“This place has everything we need” #zombie

Deacon shakes his hand, thanks him, and moves back through the big room and out the door.  He walks to the parking lot and starts waving his hands for Greg to drive down to him.

He hears his truck start up and it starts moving towards him.  He sits down on the curb and waits for Greg to get there with the truck.  Greg pulls up and starts to get out when Deacon approaches the door and tells him just to turn the truck off and come inside with him.  Greg shuts the truck off and follows Deacon inside.

As Greg enters the building, he sees a man in a wheelchair holding a rifle. Deacon introduces them to each other.  Dave apologizes for shooting at them.  Greg assures him he understands, but that he scared the hell out of him.  Deacon asks Dave if he is hungry and explains that Greg's wife, Lana, packed a lunch for them and he was more than willing to share.  With gratitude, Dave tells them that he would love something to eat. 

He points at the empty candy machine with the front glass broke out, “That is all I have had to eat for the last three days, I was trying to conserve the food here.” 

Deacon leaves them to go retrieve the lunch from the truck.  He pauses on the way out to the truck to observe the surroundings.  

“This place has everything we need,” he says out loud, knowing full well that there is not a soul around. 

“What you are looking for?” #zombie

The hallway it is dark, even when he squints he cannot make out the faintest sign of anyone. 

“What you are looking for?”  The voice asks. 

Deacon explains that they mean no harm, and that they are looking for a safe place for them to stay

“One other man, three women and two children,” he clarifies.

A clean cut man in a wheel chair rolls forward holding a rifle.  The man looks as if he was in the military, neatly dressed, strong upper body and direct.  Deacon introduces himself. 

“The man at the truck is Greg.” 

The man replying to Deacon, introduces himself as Dave.  He looks Deacon over,

“I’m all alone here.  If you guys don’t mind my company, you can bring your people here.”  

Deacon then asks Dave if the island is safe.  

Dave smirks a little, seeing Deacon’s seriousness replies, “Yes there is no one here but me.”   

Deacon sits down for a moment and looks out of the windows. He then asks Dave why he decided to let his small group stay with him.

Dave explains, “If you were looking for trouble you would have not come out here, and you sure as hell wouldn’t have put your pistols on the hood of your truck.  Unless you were desperate.  Why don’t you go get your friend and come back?”

"STOP THERE!" #zombies

Deacon cuts him off, "We need a safer place.  If things go well, it will be worth it.  Besides if this guy wanted us dead he could have shot us why we were driving.  You need to put the spare tire on while I’m gone, so if you need to leave you can.  I’ll be back, don’t worry." 

Deacon starts walking towards the visitor center.  As he gets closer he can see that it is a very large building.  The top floor facing the rest of the island is mostly windows with a big observation deck off to the one side.  He keeps looking at the windows, searching for any sign of movement.  He finds none just as when they were driving.  Looking back he sees that Greg is changing the tire as instructed.   Deacon has made it half way to the visitor center.

            Finally reaching the parking lot, Deacon hears what sounds like a door open. Up the stairs, he makes his way to the main entrance.  The door is propped open.  He walks in to find it opens up into a large room with pictures of different interest points around the island.  He looks at the pictures, all the while staying alert.  He passes a hallway when he hears a voice.

"STOP THERE!"

"The sound of a gunshot ringing in their ears" #zombie

Coming up on the toll booth at the beginning of the causeway, neither man sees an attendant or anybody else for that matter.  Greg gets out cautiously.  He holds the gate open as Deacon pulls the truck through.  Closing the gate,

Greg returns to the truck, and comments on how eerie the drive is, “There just isn’t anybody around.” 

Deacon agrees.  They come to the marina where the road splits off in two different directions.  Deacon asks Greg which way to go as the truck comes to a stop.  

Greg looks at the map, his finger traces the road they were are on before directing Deacon, “Right!” 

Deacon turns right and drives a little further.  They fallow the road around a hill and catch a glimpse of the visitor center roughly one thousand yards away, nestled in the surrounding cliffs.  Deacon stops the truck and both of them get out with their rifles.  They use the rifle scopes to get a better view of the building, there is no sign of life anywhere.  It is a newer, modern building.  They make out at least two floors.   A large parking lot lies in front and wraps around the side of the building. 

“Look it even has solar panels on the roof,” Deacon exclaims, excited about the possibilities. 

