Those Who Survive

Everyone Needs a Plan of Action

"So.." Felix sighs, shifting the weight of the child in his arms, "Does anyone have a plan?"

"A plan for what?" Nate asks dryly.

Felix frowns, "Surviving?"

"Surviving is the plan." Jack states.

"That can't be the plan," Felix shakes his head, "That's not a plan. I mean, what are we even doing? Where are we going? Are we going to make a new house our home or are we going back to staying on the road?"

"You have a point," Ken nods.

"The only plan we need is to stay alive." Nate crosses his arms, wincing lightly, "Working day to day is better than to keep making plans that won't last more than a few days. There's too many variables we can't account for."

"So, what?" Felix snaps back, "We don't even try? Having a plan for the future isn't a bad idea."

"It is if it's a pipe dream." Nate replies.

"Why are you always such a pessimist?" Felix glares at Nate, "Your attitude isn't helping anything."

"Guys," Mark sighs, "We can figure all this out later."

"Neither is your constant need to escape what the world is." Nate glares back at Felix, talking over Mark, "I may be pessimistic, but at least I live in reality."

"Hey!" Felix whines, "I live in reality!"

"Enough," Ken snaps, crossing his arms, eyes scanning between the two fighting, "You both have points that don't really need to be proved. If we need a more solid long-term plan, we'll make one. But for now, the plan is to get ahead of this horde and survive until it passes us. So stop this bickering, okay?"

He feels like a parent scolding children, and it's ridiculous. He sighs, dropping his arms to his sides. They had been walking for at least two hours now, and the wind carries the sounds of the dead far off. They really need to get a move on if they don't want to be swallowed by this thing. They're making good time, the town isn't too far away now if Ken remembers correctly, and he's sure he does, but they're not going fast enough. He moves and lifts Nate into his arms, ignoring the man's protests, "Guys, pick up the pace, we need to get somewhere safe before the horde catches up. If the runners catch us before we get into a building, we're done, Mark's cure or not."

The others nod at him and Mark and Jack take to a jog, Mark still careful of his ankle. It's doing much better, but he's still not in top shape, especially not with being so tired as is. Jack runs a little ahead,  being the only one not having anything to slow him down, knife in hand just in case he has to protect his friends. Felix keeps pace with Mark while trying to keep Oliver stable so the baby doesn't wake up and start crying, that's the last thing they need. Ken keeps to the rear, he could go faster, but he doesn't want to risk exposing Felix and Oliver to danger via surprise. 

Nate stays quiet, though he winces lightly every now and then as he lets Ken carry him. He can't say just how much he hates this. He never liked being babied in any sense of the word, and now it's all they do ever since he woke up. Yeah, the gunshot was bad, and it had gotten infected, but it's doing much better now, Nate's doing much better now. It just makes breathing a little hard if he's being too strenuous, it's not like running or fighting a zombie will kill him. But god forbid his friends believe that. So, yeah, Nate's being childish and pissy about having to be carried, but he's earned that right, given he survived being shot.

Is it really that hard to treat him like everyone else? He's tired, and he's in pain, both mentally and physically, but he's not broken. He knows Ken's just being careful, but it doesn't make Nate feel any better about the situation. Nate really can't wait until his wound fully heals and he can go back to being respected for being the badass he knows he is. He's gotten this far by fighting, there's no way in hell he's going to let this become his normalcy. After almost forty minutes pass, they finally get to the town they've been searching for.

Jack and Mark take down a few stragglers before the group enters the gates. It's early dawn, barely casting a pale blue light over the city, the sign telling them where they are: Holbrook. Mark stares at the sign in light confusion, before he starts to laugh. Felix tilts his head, "What's so funny?"

"We're in fucking Arizona," Mark continues to chuckle, "No idea when we crossed over, but it must have been a long time ago.."

"And that's funny how?" Nate asks as Jack asks, "Have you been here before?"

Mark shakes his head, "No, I just.. Remember when we were lost in the woods for a few months, and we all agreed it didn't matter if we didn't know where we were?"

"Yeah, I remember," Felix shrugs, "Has that changed?"

"Not really," Mark sighs, "It's just funny to me for some reason. Now we know, when it really never mattered before. It's a strange kind of funny, you know?"

"I guess so." Jack looks thoughtful.

"Well, either way, let's find a place to hold out until who knows when." Felix continues walking and his friends follow alongside him. The first building they get to is an apartment building and Ken shakes his head, "There's no guarantee it's not crawling with Infected."

"So, where's good then?" Jack asks, "There's no telling how many Infected are around regardless."

There are small groups of Infected wandering the streets, but none are really paying them any mind as the group has been keeping quiet, and away from them. Ken looks around, trying to remember everywhere they had looted when they were here the first time. He gestures to the left of them, to a department store with iron fences over the windows, "There might work."

"It's locked though, isn't it?" Jack asks, remembering they couldn't get into it before.

"Yeah, but look," Ken states, "There's an open window on the second floor, we can get in through there."

"And how do you suggest we do that with Nate and a baby?" Felix asks skeptically.

"A ladder," Ken replies, lightly gesturing to the ladder leaning against the wall of the store next to the building they want to get into.

Mark nods and stretches lightly, "Let's do this then, and fast, before we get the attention of our roaming friends up there."

Silently, the group runs over to the alleyway between the two buildings and Mark and Jack move the ladder to the department store, just below the open window. The problem is the window is on the front of the store, they'd all be in view of the Infected that are becoming less subdued as the daylight brightens. Mark and Jack return to the alley with their friends and Mark crosses his arms, "Whoever goes first has to clear the floor of Infected before the rest of us can come up, so we need to be quick on both ends, if the Infected in the street get to us before we're all inside, we're done for. So, who's going first?"