[Operational Security]

Nice chapter. I wonder what they will find in La Jolla.

[the Walkin Dude]

Only The Shadow Knows, aka That Guy

[That Guy]

Journey, Part 61

“Hey, Mr. Calhoun! Wait up!” Shaun runs up to Calhoun and company just as they are about to leave the safety of the underground to scavenge.

“Can this wait, Shaun? I’m in the middle of something here.”

Shaun stands up straight. He looks Calhoun determined in the eyes. “No, it cannot. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute if you’ll just answer one question for me.”

Calhoun has a feeling that the soldier has more than just one question for him. He tells his guys to go outside and clear the area, make sure their supply run can start off without a hitch. “Now, what is it you want to ask me about?”

“Do you know where Jett and Marc are? You know who they are, right?”

Calhoun nods. “I know who they are. They are probably in La Jolla by now.”

“What?”

Calhoun raises a single eyebrow. Apparently Shaun does not have as much control over his people as he thought. “You mean they didn’t tell you? Yesterday, this Jett approached me and asked if I could share supplies with him for their trip. He wanted to go find his parents. I gave him a little food and an extra clip of ammunition for both of them.”

Shaun raises his voice. “And you let them go? You didn’t even tell me!”

“It’s not my fault you don’t have your people under control.” Calhoun retaliates. It hits Shaun like a slap in the face. Calhoun grabs him by the arm and pulls him close. “Whatever rank you used to have, whatever social status, whoever used to look up to you before because you were in the military, all of that lost its merit the moment the world went to shit. Don’t come in here and bark orders at me. You’ve only been here for a day, and I will not hesitate to throw you, and your group, right the fuck out of here if I think you are a threat to my people. Do you understand?”

Shaun swats Calhoun’s hand away. His eyes dart around the platform. Some people noticed their argument and they don’t look kindly at him. He slightly lowers his head as he gives in to the pressure. “I understand.”

Shaun turns and begins to walk away. Calhoun calls his name. He turns around halfway. “One more thing. Right now, I don’t know whether you and your people are an asset or just a drain on our resources. Tomorrow, I will assign you all a task. You will do it. If you don’t, I’m afraid there’s no place for you all in our community. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Good. Dismissed.” Calhoun walks up the steps to the surface. Shaun joins the rest of his group.

“Well? Did he know anything?” Jennifer asks. She’s worried after having witnessed their conversation. It did not look friendly to her.

“They’ve gone to La Jolla to look for Jett’s parents.” Shaun explains.

Jonah slaps his own forehead. “Fuckin’ morons. The fuck were they thinkin’? His folks are probably dead! It’s been six fuckin’ months already.”

“As bad as this is, it doesn’t matter.” Akira says, trying to calm the enraged redneck down. “We can’t just go after them. And we got our own issues to worry about. That looked like a heated debate, Shaun. What was it about?”

Shaun sits down on one of the chairs. “He was just asserting his dominance.”

Cassy rolls her eyes. “Typical men, always comparing the size of their cocks.”

Shaun ignores her. There are more pressing issues. “He also said that if we don’t do our assigned tasks, he’s going to kick us out.”

Jonah jumps up from his chair. “That fuckin’ asshole! We shouldn’t have gone with ‘im in the first place!”

Akira gets up too and presses him down by his shoulders. Akira is stronger than his small frame might suggest. “Cool it, Jonah. You’re not doing any good like this.”

“See what I mean about comparing sizes?” Cassy jokes. She turns to Shaun. “What exactly does he want us to do?”

Shaun shrugs his shoulders. He feels defeated. “He didn’t specify. All he said that he is going assign all of us a task. We do whatever it is he wants us to do, or he makes us leave.”

Jonah slumps back in his chair, feeling just as defeated as his leader. “Fuck me.”

Anya doesn’t see the big problem. “So we do what he says. Easy enough.”

Jennifer has noticed Anya’s recent coldness. “Jett and Marc are out there, putting their lives on the line and we are on the verge of being thrown out there with them. Do you really not understand what’s going on here?”