They get back in the truck, and drive towards the visitor center.  All the while watching the building.  All of a sudden, one of the front tires is blown out, with the sound of a gunshot ringing in their ears.  The truck jerks to the right.  Deacon brings it to a stop and starts to cuss as they hurry to get out of the truck, and take cover behind the truck.  From a megaphone they here a voice instruct them to drop their weapons on the hood of the truck if they are friendly, or they will be shot.  Deacon stands up and un-holsters his pistol and sets it on the hood of his truck.  He looks at Greg and instructs him to stay there, and if anything happens to him he needs to go back and take care of everyone else.  Greg begins to argue.

"They embark on their adventure"

Deacon agrees.  They come to the marina By the time Greg gets out, everybody is awake. Lana walks up to Deacon, she hands him a small cooler.  She tells Deacon that she packed them a lunch and that they had better be back by dinner time.  She gives Greg a kiss and then takes a step back.  Looking him straight in the eyes with a worried look on her face, she tells them both to be careful and to make sure they both come back safe.  Both Greg and Deacon reiterates that they will be fine. 

            Greg straps on one of the pistols and grabs a 7mm rifle and instructs everybody to stay inside.  Everybody nods in agreement. 

Greg looks at Deacon who is strapping on his pistol and tells him, “Let’s go.”

Deacon grabs his AR and walks out the door.  Greg follows him.  Both of them get in the truck, as they embark on their adventure.  The island is about a half hour drive away. 

On the drive out Greg is quiet, Deacon glances over at Greg, “What’s the matter with you?” 

Greg stays quiet for a moment before he lets out a little sigh, “Nothing.” 

 “I’ve known you my whole life, it has got to be something,” Deacon abruptly states.

Greg begins to explain that he is afraid of what they will find, and that he is scared that they will not be able to provide for everybody.  Deacon agrees with Greg’s fears but tries to reassure him by reminding him that they are the only chance of survival for these people.  If anybody can do it, they can. 

“I guess we had better get this show on the road.” #zombies

Early the next morning Deacon wakes up to thoughts of the island swirling in his mind.  He goes out to the garage and starts rummaging through things.  Greg joins him after about a half hour, he looks half asleep.

“What is with the racket?”  Greg asks rubbing his eyes.   

Deacon tells him that he is packing some supplies for the day.  Checking to make sure that flash lights work, he then puts them in a duffle bag.  He wonders around gathering tools and other items that he finds, putting everything in bags.  Deacon pulls on a pair of boots, and then takes the bags out to the truck.  As he comes back into the house, he goes to his bedroom, and knocks on what used to be his bedroom door.  Jaimie invites him to come in.  He opens the door, peeking his head in.  Jamie and the girls are still in bed.  He quietly informs Jamie that he needs to grab some clothes.  Deacon is careful not to disturb the sleeping girls, creeps over to his closet to retrieve what he had come there for.  He then slinks back out the door, shutting it softly.  He goes to the spare bathroom, and showers.  He then goes to the kitchen to get something to eat.  Just as Greg passes him carrying clothes heading toward the spare bathroom.  

As Greg passes Deacon he tells him, “I guess we had better get this show on the road.”

The end of chapter five #zombie

“Momma, I’m hungry.”  Trish the youngest girl tells her mother.

“Oh, heavens little one, It didn’t even cross my mind. You girls must be hungry.  I’ll make you guys something to eat.”  Lana tells them as she stands up and walks to the kitchen.  

Jaimie gets up and fallows Lana, she tells her, and “I’ll help."  

After dinner, Lana takes Jaimie and the girls into what used to be Deacon’s bedroom. She tells them that they can stay in there, so they can have a little more privacy.  Greg and Lana move their things from the bedroom into the living room.  After Greg goes back into the living room, Lana ensures that Jaimie and the girls are comfortable.

Jaimie thanks her and then asks, “So what Is Deacon like?  He seems a little cold.” 

“I’ve seen him do this once before, when his fiancé died in a car wreck.  He acts on anger but he is very calculated.  It’s almost as if the anger makes him more focused.” 

“But are we safe with him?  He didn’t even hesitate shooting those things!”  Jaimie asks her while looking down at the floor reliving the moment,

“Like when he shot what used to be my husband.”

“You would not be safer anywhere else!  He really is a sweetheart, he is just a little rough around the edges. Now, I will leave you guys to get some rest,” Lana finishes as she closes the door. 

Walking down the hall she rejoins the others in the living room.

