Aaron?" Roy asks.\n\n"We got him," I answer. "He's not coming after us ever again."\n\n"Good," Hannah says. "Then we can move on. Take a look at that map."\n\nI look down and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn the map over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\n"Are you okay?" Hannah asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.\n\n"Yeah," I lie. "I was just... I was really hoping to see them, you know?"\n\n"You will," Roy says. "We'll pack up whatever we have and we'll go after them. We can probably catch up before long if they're travelling in a group. Let's go find the rest of your family."\n\nOwen and Christa grin in excitement at the proposition. Hannah sighs at Roy's enthusiasm but smiles in agreement. I feel a small drop on my nose and it begins drizzling, even as a few holes appear in the grey clouds above. Sunlight and rain pour down as Owen takes my hand and smiles.\n\n"Come on," he says. "We've got to //Kerry// on."\n\n[[END]]

<<set $Epilogue = "A">>He turns and keeps his one eye open, scanning the plains until something comes into view. He points out the windshield.\n\n"There," he calls excitedly. "There it is."\n\nBut as we get closer, I notice the smoke against the grey clouds, and I realize that the silhouette on the horizon is that of a collapsed, blackened wreckage. Aaron really did burn it down. I stop the car in the yard and hurry out with Owen right behind me. We stare at the iron-clad pick-up beside the house, then at the scorched foundation and the remaining walls. Roy, Hannah, and Christa made it here, but so did Aaron.\n\n"Kerry," Owen mutters, pointing me toward a pile of corpses on the ground just in front of the patio. "Are those--?"\n\n"It can't be," I tell him. We slowly move toward the horribly deformed bodies, but they're so burned that it's impossible to tell who they were. "It can't be them."\n\n"I don't see a child one," Owen says, noticing each one's size. "Christa's not here. What if--?"\n\nThen there's a creaking metal noise behind us. We turn to see a big door swinging open from the ground. A safe room.\n\nRoy and Christa poke their heads up, and the little girl's eyes meet ours. "Owen! Kerry!" She jumps out of the underground safe room and sprints at us, tackling me with a one-armed hug. "You're alive! I knew you'd be alive! You had to be!"\n\nRoy climbs up next, followed by Hannah, and as Christa starts mercilessly hugging Owen, Roy comes up to me. He smiles.\n\n"Aaron said..." I choke. "Aaron said he found you."\n\n"I'm sorry about the house, Kerry," Roy says, "but we're fine. Don't worry about us. The only 'people' he burned were a few straggling corpses. They weren't us, and they weren't your parents."\n\n"Your parents," Hannah says, "they weren't here. We found this, though." She holds out a map with several markings and routes planned out. "They left this for you. It hadn't collected much dust, so it has to be recent. We got it out of the house and hid before Aaron burned it down."\n\nI receive the map from her. "Thank you. How did you guys find the safe room?"\n\n"I remembered you saying your dad was a hurricane-prepper," Roy says, "so that's the first thing I looked for when we got here, just in case."\n\n"Oh my gosh," Hannah gasps when she suddenly realizes we're missing someone. "What happened to Nate?"\n\n"Aaron murdered him," Owen tells her.\n\n"No."\n\n"What about your eye?" Christa nervously asks him.\n\n"Aaron cut it out."\n\n"I'm sorry," Christa says.\n\n"Thanks. It's alright."\n\n"It looks cool, I think," Christa adds. Owen smiles.\n\n"What happened to Aaron?" Roy asks.\n\n"We got him," I answer. "He's not coming after us ever again."\n\n"Good," Hannah says. "Then we can move on. Take a look at that map."\n\nI look down and examine the routes that have been planned out, then I turn the map over and notice a message written on the back.\n\n//Dear Kerry,\n\nI refuse to believe that you are not out there somewhere, and it kills your mother and me to know that we can't come find you. If we knew where you were, we'd be there in an instant. Still, we know you're strong, and that you'll find your way back here before long. I want to remain here, to receive you with open arms when you arrive at the door, but we can no longer stay. One of the neighbors said he saw something coming. A herd of the dead sweeping across the plains. It's a ways away as of now, but there's a caravan leaving today. It's headed east, away from the herd. We've marked the route it plans to take on this map, along with the alternate routes in case things don't go as planned. Perhaps one day we'll get to see our daughter's face again, but first and foremost, stay safe. We love you, Kerry. We always will.\n\nDaddy//\n\n"Are you okay?" Hannah asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.\n\n"Yeah," I lie. "I was just... I was really hoping to see them, you know?"\n\n"You will," Roy says. "We'll pack up whatever we have and we'll go after them. We can probably catch up before long if they're travelling in a group. Let's go find the rest of your family."\n\n"I already have," I say, drying my eyes, "but seeing my parents would be great, too."\n\nOwen and Christa grin in excitement at the proposition. Hannah sighs at Roy's enthusiasm but smiles in agreement. I feel a small drop on my nose and it begins drizzling, even as a few holes appear in the grey clouds above. Sunlight and rain pour down as Owen takes my hand and smiles.\n\n"Come on," he says. "We've got to //Kerry// on."\n\n[[END]]

"I'm so sorry, Owen," I whisper to him. "Forgive me. Please..."\n\n<<display '93'>>

"Who are you?"\n\n"You didn't tell her your name first?" the shorter one asks him. He sighs. <<display '34'>>

"But I thought we just talked about how our only chance at survival was out there."\n\n"That was when Aaron was in charge. Now that he's dead, the leadership falls to me. I'm not letting anything happen to Owen."\n\n"Then I'll stay, too. I'll wait until he gets better just like--"\n\n"Kerry, these people are going to know you killed Aaron."\n\n"But I didn't--"\n\n"They're going to see he's been killed, and they're going to look to the most likely suspect: you. They won't care why you did it, they'll just call for your punishment."\n\n"You can vouch for me."\n\n"I'll have power, Kerry, but not that much power. I won't be able to turn the biases of all these people. They'll want your head. I can't stop them from lynching you if you stay here, but I can keep them from coming after you if you go."\n\nSuddenly another resounding series of bangings ring out on the door along with some muffled screams from beyond. Then, for a brief moment, I think I see Owen stirring.\n\n"Kerry," Samantha continues. "Owen may need medical attention immediately, depending on what his condition is, but you don't have time to find that out. For him to make it, he has to stay, and you have to leave and never come back. He'll be safe here. I'm a doctor, I'm a mother, and I'm a leader. You can leave knowing that he's in the most capable hands this world can offer him."\n\n[["You're sure you'll take care of him?"|90q]]\n[["Can he come and find me, someday?"|90w]]\n[["But we promised to stick together."|90e]]

I back away before I change my mind, turn, and walk out the emergency exit door, down the fire-escape outside, across the empty compound, and into the garage where the light brown sedan rests.\n\nI turn the key in the ignition and the engine purrs to life. It's been a while since I've driven one of these, but I haven't forgotten how. It's misty out tonight, or maybe that's just my eyes. I wipe my face again and press the gas petal. The car pulls out of its parking spot and grumbles across the bridge toward the highway, ready to bring one passenger [[home|95]].

__Epilogue__\n\n<<if $Owen eq true>><<display '96'>><<else>><<display '97'>><<endif>>

I take one last look at her, then I carefully pick Owen up and carry him to the emergency exit. I make my way down, across the empty compound, and into the garage where the light brown sedan rests. I open the back door and lay Owen in the back seat, then I climb into the driver's side. I turn the key in the ignition and the engine purrs to life. It's been a while since I've driven one of these, but I haven't forgotten how. It's misty out tonight, or maybe that's just my eyes. I wipe my face again and press the gas petal. The car pulls out of its parking spot and grumbles across the bridge toward the highway, ready to bring two passengers [[home|95]].

The city has faded away in the distance behind us. The drive is long and silent. The days pass in a blur as I pass through the changing terrain. Finally I'm among the grassy plains, and soon I'm driving down the familiar dirt road that leads to my parents' property. My house should be coming up on the right. Something comes into view.\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<if $RoyLocation eq true>><<display '101'>><<else>><<display '102'>><<endif>><<else>><<display '103'>><<endif>>

The city has faded away in the distance behind us. The drive is long and silent. It isn't until morning that I finally hear Owen shuffling around in the back seat. He sits up, somewhat alarmed.\n\n"Don't worry," I tell him.\n\n"Is Aaron dead?"\n\n"Yes."\n\nHe's silent for a while. "I don't feel good."\n\n"Is it your head?"\n\n"I think it's just a headache. I hit it pretty hard, huh?"\n\n"Yeah, you did."\n\nHe climbs into the passenger seat. "I had an awful dream."\n\n"What was it about?"\n\n"You were about to... Nevermind."\n\n"Come on. Tell me."\n\nHe sighs, embarrassed. "You were about to leave me. I was yelling at you, telling you not to go. Begging." He pauses. "I was afraid. More afraid than when Aaron grabbed me."\n\n"I told you I wouldn't leave you," I remind him.\n\n"We stick together until the end," he recalls. "I know. It's just--"\n\nSuddenly he places his hand under his nose, and I notice the blood running along his fingers.\n\n"Are you okay?" I ask, terrified by the sight.\n\n"Yeah," he says. "The air's just dry. This used to happen to me all the time. Nate would make fun of me for it, but it just kind of happens on its own. It'll go away soon."\n\nI face the road again, and I hope to God he's right.\n\nThe next few days pass by in a bit of a blur, and although Owen seems dizzy at times, he swears he's fine. Finally, we come to the familiar long dirt road that leads into my parents' property. It's been too long.\n\n"Is this it?" Owen asks, noticing that I've become tense. "Is this your home?"\n\n"It's coming up, soon. On the right."\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<if $RoyLocation eq true>><<display '98'>><<else>><<display '99'>><<endif>><<else>><<display '100'>><<endif>>

<<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'>>

<<set $knife eq true>>I pry the knife from Aaron's stomach and rush toward Aaron who's caught off-guard for only a moment before he swats me away with his free arm, <<display '86'>>

<<set $knife eq true>>I scoop up the knife that I'd dropped and rush toward Aaron who's caught off-guard for only a moment before he swats me away with his free arm, <<display '86'>>

__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 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 commits suicide, 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 commits suicide, 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 unignited 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 business-woman and the 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; is still optomistic of his parents' survival; lost in the fire.\n''Christa'': An 8-year-old 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; lost in the fire.\n''Nate'': A 13-year-old 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 10-year old 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 corpse's 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 they failed to have a child.\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 pierces her shoulder, and she is forced to kill him before he finishes her off. 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__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A business-woman and the player-character; forced to kill Emmett.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead; became violent when he thought he'd lost Kerry; viciously hunted down Aaron's men until Kerry returned.\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>>; died in the apartment wreckage.\n''Emmett'': Eric's younger brother; was still optomistic of his parents' survival; attempted to murder Kerry out of paranoia; was killed by Kerry.\n''Christa'': An 8-year-old girl who survived a bite when her father cut off her infected arm.\n''Hannah'': Christa's mother.\n''Nate'': A 13-year-old boy who managed to survive with his brother after losing their father to the dead; rash and witty.\n''Owen'': Nate's 10-year old brother; calm and smart.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]

__Episode One__\n\nKerry, a young business woman, wakes up to a city overrun by the dead. Stanley, a kind old security guard, helps her to escape her office building, but is bitten by one of the shambling corpses in the process. Roy, a passing paramedic, stops to tend to Stanley's wound, then he, Kerry, and Stanley make their way through the chaotic streets to her apartment building for safety. There, the three run into Eric, Emmett, Alexia, and Robert, who have fortified the fourth floor of the apartment building, explaining that all the upper floors are crowded with walking corpses. Eric's group invites Kerry, Roy, and Stanley to join them, and <<if $trustCrew eq false>>although the three are slow to trust the new faces, they eventually<<else>>the three<<endif>> accept the offer.\n\nEric then takes Kerry and Roy on a supply run to the nearby grocery store. It is there that they meet Aaron who explains that contact with the dead results in death, and those who die come back as 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 back. When they arrive, the undead Stanley has killed Alexia. While Alexia comes back and attacks Eric, Stanley is now attacking Robert. 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 the 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.\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

