Low on Time/Issue 35

This is issue thirty-five of Low on Time, entitled: Expendable.

Issue 35; Expendable
As Olivia patched up Ella's arm, Paul, Jake, Kelly, and Nolan were in the midst of opening one of the windows in the room. It was frozen shut, and the four were having tons of trouble getting it open. Amanda and Ike watched impatiently behind them, with Julia, Manning, and Ryker sitting together, Ryker having a Winchester rifle on his lap. Trevin guarded the stairs, and the two kids sat beside Amanda.

"Just break it open!" Ike spat.

"And what then?" Paul asked.

"Climb through it!"

"No, fuck that. We stick to the plan."

Kelly exchanged looks with Jake and Nolan, who both nodded. "That's not a bad idea, actually." she said.

Ike smirked, seeing Paul's face get red. "See?" he asked, sarcastically.

"Don't make me hit you in your goddamn ear."

"Stop, you two." Amanda said, sounding surprisingly angry. "You two will kill us if you keep this up."

"Yeah, guys, please stop. You're distracting me." Olivia said, not taking her eyes off of Ella's arm.

Paul sighed as Ike smirked. Julia looked around, seeing a brick lying on the ground. She quickly got up, walking over to it, and picking it up. She rushed it over to Nolan, who took it quickly, turning to the window. He lifted his arm, and threw the brick at the window, shattering the glass.

Kelly quickly made her way to the window, looking out, seeing no sign of Langston or any bandits for that matter, although the gunshots were still heard from the front.

"Clear." she said, before climbing out of the window. Nolan went with next, followed by Jake and Amanda. As the survivors made their way out of the window, the area was surprisingly clear. Manning was last, helping Ella out of the window. Jake picked Ella up off the ground, and lifted her over his shoulders.

"Can we go now?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's do that." Trent said, nervously.

"Ok, follow me." Nolan said.

Nolan jogged off, the group close behind them, passing the graves and bodies of their former friends, and family. As Kelly looked at the graves, she was hit by that feeling of guilt that she tried so hard to get rid of.

"Guys!" Julia exclaimed, making the group stop in their tracks.

"What?" asked Olivia looking over her shoulder to watch for the bandits.

"Look at the footprints. It's probably where Langston and the group went."

The group looked, and saw a set of footprints which led into the jungle.

"Alright, follow them." Kelly said quickly, wanting to get to Langston as fast as she could.

The group went on their way, making their way through the snow as fast as they could. Following the footsteps, they got to the outside of the farm house, where the footsteps led them. Kelly looked behind her, looking at the house that had kept her and her friends safe for the past months. And she was grateful.

Langston walked hurriedly through the woods, Vince close behind him. In a bit of a gap, Drew walked with Brandon, who's eyes were now a bright red, and his skin was a pale white. Brandon, obviously not having time enough to prepare to evacuate, didn't have time to grab a sweatshirt or jacket, and was in a black t-shirt and jeans. This disadvantage slowed him down, and he could feel his body freezing up by the moment.

"Where-- where is the closest building?" Drew muttered, catching his attention.

"D-Don't know." he said, shivering.

"God, you must be freezing."

"I'm--I'm fine." he lied, trying to ignore the face.

"Langston!" Drew called, prompting Vince and Langston to both turn around.

"What is it?" he called back.

"We gotta get somewhere warm-- or get Brandon hear a jacket. He'll die out here otherwise."

"You really think he'll die?"

"If he contracts hypothermia, then yes."

"Fine." Langston sighed. "We gotta hurry up though."

Olivia walked, holding the freezing Sam in her arms, trying to keep the young girl warm. Oscar walked closely behind them, Manning making sure he's safe as well.

"Was that Patricia back there?" Ryker asked, referencing the dead body of an older lady back they passed.

"Yeah, buddy." Julia said, putting her arm around him for comfort, both his and hers.

"Guys, just keep focusing on looking out for the zombies or something." Jake said, Ella still over his shoulder.

"Where do you think Langston would've taken them?" Olivia spoke up, looking at Jake to Kelly. "We can't stay out here in the freezing all day."

"And we won't." Kelly said, quickly. "But, we can't leave Langston and the others behind."

"Then can we hurry up?"

"Fine." she said, turning to everyone else. "Pick up the pace, now!"

Langston, Drew, Vince, and Brandon bust through the door of a police station, Langston and Drew quickly slicing the three zombies who stood in the room.

"Seal the door." demanded Drew, which Vince and Brandon hopped right on. "I'm gonna go check the rest of the station, make sure it's clear."

