Standing at the front of the police precinct under the cold darkness of the autumn sky, Levi looked at his little ragtag group. On edge, flinching at every noise coming from the glowing orange night sky.
"My name's Levi. I think my introduction is long overdue." Levi said, attracting everyone's gaze, which lacked Bernard, who remained with the officers. Leaving the only officer as the injured Vaguez, who was too scared to go back in.
"You did well inside… But now you've survived, you have to decide what you plan on doing." he continued, praising the group. But the rest of his sentence stopped the smiles creeping on their faces as the reality hit them once more. They looked lost.
"I plan on looking for my partner, Maggie. What will the rest of you decide?" Levi asked, looking at their forlorn figures in the cold summer air.
"I want to find my parents," spoke Elise, the young girl, with a mixture of fear and bravery. Earning a smile from Levi.
"I wanna find my girl." Ricky soon followed.
"I wanna find my Ma," Garett added next, earning a few weird looks, but responded with a determined glare.
"I want to find my daughter." Said Eric, his voice quiet, but there was a fierce resolve hidden under his meek demeanour.
Levi appreciatively nodded before saying, "Then let's split ways here then. I wish you luck."
"We should stick together," Garett said, looking towards Levi. "You might feel confident running through the city like this, but I'm sure none of us is. We're safer as a group. The chance to save our loved ones only exists if we live." others nodded at his reasoning.
"What makes you think I want your help?" Levi responded, amused. Making Garett frown before he said.
"Because you're intelligent, and there's more value letting us follow than not," Garett smirked as he met the same placid eyes.
"You're a sharp one. I'll give you that, you can all follow me. But if you prove to be useless baggage, don't expect me to keep dragging you along."
"Of course," Garett smirked. Others nodding with his statement.
"Well then, let's go. You can tell me about who you're after, and if they're on the way, we'll move to grab them." Levi said, glancing at the group before setting off.
The streets of Boston felt particularly lively as they began moving through the streets. There was more activity on the roads than most festivals accrued throughout the year—the air filled with the powerful background noise of screeching cars and windows breaking.
With vehicles hurtling down the streets, often packed to the brim with items, as kids sat in the back. People wanted out, but so did everyone else, and as they moved towards the busier parts of the city, the streets became gridlocked. The smoking remains of vehicles dotted around as cars lay vacant at the intersections. Haphazardly abandoned, looking like ghost cars with doors left open and boots left ajar cars still filled to the brim.
But it wasn't just the streets that were busy. In the townhouses lining the streets, eyes poked from between orange slits between blinds watching the chaos unfolding on the streets below.
Shadows danced on the fire lit streets as people moved with abandon, rifling throughout storefronts. Lifting metal sheetings terrorising the fearful business owners who cried their grievances as their livelihoods got dismantled before them.
Some fought, trying to stop the invasion of their homes, but the screams and sound of gunshots was the only response. Several ending up lying in blood as they got beaten or shot for their valiant defiance.
With slower companions shambling over the corpse of the store owners, joining the fun. As screams echoed from the store, as wounded rioters ran from the store, those inside never leaving the building again. Sometimes the dead owners, standing for a second time and shambling into the store to defend their property for another time.
While others spraypainted and screamed into the night air, a perfect depiction of anarchy. Walls of police armed in riot gear fought back as hoses pumped against the rioters trying to assuage order.
But through the attacks of the rioters and the infected dotted around, officers began to fall. And the police started to take harsher measures as they began firing tear gas and firing warning shots at the protesters who got too close—firing point-blank at the ones who ambled forth despite that.
The whole city felt like a melting pot of chaos as the group moved, pressed against the walls avoiding attention. Like they were in the end times, the occasional sonic booms of explosions in the distance, filling the night with their momentary brilliance, adding to that feeling of disaster.
They had to deal with a few rioters, and Levi had to shoot a warning to Garett as an infected moved towards them. Allowing the man to react as he held the creature and fired a round into its head, making everybody nearby avoid their group.
After escaping from the area surrounding the police station, they attempted to take a quiet route, purposely trying to avoid any areas they knew were busy. But there were sinister undertones in even the more peaceful areas. As the occasional scream sounded from within the terraced houses, alluding to the grim fate of their inhabitants.
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Even running into an infected on a dim-lit street corner, biting down onto a gaudy looking woman.
Although it wasn't as perilous as what they'd encountered earlier, it still unnerved a few. Levi deciding that they'd deal with creatures. After all, if he dealt with every creature, they would be useless when he was no longer present.
Garett and his associate, Ricky, seemed much more composed with the situation than others. Though the group was more collected after the close call earlier, seeing the riots first hand.
What followed was a brutal administering of violence. Garett swung his aluminium baseball bat and caught its head flush. Knocking it to the floor, its head getting flattened under the bat.
This was the first of many. The encounters increased in frequency as they moved towards their first target—Eric's daughter, staying with his Ex in a nearby apartment.
But an issue soon became apparent. That Vaguez was struggling to continue, even stumbling to the floor. He managed to rise to his feet, but Levi raised his hand and stopped the man.
"You're not gonna be able to move with us any longer. You have to make your choice, decide what you want to happen. You're likely gonna change, so think carefully." Levi said, looking into the man's weary eyes.
"Please, I can keep going…" he pleaded, but Levi's eyes did not fluctuate.