__Episode Four__\n\nAfter <<if $owenTruth eq "all">>learning that Kerry killed Emmett<<else>>hearing of Emmett's mysterious death<<endif>>, Hannah grows suspicious of Kerry. Roy takes Kerry out to scout Aaron's base from afar, pointing out the weakness of the wall they've built to block off the only available exit from the city: the bridge. Roy believes that, with a car, they will be able to drive right through the barrier and finally escape Aaron's reach.\n\nBefore returning to share the plan with the others, Kerry and Roy spot a truck being used by a small group of Aaron's scavengers. In an attempt to steal the vehicle from the scavengers, Roy is wounded and Kerry's hair is sliced by a katana, but the two emerge victorious and bring their newly acquired pick-up truck back to the others.\n\nWith a new car at their disposal and a plan for escape, the group packs what they have and makes a few final preparations. Hannah decides to trust Kerry for the sake of the group, and the two become a little closer. Nate and Owen see much of their mother in Kerry and vow to stick with her until the end.\n\nThe group pulls into an empty garage and Roy makes a few final adjustments to the truck before they make their leave, but before they can escape, they hear Aaron outside with an army of men. He reveals that a scout had seen Kerry enter the garage, and that he had just seen a boy in the window, but it becomes obvious that he has no idea that the whole group is with her. <<if $sacrifice eq true>>Because of this, she decides to give herself up for the sake of the others. She bids a sad farewell to her friends, but then Owen points out that he'll be joining her, since Aaron saw him in the window, and Nate refuses to leave his brother behind. The three of them exit the garage and face Aaron, who recalls the troups that had surrounded the building and begins questioning them as to the rest of the survivors' locations just before the truck bursts out of the garage and drives away, leaving Aaron a furious wreck. In an attempt to force Kerry to tell him where the group is headed, Aaron begins cutting Nate apart, piece by piece. Nate reassures his brother that everything will be fine, but when Aaron realizes that he won't get any information like this, he stomps Nate to death and leaves his body on the road, then commands his men to gather Kerry and Owen and bring them into the fort for further interrogation<<else>>The group won't leave Kerry behind, and so they all pile into the truck and drive straight out of the garage to make their daring escape, but are hit by one of the other cars that Aaron had stationed around the garage in case of such an escape. Nate and Hannah are killed upon impact, and Kerry and Owen barely pull themselves through the back window before a molotov cocktail traps Roy and Christa inside. Aaron revels in his victory while Kerry notices a corpse approaching him from behind. Aaron kicks Owen in the head and the boy falls limp to the pavement. Just as the corpse grabs a hold of Aaron, he turns and shoves it away. Realizing that Kerry saw the corpse sneaking up on him and said nothing, Aaron tears off her pant-leg and forces her to the ground beside the corpse, holding her until it has bitten through her shin. She goes unconscious from shock, and the last this she hears is Aaron commanding his men to bring her in for experimentation<<endif>>.\n\n__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A business-woman and the player-character; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>sacrificed herself to give her friends the chance to escape; was brought in to Aaron's fort for interrogation<<else>>tried to escape with her friends; was bitten by a corpse<<endif>>.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead; became extremely violent when he thought he'd lost Kerry; hunted down many of Aaron's men; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>escaped the city thanks to Kerry's sacrifice<<else>>engulfed in flames by Aaron's molotov<<endif>>.\n''Christa'': An 8-year-old girl who survived a bite when her father cut off her infected arm; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>escaped the city thanks to Kerry's sacrifice<<else>>engulfed in flames by Aaron's molotov<<endif>>.\n''Hannah'': Christa's mother; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>escaped the city thanks to Kerry's sacrifice<<else>>suffered a fatal concussion<<endif>>.\n''Nate'': A 13-year-old boy who managed to survive with his brother after losing their father to the dead; rash and witty; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>was murdered by Aaron for fighting back during a brutal interrogation<<else>>suffered a broken neck<<endif>>.\n''Owen'': Nate's 10-year-old brother; calm and smart; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>forced to watch as Nate was murdered by Aaron; brought to Aaron's fort for interrogation<<else>>escaped the flaming truck; was kicked in the head by Aaron<<endif>>.\n''Aaron'': The leader of a radical group of survivalists; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>crushed Nate's head; brought Owen and Kerry in for interrogation; desperate to hunt Roy down for killing his men<<else>>caused the deaths of Kerry's friends; held Kerry down while a corpse bit her<<endif>>.\n''Gordan'': Aaron's accomplice; <<if $sacrifice eq true>>held Nate down while Aaron killed him<<else>>held Kerry down while the corpse bites her<<endif>>.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]

<<set $knife eq false>>I rush toward Aaron who's caught off-guard for only a moment before he swats me away with his free arm, <<display '86'>>

Arrival of the Birds & Transformation\nOwen + Sacrifice\n\nMqoANESQ4cQ

"He went south to get closer to the equator for winter," I lie. Aaron watches my eyes with unwavering calm, then he grins.\n\n"Cute," he says. "You almost pulled that off." He brings his fist across my face, then grabs me again and pulls me close, looking back at my eyes. "You have one more chance."\n\n[[(Tell him Roy's location)|14q]]\n[[(Try to lie again)|14r]]\n[[(Remain silent)|14e]]

"They went to find the parents of one of our group members that passed away, Emmett. He said they lived--"\n\nAaron stands up. "Save it." Suddenly he kicks me over and I fall to the floor again, sputtering. Then the door bursts open, striking my head, and a woman enters. She sees me on the ground, cuts and bruises all over my body, then she looks up at Aaron.\n\n<<display '15'>>

<<set $RoyLocation = true>>My parent's address pours from my lips, and Aaron smiles wide.\n\n"To be honest," he says, releasing my jaw and standing up, "I'm a little surprised that you actually told me. Thank you."\n\nSuddenly the door bursts open and a woman enters. She sees me strapped to my chair, cuts and bruises all over my body, then she looks at Aaron.\n\n"What's going on?" she demands. "I thought we had an understanding."\n\n"This didn't concern you until just now, Sam," Aaron groans. "I've got what I need. You can take her. We also have a boy that's going to need surgery when you've got the time."\n\n"You--" the woman starts, but then she gives an agitated huff and begins undoing my bonds while Aaron sends someone to collect Owen.\n\n"Come on, Gordan," he says as he exits the room. "We've got a killer to catch." They walk away into the halls, ready to begin hunting down the last friends I have in the world, and all I can do is [[watch|16]].

"No, it wasn't our fault. Don't ever tell yourself that it was."\n\n"But he could've stayed behind. Aaron only saw you and me in the garage. Nate could have left with Roy and the others."\n\n"He couldn't let you face Aaron alone. He was brave, and he helped us to be brave, too."\n\nI expect Owen to reply, but he remains silent for a long while. Finally he confesses, "I wish Aaron had killed me, instead."\n\n"What?"\n\n"Nate was stronger than me. He kept me alive for the first couple weeks of the outbreak. He would've--"\n\n<<display '64'>>

"It was his fault that we lived."\n\n"What do you mean?"\n\n"He couldn't let you face Aaron alone. If he hadn't come out with us, Aaron would have killed you or me to try to find out where Roy went. He saved us both, and he gave us the courage to face Aaron when the time came, too."\n\nI expect Owen to reply, but he remains silent for a long while. Finally he confesses, "I wish Aaron had killed me, instead."\n\n"What?"\n\n"Nate was stronger than me. He kept me alive for the first couple weeks of the outbreak. He would've--"\n\n<<display '64'>>

I bow my head and remain silent. I can't give Roy and the others away.\n\nAaron shakes his head, and stands up. "I should've known you wouldn't care. You got yours, right?" His foot shoots into my stomach and I fall to the floor again, sputtering. "That boy deserves better than a piece of shit like you, but that isn't going to save him, now."\n\nSuddenly the door bursts open, striking me in the head, and a woman enters. She sees me on the ground, cuts and bruises all over my body, then she looks up at Aaron.\n\n<<display '15'>>

"We gave the others a chance to escape. Nate was willing to do that because he cared about you and about our group. He died a hero, and he gave you and me the courage to face Aaron."\n\nI expect Owen to reply, but he remains silent for a long while. Finally he confesses, "I wish Aaron had killed me, instead."\n\n"What?"\n\n"Nate was stronger than me. He kept me alive for the first couple weeks of the outbreak. He would've--"\n\n<<display '64'>>

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

<<set $GordanWeapon = "glass">>I grab one of the long glass shards while Gordan is staring into my eyes. With a desperate pull I pry it off and send it quickly across Gordan's neck, and as the severed flesh gives way to a stream of red, he stumbles back, releasing me. I gulp in the much-needed air while he hacks up his own blood. <<display '75'>>

<<set $GordanWeapon = "knife">>I reach out for the knife while Gordan is staring into my eyes. With a desperate twist and pull I drag it through the rest of his stomach, shredding multiple organs on the way, and as the severed flesh gives way to a stream of blood, he stumbles back, releasing me. I gulp in the much-needed air while he dizzily watches his exposed insides throbbing. <<display '75'>>

"I'll try not to."\n\n"That's all I ask. Now, <<display '24'>>

"I'm wary," I admit.\n\n"That's survivor-talk for 'smart'," Samantha says, smiling. "It good to be wary, especially toward the doctor that's responsible for a child you care for, <<display '55'>>

"Definitely."\n\n"Definitely?"\n\n"You've been working non-stop to bring Owen back to health, and you've spared enough medicine on us to heal a small army. If that doesn't buy trust, I'm not sure what does."\n\n"Thank you, Kerry," she says, smiling. "I don't really know what to say, <<display '55'>>

<<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'>>

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

"No."\n\n"Well," Samantha says with a smile, "at least you're honest. Well, I understand if you're hesitant, <<display '55'>>

"Only until Owen's healed."\n\n"That's all I ask. Now, <<display '24'>>

"It's not that easy."\n\n"No one said it was easy, but I'm asking you anyway. Alright?"\n\n"Alright."\n\n"Good. Then <<display '24'>>

let's get you over."\n\nWith that, she pushes me over to [[Owen's cot|25]].

<<display 'img04'>>\n\nIt's been hours since Owen was brought in, but I haven't seen him move once. Samantha left a while ago to speak with Aaron about something, and I can only hope it doesn't involve us.\n\nThe bandages around Owen's head and face are stained, but apart from that, this is the cleanest I've ever seen him. They must have washed him sometime around his surgery. His hair isn't the matted brown rat-nest I came to know, and his face has been purged of all that hard-earned dirt and grime, leaving only a few patches of freckles on his cheeks. I wonder, if he wakes up... no... //when// he wakes up, will he be able to forgive me for all that I've put him through<<if $sacrifice eq false>>?\n\nWill he be able to fathom with what happened to everyone else? Hannah and Nate were killed instantly when Aaron's men crashed into the truck, but Roy and Christa were still alive, set on fire, trapped by the metal we'd fixed to the sides of the vehicle for protection. I remember Roy's urgent commands to save ourselves. I remember the terror in Christa's eyes as the flames blocked her only exit. She wasn't ready to face a death like that. None of them were. How will Owen deal with them being gone, and for that matter, how will I<<endif>>?\n\nI hear the gym doors swinging again and Samantha walks in looking furious. She takes a few breaths and composes herself before coming up to me.\n\n"Kerry," she says. "Aaron decided that we can't spare the supplies necessary for Owen's recovery."\n\n[["Bullshit."|25q]]\n[["Don't you have a say?"|25w]]\n[["Then we'll leave."|25e]]

"Listen. Normally, the people here are on Aaron's side. He's gotten us this far, so his word is like law, but this time I can tell that a lot of them are hesitant to agree with letting a child die. They don't much care for you, but Owen is still just a boy. Also, Aaron is headed out. <<if $sacrifice eq true>><<if $RoyLocation eq true>><<set $OwenComa = false>>Now that he knows where Roy is, he's going to track him down with a small group<<else>><<set $OwenComa = true>>Even though he's not sure where Roy is, he's planning on taking a small group out to try and track him down<<endif>><<else>><<set $OwenComa = false>>Now that Roy's been dealt with, Aaron's taking a small group to scout the area around the city to see if there are any other camps being set up that we should know about<<endif>>. He'll be gone for a couple weeks, and I'll be the authority around here. All that to say I'm overwriting his order on this one. While he's away, I'll be taking care of Owen, and hopefully by the time Aaron's back, Owen will be ready to come off the medications, and there won't be a problem."\n\nI'm speechless. I don't know whether to be suspicious or grateful. Perhaps a little of both.\n\n"Thank you," I say. I have no idea how else to express my thoughts. I turn back to Owen. He looks so peaceful here. He's comatose, according to Samantha's doctors, but at least he's alive. I hold his hand in mine and bury my face in the pillow beside his head.\n\nAt least he's alive.\n\n<<if $OwenComa eq false>>"Nate?"\n\nI lift my head up at the sound of the weak voice. <<if $sacrifice eq true>>Owen's good eye flutters<<else>>Owen's eyes flutter<<endif>> open for a short moment.\n\n"Where's Nate?" he asks.\n\n[["He's dead, Owen."|27]]\n[["He's in the other room."|27]]\n[["He's with Roy."|27]]<<else>>Should I have told Aaron about Roy? Would this have prevented this level of damage? I suppose it doesn't matter now, but however long it takes for Owen to get better, I'll [[wait with him|28]].<<endif>>

"He's--"\n\nSamantha places her hand on my shoulder. "Kerry," she says, "just sit with him. He won't be able to talk much. He's on painkillers."\n\n"Mom, where did..." Owen contines, but slowly he drifts back out of consciousness.\n\n<<if $RoyLocation eq true>>For the first time since the interrogation, I'm glad I told Aaron what he wanted to know. Roy will take care of himself, and I spared Owen what could have been a much more severe punishment<<else>>I may have lost everyone else I cared about, but at least Owen seems to be on a path to recovery<<endif>>. I don't know how long it'll take for him to fully heal, but however long that is, I'll [[wait with him|28]].