“Marc and Jett know how to fight. And we won’t be sent out there unless we don’t do as this Calhoun guy says, right? We behave and we’ll be fine.”

Akira agrees with the young girl. “She’s right. Jett, Marc, they both know how to survive out there. We do as Calhoun says and there’ll be nothing to worry about.”

Three hours pass. Calhoun and his group come back. Shaun notices that two of his men are missing, but Calhoun does not seem distraught.

Calhoun approaches the newcomers. “I assume Shaun here has told you about our arrangement?” They confirm his answer, each in their own way. Some nod, some answer “yes” and others do both.

“Good. I was going to assign these tasks tomorrow, but I have pretty much made up my mind already.” Calhoun lays one hand on Shaun’s shoulder. “You’re coming with me tomorrow. We’re working on a ‘project’ and my men will need someone to cover while they work on it. Same goes for you.” He points at Akira. “I’ve seen that you know how to use that sword. We need someone like you to for quiet protection.”

Akira pats on the sheathed blade. “Got it. No problem.”

Calhoun nods with a polite smile on his face. He likes a man who follows orders. He turns to Jonah. “Normally, I’d have put you on guard duty too, with that crossbow and all. But I think it’d be better not to assign too many people to guard duty. We still need scavengers for supplies. You’ll be one of our ‘runners’. Those who gather supplies.”

Jonah crosses his arms. He reluctantly agrees. “Why the fuck not, right?”

“Ladies,” Calhoun continues, “you might not like this, but you stay here. In this community, the women prepare the food, take care of the children and do the laundry.”

Cassy is the first one to object. She rises from her chair. “Oh, hell no! I’m a soldier, not a goddamn housewife! I know how to shoot, how to fight. Put me on anything but fuckin’ laundry!”

Calhoun shakes his head. He is determined. “No. We do train our women in the use of both melee weapons and firearms should something happen, but you are not to leave the subway. Considering your experience, I will allow you to train them. But that’s it. No other deviations from your duties than that one.”

Cassy wants to retort, but Shaun gives her a look that tells her to drop it. She sighs and sits back down.

Calhoun leaves them. He’s sure that he’s made himself clear.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to let them work on our ‘project’?” Dr. Shannon asks. He overheard their conversation.

“They’d find out anyway. This’ll be a good moment to see where their loyalties lie. If they’re not with us, they’re of no use to us. Every single person here agreed that this is a course of action we have to take. There’s no room for naysayers here.”

Dr. Shannon agrees with his leader. “Yes, it is necessary. But maybe we should let these people acclimatize here first, make them care about this community before-“

“I’m not delaying this any longer.” Calhoun says as he opens the door to the break room. “We do not have the luxury of time.”

“Alright then.” Dr. Shannon realizes that arguing not going to get him anywhere. “So, what do we do with them if they disagree with us? Do we just throw them out?”

Calhoun sits down on his officer chair. He opens a drawer and retrieves a Tupperware box with his lunch in it. “No. They could warn the people over at Coronado. You know I don’t like having to do these things any more than you do. But when they turn out to be a problem, we do what we always do when we have problems.”

Dr. Shannon knows precisely what Calhoun means. His question is largely rhetorical. “We dispose of them?”

“Exactly.”

[the Walkin Dude]

Ok, my mind is made up Calhoun is definitely not a good guy. Good Chapter TG.

[Operational Security]

Yep, I definitely do not like Calhoun, shady little beast.

Jett & Marc, 50 lashes for not telling the group where you were going.

I liked this chapter, it's always fun getting more insight into the characters. I love the way Shaun handled Calhoun he's a calm leader doesn't act in the heat of the moment like Jonah or Cassy would. I think Cassy or perhaps Jonah will defy Calhoun's orders. I really am starting to like these characters Akira, Shaun, Cassy and Jonah.