"No, you can't. Make your choice." Levi said, the man's eyes whirling for a moment before diming as he whispered.
"Kill me. I want to die as I lived. Protecting the people." dropping to his knees as he closed his eyes. Levi stared at the kneeling man with respect. It must have taken immense determination to make that decision.
Levi grabbed his pistol and raised it in line with Vaguez's head. His face looked towards the floor, tears hitting the ground as a suppressed sobbing sounded out. His fists clenched as Levi said.
"Any last words."
"My wife. Tell her I loved her. Tell her I loved her more than anything and that I'm sorry." his sobs sounded between his words as Levi nodded, saying.
"I'll tell her. Bang." a gunshot sounded out. Vaguez slumping to the floor.
Elise gasped in shock, her face horrified. The others weren't much better, their faces went pale, but Elise seemed the most affected, retching as she began to empty her stomach to the side.
It was easy to rationalise that these creatures weren't human. But the killing of a breathing human being wasn't so easy to rationalise. The group looked horrified at Levi. The ease, the unresponsiveness it scared them. Their stomachs churned at the very scene of Vaguez strewn dead, yet the man who committed the act observed in silence their reactions. As if checking a list in his mind, watching like a studious boss appraising his subordinates.
Although some already had an inkling that Levi was a dangerous man, this was the moment that confirmed it.
Garett was less terrified, but his caution, as well as appreciation, towards the man, had risen. Whatever was happening to the city, men of action were the ones who would thrive. That's why they needed a man who could make the hard decisions. But this confirmed the man had some murky past. It was hard to become so cold in the face of death without experiencing plenty.
Levi grabbed the slumped body of Vaguez and began dragging the body across the pavement, and propped it against the wall of a terraced house. There wasn't much they could do, no proper send-off they could give. The times wouldn't allow it. But they could at least not leave the man sprawled on the floor like some animal. Giving him some modicum of dignity in death.
Everyone looked uncomfortable towards the propped up body of the man that had travelled with them. He didn't look happy or comfortable in death, but they felt relief that he wouldn't become yet another monster walking the streets. That was a fate worse than death.
"We need to hurry. The more time passes, the more difficulty we'll have moving through the city. If things can get this bad in a day, I don't want to know how bad it can get in two." Levi said, breaking the group from their stupor and making them move again. Their comrade of a few hours left behind against a wall as their minds now focussed on saving their own families.
Eric's Ex's apartment was close by. It didn't take much time to reach. There was only one more encounter with a running man chased by a small group of creatures. This time Levi stepped in and killed the creatures. There was minimal margin for error, and fighting a group was asking for death. Somebody would get bitten, so they needed to think about rudimentary protection before attempting it.
Ignoring the man that ran off, they pulled at yet another terraced street where Eric pointed towards a townhouse and said, "It's here, apartment 204." making the group walk into the building, Eric gave directions to Levi, who led at the front.
The warm light bulbs of the apartment flashed as they moved up the stairwell, hushed voices echoing through the walls. The lights flashed on and off in spells as power seemed to be failing.
They soon reached apartment 204, where there was a momentary flurry of movement when they knocked on the door. Eric shouted, "Mellisa, are you there?" his voice stopped the movement before the footsteps moved towards the door, and the click of the lock sounded. Revealing the visage of a red-eyed woman who pounced towards Eric, gathering him in an embrace.
Her sudden emergence made the group grab for their weapons, but the sound of sobbing from the woman tucked into Eric's chest made them stop. Eric put his arms around the woman, making her crumble further as she began to bawl. Her voice strained as she screamed, discomforting the onlookers as they watched the intimate scene.
The woman took a while to calm down, but while she was crying, the group spotted the fragments of blood covering the women's attire and dripping onto her skin. Causing dread to rise, as they peered through the ajar door and saw the room's interior a mess, items smashed on the floor and furniture out of place.
"Calm down, Mel. It's okay. It's okay. What happened?" Eric soothed the inconsolable woman, who muttered incoherently.
Eric only comprehended a single name, "Rose." Which meant very little to everyone. But the incredible paleness of Eric when he heard the name made them realise it was likely his daughter.
Eric attempted to pry the woman from him to move into the apartment. The woman screeching, "Don't!" as he moved, scratching and grabbing towards him, trying to prevent him from entering.
But she managed very little, as he discarded her and stormed into the apartment, noticing the mess. And looking around the apartment with dread, as blood coloured the floor, making his breath ragged.
Before he moved towards a door where a red handprint dragged across the white varnish and propped open the door. A choked exclamation escaping as he walked dazed towards the growling visage of a small girl strapped to a chair.
His voice hitched as tears began to emerge from his eyes, whispering, "Rose. My little flower." His hand extending towards the snapping jaw of the fragile girl. But, stopped in motion, grasped by another. His eyes, turning towards Levi, who was responsible, who shook his head at him.
Making the man fumble, trying to find the correct words, but the look of pity eroded all his words as he broke into a loud sob. The man dropped to his knees, his tearful eyes looking towards the girl who resembled more a demon than a child. His voice turning hoarse as he released an anguished howl of pain. His fists smashing into the floor, his hands bleeding as he smacked repeatedly onto the wooden boards.
Before a reassuring hand landed on his shoulder as he screamed his heart out, causing his thumps to lose intensity as he stared up towards the thrashing girl, whispering, "Not my baby…."