<<display 'img02'>>\n\nI slowly pull the sheet away. My head feels light as I look upon what remains of my right leg. It's gone. Everything under the knee is gone. The rest is heavily bandaged.\n\n"It'll be okay," I hear from beside me. I turn to see a woman sitting by my bedside. Her hair is greying, her forehead wrinkled, and there are dark bags under her eyes, indicating her overworked state, but something about the way she sits straight up suggests a certain level of responsibility within the fort. "How are you feeling?"\n\n[["I've been better."|20q]]\n[["Was I infected?"|20w]]\n[["Where's my leg?"|20e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|20r]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>"I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but know that I'll do everything in my power to help you to walk again. We have prosthetics. I've never had cause to use them before, but if you don't mind being a guinea pig for me, I'm sure I'll have you back on your feet... foot... in a matter of weeks."\n\n<<display '22'>>

<<if $d1 eq false>>[["Who are you?"|22q]]\n<<if $d2 eq false>>[["Why are you helping?"|22w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|22e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|22e]]<<endif>><<endif>>\n<<else>><<if $d2 eq false>>[["Why are you helping?"|22w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|22e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|22e]]<<endif>><<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '23'>><<endif>><<endif>><<endif>>

Just then the doors to the gymnasium swing open as a group of doctors wheel another cot inside, lining it up with the others against the wall a few beds down from me.\n\n"There he is," Samantha says, standing up. "Here." She brings a wheelchair over to the edge of my bed and helps me to climb into it. My body feels totally off balance, but I manage to sit down in the chair. "Before I bring you to him," she says, "I want you to understand something. We have our differences. My brother has done some terrible things to your people, and your people have done some terrible things to mine. I get if you don't entirely trust me, and quite frankly, the feeling is mutual, but as long as you stay in line here, no one will have a problem with me using supplies to help you and Owen. I can't watch another child die, so for his sake, and for yours, please don't cause any trouble, okay?"\n\n[["It's not that easy."|23q]]\n[["Only until Owen's healed."|23w]]\n[["I'll try not to."|23e]]

__Chapter 3: Days Became Weeks__\n\nIt's been almost two weeks since Owen and I were brought into Aaron's stronghold. Aaron is still out <<if $sacrifice eq true>>tracking Roy<<else>>looking for neighboring camps<<endif>>, and Samantha moved Owen into a private room for recovery, so no one has questioned her use of medication against Aaron's wishes. She also allows me to stay with him for most of the day. It's not like I have anything else to do in this place, anyway, and I'd rather be beside Owen if he happens to wake up.\n\n<<if $OwenComa eq false>><<display '28q'>><<else>><<display '28w'>><<endif>>

<<display 'img06'>>\n\nI burst through the door and see Owen sitting straight up in his cot.\n\n"Owen, what is it?" I run over to his side.\n\nHe grabs the side of his head by his missing left eye and yells again.\n\n"Owen?"\n\n"I can't see you. I can't see out this eye. What's going on?" He turns his head, and the moment his right eye catches sight of me he calms down. "I... I thought..."\n\n[["You're okay."|38q]]\n[["You lost your eye, remember?"|38w]]\n[["I'm right here."|38e]]

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

<<set $KillAaron = "shootMercy">>I lower the gun but maintain my distance from Aaron just in case. He looks at the gun, then at me, the fear overtaken by confusion.\n\n"I'm not going to kill you," I tell him. "I'm not like you. I'm not some animal out on a hunt. I'm not some psychopath out for revenge. I'm a human being, and becuase of that singular fact, I'm able to forgive you, even after everything you've done to me and to my friends."\n\n"That's... you're out of your mind."\n\n"Just because you can't fathom what I'm doing doesn't make it crazy. You've drowned your soul in the desperate attempt to survive and get your way. You've cannibalized your own humanity. We're not like you. We're better than you, because we forgive you."\n\n"No," he mutters. "You're--"\n\nA gunshot cuts him off and tears through the side of his head, spraying a cloud of red and white fragments out the other side. He collapses to the floor and I look over to see Samantha standing at the door to the dining hall with a duffel bag in one hand and a smoking gun in the other.\n\n"You might forgive him," she says, "but I don't."\n\nI don't have time to wonder why she shot her brother or where she'd been this whole time. I quickly kneel beside the motionless Owen and place my ear on his chest. He's still breathing. He's still alive.\n\n"What happened in here?" Samantha asks.\n\n<<display '83'>>

<<set $KillAaron = "shootKill">>The gunshot echoes through the hall as time seems to slow and Aaron collapses, his blue eyes wide on a face frozen in fear.\n\nSuddenly the lights above us flicker to life. The meeting is definitely over and patrols are bound to make their way in here soon. I kneel beside Owen's motionless body and place my ear on his chest. He's still breathing. He's still alive.\n\nSamantha bursts into the dining hall with the duffel bag in one hand and a gun in the other.\n\n"Oh my--" she gasps, seeing Aaron's lifeless form lying in a heap.\n\n<<display '83'>>

<<display 'img06'>>\n\nI burst through the door and see Owen sitting straight up in his cot.\n\n"Owen," I say, relieved and frightened all at once. "You're awake."\n\nHe shouts again, clutching the side of his head by his missing left eye.\n\n"What's wrong?" I yell, running over to him.\n\n"I can't see you," he says, confused and dizzy. "I can't see with this eye. What's happening? Where--" He turns his head until his right eye catches sight of me, then he calms down. "I... I thought..."\n\n[["You're safe."|42q]]\n[["You lost your eye, remember?"|42w]]\n[["I can't believe you're up."|42e]]

<<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'>>

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

"You wouldn't."\n\n"That's where you're wrong. <<display '14'>>

"Please don't."\n\n"I don't want to, but I will. <<display '14'>>

"Just get some rest, Owen. Please."\n\nHe opens his mouth to say something else, but <<display '41'>>

"It'll be okay, Owen. Just hang on."\n\n<<display '4'>>

"I don't know, Owen."\n\n<<display '4'>>

<<display 'img00'>>\n\n''Just Short of the Dead\nEpisode Five | A City Fading''\n------------------------------\nWritten by Tom Gould\n------------------------------\nNOTE:\nIf you would like to see what happened\npreviously on "Just Short of the Dead",\nSelect your letters on the next page\nand then click on the "See Recap for"\non any given episode. That way you'll\nbe up to speed for the finale.\n------------------------------\n<<set $Episode1 = "None">><<set $Episode2 = "None">><<set $Episode3 = "None">><<set $Episode4 = "None">>[[Begin]]

"Why would you ask me that?"\n\n"I just..." he starts, but <<display '41'>>

I don't know what to say, and these men will hear me anyway, so I offer Owen my best attempt at a comforting smile, but it doesn't last. <<display '4'>>

"Of course not."\n\nOwen gives a weak smile, <<display '41'>>

<<set $Samantha = false>>She begs, but I know she can no longer be trusted. I pull the trigger. Both she and the empty shell fall to the floor. It's over. I just killed the one friend I thought I had here. I'm trembling, but I know I don't have time to recompose myself. <<display '94'>>

<<set $Samantha = true>>"Don't come after us," I warn her, lowering the gun, and as I move back to Owen, I know she realizes that there's nothing she can do. She merely scowls at me, and for the first time since I met her, I can see her starting to cry. <<display '94'>>

<<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>>

<<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>>

<<if $Episode1 eq "None" or $Episode2 eq "None" or $Episode3 eq "None">><<else>><<if $Episode4 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode Four"?\n\n[[A|A3]] . . . [[B|B3]] . . . [[C|C3]] . . . [[D|D3]]<<else>>Episode Four: <<print $Episode4>>\n[[See Recap for "Episode Four"|RE4]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB4]]<<endif>><<endif>>

"You mix them together?"\n\nHis face becomes red and he suddenly looks ashamed. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to finish all of this. I should've asked before I mixed it all together like that. That was--"\n\n"Calm down, Owen, it's okay. It's just funny is all."\n\n"Funny?"\n\n"Yeah. It's fine. Don't worry about it."\n\n<<display '59'>>

[img[http://orig02.deviantart.net/b913/f/2015/081/f/7/12_by_thegouldenway-d8mstas.png]]

"You've lost your chance at living," Aaron continues.\n\n"I think I just found another one." I drive my heel into his knee causing him to cringe in pain and giving me the chance to use his weight to drop him to the ground in my place. I pin him down and Gordan inches closer.\n\nAaron looks into the face of his deceased friend and his eyes fill with something I didn't think his depraved soul could feel: fear.\n\nHe starts shaking his head. "Let me up," he says. "Let me up," he repeats, louder this time. "Stop this, please. Stop."\n\nAaron's writhing but I keep my knees on him and hold his head still. Gordan's teeth are inches away from his neck now.\n\n[[(Let Aaron get bitten)|88q]]\n[[(Show mercy)|88w]]

"That's cute."\n\n"What?"\n\n"I do the same thing with my mashed potatoes and corn. Mix them together, I mean."\n\nHe looks down at the tray, then his face turns red and he suddenly looks ashamed. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to finish all of this. I should've asked before I mixed it all together like that. That was--"\n\n"Calm down, Owen, it's okay. Like I said, I do it, too. It doesn't make a difference to me."\n\n"Still, I should have asked first."\n\n"Don't worry about it."\n\n<<display '59'>>

[[(Kill Aaron)|82q]]\n[[(Show mercy)|82w]]

<<stopbgm -uEuT9Jx7OI>>"He and Gordan were waiting for us," I explain. "They knew we were going to try to escape. It was an ambush."\n\n"An ambush?" she repeats. "Then they used the meeting tonight as a cover. They've skipped the community meetings on some occasions, but they almost always attend. I honestly thought it was safe while that was going on."\n\n[["You were wrong."|83q]]\n[["We should have made sure."|83w]]\n[["It's okay."|83e]]

I notice Owen crawling toward Aaron from behind the tables. He puts a finger to his lip and raises a hammer in his hand. I look to Aaron. I have to keep his attention on me.\n\n[["You're a fucking monster."|80q]]\n[["Just end it, then."|80w]]\n[["Why can't we leave?"|80e]]

Suddenly Owen makes his move, but Aaron hears him and in one swift motion he's spun around and snatched the boy up in his free arm then he puts the gun against Owen's temple.\n\n"Thank you for joining us, Owen. Now, I have one bullet left. Kerry, be a dear and decide for me which of you will receive a swift end. I'm afraid that the other will just have to be beaten to death."\n\n"Like you did to my brother?" Owen growls, writhing against Aaron's hold, trying desperately to get the hammer to a position where he can swing it again.\n\n"Your brother? Oh, that's right. I tracked blood all over the floor when I came in that night. How could I forget? Even in death he managed to be a nuisance."\n\n"I'm going to kill you."\n\n"No," Aaron chuckles. "You really won't, but depending on what Kerry decides, I'll either kill you the same way I killed him, or I'll make you watch while I kill Kerry."\n\n"You won't lay a hand on her!" He begins writhing even more furiously.\n\n"No, but I'll lay my foot on her a few times if she so chooses, and if you don't stop squirming, I won't even let you watch. I'll cut out that other fuckin' eye and make you swallow it while you listen to her skull caving in. You like that?" He looks back up to me. "Decide, Kerry. Who gets the gun?"\n\n[["Me."|81q]]\n[["Owen."|81w]]\n[["You."|81e]]

but the moment he divides his attention, Owen finally get his arm free and swings the rear of the hammer right through Aaron's pant leg and under his kneecap, then he pries until there's a horrible fleshy sound followed by Aaron's pained cries. He throws Owen vicious against the floor, hitting his head and leaving him motionless.\n\nAs Aaron falls to his wounded knee and cries out again, I take the chance to [[attack|87]].

But before I can strike him he grabs both of my wrists and slams me down next to Gordan.\n\n"New plan you crippled fuck," he hisses. "You die. The boy dies. I fucking feed your bodies to the corpses."\n\nAs Gordan gets closer, his lips peeling back and his teeth bare, my eyes shoot toward Aaron's ripped [[knee|88]].