[stickoffury412]

I have to once again commend this. It definetly caught and kept my attention id never visited the fan fiction section because I thought it would be all written off the show and based from it. But I was pleasently surprised.

As I just started reading now I really like some of the characters. Cassy seems not to take bullshit. I like Akira and Shaun as well.

Jennifer and Anya have me very intrigued as I usually latch onto one supporting female whose kind of underdog ish

[That Guy]

I have to once again commend this. It definetly caught and kept my attention id never visited the fan fiction section because I thought it would be all written off the show and based from it. But I was pleasently surprised.

Most stories on here are self contained stories. I basically just borrowed Kirkman's rules for the zombies, which he in turn took from the very first Romero movies. I wouldn't dare to mess with someone else's characters. I would never be able to capture their 'essence' like their creator would.

Jennifer and Anya have me very intrigued as I usually latch onto one supporting female whose kind of underdog ish

Oh, dear. You are going to be heartbroken when you read a certain part, if you haven't already. Seems unlikely though, as you haven't bawled your eyes out yet.

[stickoffury412]

Uh oh. They still seem, er alive? Yeah I get what your saying. The fanfic section is way different than I thought it would be. I love creative writing .

[That Guy]

Uh oh. They still seem, er alive? Yeah I get what your saying. The fanfic section is way different than I thought it would be. I love creative writing .

There are worse fates than death in a zombie apocalypse. (:

[stickoffury412]

Heh the fact they have to cook and clean until the end of their stays at the place Calhoun runs . Yeah that might be fine for those two but I expect a moment of "just saved everyones ass " from Cassy

[That Guy]

Yeah that might be fine for those two but I expect a moment of "just saved everyones ass " from Cassy

Get outta my head, you.

Author's Note: This is a really short one. Normally a chapter is around 800 - 1500 words. This one is just over 400. I just found myself finished. What else could I add? Couldn't find a way to transition it to the others in the group and anything else I tried to add just felt so forced. So, here you go. A quickie.


Journey, Part 62

The car comes to a stop near a sign that reads ‘Lodge at Torrey Pines’ in golden letters. Vegetation has overgrown the it almost completely. The bright golden letters are still visible between all the green.

An expensive BMW has crashed into a pillar holding up an extension of the roof over the front entrance. The man driving the car died on the impact, having his ribs crushed and broken which in turn punctured his lungs.

He reanimated, having seen countless of looters and survivors getting by him. Nobody has paid him any mind. Then people stopped coming. Until this day. He claws at the window when he sees two young men observe him. His safety belt keeps him trapped.

“Should we shoot him?” Marc asks. He takes pity on the man. The undead man’s eyes seem to beg for release.

“We better not risk the noise.” He grabs the door handle. He tries to open the door. “It’s locked. Best we just leave him in there. He’s not doing any harm and I’m not going to risk our lives for a dead man.”

They go inside, leaving the unfortunate man behind to rot away further. The main hall is empty, yet still in good shape. Dust has gathered on the wooden furniture and walls, but there is no decay, no considerable mess. It almost seems like the building is vacant during the off season instead of abandoned because of the end of the world.

“They have to have kept some sort of records.” Jett says as he hops over the reception to look for a ledger.

Marc notices the computer on the front desk. “Don’t you think they would’ve registered that all digitally?”

“No. When I worked at that hotel back home, they also kept all the client info written down in case of some sort of systems failure.” After rummaging Jett finds a ledger. He flips through it. “Anderson... Anderson… There!”

“Where’s their room?”

Jett takes a look at the room number. “Room forty-three. Where the hell is room forty-three?”

Marc sees a sign, informing the guests where rooms forty to fifty are. “To the right, here!”

Jett runs ahead of Marc, who follows him as fast as he possibly can. Jett busts the door to room forty-three. It’s empty.

Jett panics. “…Mom? Dad!”

“They’re not here?”

Jett ignores his friend and opens his parents’ closet. Not all of their clothes are there. Jett walks back, sitting down on the bed. “They left.”