  Jeff and Alicia Lana decide to go to bed after having an extremely long day.  Lana quickly falls asleep, while Deacon and Greg stay awake discussing the next day’s plans of exploring the island.  The conversation grows silent, Deacon sets a drinking glass down on the end table as he asks how in the hell they ended up in this mess.    

“Who do we have here?” #zombies

Jeff notices her wedding band and asks her where her husband is.  She looks back down at the floor,

“He was the one Deacon shot!”

Deacon looks back at her in the rear view mirror remorsefully surprised. 

Then he asks apologetic, “If you don’t mind me asking, how did your husband get changed?”  

She begins to tell him, “He was on the Air Force base working on some electrical lines when he had got bitten by this person or thing.  He came home, got sick and that is where he died.  I called the mortuary, they came and picked up the body.  Two days later he arrived back at the house, and he had turned into that thing.”   

Everyone is quiet the rest of the ride.

            They pull into the driveway.  Deacon leads them to the side door of the garage, and opens it.  Deacon stays just outside the door, keeping lookout for the dead.  After all the houseguests go into the garage, he follows, pushing the door shut behind him and locking it.   He leads them into the house.  Greg looks up from some of Deacon’s hunting maps that he has strewn over the table.  Preoccupied with the plans taking shape in his mind, he completely misses the three new people standing next to Deacon.

Greg tells Deacon that he has been looking and the island is their best bet.  Deacon asks when he wants to go out there. 

Greg suggests that they should go in the morning.  Finally noticing the new arrivals, he asks, “Who do we have here?”

Deacon begins introducing everybody to their new friends.  They sit around talking together. 

"The monster crumbles" #zombie

Deacon sets the park brake and knocks the truck out of gear bringing the truck to an abrupt stop.  Jeff quickly jumps out of the truck and fires off two shots knocking one down and missing the other completely.  Jeff fumbles around while trying reload the gun.  Deacon runs towards the woman and the children.  The walker that Jeff shot is trying to get back up.  The other one is closing in on this little family.  Deacon pulls out his pistol and firmly squeezes the trigger, aiming at the monsters head.  With the sound of the pistol the monster crumbles.  Jeff finally gets more shells in the shotgun and cautiously walks over to the one trying to get up and shoots it in the head.  It’s attempts of getting up cease.  Deacon grabs the smaller of the two girls, and picks her up.  Deacon orders the lady and the other girl to hurry, motioning them to the truck.  Jeff hurries to open one of the back doors on the truck.  The woman and the other girl hurry, jump into the back seat.  Jeff shuts the door behind them, then jumps into the passenger seat.  Deacon puts the smaller girl in the backseat of the truck on the driver’s side and shuts the door.  He looks back and sees that they have attracted the unwanted attention of several other walkers.  Deacon jumps in and starts driving towards home. 

Deacon looks in the rear view mirror at the young woman, "My name is Deacon, and this is Jeff.  We have a safe place for now.  You will be safe there." 

The young woman looks up from the floor, shaking and crying.  Her arms are around the two girls who are also crying,

"My name is Jaimie and these are my daughters, Becky and the little one’s Trish."

"Drop those two"

They drive towards the plant.  Once there, Deacon drives through the parking lot.  He notices his manager's car, and pulls the truck over next to it.  His manager lays in a pool of blood on the ground.  Deacon stops the truck and gets out.  He asks Jeff to grab the shotgun.  Jeff takes the shotgun and follows him.  Deacon walks over to the body.  Catching a glimpse of his manager’s keys hanging on his belt loop, he reaches down and unhooks the keys.  Jeff asks him what he is doing, Deacon explains that they might need them later.  

He puts them in his pocket commenting to Jeff, “Besides he doesn’t need them anymore.” 

Deacon and Jeff climb back into the truck and leave the plant. 

As they drive around a little longer, they find that there are not any businesses open, anywhere. After not finding any sign of life, they decide to head back home.  Jeff starts questioning him about what it was like shooting at the walkers the day before.  

Deacon recounts what had happened to him at the plant then he finishes, “I have looked these things in the eyes.  I have seen what they are capable of and the way I look at it, it is either us or them.  I’m tired of people being taken from me!”

The conversation has grown silent, Jeff sees that Deacon is serious in his statement when 

All of a sudden they here screaming and see a woman running with two young girls in tow.  Deacon smashes the pedal to the floor and races up to where they are. As they get closer they see two walkers closing in on them from the side. 

