“You’re welcome,” #zombies

Deacon walks across the hall to where he can hear the girls playing.  He softly knocks on the door.  He hears Jaimie invite him in.  He opens the door, stepping just inside the door, and stands there for a moment watching them play. 

Jaimie asks the girls, "What do you guys tell Deacon for taking mommy to get our stuff and keeping me safe?" 

Simultaneously they both tell him, “Thank you, Deacon." 

“You’re welcome,” He replies with a smile. 

He turns to leave when Jaimie tells him to wait.  He turns back around towards her, she stands up, walks over to him and wraps her arms around him.  She lets go.  They share a smile and he turns, walking out towards the elevator.  He gets in and pushes the button, seeing that is what makes it all worth it. 

The elevator door opens, he steps out and goes to the kitchen.  He begins to help prepare dinner.  When it is almost ready, Alicia volunteers to let Jaimie and the girls know that it was almost time to eat.  People start to take places at the different tables in the cafeteria.  Deacon sees Cherise heading towards him, just as Dave slides up on one side of him and Greg on the other.  Cherise turns around disappointed and takes a seat next to John. 

"Wash the stink from that runner off of him" #zombie

Lana just laughs as they go inside to prepare dinner.  Deacon goes back to his truck to retrieve his gear.  Cherise follows him around like a lost puppy, asking more questions just like she had on the ride to the island.

Deacon finally tells her “Why don’t you go and get your son fed, we will talk later.”

He drops his gear in its own pile in the big room, takes his guns up to the observation room, and sets them on the table.  He then goes back down stairs, gathering his things out of the big room and heads toward his room.  Getting to his room, he drops his things, and shuts the door.  Sliding his back down the door he now is sitting on the floor, he buries his head in his hands.  He begins replaying of all of the evil things he has had to do to keep them safe.  He would never have pointed a gun at anybody a week prior.  Now, however, not only is it getting easier to aim a gun at what was a person, but he squeezes the trigger without hesitation.  Deacon can almost feel himself distancing himself from humanity, and this is turning into just another day at the office.

He quietly sits in the darkness until the voices in his head subside.  He can now hear Jaimie playing with Trisha and Becky, realizing that this is the reason for doing the things he has been forced to do.   Deacon gets back to his feet, and opens the door.  Jeff is coming out of the shower.  As he passes he comments to Deacon how he had to wash the stink from that runner off of him. Deacon smiles at him as Jeff continues to the elevator to join Alicia upstairs.

“Greg should just let Deacon knock him out.” #zombie

They walk around to the back of the container to attempt to open it, but a padlock on each door prevents an easy access.  Deacon asks Greg to go get his master key out of the tool box in his truck.  Greg jogs over to Deacon’s truck and comes back carrying bolt cutters.  Greg cuts off both pad locks and they open the trailer.  By this time they have an audience standing behind them.  With both doors wide open, an array of boxes neatly stacked lies in front of them.  Deacon takes a package of papers taped to the side of one of the boxes and opens it.  The papers say that it is all clothing. 

Dave pats Greg and Deacon on the back and tells them “Good find!” 

Dave and Alicia invite their new found roommates to bring all their belongings in to the visitor center. Deacon and Jeff help Jaimie get her and the girls’ things down to their room.  John is the first to ask about a room.  He demands that he should get a big room, as he is the leader of the group at the truck stop.  Deacon just tells Greg to do whatever he needs to do with John.  Greg can see that Deacon is already starting to get fed up with John. 

Dave also takes notice of Deacon’s displeasure, and turns to Lana who is standing next to him. 

“What is going on between those two?”   

She informs him that they have a strange dynamic, “They keep each other grounded.  They have spent so much time together, that it is almost like they can read each other’s mind.  Greg thinks things all of the way through, until he begins to run off of emotion.  Deacon runs more off of emotion, but it makes him more focused.”  

She goes on to tell him that if Greg gets angry, Deacon is about the only one who can talk him down, and Greg is the only one who can talk Deacon down “By the look of things, Deacon’s patience is going to run out quickly with John.”

Dave mutters, “Greg should just let Deacon knock him out.”  

“Ya, we are not too sure of him either.” #zombie

The women and girls run in to the observation tower.  Dave hands them the binoculars,  

            “That looks like a lot of people,” Lana tells them, the excitement building.