He grabs me by the arm and pulls me back over the the window where Gordan lies on the floor wheezing, but his breaths are slow and hollow, and when he turns his body to look up at us, it's obvious that he's no longer living.\n\n"Well, there you have it," Aaron says. "I know we've done this before, but I'm thinking that, since we used up so many supplies on your boy, you could repay us by helping in a few more experiments. You've got three more limbs, right?" He grabs the <<print $GordanWeapon>> out of my hand and throws it onto the floor, then he places the gun to my back.\n\n"What do you want me to do?" I ask.\n\n"You're going to stand there and let him bite you," Aaron says. "If you don't, I'll shoot you, then you'll lie there and let him bite you. I'll wait a little longer than last time to amputate. By the time you run out of limbs, we'll be a few steps closer to finding out exactly how fast this disease is. I have one more bullet with your name on it, so you'd better not--"\n\nSuddenly Owen appears from behind and strikes Aaron's hand with the hammer that Samantha had packed in the duffel bag for us. The gun goes off, firing through the other window, then it falls empty to the floor. Aaron spins around and snatches Owen up with one arm while the other bleeds from the fingers.\n\n"That was a bad move, boy," he says. "Now there are only a couple ways to deal with you. Would you like to go out through the window, or would you like to get bitten by Gordan?"\n\n"I'm going to kill you," Owen growls, struggling to get to a position where he can swing the hammer again.\n\n"No," Aaron chuckles. "No, you really aren't. You'll die just like everyone you knew, except yours will be a very special death."\n\nAaron is focused on keeping Owen still.\n\n<<if $GordanWeapon eq "knife">>[[(Grab knife from the ground)|85q]]<<else>>[[(Retrieve knife from Gordan's stomach)|85w]]<<endif>>\n[[(Attack Aaron with your bare hands)|85e]]

[img[http://orig05.deviantart.net/0de5/f/2015/081/7/6/09_by_thegouldenway-d8mo50x.png]]

[img[http://orig02.deviantart.net/8624/f/2015/081/d/c/00_v2_by_thegouldenway-d8mqtv3.jpg]]

[img[http://orig08.deviantart.net/37f0/f/2015/081/c/9/01_by_thegouldenway-d8mo52c.png]]

[img[http://orig04.deviantart.net/eff3/f/2015/081/6/d/02_by_thegouldenway-d8mo526.png]]

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[img[http://orig03.deviantart.net/084e/f/2015/081/2/b/06_by_thegouldenway-d8mo519.png]]

"Hell yes," I hear. That was my voice, agitated and rushed, but why would I say that? I'm not even sure what's going on or where I am, let alone whether I'm ready to leave.\n\n"Let's get a move on," the teenager says. "I don't want your parents to--"\n\n//My parents//? Suddenly it hits me as another voice calls from behind, "Kerry, what are you doing with those bags?" I turn and face my mother standing in the kitchen doorway that has materialized along with the rest of the familiar household.\n\nMy father is coming down the stairs. "Kerrigan, please don't do this to yourself. That kid doesn't deserve you."\n\n"Shit," the teenager by the sedan mutters as he climbs into the car. "Let's go, quick!"\n\nI look from the teenager to my father to my mother, all eyes are on me, and I remember this moment from almost eleven years ago. It's the day I ran away from home.\n\n"Kerry?" my mother gasps, piecing together what's going on.\n\n[["It's okay."|8]]\n[["I'm not going."|8]]\n[["I'll be back someday."|8]]

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

<<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'>>

Thank you for playing\n''JUST SHORT OF THE DEAD | EPISODE FIVE:\n"A City Fading"'' by Tom Gould\n\n__SOME OF YOUR CHOICES:__\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<if $RoyLocation eq false>>''Safe with Me'': You kept Roy's location a secret, causing Owen great injury.\n''Restless Dreams'': Owen had his eye cut out and suffered a coma because of your silence<<else>>''Loyalty'': You told Aaron where Roy went and spared Owen further injury.\n''Waking Hours'': Because of your honesty, Owen only lost his eye and suffered a concussion<<endif>><<else>>''In One Piece'': Owen suffered a concussion, but because Roy was dealt with, he was afforded proper medical care<<endif>>.\n<<if $ShareLunch eq "most">>''Motherly Instinct'': You offered Owen the majority of your food and<<endif>><<if $ShareLunch eq "half">>''Enough for Two'': You offered Owen half of your food and<<endif>><<if $ShareLunch eq "some">>''Just Enough'': You offered Owen a little bit of your food and<<endif>> bonded over methods of eating potatoes and corn.\n<<if $Speech1 eq true>>''Realism'': You let Owen know that things won't be easy<<else>>''Optimism'': You let Owen know that things will get better<<endif>>.\n''Down Comes the Wall'': You killed Gordan, Aaron's right-hand man, with a <<if $GordanWeapon eq "glass">>shard of glass<<else>>knife to the stomach<<endif>>.\n<<if $KillAaron eq "shootKill">>''The Devil's Ticket'': You finally slew Aaron in the place he felt safest<<endif>><<if $KillAaron eq "shootMercy">>''Better Than This'': You spared Aaron's life, proving that the end of the world doesn't mean the end of humanity<<endif>><<if $KillAaron eq "biteKill">>''Choking on Irony and Blood'': You forced Aaron to face the death he feared the most<<endif>><<if $KillAaron eq "biteMercy">>''Better Than This'': You spared Aaron from the death he feared the most, proving that the end of the world doesn't mean the end of humanity<<endif>>.\n<<if $Owen eq false>>''The Best for You'': You left the unconscious Owen in Samantha's care<<else>>''Our Promise'': You followed through on your promise and refused to leave Owen behind.\n<<if $Samantha eq true>>''Don't Follow'': You left Samantha alive with a warning<<else>>''The Dead Don't Follow'': You ensured that Samantha would not come after you and Owen<<endif>><<endif>>.\n\n__YOUR ENDING:__\nYou got the <<if $Epilogue eq "A">>''"Family I've Gained"'' ending.\n- Kerry and Owen have stayed together\n- Roy, Hannah, and Christa are alive\n- Nate is not forgotten\n- Your parents are waiting<<endif>><<if $Epilogue eq "B">>''"Together to the End"'' ending.\n- Kerry and Owen have each other\n- Hannah and Nate were killed\n- Roy and Christa were lost\n- Your parents are waiting<<endif>><<if $Epilogue eq "C">>''"When One Door Closes"'' ending.\n- Kerry is alone\n- Owen was left behind and Nate was killed\n- Roy, Hannah, and Christa are alive\n- Your parents are waiting<<endif>><<if $Epilogue eq "D">>''"A Lonely New Day"'' ending.\n- Kerry is alone\n- Owen was left behind\n- Hannah and Nate were killed\n- Roy and Christa were lost\n- Your parents are waiting<<endif>>\n\n__MUSIC__\n''Final Encounter in the Dining Hall'':\n- "Candlelight Vigil" by Jóhann Jóhannsson\n''Final Choice for Owen & Epilogue'':\n- "Cold Front" by Hammock\n\n----------------------------\n\nMy sincerest thanks go out to every reader who made it to this screen. If you're here, you've just completed the finale of my very first interactive narrative, "Just Short of the Dead". This series was my first attempt at a coherent choice-based story, and I'm honored that you took the time to play through it all. It's a sloppy start to be sure, and I only managed to improve a little with each installment, but you stuck with me all the way through, and for that, I'm insanely grateful. The site that hosts the stories lets me know how many players have gone though it, and every time that number goes up by even one, I'm overjoyed that another person has offered me a chance to entertain them for a little part of their day.\n\nTo the players that supported me and to those who left me uplifting comments and helpful feedback, it's because of you that I keep writing, and whatever improvements I achieved throughout this series are entirely your fault. Thank you so much for your enjoyment and dedication. I can't express how happy I am to have shared this experience with all of you, or how touched I am whenever you guys let me know you had a good time playing something I made.\n\nNow it's time that I leave Kerry and her family to their own adventures and move on to something new. I still have a long way to go before I can call myself a professional, but this was an important first step for me. I'm not sure what I'll be doing next, but I'll let you all know as soon as I find out, because I'd be honored to have you join me once again. You guys are the reason I want to work harder at what I love. If someone enjoys the games that I enjoy making, I can't think of a better way to spend my time, and I'm going to try to work even harder in the future to ensure that the next adventure is even better than the last.\n\nSo, for the very last time, thank you for playing "Just Short of the Dead". If you have questions or comments or want to alert me to errors you noticed, you can reach me at ''thegouldenway.deviantart.com''. I check it every day, even if I can't post anything. For now, I bid you a fond farewell until the next story we share, whatever it is.\n\n<<if $Owen eq true>><<display 'img12'>><<else>><<display 'img13'>><<endif>>

"You need to calm down."\n\n"I am," he says, obviously lying. He's breathing fast, but he's trying to slow down. <<display '40'>>

"She liked having us around. We gave her someone to talk to. She doesn't usually talk with her patients very much."\n\n"But there are so few people here. I thought they'd all be good friends."\n\n"I guess it's not that easy in her position."\n\n"That's sad. <<display '71'>>

"She's the selfless type. I hope her people realize how lucky they are to have someone like her."\n\n"I know I was lucky. I wish there was some way to thank her, though. <<display '71'>>

"I was just outside."\n\n"I... right," he says, finally calming down. <<display '40'>>

"I told you I'd be back."\n\n"I... right," he says, finally calming down. <<display '40'>>

"I think you reminded her of her son. She talked about him at lunch."\n\n"Oh, no. Did he die?"\n\n"Yes."\n\n"That's really sad. <<display '71'>>

"What did you do?" I ask. I risked Owen's life to keep Roy and the others safe. Was that really for nothing?\n\n"That's the beauty of it," he says. "I didn't have to lift a finger. <<display '79'>>

"That's impossible," I say. I risked Owen's life to keep Roy and the others safe. There's no way they didn't make it.\n\n"Nothing's impossible Kerry," he says. "<<display '79'>>

I say nothing, but silently consider how I'd risked Owen's life to keep Roy and the others safe. What that really for nothing?\n\nAaron scowls. "<<display '79'>>

<<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'>>

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

I'm being dragged by two of Aaron's men down a hallway. Beside me, Gordan marches with Owen hoisted over his shoulder. The poor ten-year-old looks to me.\n\n"Kerry," he whispers. "Where are they taking us?"\n\n[["I don't know."|2q]]\n[["It'll be okay."|2w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|2e]]

<<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'>>

"Maybe we could've saved them, but we can't worry about that now, alright?"\n\n"Can't worry? But what if it was all our fault?"\n\n"We can't change that, now. All we can do is move forward, okay?"\n\n<<display '63'>>

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

"What happened, happened. There's no point in wondering what could have been. It's done. Now we deal with it."\n\n"But if we--"\n\n"Please, Owen."\n\n<<display '63'>>

"No. We couldn't have done anything. Aaron had us surrounded. There was no way out of there."\n\n"But maybe--"\n\n"Stop it, Owen."\n\n<<display '63'>>

"Listen, you're obviously not going to tell me what I want to know unless I resort to more extreme methods, but I don't want to do that. You're more useful to me in one piece." He stands up and begins pacing around the room. "I'm trying to start something here, Kerry. A stronghold against the undead. I'll admit that I've done bad things, especially before I really had a handle on how this whole disease worked. It took some time and a lot of deaths, but I finally got it, and now we're on track to build a community that can stand against a city of death. Hell, someday I plan to take it back for the living, but that's a long way off. We need people if we're going to win back our world, and the murders committed by your friend Roy in response to the apartment fire... those set us back."\n\n[["They were self-defense."|11q]]\n[["You don't have the right to accuse."|11w]]\n[["He was wrong, but so were you."|11e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|11r]]

"People are the most valuable resource, nowadays," he continues. "Roy has to answer for the people he unjustly took from us, but he's gone, and you won't tell me where he went. You can see how I've been backed into a corner here, so after our last session, I paid my first visit to your boy, Owen. Cute kid. Stubborn, loyal... not smart though. Unlike you, I don't need to keep him alive for any reason, but he obviously wasn't aware of just how expendable he was. I asked him where Roy went, and he just stared daggers at me with those ignorant little eyes of his, so do you know what I did?"\n\nAaron grabs my hair and twists his hand, violently pulling my head back until my neck feels like it's about to snap over the back of the chair. He bends over to speak right into my ear.\n\n"I got rid of one of those little eyes."\n\nHe throws my head forward with such force that my whole body follows, chair and all, and I slam face-first into the hard floor. I look back up at Aaron who stoops down and produces a mangled eyeball from his coat pocket.\n\n"You recognize this?" he asks. "If not, maybe I'll bring back an ear, or a hand, or maybe a fucking heart. How about that?" He drops the eye on the ground in front of me.\n\n[["You wouldn't."|13q]]\n[["Please don't"|13w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|13e]]

Aaron is quiet for a moment, then he gives me a hard look. "This isn't a game of Chess we're talking about. We can't just call it even because we both lost people. Every loss was a human life. When I had Mark killed and set fire to the apartment, it was based on a misunderstanding of the disease's function. The early weeks of the outbreak were confusing, especially the first few hours, but I'm sure you saw what happened with your own eyes. However, after the fire, when Roy started hunting my men down, he was just doing it for some warped idea of vengeance. The decision to burn down the apartment building was mine and mine alone. If Roy had come after me, that would have been one thing, but he went after my people. People with families back here. That made it quite another."\n\nHe makes his way behind me and let's out a sigh, then I feel his fingers start combing through my hair.\n\n[[(Pull away)|12q]]\n[[(Remain still)|12w]]

"We had an agreement," she reminds him. "How many did you bring in?"\n\n"It's none of your concern, Sam," Aaron answers, walking over to the door.\n\n"Damn it, Aaron," the woman, Sam, yells after him, but she turns back to me, pulls out a knife, and begins cutting me free. I can hardly breathe, let alone walk on my own, and being hit by the door has left my head ringing incessantly.\n\n"In case there's any shread of conscience left in you, Kerry," Aaron says as he steps outside, "I want you to know that what happens next... is on you." He disappears into the halls, heading off to begin his interrogation on Owen, and all I can do is [[wait|16]].

