I lean on our battered Armored Car as Norbert walks over with a crate of ammo. "Why do they even have you as a scout?" I shake my head, here we go again. "We're both expendable." Dave pops out one of the hatches, "Hand me the crate!" He hoists it up and sighs as Dave takes it, "Something we can both agree on." Dave shouts, "Why isn't Jon coming with us!?" I stretch, "Someone has to protect them while we're out front!" "But they got Jean!"

The governor signals us as he approaches with his soldiers. He looks at us, then calls out, "Dave?" He pops his head out with a snarl, "Yeah?" He walks up and holds out a radio, "I'm trusting you alone with the radio." He swipes it, "Whatever you're selling, Governor, I'm not buying." He turns to us, "Y'all ready to go?" The Governor points to Dave, "Keep that close, radio about any trouble." Dave shrugs and waves to us, "Isn't that what it's for anyway?" Dave holds his hand out at the side door. With his help, I take the big step up. I look back, no skyscrapers, a topped city and only a dozen or so army trucks and jeeps in a convoy. It's time to leave home. The easy life's long gone. It started since my body started failing me. I have to protect them above everything.

We rush down the highway towards Humble "We're a mile out, start going slow!" I'll tell the Governor. "Ohhh, I'll tell the Governor." Dave shakes his head as Norbert stares at the car's hull. I frown, "I see why you fell asleep." He turns to me, "I'm waiting for them to radio about an attack or we get one here." "By being stiff as board?" He frowns, "What's your problem?"

A loud ping comes from outside, a black spike pokes through our armor. Loud screams and screeches draw nearer. I grab my heart as Norbert pops out a hatch and opens fire at them. "We have contact! Small group of demons!" Come on! Did I lose that energy? Am I just that old man again? My hands tremble at the thought. Norbert shouts, "Pick up a gun and start shooting, old man!" Dave shouts, "There's a lot of them!" Good, you need to lead them away! "No, no, no! We can't outrun them!" It's your job. Do it. Dave bangs on the horn, "Damn it!" A box rustles and I point it out, "Guys!" Norbert keeps shooting as Dave swerves to dodge a demon. As he does, the box topples over and Jack rolls out of it. "Ow." Dave looks back, "Why the hell are you here!?" "I wanted to help!" I grab my heart, "You had to help by staying where you're safe!"

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Norbert throws his pistol down, "My guns don't cut it!" Dave shouts, "Machine gun! Go!" The top hatch pops open and the machine gun Brrrrrrt's in bursts. Jack covers his ears and screams at the noise. I help cover his ears as more spikes dent into the back. "Something's on the back!" Claws tear through where the spikes punctured, a blackened hand reaches out to Jack. I hold on to something and start kicking at it. My knee aches almost immediately. "We're leading them off the highway!" Ok! Gunfire comes from behind us in the distance, We're taking out the stragglers now.

The machine gun stops firing and he hops down, "Move out the way and reload the machine gun!" He slams a shotgun into the hole and pulls the trigger. With a loud boom and an inhuman scream, the car feels a little lighter now. "Why aren't you loading it!?" I point at Jack, "That was our ammunition." Norbert grabs his face as Jack peeks through the rear hole. I yank him away from it and a spike pings through the rear hole. I grab Jack, "Don't ever do that! Are you stupid?!" He stares at me, eyes wide as Norbert peeks through, "They're gaining again!" Norbert points at me, "Be productive and reload our guns already!" I growl, "Fine, mercenary." I start loading our guns as he shouts, "What's your problem with me!?"

"To you, she is a walking paycheck!" "Not this again!" I throw him a gun as I shout, "You deprived your own sleep! That's dangerous and you know it!" He shoots, then turns around, his hands turn to claws and his face fierce like a mountain lion, "I am not losing her! I’ve been to her birthdays, I’ve crawled through hell and back in just these past few days. Days of telling her to close her eyes and cover her ears! Run where I run. Go where I go. Not once, have I lost track of her! Until I met you!” I look down as he tears a gun from my hands. “If you had friends, you’d be able to do that!” “I can’t trust anyone with her!” “Then where’s your kid?!”

He roars and unloads the gun at the demons, “Seems like I hit a nerve.” He growls and pulls his head back in the Car, “Fuck you!” “Swearing in front of a child?” Jack shouts with his ears slightly covered, “I’m fine with it!” We both shout at him, “You’re not even supposed to be here!” Norbert sighs, "I took care of the fast ones. Let's get back to Rose."