            “Ya, but I thought they were going to get supplies, not more people,” Dave tells them smiling.

            They pull into the parking lot.  Alicia, Lana and the girls are standing on the front steps. Dave is winding his way down the handicap ramp.  Deacon’s truck turns off and Greg gets out and runs to Lana, Jaimie to her girls.  Alicia has a concerned look on her face until she sees Jeff walk around the front of the semi.  Dave sees Deacon still getting out of the semi and wheels over to him.

“What did you find,” he asks sarcastically. 

 Deacon begins to tell him that when they were at Jaimie’s, they had a bit of a mishap.    Greg wanders over and asks Deacon if they should find out what is in the container.   Deacon nods, as the three of them start moving to the rear of the trailer. 

“Out of all the trucks, why the cargo container?”

“We can use these containers to build a wall around our new home.”   

Dave looks past Deacon and Greg, he asks who the tough guy is, obviously displeased and looking at John. 

“Ya, we are not too sure of him either.”

"What are those guys doing now?" #zombies

She continues on with question after question, mostly about nothing.  Deacon begins to get annoyed.  It all starts coming back to him why they had broken up after high school.  She asks him if he is with anybody, he tells her no, and that he does not plan on it either.  The whole way out Deacon wishes she would stop talking. 

They come to the gate at the toll booth.  Greg and Jeff both get out, Greg and Jeff walk up to the semi Deacon is in.  They tell him that Jeff is going to open the gate and he will pull over to wait for Jeff while everybody pulls through the gate.  Then he will follow them in after Jeff shuts the gate.  Deacon reminds him that Dave needs to see Deacons truck leading them in or Dave will be wasting ammo on them, adding that he doesn’t want to change any tires.  He tells Greg that he will pull over and wait for Jeff, following everybody in.  Greg agrees and returns to the truck.  With everyone through the gate, Jeff jumps in the truck with Deacon.  The “convoy” resumes their course across the causeway.

                                                                        #         

            Back at the visitor center, Alicia and Lana are playing with the girls.  When they suddenly hear Dave, "What are those guys doing now?"  

“We'll see!” #zombie

Everyone gets in to their respective vehicles, Greg leads the way in Deacon’s truck. Deacon is behind him with the cargo container, then John, and bringing up the rear is the motor home and a little car both loaded with people.  On the drive back, Jaime asks Greg if Deacon is ok.  Greg sighs telling her he is fine, but curiously asks why.  She explains that he has been quieter since they left the island.  He reiterates the fact that he believes he is fine, too busy with his own concerns with the new group.

In the semi with Deacon, Cherise tells Deacon he must think she is an awful person. Deacon explains to her that she was doing what she had to do to keep her son fed, taking pity on her for having to go to those extremes.  Cherise disclose that it was John’s idea.

"Surprise,” Deacon says sarcastically. 

Cherise goes on to tell him that John really is not that bad of a guy. 

“We'll see!”    

She asks where they are going, and Deacon tells her simply, “the island.”

She continues on with question after question, mostly about nothing.  Deacon begins to get annoyed.  It all starts coming back to him why they had broken up after high school.  She asks him if he is with anybody, he tells her no, and that he does not plan on it either.  The whole way out Deacon wishes she would stop talking. 

“These people stuck here!” #zombies

Greg asks him what he is thinking.  Deacon proceeds to tell him that he is thinking of taking the whole truck and trailer.  Skeptically, Greg tells him that if he can find the keys, he thinks it is a good idea.  Deacon opens the door, climbing up into the cab.  He starts searching for the keys.  

Looking down at Greg who is watching him, he asks, “Are you just going to stand there?” 

Greg walks around to the other side and climbs in.

“You know sometimes you can be a real ASS,” Greg jokes.

Greg starts searching as he asks Deacon what he thinks about the group.  

“Which ones, I haven’t even met the ones we picked up at Jaimie's.”  

“These people stuck here!”  Greg clarifies.   

Deacon stops looking for the keys, glancing over at him.  He tells Greg that he thinks John might give them trouble.

“John thinks he’s a tough guy, but it isn’t fair to exclude the whole group because of one guy.” 

Greg agrees as he pulls down the passenger side visor.  The keys drop onto the floor of the truck.

"Bingo," Greg exclaims. 

Greg and Deacon walk back to the motor home, rejoining the two groups that have convened and are introducing themselves.