"I'll go too." Langston said, as he picked up a gun from the dead body of a police officer.

"No, you go check out the other side of the station."

"Splitting up isn't probably the best idea." Vince said, as he and Brandon pushed a big container in front of the door.

"Fine. Vince, come with me." Drew said.

"I-I guess I'll go with Langston then." Brandon said, still shaking violently from the cold.

"Yeah, I'll see if we can come back with a jacket for you, while we're at it." Drew remarked.

Langston and Brandon quickly walked off into another section of the police station, while Drew and Vince went to the opposite section.

Drew and Vince walked along the dark hallway, papers were scattered everywhere, along with the sight of blood on the walls and floors. The blood made Vince uneasy, as he was still thinking of Patricia. Watching her go down wasn't so easy, especially that he's known her for most of his life.

"Vincey-boy." Drew said, interrupting Vince's thought. "Take that room, I'll take the one next door."

"Sure." he uneasily said, but nonetheless, he said it.

Drew walked ahead, and Vince walked into the room, where there jail cells were held. He slowly walked into the dark room, but he noticed there was no immediate threat. Not wanting to take any chances, Vince stomped his feet a couple of times, which echoed throughout the room. Soon enough, the moaning sound that Vince so utterly dreaded echoed throughout the room as well. He raised his weapon, looking around the room for the zombie that stayed there. A hand suddenly grabbed onto Vince, pulling him towards the cell. Vince, immediately screams in fear, as he is now face-to-face with a zombie, who had a grasp on Vince, who tried pulling him closer to the cell. Vince tries to free himself, but the zombie is too strong. It pulls him closer, Vince's arm now being in range for the flesh-eating monster to get at. It immediately tears into the forearm of Vince, who lets out a painful cry, still trying to fight it off.

At this point, Drew comes sprinting in the room, stopping short at the sight of Vince being torn into. He quickly runs to his friend's aid, pulling Vince away from the zombie, and pushing him onto the floor. He pulls out his small make-shift knife, and stabbed the zombie in the head. He immediately turns to the now-crying Vince, who's staring at his own arm, bone visible, and blood spurting out of it.

"I'm gonna die." he cried, looking back up at Drew.

Drew looked down at him, not knowing what to do. First Patricia and now Vince. Vince was the last person in this world he cared about. He knew he couldn't just let him die.

Langston walked with Brandon still, looking for anything of use.

"The screaming stopped." Branson said, looking back the way they came.

"Vince probably just got a little frightened." Langston said, not taking his eyes off the rooms ahead.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "You're probably right."

"Ah, here we are." Langston said, walking up to door at the end of the hall.

Brandon watched as Langston busted open the door, marching in the room. Brandon followed him in, and the two looked around. Langston led him to the back wall, where various weapons lied out on top of a small wooden table. Langston immediately picked up a shotgun, smiling to himself. Brandon picked up a small submachine gun, but, he couldn't be happy. He left his brother to die back there, along with everyone else he lived with.

Langston and Brandon now sat anxiously in the main lobby of the police station, waiting for Drew and Vince to come back. A big bag of guns sat next to Langston, which he looked at ever-so-often. Drew finally entered the room, blood all over his shirt. Langston and Brandon rose immediately, looking at the shaking Drew.

"What happened?" Langston asked.

"Where's Vince?" Brandon asked, not giving Drew any time to answer Langston.

"He didn't make it." he said, looking at the two.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door, and the sound of someone fumbling with the doorknob could be heard. Langston and Brandon immediately drew, pointing their guns at the door. Drew walked over to the window, removing the curtain, seeing Kelly, Paul, Jake, and the rest of the group standing there in the freezing cold.

"Open the door." Drew said, looking at Langston and Brandon.

After the reuniting, the group sat together in the main lobby. Kelly lied down, her head on Langston's lap, who rubbed her head gently. Olivia sat with Jake and Sam, the little girl sitting in between the two, sleeping. Trent, Paul, Amanda, Ike, and Nolan kept watch, making sure no bandits nor zombies could get the jump on them. Manning, Oscar, Julia, Ryker, and Ella all sat clumped together. Ella had her head resting on Manning's shoulder, and both Ryker and Oscar were asleep. Trevin fiddled around with a revolver, in boredom. Drew had left the room to find a place to use the restroom, and Brandon, who had just learned of his brother's death, sits in a corner by himself, reminiscing about the past.

"I can't handle this anymore." Trent said, still looking out the window.

"What is it?" Paul asked.