I can use you, even if I have to chain you to a wall to keep you in check, you can do your part in the fight against the dead by reproducing, if nothing else. Owen, however, serves no purpose to me or my people in any way. If he drops dead while I'm questioning him, I lose nothing. Of course, I've never interrogated a child before. I don't know their threshold for pain, so him dropping dead out of pure shock is actually very likely." He stands up and grabs my chair, lifting me upright again. He sits in the chair across from me, grabs me by the jaw and pulls my head close, then he stares right into my eyes. "If he survives, Owen will never be the same again if I have to go in there and question him, but you know there's one way -- and only one way -- to prevent that from happening, don't you?"\n\n[[(Tell him Roy's location)|14q]]\n[[(Lie about Roy's location)|14w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|14e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>I should have been more aware of what Aaron was doing. He doesn't run this place alone." She pauses. "I understand if you don't trust me. To be quick frank, I don't trust you either, but for the sake of that boy you brought with you, I hope we can put our differences aside. As long as you stay in line while you're here, no one will have a problem with me giving you both treatment." She pauses. "You must have a few questions. Please feel free to ask me anything."\n\n<<display '18'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>"Where's Owen, the boy I came here with?"\n\n"My doctors will be bringing him in here once they've finished running a few tests, but..." she takes a long breath. "Kerry, <<if $RoyLocation eq true>>during surgery, Owen entered an unresponsive state. I assume it was the shock of losing his eye, but I can't be certain that it wasn't something more serious<<else>>after I got you out of your cell, I went back for Owen, but Aaron got to him first. He beat him very badly, and by the time he was brought to surgery, he was in an unresponsive state<<endif>>. We're going to do everything we can to make him healthy again, but only time will tell if that's possible. You'll be able to see him the moment he's brought in, though."\n\n<<display '18'>>

Just then the doors to the gymnasium swing open as a group of doctors wheel another cot inside, lining it up with the others against the wall a few beds down from me.\n\n"There he is," Samantha says, standing up. "[[Come with me|25]]."

<<if $d1 eq false>>[["Who are you?"|18q]]\n<<if $d2 eq false>>[["Why are you helping?"|18w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|18e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|18e]]<<endif>><<endif>>\n<<else>><<if $d2 eq false>>[["Why are you helping?"|18w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|18e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Where is Owen?"|18e]]<<endif>><<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '19'>><<endif>><<endif>><<endif>>

<<set $Speech1 = false>>"Things will get better, because <<display '66'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>"Who are you?"\n\n"We haven't been introduced. My name is Samantha. I'm the head surgeon, anesthesiologist, and psychiatrist here, and I serve as a sort of co-president when it comes to leadership of this community. I fill other positions as necessary, but those are the main ones." She looks down at her papers. "You also deserve to know that Aaron is my younger brother."\n\nI'm surprised, but when she looks back up, I can see the telltale hint of blue in her eyes, just like in Aaron's, if not a little more subtle. Apart from that, though, there's no hint to their being anything alike.\n\n<<display '18'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>"Why are you helping?" I ask. "You know whose group I was a part of, don't you?"\n\n"This Roy that has the whole fort on its toes, right?" she says. "Yeah, I know about that. I heard he drove away. Blew right through our wall. As far as I'm concerned, that war is over. Once we fix the wall, it'll just be a memory."\n\n<<display '18'>>

<<set $Speech1 = true>>"It won't be easy, but <<display '66'>>

<<display 'img03'>>\n\n"I've... I've been better."\n\n"Sounds about right," the woman says. <<display '21'>>

"You didn't get his brain, did you?" he asks.\n\n[[(Lie) "Yes."|84q]]\n[["No."|84w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|84e]]

<<display 'img03'>>\n\nI can't form words. The woman looks at me and shakes her head. <<display '21'>>

"Still," he says, "maybe fair is fair." He revels in the confusion on my face for a moment before continuing. "We found Roy while we were out."\n\n<<if $RoyLocation eq true>>[["What did you do?"|78q]]\n[["Bullshit."|78w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|78e]]<<else>>[["That's impossible."|79q]]\n[["What did you do?"|79w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|79e]]<<endif>>

<<display 'img03'>>\n\n"Was I... Was I infected?"\n\n"You were, technically," she answers. <<display '21'>>

<<display 'img03'>>\n\n"Where's my...?"\n\n"It was left behind, somewhere in the streets," she answers. <<display '21'>>

<<set $KillAaron = "biteKill">>"Beg all you want, Aaron," I tell him, "but it's not going to save you. You can go ahead and bite me."\n\nAaron's eyes lock onto mine but find no comfort in them as Gordan's teeth sink into his neck. Blood flows to the sound of Gordan's chewing but I wait until Aaron's breathing has become nothing but wet gurgling heaves before I finally let him go. I grab Owen's hammer and drive it into Gordan's head, but I leave Aaron for now. He's probably still in pain. I wouldn't want to cut that short.\n\nSuddenly the lights above us flicker to life. The meeting is definitely over and patrols are bound to make their way in here soon. I kneel beside Owen's motionless body and place my ear on his chest. He's still breathing. He's still alive.\n\nSamantha bursts into the dining hall with the duffel bag in one hand and a gun in the other.\n\n"Oh my--" she gasps, seeing Aaron and Gordan both lying in a pool of blood.\n\n<<display '83'>>

<<set $KillAaron = "biteMercy">>I lower my head, then I stand and kick Gordan away from Aaron.\n\n"I'm not going to kill you," I tell Aaron as he stuggles to his feet. "I'm not like you. I'm not some animal out on a hunt. I'm not some psychopath out for revenge. I'm a human being, and becuase of that singular fact, I'm able to forgive you, even after everything you've done to me and to my friends."\n\n"That's... you're out of your mind."\n\n"Just because you can't fathom what I'm doing doesn't make it crazy. You've drowned your soul in the desperate attempt to survive and get your way. You've cannibalized your own humanity. We're not like you. We're better than you, because we forgive you."\n\n"No," he mutters. "You're--"\n\nA gunshot cuts him off and tears through his head, spraying a cloud of red and white fragments out the back. He collapses to the floor and I turn to see Samantha standing at the door to the dining hall with a duffel bag in one hand and a smoking gun in the other.\n\n"You might forgive him," she says, "but I don't."\n\nI don't have time to wonder why she shot her brother or where she'd been this whole time. I quickly kneel beside the motionless Owen and place my ear on his chest. He's still breathing. He's still alive.\n\n"What happened in here?" Samantha asks.\n\n<<display '83'>>

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

"Oh, Kerry," Aaron says, "you're going to wish you hadn't done that."\n\nHe appears beside me and I find myself facing the barrel of his gun.\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display '77q'>><<else>><<display '77w'>><<endif>>

I move forward slowly and quietly, but when I'm halfway to Aaron he suddenly turns around. I duck behind a table as he fires at me.\n\n"Gordan?" he calls out. "Gordan!"\n\n[["He's dead, fuck-face."|76q]]\n[["The number you have dialed is no longer in service."|76w]]\n[["I'm sorry, Aaron."|76e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|76r]]

He presses his hands against the wound as if to stop the unceasing flow, but he soon drops to his knees, then to his face. The only movement he can manage now are a few weak twitches.\n\nI look around to try and get my bearings and see that Aaron is searching table-by-table for Owen. He's at the far end of the dining hall, completely oblivious to the death of his right-hand man. But where is Owen? I crouch down to see if I can spot him through the forest of table legs, but I can't make anything out. The emergency exit is close to me, and Aaron's nowhere near it, but I can't leave without Owen.\n\n"There you are," Aaron says. He must have seen the boy. I jump at the sound of three quick gunshots, but each one is followed only by the shattering of tiles, which means they missed their mark. "You fuckin'..."\n\n<<if $GordanWeapon eq "knife">>I<<else>>I drop the glass shard and pull the knife from Gordan's stomach, then I turn back to Aaron. I<<endif>> need to get [[closer|76]].

I snatch up the knife and thrust it into Gordan's stomach as he appears around the corner of our table. He yells and throws me against the window that looks over the garages. Aaron takes the chance to fire at me but misses by just a few inches, shattering the glass behind me, instead.\n\n"Aaron, leave her for me," Gordan growls, looking at the knife in his stomach and grinning. "Get the boy. He's unarmed."\n\nAaron shakes his head but surrenders to Gordan's wishes, beginning a hunt for Owen who's disappeared without a trace. Gordan grabs my neck and pushes me against the frame of the window, hanging my head out, and I can see the hard ground a few stories below. I try to pry his fingers off of my neck but his grip is too strong.\n\n"Try to keep your eyes open for as long as you can, sweetie. I want to watch the light fade from those pretty pupils. Oh, and be sure to say 'hi' to Mark and <<if $sacrifice eq true>>that kid's brother<<else>>your other friends<<endif>> for me."\n\nHis hands tighten around my throat and as my vision starts to fade from lack of oxygen, I see to my side on the window frame are what remains of the [[shattered glass|74q]], and in front of me, blood is soaking through Gordan's clothes from the wound in his stomach where the [[knife|74w]] sticks out.

<<playbgm -uEuT9Jx7OI>>We step inside to see Aaron sitting at the end of one of the long dining tables, alone. He looks up as if he were expecting us.\n\n"Hello, Kerry. Owen. I almost didn't think you two would come tonight. That would've been quite a let down."\n\nThe door slams behind us as Gordan blocks our retreat. The only way out now is the emergency exit on the other side of the cafeteria. Aaron stands and draws a gun from his coat. We have to hide, but Gordan is right behind us. Suddenly Owen turns, drawing the metal fork we'd received with lunch from his pocket and sticking it into Gordan's leg. He doesn't yell, but he bends over in surprise and Owen and I take the short chance to duck into the maze of tables before Aaron fires at our last known location. I hear the fork clanking to the floor as Gordan pries it from his skin, then he starts coming toward our hiding spot.\n\n"Kerry," Owen whispers, "the bag. Is this the bag with the knife?" I quickly open it to check, and to our relief the first thing we see inside is the [[knife|74]].

Finally, we reach the dining hall. I open the [[doors|73]].

I feel a little bad that we have to leave."\n\n"I know, but like she said, we don't have a choice."\n\nThe hallway lights are still off in an effort to save the power while the whole community is meeting in another part of the fort. I think it's safe to assume that we have at least until they turn back on to get to a car, then the patrols will start, at which point we'd better be on our way.\n\n"I can't wait to meet your family," Owen says.\n\n[["Me neither."|71q]]\n[["You'll like them."|71w]]\n[["We don't know if they're there."|71e]]

"I wish Samantha could come with us," Owen says as we start down the hall.\n\n"Me too, but you heard what she said. She has people here who need her. She has a duty."\n\n"I just hope Aaron doesn't do anything to her. She doesn't think he will, but I have a really bad feeling that she might be wrong."\n\n"It's her choice to stay. All we can do is hope for her safety."\n\n"She was really nice to us, wasn't she?"\n\n"Yes, she was."\n\n"Why do you think that is?"\n\n[["She's the selfless type of person."|70q]]\n[["She liked having us to talk to."|70w]]\n[["I think you reminded her of her son."|70e]]

I want you to understand that what I'm about to tell you could not be helped. Think of it as karma -- a force of nature that neither you nor I could stop. I want you to die knowing that justice has been done, and you couldn't do a damned thing to get in its way." He pauses to let it sink in before moving on. "We picked up the trail of the truck you stole. We followed it to a bridge walled off by a herd of corpses, and we saw the guardrail on that bridge had been crashed through. At the bottom of the bridge, you know what we saw?"\n\nHe moves very close to me to say his next words right into my face.\n\n"What remained of that pick-up truck, and the bodies therein."\n\nI look up at him in horror and rage, but the gun in my face keeps me from acting on my emotions.\n\n"My favorite part of all of this," he continues, "is that you let that boy get brutally beaten into a coma far more severe than it would've been if you'd told me where Roy'd gone. You kept your mouth shut at the expense of a child, and Roy died anyway. It's poetic, don't you think?"\n\n<<display '80'>>

I'm only saying that because I want you to know that what I'm about to tell you is entirely your fault. I want you to die knowing that." He pauses to let it sink in before moving on. "We found the pick-up truck you stole outside a house in a field, just like you described. We saw them inside and we waited until the cover of night."\n\nHe moves very close to me to say his next words right into my face.\n\n"We torched the house to the ground with them inside."\n\nI look up at him in horror and rage, but the gun in my face keeps me from acting on my emotions.\n\n"What can I say?" he continues. "I like fire. I even liked digging the charred corpses out of the wreck just to make sure I got the job done this time, but my favorite part is that all of this was the fault of the woman that Roy trusted most. It's poetic, don't you think?"\n\n<<display '80'>>

<<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 $Episode4 = "D">>\n<<set $sacrifice = false>>\n<<set $loveRoy = 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'>>

I pull my head free of his fingers, but he grabs my hair and pulls my head back, then continues to run his fingers through it as though nothing had happened.\n\n<<display '13'>>

I sit very still, a chill going down my spine every time his fingers touch my head.\n\n<<display '13'>>

I can't force out any words, but I manage to place a soft kiss on his forehead. He'll never feel it, but hopefully he'll know how much I care about him.\n\n<<display '93'>>