            John addresses Greg and Deacon as they rejoin the group, telling them that he is going to follow them in his semi.  Deacon asks him which one is his.  John points to a tanker.  Deacon asks him what he is hauling, and John informs him that it is full of diesel.  Deacon smiles, thinking to himself that this guy might serve a purpose after all.  The two teenage boys come running over with their arms full of gas cans.  They inform Deacon that his truck is full of fuel.  Greg announces that it is time to go.  John orders Cherise to get in his truck.  She tells him that she is riding with Deacon.  Deacon notices a flash of anger in Johns face immediately.

John replies, “Whatever,” as he walks to his semi.

"What brings you here?" #zombie

Cherise gives him a little smile as she leads them to a motor home.  She knocks on the door, it slowly opens.  Looking inside, Deacon can see that it is crowded with people.  A man comes walking out first.  He isn’t very tall, and obviously overweight.  The man extends his hand.  Very abruptly he introduces himself as John, the man in charge.  Cherise interrupts the introduction, as she informs John that Deacon drives truck like him.  John is intrigued and asks Deacon who he drove for.  Deacon explains he was a delivery driver for one of the local beer companies.  John quickly makes a snide comment about Deacon not being a real truck driver.  In response Deacon bites his tongue in order not cause any undue friction.  Greg shakes his hand, and asks him if his group would like to go somewhere safe.  Looking around at the desperate faces in his group, he tells Greg that they would.  He immediately begins to boss people around, ordering them to get things ready.  A total of fifteen adults and nine children were in the motorhome.    

Curious, John asks what brought them there.  Greg explains that they need fuel for Deacon's truck.  John whistles, and two teenagers coming running to him.  He starts barking more orders, telling them to fuel up Deacons truck.  Deacon thanks John and then wanders back to the semi with the cargo container.  Greg follows, leaving John spouting off more orders.  

"Walkers,” she asks. #zombie

He begins thinking of uses for the trailer.  He decides to go look for Greg and the others, when he hears somebody walking up behind him.  He had seen everyone that was with Greg walk across the parking lot, so he knew it was not any of them.  Deacon spins around drawing out his pistol, stopping with his finger on the trigger.  The muzzle of the gun is about six inches away from a young woman’s face.  He recognizes her as being his high school sweetheart and she immediately recognizes him.

"Deacon," she questions. 

"Cherise" Deacon answers her as he holsters his gun. 

He asks her what she is doing out there.  Her demeanor changes to appear that she is ashamed of why she is there.  She begins to tell him as she looks away, that she had intended on trading her body for food to feed her son.  Deacon looks down at the ground.  The realization that this is what the world has turned into, desperation to survive, crosses his mind before he asks if she has seen walkers around here. 

"Walkers,” she asks.

“That is what they are being called.  Well, the slow ones anyway, and then there are runners, they are the fast ones,” He explains. 

“There are some around here.  There is also some really bad people moving around,” Cherise explains. 

She continues, that she has something she wants to show him.  She begins to walk away, and he follows.  Greg sees them.  Running, he catches up to them.

"Hi Cherise."  Greg says recognizing the woman.

"We are almost out fuel." #zombie

They make their way to the truck still firing shots.  Reaching the truck, Deacon is the last to get in.  He turns the key starting the truck, and slams the gas pedal to the floor.  Greg asks Deacon to stop the truck a block away from Jaimie’s house.  Deacon stops, and Greg gets out of the truck.  

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING,” Deacon yells. 

Greg pulls out his pistol as he walks over to a zombie crawling on the asphalt, the first runner that Greg had shot in the leg.  Greg points the muzzle of his pistol at the head of the demonic-like, creature, and fires.  It’s crawling ceases. 

Greg turns around, jumps back in the truck, "GO! GO!" 

Deacon begins shifting gears as they start to pull away.  Deacon looks down at his fuel gauge just as the fuel light comes on and sees that the needle is in the red. 

"Uhh, Greg we are almost out fuel."   

Greg asks him how much fuel they have.  Deacon states that he is sure they do not have enough to get back.       