"There's a group of survivors in that pharmacy down the road."

Paul shifted his attention there, and as Trent said, off in the distance in the pharmacy, Paul can make out a few figures pacing back and forth, boarding up the door.

"So, what do you wanna do then?" Paul asked.

"I wanna go introduce myself."

"Really, Trent?" he asked, kinda disappointed. "We just got thrown out by a group of bandits, Kira died, and you wanna go make nice with new people?"

Trent sighed, being reminded of Kira. "I know, but, you were accepting before. Why not now?"

"Cause, we could trust people back then." Ike spat out, walking past them.

"Yeah, I agree with Ike." Paul said. "Too risky."

"Ok, then what do we do?" Trent asked.

"Keep an eye on them." Paul said.

From the back corner, Brandon stood up, wiping his hands. Nolan turned towards him, as Brandon started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the bathroom." Brandon said.

"You need someone to go with you."

"I'm a big boy." he said, sarcastically. "I can do it."

"Drew didn't come back yet, though." Langston said, from his spot on the floor.

"Yeah, I'll go with ya." Nolan said, smiling.

As Nolan and Brandon left, the rest of the group just sat in silence, unsure of what to do.

"Guys," Manning said, turning their attention to him. "What do we do now?"

"Yeah, we can't stay here forever-- without food or medicine." Ike said.

"So, we go on more supply runs." said Olivia.

"Most of us aren't cut out for it though. And there's no where for us to sleep, we need all the energy we can." Ella said, looking at her bloodied arm.

"Then you gotta start training." Kelly said, her eyes still closed. "We can't just live anymore... we gotta start surviving."

"Ok, then. But we gotta find asthma medicine or something. Ryker needs them." Julia said, looking at the sleeping Ryker.

"How about that group across the way?" Trent asked, looking back out at the pharmacy group.

"Fine," Paul sighed. "I'll take a group to negotiate a trade for some medicine. We'll give them some ammo in exchange."

"I'll go with you." Jake said.

"Me too." Amanda and Olivia said in unison.

"What, are you kidding? You two can't go." Langston remarked.

"If they see us, they'll be more inclined to help." Olivia said. "After all, we're both fairly attractive girls."

"Fair enough, Miss. Bell..."

Nolan and Brandon walked along the dark hallway, the only light being Nolan's flashlight.

"So, you got a lady?" Nolan asked, not taking his gaze off the floor in front of him.

Brandon let out a little laugh, "No. Wasn't much of a ladies man, myself. How about yourself?"

"Nah, man. I had the same problem as you." Nolan said, smiling. "You think being some of the last men on Earth we'd get some more action, right?"

"Well, I did have Gisele..." Brandon said, sadly, remembering his girlfriend from back on the farm. "I lost everyone too quickly. Gisele, then Dirk... I can't handle much more."

"I know how you feel, bud." Nolan said, patting Brandon on his back. "Lost my dad when I was real young. Right before all this shit went down my mom died of cancer. It sucks man."

"We're the lonely ones here." Brandon pointed out. Besides Trevin and Drew, we're the only ones who really don't have anyone we car about left."

"That makes us expendable." Nolan said. "I--" Nolan is suddenly cut out by a loud moaning sound coming from inside one of the rooms. The two stopped short, at first unknowing where the sound was coming from. When the moaning sound continued, Nolan walked towards it, Brandon close behind him.

Nolan walked to the door where the moaning was at it's loudest. He raised his bow and arrow, and Brandon waited impatiently for Nolan to do something. Nolan swiftly opened the door, looking around the room quickly, seeing an empty room with a bunch of jail cells. Nolan entered the room, shining the flashlight around the room, making sure it was clear, and Brandon once again followed him closely.

Nolan pointed the flashlight into one of the cells, and standing there was a zombie. Not just any zombie. It was Vince. Both Nolan and Brandon looked at the zombie, in shock, too much shock for words.

The door they entered suddenly closed, and the two turned, seeing Drew standing there with blood all over his hands.

"You weren't supposed to see this." he said, his voice calm yet threatening at the same time.

Credits

 * Kelly Gay
 * Olivia Bell
 * Jake Munoz
 * Paul Alexander
 * Ike Dennis
 * Amanda Dixon
 * Langston Otto
 * Julia Riley
 * Ryker Daniels
 * Trevin
 * Nolan Fitzgerald
 * Manning
 * Oscar Manning
 * Sam
 * Drew Radke
 * Vince Dallas
 * Ella
 * Brandon

Deaths

 * Vince Dallas