"You don't get it," I say. "You never did." My body still won't obey me and I start to walk out of the house against my will. My father grabs my arm.\n\n"He doesn't deserve you," he repeats. "And he damned sure doesn't deserve that child."\n\nI stare at him, remembering the rage I felt upon hearing those words.\n\n"I found the test, Kerrigan," he continues. "I know. Your mother and I are going to help you through this. We'll take care of you both. That boy out there... he won't. You're our baby, and no matter what, you always will be. Don't make this mistake."\n\n"Mistake, huh?" I shout without meaning to, pulling my arm away from him and pointing to my womb. "And I suppose //this// is a mistake, too? Fuck off."\n\n"You know that's not what he said," my mother says, moving closer. "What do we have to do to make you stay?"\n\n"You can't make me do anything," I answer. "Not anymore. Goodbye."\n\nI turn to leave but my mother wraps her arms around me before I step out the door. It's a hug. A warm, genuine hug. I freeze for a moment, but then I struggle against it, shoving her away with much more force then I had intended. She stumbles back into the counter where my father's favorite mug sits, knocking it over and spilling fresh coffee down the back of her shirt. She cries out and my father rushes to her side. The mug shatters on the floor.\n\n"Oh, no," she gasps. "I'm sorry."\n\n"Forget it," he says. "Are you okay?"\n\nI try to apologize -- to say anything -- but this body is following the script from that day, the worst day of my life, so instead of doing what my mind is telling me, I just stand there looking on at them.\n\n"Alright," the boy in the sedan yells, "now let's get out of here."\n\n"Kerrigan," my father says in a low voice. "We can mend this."\n\nI take a step outside.\n\n"Kerrigan," my father roars. I freeze in place and his voice becomes very severe. "Listen to me. It's one thing to put your own life into that idiot's hands, but you're not living for yourself now, do you understand that? You have someone else to take care of. Someone who's completely dependent on your wellbeing. Can you honestly look at that young man out there and bet two lives on him? Can you?"\n\nThe sedan door slams and the teenager runs up to the house with something clutched in his right hand.\n\n"I heard shouting," he says. "Are they giving you trouble?"\n\n"What did you just--?" my father starts, but then he takes a breath and stands. My mother grabs his sleeve and tries to calm him, but there's a building fury on his face that's about to reach a level I'd never seen until this day. "Listen, boy, you'd better get the hell off my property. Right now."\n\n"Kerry," the boy mutters, pulling on my arm. "Let's go, now."\n\n"No," my father says. "You're not taking her."\n\n"That's up to her," the teenager says, making an effort to sound noble, but his voice cracks, giving away his fear. My father advances, his mouth moves but I forget the words. The teenager lifts his hand and the object he's been clutching, then there's a thunderous sound that causes me to flinch, and before I understand what's happening, I find myself in the passenger seat of the sedan, watching street lamps pass us in a blur, seeing the sweat rolling off of my boyfriend's head, and feeling tears pouring down my face.\n\n"Kerry," I hear. "Kerry? Kerry?" My name becomes a chant, and as the world around me returns to darkness once again, that chant is all I can hear.\n\n"Kerry?"\n\nI [[look up|9]].

"I'm going to miss you, Owen," I whisper to him. "So much..."\n\n<<display '93'>>

"Is he coming?"\n\n"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time, now. You're not safe here." <<display '67'>>

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

"He hit you?"\n\n"That doesn't matter," she snaps. "What matters is that you aren't safe here any longer." <<display '67'>>

"What should we do?"\n\n<<display '67'>>

"Not anymore."\n\n"Not anymore?" <<display '54'>>

I find myself lying on a cot in what seems to be a gymnasium. As I look around at the rows of other cots and medical instruments, it becomes very clear that they've turned this place into a hospital, or at least a recovery room. The woman that released me from my cell enters through the swinging doors and walks over to me, wheeling a swivel chair along with her. She sits down at my bedside.\n\n"I know that my apologies can't help you, now," she says, "but for what little it's worth, I'm sorry for what you had to go through." She pulls off her glasses and rubs her eyes. The greying black hair tied back in a hasty bun, the wrinkles forming above her brow, and the heavy bags under her eyes are evidence to her overworked state, but the way she carried herself and spoke to Aaron suggested a certain level of responsibility within these walls.\n\n[["You're not the one who needs to apologize."|16q]]\n[["You're right. They can't help me now."|16w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|16e]]

<<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'>>

"Yes, I did."\n\n"Did?" <<display '54'>>

<<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'>>

"I'm right here," I tell him. "I'm here."\n\n<<display '39'>>

"You're okay," I tell him. "You're okay."\n\n<<display '39'>>

"You lost your eye," I tell him. "Remember?"\n\n<<display '39'>>

After a few minutes, we finally reach the head of the line and receive our meals. I get a few dirty looks from the other people, but they're quickly dispelled by Samantha as she clears a way to the door. We exit the crowded cafeteria and head back to [[Owen's room|52]].

"Bullshit," I say, guilt washing over me. He can't be telling the truth. Roy wouldn't have let himself get caught.\n\n"Oh, I assure you it's not," he replies, scowling. "You gave them up, remember? They were very easy to find. <<display '78'>>

"What did you do?" I ask, guilt rushing through me.\n\n"Why do you care?" he asks, scowling. "You gave them up. <<display '78'>>

I say nothing, but guilt washes over me. Aaron scowls.\n\n"Remember that you're the one who gave them up. <<display '78'>>

I wake up lying down, not on the cold street where Aaron and Gordan held me down as a corpse bit my leg, but rather, on a bed. There's a blinding light above me and a few silhouettes moving side to side as clanking metal instruments are moved around somewhere to my side.\n\n[["What's going on?"|3q]]\n[["Where's Owen?"|3w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|3e]]

<<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'>>

"You're right," I say.\n\n<<display '32'>>

"How long do comas last?"\n\n"It varies quite a bit," Samantha says. "It could be a few more hours, or a few more days."\n\n"Or a few more months," I say.\n\n"We really can't know for sure." She pauses. <<display '32'>>

"How can you be sure?"\n\n"I can't," she says, "but he can't believe in himself in his current state, so we've got to do that for him, right?" She smiles, but then she looks concerned. <<display '32'>>

"You were wrong."\n\n"I get that, and I'm very sorry."\n\n<<display '89'>>

"We should have made sure. This was our chance. We should have made sure."\n\n"We can't worry about that now."\n\n<<display '89'>>

<<set $Episode4 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

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

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

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

Samantha helps me to stand and guides me back into Owen's room. Another door inside leads the the room next to it, which we've been using to practice my walking with the prosthetic. Samantha slips a sock over my... limb, and helps me fit it into the metal frame of the fake leg. She attaches all the parts and then lets go of me slowly, as if she's teaching a child to ride without their training wheels.\n\n"Alright, good so far," she says. "How does it feel today?"\n\n"It feels fine," I tell her. "Not as heavy anymore."\n\n"I made some adjustments to it so it should fit perfectly. Give it a try. Walk to the other side of the room, and hold the rail on the wall."\n\nI stumble forward and grip the rail with my right hand, then I take a [[step|45]].

As Samantha carries her things down the hall and out of sight, I turn to reenter Owen's room, but as I place my hand on the doorknob, I hear a shout from <<if $OwenComa eq false>>[[inside|37q]]<<else>>[[inside|37w]]<<endif>>.

"I was going to save you both, but you had to get out first. She was behind you."\n\n"I wish it had been the other way 'round."\n\n"What?"\n\nHe takes a breath. "I wish she was the one closer to the window. I wish that she'd been saved. She liked you a lot. You would've taken really good care of her... and I'd be with Nate."\n\n<<display '64'>>

"I had to. You were closest to the window."\n\n"I wish I hadn't been."\n\n"What?"\n\nHe takes a breath. "I wish she was the one closer to the window. I wish that she'd been saved. She liked you a lot. You would've taken really good care of her... and I'd be with Nate."\n\n<<display '64'>>

<<display 'img03'>>\n\nI can't bring myself to respond, but she seems to have expected as much.\n\n"I'm trying to do what I can to help you, but like I said, I know I can't completely wipe away what's happened. <<display '17'>>

"It feels alright," I tell her, "but I think I'll pass on the ballet."\n\n"Understandable," she says, smiling. <<display '47'>>

"Fantastic," I tell her. "I'll take you up on that ballet."\n\n"That's great to hear," she says, smiling. <<display '47'>>

I miss Christa. She was quiet, but she was fun to hang out with. Sometimes I think she was even smarter than me, even though she was younger."\n\n"She was pretty bright."\n\n"Hannah finally trusted you, too. It seemed like you two were really becoming friends. Whatever happened to them, I'm sure Roy is keeping them safe. I just wish that Nate could've..."\n\n"I know, Owen."\n\n"Do you think it was our fault that he died?"\n\n[["No, it wasn't."|61q]]\n[["It was his fault we lived."|61w]]\n[["We gave the others a chance to escape."|61e]]

<<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'>>

"Don't... don't ever wish that," I say, almost subconsciously.\n\n"Why?"\n\n"Don't ever wish you were dead."\n\nHe looks at me, concerned and confused. I'm trembling.\n\n[["It's an insult to those who died getting you this far."|64q]]\n[["It hurts when you say that."|64w]]\n[["Just... Nevermind."|64e]]

"You're alive Owen, okay? You need to deal with that. Even if everything else is going to hell, you can't let yourself give in to it. Life can't be spent wishing things could've been different, or by being haunted by the choices we already made. It's got to be spent using the time we have left in the best way we can, no matter how short or how bleak it might seem. Please, you have to promise me that you'll at least try to do that. Okay?"\n\nHe's surprised by my words, but he nods his head.\n\n[["It won't be easy."|65q]]\n[["Things will get better."|65w]]

I'm here for you."\n\n"And I'm here for you, too."\n\n"The deaths we've suffered will always hurt. They'll hurt as long as we love the people we've lost."\n\n"Like phantom pain?"\n\n"Yes, like phantom pain. So we'll keep them in our thoughts, but we won't let them slow us down. They wouldn't want that. They'd want us to keep fighting. We'll both get stronger. You'll recover soon. We'll stick together until the--"\n\nJust then Samantha bursts through the door holding two empty duffel bags. When she turns to lock the door behind her, we see the swelling bruise on the side of her face.\n\n"What happened?" Owen asks.\n\n"Aaron," she says as she begins frantically filling the duffelbags with supplies. "Aaron saw the med-count."\n\n[["He hit you?"|66q]]\n[["Is he coming?"|66w]]\n[["What should we do?"|66e]]

She looks up at me. "You have to leave tonight. What Aaron has planned for you is... This is your only chance."\n\n"What about Owen?"\n\n"He suffered a bad concussion, but as long as he doesn't hit his head again, and as long as he gets plenty of rest once you get out of here, he should be okay."\n\n"I thought you said that the people here were sympathetic toward us. They wouldn't let Aaron do anything to Owen, right?"\n\n"No, Kerry, I said some of them were hesitant to agree with what he wanted to do. Now that he's back, his word is law again. There are still too many people here who are blindly loyal to him."\n\n[["Are you sure it's safe for Owen?"|67q]]\n[["Fine, we'll go."|67w]]\n[["You can come with us."|67e]]

"So when do we go?"\n\n"Early tomorrow morning. I'll gather supplies tonight while you practice walking, then you two will get a bit of rest. I'll even give you one of our cars.\n\n"But Aaron will find out about this, won't he?" Owen asks. "He'll find out you helped us escape, then he'll do worse things to you."\n\n"Let him try," Samantha says. "He knows I'm his only real doctor. He can't do anything worse than bruise me if he wants these people to survive anything worse than a cold in the long-term."\n\n"I don't know how to thank you," I tell her.\n\n"Don't thank me yet," she says. "We still have a lot to do. Let's [[get to it|69]]."

__Final Chapter: The Best for You__\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display 'img09'>><<else>><<display 'img10'>><<endif>>\n\nAfternoon passes into evening, and evening into night. Owen practices walking for the first time in weeks while Samantha is still out collecting more supplies for us. She insisted on doing it alone in case she was caught.\n\n"That's it," I say, holding out my arms for Owen to move toward. "Almost there."\n\n"I'm ten, Kerry, not a baby," he says indignantly, but the smile of pride on his face betrays his excitement at being on his feet again.\n\nSamantha returns to the room and drops the two duffel bags on the bed. "Alright, I think that's the last of it, but you've got to hurry. I think Aaron's debriefing session is going to be over soon. That means nightly patrols will be starting, and you'll want to be out of here before that happens. Is he walking alright?"\n\n"Yup," Owen says, pacing around to show off. "I'm back to my old self."\n\n"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Samantha says with a light chuckle, "but you're certainly getting there. Look at you go." Suddenly she looks back at the bags. "Shit."\n\n"What is it?"\n\n"I packed a knife and a hammer and some bullets, weapons nobody's going to miss, but I forgot a gun. We must have at least one pistol or something that no one keeps as their regular firearm." She picks up the lighter of the two duffel bags and opens the door. "I'll see what I can find. Take the other bag and meet me in the cafeteria. The emergency exit in there goes right to the garage out back." She leaves. Owen and I look at each other, then I throw on a coat, pick up the duffel bag, and [[head out with Owen|70]].

