“See,” Stan snapped at an almost inaudible level as Cara and I finally managed to scramble out of the sewer and slide the manhole cover back into place, “this is what I was talking about…”

“Do you really want to be playing that game right now?” I asked before scanning around the foggy street with my next-to-useless goggles for any sign of an impending attack, “Where are we?”

“Near that gas station at the center of town.” Cara replied matter-of-factly as we both pulled our goggles back onto the top of our heads.

“You sound awfully sure.” I said, opting to take on a much friendlier tone for her as if to show Stan just where he sat in the social chain.

“That’d be because it’s right there.” Cara chuckled after pointing her head over to one of the building-shaped shadows in the fog, “I spotted some tires through the fog.”

“So maybe it would be an idea to go in there?” Stan asked sharply, “I’m feelin’ real exposed out here.”

“Your last great idea was to shoot the four guys who could’ve helped us get to the endgame.” I snapped, “This is Cara’s call.”

I know that that makes me seem like a bit of a tool, but I honestly think there was just some part of me that didn’t want to blindside Stan if and when everything went down.

That’s probably a terrible excuse, but it’s mine.

“As much as it pains me to admit,” Cara started before turning to Stan with a sigh, “I think he has a point. At least in there we’ll have four walls and some visibility.”

‘Thank God…’ I thought to myself, a feeling of relief washing over me at the prospect of being able to go indoors.

Don’t get me wrong, I saw the flaw in my thinking, and I knew that it made me seem like an insolent child, though I will say that the way Cara put it just made the idea seem better.

“So, are we doing this, or what?” Stan practically growled after we lingered for a few more seconds.

“We can’t just go rushing in,” I replied, a sort of coolness returning to my voice, “right, Cara?”

“Right.” Cara said confidently, “I’ll lead the way when I know we’re clear, alright?”

Stan hesitated to respond, but eventually let out an annoyed huff, “Alright, let’s try and get it done quickly though.”

Cara had us wait for a few more seconds, and I got the feeling it was for the sole reason to piss off Stan, before finally pointing at the building with the universal ‘move’ hand gesture.

We stayed tight and slow, ignoring the fact that the manhole cover had finally started to lift and shift as the zombies from the sewer finally figured out what they needed to do in order to get it out of their way.

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“I’m not trying to be a problem,” I whispered from the rear of our tight conga line as I started noticing a few people-shaped forms shuffling closer towards us through the fog, “but I got a feeling we may want to pick up the pace.”

“Startin’ to sound like Stan,” Cara jabbed, “besides, can’t get in. Door’s locked.”

“Are you serious?” Stan hissed desperately, “Can you get a window out?”

“Have you not seen Shaun of the Dead?” Cara replied, “The last thing we want is to be smashing out windows. Come on, we’ll see if there’s a way around the side.”

“No can do…” Stan said ominously, losing his desperate tone as he peeked around the corner, “Five zombies around the left, you wanna check the right?”

I’m not going to lie, the fact that Stan had snapped back into ‘combat-mode’ made me more than a little nervous, mostly because I knew that that usually led to some pretty… final solutions with him.

“Damn…” Cara muttered while I continued to scan the increasingly busy fog in front of me, “Three around this side. Where to?”

“How tall’s the building?” Stan asked flatly.

“Two-storey.” I replied, matching his tone.

“Any windows?”

“One above the door, balcony beside it.”

Okay, so maybe I liked that about Stan’s more serious side, we started working together really well.

My ability to pick up on my surroundings almost subconsciously, his ability to think on his feet, it combined to make us into quite the team.

With that being said, I didn’t expect what he said next.

“Alright, help me get Cara up onto the balcony.”

For a moment there I was stunned by the order, but I quickly went into action and joined him in front of the gas station’s large front window, slinging our guns over our shoulders, and cupping our hands together, ready to take Cara’s feet.

“And why am I going up?” Cara asked with what I thought I’d just mistaken as genuine offence before she followed it up with an almost sassy “It’s because I’m a girl, isn’t it?”

“No,” Stan replied coldly, “it’s because you’re the lightest, arguably the most nimble, and are going to be able to get in and unlock the front door while Finn and I cover each other.”

Cara went to argue that for whatever reason before accepting that he had a point, throwing her gun up onto the balcony, then climbing up onto our hands and keeping herself stable as we lifted her up.

“There’s nothing to grab.” Cara practically swore, “The balcony’s got this weird lip thing, I can’t reach over it.”

“Stan, zombies incoming.” I announced flatly as the creatures began to become clearer in the fog, their curious shuffling having finally gotten them in the right direction.

“Can you try jumping?” Stan asked before gesturing for me to lift her up higher.

“If you guys want a couple o’ broken wrists, sure.”

“I’m sure we could handle it.”

“This is physics, Stan,” Cara replied almost desperately, “the amount of downforce I’d put out would either injure you or make you both fall over.”

“They’re getting closer…” I muttered.

“I’m well aware of that,” Stan bit back stressfully, “are you sure there’s nothing you can grab?”

Cara didn’t get a chance to answer, I’d already let go of her foot, unslung my rifle, and shot a zombie right before it could get a bite out of Stan’s unsuspecting neck.

Killed Z.O.M.B. Mutation 3

+7 Points (185 Points)

In that moment I was forced to come to a somewhat irritating realization, I could be a dick to Stan, sure, but I was nowhere near ready to kill him or even so much as leave him in a position to be killed.

“Shit!” Cara yelped as she hit the ground, bringing my attention over to the two zombies that had been coming up behind me and allowing me to put them down before they got close enough to be a problem.

Killed Z.O.M.B. Mutation 3

+7 Points (192 Points)

Killed Z.O.M.B. Mutation 3

+7 Points (199 Points)

And, with those two fresh kills, I came to another realization, a realization that was enough to make me come to a pause for a good few seconds as I struggled with the reality of it all.

Stan was more than ready to let me die.