Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day twenty-eight

chompers seen: probably about six hundred

chompers killed: 0

near-death experiences: 6

human deaths witnessed: 3

friends left behind: 6

camps infiltrated: 1

dead friends: 1

It only took us three hours to make it back onto the side of the highway. We probably would have made it in one if it wasn't for my stupid broken ankle.

We really didn't know where we were going or where we even were. Once again, we were back in the middle of nowhere with no plan.

They'd killed a good amount of chompers along the way. They definitely tended to stay around the highway, which was bad for us. At least I had an excuse to not kill them now. I could easily get out of just about everything by just pointing to my foot. Which I tended to not do, because it seemed weak and pathetic, but when it came to killing monsters, I had no problem exaggerating the depth of my injury.

We all trudged along the highway, wiping sweat from our eyes and sipping at the water we'd collected from the river. It was still strange to not hear Ken's nagging every two seconds. It was nice.

I limped along, using Anthony and Jonah as crutches. We'd ran out of bandages, so my foot was completely exposed and swollen. It sucked. We needed a vehicle; that much was certain.

"We have to be really close to a town," Aaron said, a few feet ahead, a loaded pistol in his hand.

"All these signs say L.A. is south," Jonah noted. "We must be just north of it."

"Looks like we're in the middle of nowhere," I muttered, frustrated.

~

Probably about an hour and a half later, Lizzy, who'd went up ahead with Aaron and Jenna, came running back to us.

"Guys! Buildings!" she shouted, smiling.

"Thank God," Anthony joked, pretending to struggle against my weight. "Can barely hold your fat ass up."

I rolled my eyes, smacking his shoulder. "Not the tough guy you thought you were, huh?"

He smirked. "A hell of a lot tougher than you, Noodle Arms."

"Jesus Christ, get a room." Jonah chuckled.

We all laughed, and I smiled even bigger as the first buildings came into view to my left.

"There's a sign up here that there's a hospital a few blocks in," Lizzy continued, staying back to walk with us.

"Good, maybe we can find a wheelchair for Limpy McGee here," Alex joked, glancing at my foot.

"'Limpy McGee?'" I shook my head. "You really are old."

We made it into the town, passing houses and diners and gas stations. Chompers seemed to be more abundant; Aaron and Jenna stayed a little ways ahead and killed quite a few as we marched along. Eventually, a large, brown hospital came into view, and I knew that was our best option.

Just as we reached the front doors, however, we were faced with something quite unexpected.

A man sat just inside the lobby, reading a book.

We all exchanged glances, backing away slightly. He didn't seem intimidating at all; just a casual older man reading The Shining in a hospital lobby.