<<display 'img03'>>\n\n"You're right," I tell her. "Your apologies can't really help, now.\n\n"Again, I'm sorry. <<display '17'>>

<<display 'img03'>>\n\n"You're not the one who needs to apologize," I tell her.\n\n"That's not true. <<display '17'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode4 = "C">>\n<<set $sacrifice = false>>\n<<set $loveRoy = true>>\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'>>

<<set $ShareLunch = "most">>I take one of the pastry's for myself then pass Owen the tray with the rest of the meal.\n\n"Wait, I don't want all of it," he says. "I'm not that hungry."\n\n"Me neither," I lie. "Just enjoy it. I'll finish what you don't eat."\n\nHe gives in <<display '58'>>

<<set $ShareLunch = "half">>"We'll split it. What do you like more?"\n\n"It's your lunch. What do //you// like more?"\n\n"I'm not answering. You take your pick."\n\nHe looks at the food. "I haven't had warm mashed potatoes and corn for a while, but I don't think I could eat all of them."\n\n"Well, take them for now. I'll finish what you don't eat."\n\nI take the pastries for myself and pass him the tray. He smiles <<display '58'>>

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

"Bullshit," I say. "I thought you said you couldn't watch another boy die."\n\n"I can't, Kerry," she says. <<display '26'>>

"Don't you have a say?"\n\n"Of course I do," she says. <<display '26'>>

<<set $ShareLunch = "some">>"Are you very hungry?"\n\n"No, it's your lunch. I'm just sharing a bit, if that's okay."\n\n"What part do you want?"\n\nHe thinks for a moment. "I haven't had warm mashed potatoes and corn in a while. Can I have some of those? I won't eat them all, but I kind of want a taste."\n\nI pass him the tray. He smiles <<display '58'>>

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"What's wrong with him?"\n\n"I'm not sure right now. It could be nothing, or it could be very serious. We need to err on the side of caution. He needs to stay here."\n\n<<display '90'>>

"I can't leave without him."\n\n"You're going to have to."\n\n<<display '90'>>

"They'll hurt him if he stays."\n\n"Those were Aaron's desires, not these people's. He needs to stay."\n\n<<display '90'>>

"He was only dangerous to bad people."\n\n"Bad people?" Vinny yells. "My brother was a good man, but he was killed just for scavenging. He never killed another living human. How can you--"\n\n"Drop it, Vin," <<display '36'>>

I stare silently at the mangled eye.\n\n"You understand now? <<display '14'>>

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

<<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'>>

"Okay, so Roy's gone. Why can't let me and Owen go, then? Your war is over."\n\n"It's not over, Kerry," he says. "It will never be over as long as people like you and Roy roam this--"\n\n<<display '81'>>

"I guess not."\n\n"You guess not?" Vinny says, becoming angry. "How could you--?"\n\n"Drop it, Vin," <<display '36'>>

<<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'>>

I say nothing.\n\n"You really are a piece of--"\n\n<<display '36'>>

"I could say the same of your people."\n\nVinny and Pat are silent, so I continue.\n\n"Aaron hunted us down. He locked a family in a trailer to starve. He murdered some of us in cold blood. He burned our home to the ground. After his attack, we were separated and Roy thought he'd lost us. He retaliated in the only way he thought he could. Maybe he went overboard by killing Aaron's scavengers indiscriminately, but if Aaron hadn't randomly attacked us in the first place..."\n\nI'm too angry to keep going. I look up at Vinny and Pat, who are dumbstruck.\n\n"I'm... We're sorry," Pat says.\n\n"Sorry?" Vinny yells. "She's accusing Aaron of being--"\n\n"Drop it, Vin," <<display '36'>>

__Chapter 2: It Still Hurts__\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display '9q'>><<else>><<display '9w'>><<endif>>

"You're a fucking monster."\n\n"No, Kerry. You and your people were the monsters, and just like those walking corpses, you'll be eradicated before I leave this earth. Mark my--"\n\n<<display '81'>>

"Just end it then. I'm... I'm done."\n\n"Oh, I plan to," he says. "Just--"\n\n<<display '81'>>

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

"It's okay. There's no way we could've known."\n\n"I know, but... Nevermind."\n\n<<display '89'>>

"Can he come and find me, someday?"\n\n"He's a ten-year-old boy, Kerry. You know that's not possible. Besides, he'll be safer here then he would be out there. He'll have no reason to leave."\n\n<<display '91'>>

then he falls back onto his cot and drifts off again.\n\nSamantha sighs, then she checks her watch. "He woke up again much sooner than I thought. This is a very good sign, Kerry. Still, you must be starving after all that leg-work. Let's get something to bring back here, in case he comes to again."\n\n<<display '50'>>

"Fine. We'll go."\n\n"Thank you," she says, looking at Owen then back to the duffel bags. "I wish there was some other way. I really do."\n\n<<display '68'>>

"Are you sure it's safe for Owen?"\n\n"There are no other options," she says, looking at Owen then back to the duffel bags. "You have to trust me. He has a better chance out there."\n\n<<display '68'>>

"You can come with us. We can all escape together."\n\n"I would Kerry," she says, looking at Owen then back to the duffel bags. "You have no idea how much I'd love to, but there are people here who need me. I can't leave them."\n\n<<display '68'>>

<<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'>>

"No," I tell her. "I don't. I feel like I'm in prison, and I can't trust anyone."\n\n"I'm sorry to hear that," she says. She looks around her. <<display '53'>>

"It's okay," I tell her. "It's impressive, at least."\n\n"I can respect that," she says. <<display '53'>>

<<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'>>

He starts examining the cement walls that surround us, as if looking for the secret to our grand escape, but as we are taken deeper into the bowels of this place, it becomes painfully clear that it's not going to be that simple.\n\nThen Gordan speaks, "Hey, make sure she's restrained when Aaron gets here. I'll take the kid a few cells down."\n\n"But why do they need to be separated?" asks one of the men holding me. "It's just a lady and a kid. How much harm are they going to do together?"\n\n"Aaron gave an order," Gordan reminds him. "Did you forget whose group they were a part of?"\n\n"Roy's," the other man answers, and Gordan turns down another hall with Owen still slung over his shoulder.\n\n"Kerry?" Owen calls, terror washing over his mudstained face. "Kerry!"\n\nI try to pull lose from the men holding me, but it's no use. They continue dragging me forward until we reach what looks like a prison cell -- a dark, square room with a high window, one door, and a chair in the middle of the floor. They sit me down and tie my arms and legs, then they leave, shutting the door behind them.\n\nIt must be at least an hour before it finally opens again. This time, it's Aaron who enters. He has a serious look on his face as he places a chair across from me, sits down, and stares into my eyes.\n\n"Hello, Kerry," he says.\n\nObsessed with finding Roy and killing him for attacking his men, Aaron visits me about once an hour, and asks me where Roy and the others were headed when they escaped last night. Each time he asks, I refuse to tell him, and every time I refuse, he hits me until I [[pass out|6]].

"Yes, I do," I tell her. "It's great here."\n\n"I'm glad to hear it," she says. <<display '53'>>

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

I don't say anything.\n\n<<display '77'>>

"He's dead, fuck-face," I shout back, "and you're next."\n\n<<display '77'>>

"The number you have dialed is no longer in service," I shout back. "Please hang up and dial again, asshole."\n\n<<display '77'>>

"I'm sorry, Aaron," I call back. "I had to... He didn't give me a choice."\n\n<<display '77'>>

He slowly takes one more forkful, but it seems he's lost his appetite. He passes the tray back to me and lays back on the bed. He look very guilty.\n\n"Owen, seriously. It's not a big deal."\n\n"No, it's not that. I was thinking. About the others."\n\n"Right. We haven't really had a chance to talk about them, have we?"\n\n<<if $sacrifice eq true>><<display '59q'>><<else>><<display '59w'>><<endif>>

and picks up the metal fork that came with the package, then he starts mixing the corn and mashed potatoes together and eats a couple forkfuls.\n\n[["You mix them together?"|58q]]\n[["That's so gross."|58w]]\n[["I do that, too."|58e]]

but believe me, I won't stop until Owen is well again. We've all known loss, by now. I don't want anyone to feel it again if I can prevent it."\n\n"I appreciate that."\n\n<<display '52'>>

she repeats, confused, then she gasps. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean--"\n\n"It's okay. He was... he didn't make it through the pregnancy, you know? I never got to see his face."\n\n"What about the father?"\n\n"He left after that."\n\n"That's horrible. I'm sorry."\n\n<<display '52'>>

__Chapter 5: What Must Be Done__\n\nI enter the private room to find Owen beside his bed, standing up and clumsily moving one foot in front of the other. <<if $OwenComa eq true>>He's walking. He only just woke up from a coma an hour ago<<else>>He's walking after being in bed for two weeks<<endif>>. How is that possible? Suddenly one of his legs gives way and he drops to his knees. I run over to him.\n\n"Did you see that?" he pants. "I did it. I walked!"\n\nI lift him up and sit him on the bed. "How long have you been at this, Owen?"\n\n"Since I woke up a little while ago," he says. "<<if $sacrifice eq false>>You're already walking again. I thought I should, too<<else>>I wanted to see if I could do it<<endif>>."\n\n"Well, that's enough for now. Please just lie down for a little."\n\n"But--"\n\n"I brought lunch. How about you at least rest for that?"\n\nHe pauses. "I am a little hungry."\n\nI sit on the chair beside Owen's cot and open the lunch package I received from the dining hall. There's a pile of corn and mashed potatoes and a few slices of some pastries.\n\n"It's all mushed together," Owen observes, "but it looks pretty good compared to the stuff we've been eating for a while."\n\n[[(Offer Owen most of it)|57q]]\n[[(Offer Owen half of it)|57w]]\n[[(Offer Owen some of it)|57e]]

There's a long silence between us as we reach the front of the line and receive our meals. No other questions come to mind.\n\n"Well, that wasn't so bad," Samantha says. "Thanks for your time, Kerry."\n\n"Samantha?" a commanding voice calls from the dining hall entrance. Samantha turns as though she's heard a gunshot<<if $sacrifice eq true>>.<<else>>.\n\n<<display 'img11'>><<endif>>\n\n"It's Aaron. You need to get out of here. Use the crowd to get around him. I'll draw him away from the entrance. Just get to Owen and stay with him for now. I'll meet you in a bit."\n\nWithout giving me any chance to argue, she disappears into the sea of bodies. I go the opposite way.\n\nI move around the perimeter of the dining hall, passing an emergency exit on one wall, then a window overlooking the rows of cars that the scavengers have collected, then another window overlooking the bridge out of the city. By the time I've gotten to the cafeteria entrance, Aaron is no longer there. I catch a glimpse of him further inside, talking with Samantha, a serious look on both of their faces. This is my chance to get out of here and return to [[Owen's room|57]].

__Chapter 4: Knowing__\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>We enter to see a crowd of men, women, and children all gathered to receive their midday rations. Many of them have formed a line by the front where the cooks pass out neatly prepared portions, and some have already found seats and started eating. There are at least two hundred people in here, but the room manages to fit them all.\n\n"Oh, boy," Samantha groans. "Rush hour. Buckle up and follow me." She walks ahead and grabs a tray for herself and one for me, then she carves her way through the crowd with me and finds the end of the line for us. "Should've brought some snacks for the journey," she jokes, "but I guess that'd defeat the purpose."\n\nShe seems to be in a much better mood than when I first met her. The solemn, tired woman I'd met has become so upbeat that I doubt I would've recognized her if I hadn't watched her transformation. She still looks overworked all the time, but it's as though she doesn't mind the work anymore. I wonder to myself if it's worth asking her about.\n\n"Ma'am?" Pat calls, appearing from the crowd. "Ma'am, what are you doing in line? Take my spot up by Vinny. He's holding it for me, but you can just tell him I sent you. Hell, you know the men will move aside if you go to the front, anyway. God knows we hardly ever see you here when it's actually mealtime. This is quite the occasion."\n\n"There's no need," Samantha replies. "I appreciate the gesture, Pat. I'll talk to you later."\n\nPat sighs but maintains his smile as he disappears into the crowd.\n\n"I hate when he does that," she says when he's gone, "but it's nice to know he cares. With so few people left in this world, I'd expect to feel like I know more of them a little better. I know everyone's name, who they're related to, and all their medical details, but I don't really know //them//. Maybe that's more my fault than anyone else's." She turns to me. "Speaking of which, I've seen you every day for weeks now, and I feel like I don't know a thing about you."\n\n"Is that so?"\n\n"<<if $sacrifice eq false>>You've been a great guinea pig for prosthesis. Would you mind being a guinea pig for socialization, too?"\n\n"Only if you stop calling me a guinea pig."\n\n"Agreed<<else>>How would you like to be my socialization test dummy?"\n\n"As long as you don't call me that again, sure."\n\n"Alright<<endif>>." She smiles. "You can ask me something first, since I'm making you do this."\n\n<<display '52'>>

I take one more look at Owen, then Samantha and I leave the room and head to the [[cafeteria|51]].