            Deacon remembers a truck stop a little out of the way in the opposite direction.  They come up to the freeway.  Deacon turns north getting on the interstate instead of south like they need to go to get home.  Greg asks why he is going north if they are almost out of fuel.  Deacon explains that he knows this truck stop a little ways up the interstate, continuing to drive.  Pulling into the truck stop, Deacon parks the truck next to a semi.  His hope is to be able to siphon enough fuel to get them back to the island.  Greg opens the door on the trailer to let the “passengers” out.  Deacon immediately starts looking in the fuel tanks, it does not have much fuel.  He then looks back at the trailer in frustration.  It is a shipping containers that can either go by boat, train or semi.  Deacon estimates that it is about forty five feet long.  He walks closer to it to get a better look.

“LET’S GO, WE CANT FIGHT ALL OF THESE THINGS,” #zombies

 During the onslaught, one more runner appears out of the herd of walkers.  It quickly makes up the distance between it and the group, and is on top of them as the family makes it to the trailer. Jeff quickly puts up the door, closing the latch.  The runner runs pass the trailer. Noticing Jeff as it passes, it stops and turns around.  Jeff stands motionless with absolute terror in his face, the runner is only about ten feet away.  It snarls as it lunges at Jeff, knocking him to the ground.  In a panic Jeff scrambles to get it off of him.  Caught up in escaping its grasp, Jeff is oblivious to the sound of rifle.  The runner rolls off of him, motionless.  Greg turns to look at Deacon.  Deacon is still holding the rifle to his shoulder and looking through the scope.  Greg walks over to Jeff who continues to scream and on the verge of hyperventilating as he clambers to his feet.  Greg looks at the runner, and it is apparent Deacon had put one shot in its eye and another through its forehead. 

            Deacon slides the empty magazine out of the receiver, and removes a full one out of his pants pocket.  Sliding it in the rifle, he begins taking more shots at the walkers who are only a house away.  

“LET’S GO, WE CANT FIGHT ALL OF THESE THINGS,” Deacon yells out.

"You ready for this," #zombie

Deacon glances down the street and discovers a lot more movement, coming towards the families. Deacon whistles at Jeff.  Jeff looks up at him, and Deacon points towards the runners.  Terror flashes across Jeff’s face as it registers what is about to happen.  Jeff is frozen as he watches the walkers and two families running towards them.  Deacon yells, ordering him to keep the trailer door open.  

Greg yells to the families to hurry and get into the trailer, then yells to Jeff to stay by the trailer, “AS SOON AS THE GET IN, SHUT THE DOOR!”   

Complete chaos erupts.  Jeff has taken up a position nervously at the back of the trailer. Deacon runs over to Jaimie, rushing her into the truck.  

Deacon rejoins Greg, where they both look through their scopes.

"You ready for this," Deacon mutters.

There is an anxious crackle in Greg’s voice as he responds “Yep!”

Deacon puts the crosshairs on a runner that is closing in on the families and firmly squeezes the trigger.  Greg and Deacon fire shots as fast as they can.  Greg's first shot somewhat finds its mark, snapping one of the runners legs in half. 

Without looking away or missing a shot Deacon tells Greg, "That will slow him down!" 

Deacon hits the other one in the stomach, releasing what appears to be a greenish, brown, blood splatter.  He keeps pulling the trigger, tracking the shots up to the runners head.  The runner’s body jerks backwards with every shot until the last two shots find their mark, hitting the runner in the head.  It falls motionless in the street. 

“Are they walkers?” #zombie

In the silence, Deacon’s attention turns to Greg who is snapping his fingers.  Deacon creeps over to him, looking through his scope in the direction Greg is pointing, finding movement.  There are what appears to be two families moving towards them.  There is four adult males, two adult females, a younger male and two children, one a boy and the other a girl. 

“Are they walkers?”  Greg asks.

“I don’t think so!  They are ducking behind things,” Deacon answers.  

He then spots three walkers stumbling around a house in-between them and the survivors.  Jeff puts more boxes in the trailer, before reporting to Deacon that the next trip will be the last. 

Deacon nods.  Jeff leaves them to go gather the last load.  

Greg stands up, motioning to the two families to hurry.  The two that look like the patriarchs grab the two small children and start running straight towards them.  Jeff and Jaimie take the last load to the trailer, oblivious to what is going on.  Deacon keeps watch on the walkers down the street. It is obvious that the zombies see the movement down the street, focusing in on the families. 

“Oh shit!”  Greg says anxiously. 

The zombies quickly jerk around and begin sprinting towards the survivors.  Deacon immediately realizes that these are not walkers but runners.