 “Take the shot gun out of the back seat and drop those two!” Deacon points at the zombies and tells Jeff.

"A shotgun for Jeff" #zombie

Deacon suggests that it would be easily protected.  All have agreed that in the next couple of days they will go out and scout it out.  They decide that for now they should go to bed.  However, it is determined that one of them should stay up to keep watch.  Deacon voluntarily takes the first shift.   He stays up for about three hours watching movies and listening, all is quiet.  After his shift is up, Greg comes wondering in.  He tells Deacon to go get some sleep.  Deacon moves over to one of the recliners, laying it back and covering himself with a blanket.

At the end of Greg’s shift the others begin waking up, Lana and Deacon begin making breakfast, with what they can find.  Lana tells Greg to go and get some sleep.  Greg refuses, telling her that they have too much to do.  They spend most of the morning at Deacon’s.  Early afternoon they decide to go out for a drive to see what is going on and find some supplies as Deacon does not have much for food, as now there are five of them.  Deacon wants to drive past the plant.  They discuss who is staying and who will be going.  It is decided that Deacon and Jeff will go.  Greg knows that the girls will be safer with him there and Deacon will bring Jeff back in one piece so he volunteers to stay at the house. 

Jeff gives Alicia a kiss, she tells him to be careful.  Deacon goes into his room and gets the holster to his pistol and grabs a shotgun for Jeff.  Jeff stutters as he informs Deacon that he has never shot a gun before.  

Deacon gives him a quick lesson, and tells him, “let’s go!"

Deacon goes out the door with Jeff right behind him.  Jeff gets in the truck as Deacon unhooks the trailer, then gets in and starts the truck.

“One way in, one way out.” #zombies

Lana finds Greg, Jeff, and Alicia starting to settle down a little bit.  They had gone through just about everything and re-loaded the bags and boxes back into the trailer. Deacon rejoins them with his belongings.  They had also filled the trunk and back seat of Greg and Lana's car, since it was already in the garage from when they had met Deacon out there that first night.  They lock the doors and run a couple of screws through them.  They leave the garage to go into the house and make dinner.  Jeff comments on how glad he is that at least they still have power as he walks over to the television, and turns it on.  There is nothing but white noise. 

They decide to put a movie on, and agree on a comedy, hopefully to distract them from reality.  Throughout the movie discussion turns to their future plans.  Greg brings up the point that eventually Deacon's house will not be safe, probably not much longer. 

Jeff and Alicia are city raised and they have done all the touristy things, people do in Willow Brook.  They suggest Lone Rock Island, on Bison Lake, and the visitor center there.  It has been so long since the rest of them have been there, they cannot remember much about it.  Jeff tells them that is large enough building to house a lot of people.  Most importantly, it is an isolated island with a causeway connecting it to the city.  

Greg and Deacon simultaneously blurt out “One way in, one way out.” 

"I don’t think I need to focus on the dead anymore" #zombie

Jeff stands watch for the creatures, Greg and Deacon hurry to hang the plywood up over the widows.  Jeff makes Greg and Deacon nervous with how obviously scared he is.  They work around the house covering up the windows and the doors. Leaving only the man door leading out from the garage uncovered. The garage door is disconnected to prevent it from opening, and also locked from the inside.  Deacon’s new roommates start going through the things that they have piled on the garage floor after they have secured all the access points of the house.  Deacon goes inside to start packing up his things.  Lana walks in to find Deacon sitting on the bed looking at the calendar.  She asks him what he is doing,

"Just thinking," Deacon replies. 

He asks Lana if she knows anything about any of their friends, more specifically Crissy, again.  She tells him again that she hasn’t heard from anybody and that last she heard from Crissy, she was on her way to the hospital to see her sister.  

“I haven’t heard from her since.”   

Deacon interrupts concerned, “At the hospital everybody has been eaten or turned.” 

"Ya," she says as she looks at the ground trying to hide her tears. 

“So what’s with the calendar?”   

Deacon explains how he had been keeping track of how many days it had been since Katelyn had died.

“I don’t think I need to focus on the dead anymore, I need to focus on keeping all of us alive.”  

Not trying to persuade him one way or the other, she advises him that it is ok to take it or not take it but at some point he is going to have to let her go.  She gives him a hug and walks out to find Greg.  Deacon sits debating whether he is ready to let Katelynn go.  He comes to the realization that it is not letting her go, it is just not living in the past.