"We've worked hard to build this place. Some of us have done thing we shouldn't be proud of, but those mistakes helped us get to this point. I don't know what kind of place that makes this, but it's better than what's out there, for now. All the people we've lost getting to this point... that's got to count for something."\n\n<<display '52'>>

<<if $d1 eq false>>[["What's with the good mood?"|52q]]\n<<if $d2 eq false>>[["Do you have any other family?"|52w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Do you trust me, yet?"|52e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Do you trust me, yet?"|52e]]<<endif>><<endif>>\n<<else>><<if $d2 eq false>>[["Do you have any other family?"|52w]]\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Do you trust me, yet?"|52e]]<<endif>><<else>><<if $d3 eq false>>[["Do you trust me, yet?"|52e]]<<endif>><<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>><<display '56'>><<endif>><<endif>><<endif>>

He's silent, then he looks up at the ceiling. "I... I saw Christa's face before the truck caught fire. You saved me before her, and then she was trapped."\n\n[["I was trying to save both of you."|63q]]\n[["You were closest."|63w]]\n[["There's nothing we could do."|63e]]

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

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode4 = "B">>\n<<set $sacrifice = true>>\n<<set $loveRoy = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

His brief moments of consciousness have become a twice-daily occasion, but he's still on a decreased dosage of painkillers, so even when he's awake, he's often in a sort of daze. I look over at a clock mounted on the wall. It's about time for Samantha to give him his check-up.\n\nJust then I hear his covers shuffling. I see his eyes tightening, then they open up. He sits straight up and looks around, but when he sees me, he becomes a little calmer.\n\n"Hi," he says.\n\n[["Hi."|29q]]\n[["You okay?"|29w]]\n[["Lay down."|29e]]

He hasn't woken up since the surgery, but every time I look at him, I know he's going to make it through this. We've been through a lot together, him, his brother, Roy, Christa, Hannah, and me. We'll make it through this.\n\nJust then, Samantha walks into the private room, ready for Owen's daily check-up.\n\n"Hi, Kerry," she says. "Anything yet?"\n\n"No. Not yet."\n\nShe sighs. "You said you found him and his brother a couple weeks into this whole thing, which means they managed on their own for a while. If that's the case, he's a fighter. He'll get through this."\n\n[["You're right."|31q]]\n[["How long do comas last?"|31w]]\n[["How can you be sure?"|31e]]

"There was nothing we could do. I didn't have a choice. She was stuck behind you. You had to come out first."\n\n"I wish it had been the other way 'round."\n\n"What?"\n\nHe takes a breath. "I wish she was the one closer to the window. I wish that she'd been saved. She liked you a lot. You would've taken really good care of her... and I'd be with Nate, and my mom, and--"\n\n<<display '64'>>

<<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'>>

"It feels gross," I tell her.\n\n"Still, you really have gotten the hang of this very quickly," she says, smiling. <<display '47'>>

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

"No," I admit.\n\n"I wasn't planning on taking the word of a psychopath, but you sound like you're being honest."\n\n<<display '85'>>

"I did. He's dead."\n\n"It was a rhetorical question, Kerry," he says, amused at my attempt to answer. "I wouldn't take the word of a psychopath."\n\n<<display '85'>>

I say nothing. He can go find out for himself.\n\n"That's alright," he says. "I wouldn't have taken the word of a psychopath, anyway."\n\n<<display '85'>>

"He was wrong to kill as many as he did," I say, "but so were you."\n\n"So we should just call it even?" <<display '12'>>

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"You don't have the right to accuse him," I say. "You tried to kill all of us."\n\n"You're not listening." <<display '12'>>

"Those weren't murders," I say. "He killed in self-defense."\n\n"You really think so?" <<display '12'>>

I stay silent. <<display '12'>>

<<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'>>

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

"I can't believe it. You're awake."\n\n"Awake?" <<display '43'>>

"You're safe," I tell him. "We're in Aaron's fort, but his sister, Samantha, she's good. She's been helping you recover."\n\n"Recover?" <<display '43'>>

<<set $Owen = true>>"Owen is my family." I say, sliding my arms under him and preparing to gently raising him up. "He's coming with me."\n\n"You can't, Kerry," Samantha argues. "What if this is serious?"\n\n"He's moving. He'll be awake soon. I know he will."\n\n"Kerry, he wasn't moving."\n\n"He was. I can't leave him behind, Samantha. We stick together until the end."\n\nBefore I have the chance to stand, she suddenly lunges toward me, grabbing for the gun. I fall back and the gun hits the floor with a loud clack. Now she and I are both on the ground, and the gun is just out of our reach. She hurries toward it, but I'm just a little closer, and that makes all the difference. I grab the gun and point it right at her face, and in her eyes I see the same fear I'd seen in Aaron's.\n\n"Don't do it," she begs. "Don't you dare."\n\n[[(Kill her)|93q]]\n[[(Leave her)|93w]]

<<set $Owen = false>>"Okay. I'll leave."\n\n"You're doing the right thing, Kerry," she says with a gentle smile. "I wish you good luck."\n\n"Luck's never helped me before. Why should it start now?" I walk up to Owen. He's not even awake for me to say goodbye to, but I guess that's what my life is made up of. Unfitting farewells. I wonder, will he hate me for leaving him? For breaking our promise? One day I hope he understands. One day I hope to see him again, but deep inside, I know that day will never come. I put my head against his.\n\n[["I'm sorry."|92q]]\n[["I'll miss you."|92w]]\n[[(Kiss his forehead)|92e]]

"You lost your eye, remember?"\n\n"My eye... is gone?" <<display '43'>>

"That's so gross," I laugh, looking at the pile of yellow and white on the tray.\n\nHis face turns red and he suddenly looks ashamed. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to finish all of this. I should've asked before I mixed it all together like that. That was--"\n\n"Calm down, Owen, it's okay. I was kidding around."\n\n"No, I should have asked, though."\n\n"Don't worry about it. It's fine."\n\n<<display '59'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>"Where is Owen, the boy I came here with?"\n\n"My doctors will be bringing him in here once they've finished running a few tests, but..." she takes a long breath. "Kerry, Owen suffered a severe blow to his head. It looked like he'd been kicked, but Aaron wouldn't say for sure. We did what we could, but he fell into an unresponsive state. We're going to do everything we can to make him healthy again, but only time will tell if that's possible. You'll be able to see him the moment he's brought in, though."\n\n<<display '22'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>"Why are you helping?" I ask. "You know whose group I was a part of, don't you?"\n\n"This Roy that had the whole fort on its toes, right?" she says. "Yeah, I know about that. I heard he was finally killed. Burned to death. I also heard that Aaron and the other scavengers found you and that boy in the road and saved your lives, but they say that you were bit during their valiant extraction."\n\n"That's not true."\n\n"I know. I haven't trusted anything out of his mouth since second grade. I figured it was his fault you were bitten in the first place, so now it falls to me to try to repair the damage he caused in whatever way I can."\n\n<<display '22'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>"Who are you?"\n\n"We haven't been introduced. My name is Samantha. I'm the head surgeon, anesthesiologist, and psychiatrist here, and I serve as a sort of co-president when it comes to leadership of this community. I fill other positions as necessary, but those are the main ones." She looks down at her papers. "You also deserve to know that Aaron is my younger brother."\n\nI'm surprised, but when she looks back up, I can see the telltale hint of blue in her eyes, just like in Aaron's, if not a little more subtle. Apart from that, though, there's no hint to their being anything alike.\n\n<<display '22'>>

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

<<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'>>

<<playbgm GHfWvCiIizc>>She finds the other duffel bag and brings it over to me, then she notices Owen on the floor.\n\nShe gasps. "What happened to him? Is he still breathing?"\n\n"He is. Aaron hit him pretty hard. I don't know if he's okay."\n\nThere's a loud series of sounds echoing through the walls. Samantha runs to the door of the dining hall and wedges a chair in the handles.\n\n"Those sounds are coming from the staircases," she says. "The meeting's over and they definitely heard the gunshots. You're completely out of time. You need to go before a group moves to the garage and blocks your way."\n\nShe wipes the corpse-blood off of the weapons we'd taken out, then repacks them and zips the bags up. She places the gun and a set of car keys on top and sets both duffel bags beside me.\n\n"The keys go to the light brown sedan. You'll see it. It's in the first row, all the way to the left."\n\n"Thank you."\n\nHer expression becomes solemn. "Don't... thank me yet." As I hoist the duffel bags over my shoulders, she moves over to Owen and kneels beside him. "Kerry, Owen..."\n\n"What? Is he okay?"\n\n"Owen can't go with you."\n\nA loud banging erupts against the other side of the dining hall doors as a crowd forms behind them.\n\n"They're here," Samantha says. "You don't have time. Go."\n\n[["What's wrong with Owen?"|89q]]\n[["I can't leave without him."|89w]]\n[["They'll hurt him if he stays."|89e]]

"Just get some rest, Owen. Please."\n\nHe opens his mouth to say something else, but <<display '49'>>

"Why would you ask me that?"\n\n"I just..." he starts, but <<display '49'>>

"Of course not."\n\nOwen gives a weak smile, <<display '49'>>

<<display 'Episode 1'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 2'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 3'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 4'>>\n\n<<if $Episode1 neq "None" and $Episode2 neq "None" and $Episode3 neq "None" and $Episode4 neq "None">>[[Start "Episode 5"|p01]]<<endif>>

But just then we hear a shout from Owen's room and the two of us rush in to see him sitting up again.\n\nSamantha rushes over to him. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"\n\nHe keeps yelling until his eyes lock onto me. Then he quiets down. "I thought..."\n\n"You thought she left you?" Samantha guesses. "We were just in the other room helping her to walk again. See?" She looks up at me. "No more crutch.\n\nI look down at the prosthetic leg, realizing that I just ran in here with the thing. I didn't know I was already so used to it. Owen looks at it too. He smiles.\n\n"I should be learning to walk, too," he says.\n\n"No, no, no," Samantha tells him. "You need to rest."\n\n"Kerry," he says. "You're not going to leave without me, are you?"\n\n[["Of course not."|48q]]\n[["Why would you ask me that?"|48w]]\n[["Just try to rest."|48e]]

I just stare at her.\n\n"Too soon?" she asks. "I totally understand if that's too soon. Or... I don't understand. I don't know what you're going through, that is. I mean--"\n\n<<display '48'>>

<<display 'img05'>>\n\n"Holy cow," Samantha gasps as I manage to march slowly across the room. "You're really doing it. How does it feel?"\n\n[["Fantastic."|46q]]\n[["Alright."|46w]]\n[["Kind of gross."|46e]]

"Now that you have your leg back, I think we can all utter a //thigh// of relief."\n\nThat was a tough one to swallow.\n\n[[(Laugh)|47q]]\n[[(Shake head)|47w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|47e]]

"I'm just glad... to not be by myself again." And with that, he's out once more.\n\nJust then, Samantha arrives. "Anything?"\n\n"He was awake just a second ago."\n\n"Really?" she says, smiling. "That's incredible Kerry. Let's get to the cafeteria and hurry back with some food. I want to be around next time he wakes up."\n\n<<display '50'>>

One foot in front of the other, then again, and again.\n\n"Beautiful," Samantha says. "You'll be doing ballet by the end of the month."\n\nI look over at her.\n\n"It's a joke," she clarifies. "I know they're bad. Deal with it."\n\nAs I reach the other end of the room, she claps.\n\n"Excellent, now come back to this side, but this timedon't hold the rail."\n\n"No rail?"\n\n"Without the rail. You're not a train. You can't rely on it forever. You almost did it the other day. You can do this."\n\nI slowly turn around, letting go of the railing and holding my arms out to maintain my balance. I've done this before, but the leg has always felt too weird on its own. I take a deep breath and take a [[step|46]].

"I... remember. Nate was... he's dead. Aaron killed him, right in front of us. The others, though?"\n\n"They're safe. Gone."\n\n"Right. Aaron wanted to... to know where they were." His eye becomes wide and he looks at me. "I didn't tell him anything," he exclaims.\n\n"I know. You were very brave."\n\n"We both were."\n\n"No. You were much braver than me. He didn't do anything to me. It's my fault you're--"\n\n"Stop," Owen says. He lies back down, looking very tired. "I bet he tried to make you tell him... by threatening me." He smiles weakly. "I'm glad you didn't, though. I don't want Roy or Christa or her mom to be in danger."\n\n"They're not. Don't worry. How do you feel?"\n\n"I... I don't know. It hurt a lot when I woke up, but now I'm just happy not to be alone." He faces me, still lying down. "I felt really cold when I was asleep. I've never had a dream that made me feel like that. I was cold, and I was all by myself. I couldn't talk or move." He gazes at the ceiling for a while, and I can see his eye starting to close.\n\n[["I'm sorry."|43q]]\n[["I won't leave you."|43w]]\n[["You won't be alone."|43e]]

He's quiet for a moment before he looks up at me. "You won't leave me, will you?"\n\n[["Of course not."|40q]]\n[["Why would you ask me that?"|40w]]\n[["Just rest, Owen."|40e]]

then he falls back onto his cot and drifts off again.\n\nSamantha arrives. "Anything?"\n\n"He was awake just a second ago."\n\n"Already?" she says, surprised. "That's very good news. Still, you must be starving. Let's get something to bring back here, in case he comes to again."\n\n<<display '50'>>

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

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode4 = "A">>\n<<set $sacrifice = true>>\n<<set $loveRoy = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I give a short laugh and Samantha smiles again.\n\n"A laugh from Kerry? I guess my jokes must not be as bad as I thought."\n\n<<display '48'>>

when I try to move my mouth I find that my face -- my whole body -- is numb. One of the silhouettes reaches over me, and I start to [[fall asleep|6]].

I shake my head at her, but she just smiles again.\n\n"Hey, that was quality pun-manship right there."\n\n<<display '48'>>

"They must have. They knew the address."\n\n"Right. Christa would never forget it. She's got a crazy memory." He sighs. "<<display '61'>>

"I hope so."\n\n"Me too. <<display '61'>>

<<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'>>

"I really don't know, Owen. They live out in the middle of nowhere, pretty far away."\n\n"I'd like to think they found them." He sighs. "<<display '61'>>

"Then we'll leave."\n\n"No, Kerry," she says. <<display '26'>>