Marc sits down next to him. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s cool. They might still be alive. At least now I know.”

Marc nods. “At least you know.”

[the Walkin Dude]

Wow, the unknowing if they survived or not, or if they did escape what and where their journey held in front of them.

[OMEN]

Ahhhhhhhh


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[That Guy]

Journey, Part 63

Calhoun takes Akira and Shaun to their assignment. Shaun is suspicious of how empty the streets are. The streets of San Diego are littered with the walking dead, but not this one. He keeps his observation to himself. Calhoun has proven to be assertive of anyone questioning his authority.

After a short walk it becomes clear to him why there are no walkers around this part. At the entrance to the highway leading up to Coronado, routes have been blocked off by numerous cars. The dead have cluttered against them.

One man is tinkering with a gas-driven generator at the food of a large metal tower. Another man is watching his back. He approaches his leader when he sees him.

“Ah, Chad.” He shakes Calhoun’s hand. “You brought help, I see.”

Calhoun introduces the two newcomers. “Hey, John. You’re right. These are Shaun and Akira. They’re new and will be your new bodyguards for as long as you need them.”

“Nice to meet y’all.”

The man working on the generator calls out to them. “John! Chad! We’ve got dead trying to get in.”

Akira unsheathes his katana. John says he’ll back him up. Shaun takes the opportunity to talk to Calhoun.

“What exactly are you doing here?” He asks.

Calhoun turns to face Shaun. Now is the time to come clean. “See that large tower? It’s an old alarm siren. It’s there in case of a disaster, or attack, anything like that would happen. It’s loud and can be heard all over the city.”

Shaun is not satisfied with Calhoun’s half-answer. “And what are you going to do with that siren?”

Calhoun turns his head in the island of Coronado’s direction. “We are trying to get it operational again. Then, we activate it and lure the dead to Coronado.” Shaun is too stunned to talk. He stares at Calhoun with wide eyes. Calhoun turns his gaze back on him. “While the military is distracted, we get on that ship and take their weapons.”

“You what? I can’t be a part of this!”

“Either you be a part of this operation, or you are no longer welcome in our community. Think about it, Shaun: you’re safe with us. What we’re doing here is immoral, that’s for sure. But are you really willing to give up your people’s guaranteed safety just so you can keep your sense of morality?”

Shaun can’t wrap his mind around it. This is mass murder. Who knows how many people will die if Calhoun goes through with this. “You’re insane! You’re committing genocide!”

“You think I don’t know that? That blood will be on my hands. This was not an easy decision, but it was deemed necessary. We’ve been rejected long enough. It’s time we take matters into our own hands.”

Shaun grinds his teeth. He wants to lash out. The urge to punch Calhoun to the ground and stomp on him until he dies is nigh irresistible. The only thing holding him back is his belief that murder is a sin. “There’s no way your people know about this. There’s no way!”

Calhoun sighs. “That’s where you’re wrong. This was a unanimous decision. Every man, woman and child knows about this. No one is a fan of the military here. Not after they opened fire on the very people they were supposed to protect. We all lost so many loved ones that day…”

“You-“

“I’m done explaining myself to you.” Calhoun brashly interrupts him. “Your loyalties either lie with us, or you’re on your own. “

Elsewhere, Jonah is on a supply run with Ben. Jonah’s arm grows tired of having to carry the extendable ladder. “Who do I have to drag this thing around?”

“’Cause you’re the new guy.” Ben jokes. “Besides, you also pointed your crossbow at my most respected friend. You owe me this.”

“And you’re the guy who had gun to my head.”

“Only because of aforementioned crossbow pointing.”

“Smartass. “

“Hillbilly.”

Jonah decides to drop the argument. “So, what’s this Calhoun guy like? He a good guy?”

“Yes, he is. A damn good one. He rallied us all together after what the army did to us.”

“Ah, so-“ Ben shushes Jonah. He hears a lot of undead moans. They sound like they’re just around the building on the left.

“Quick, get up on that roof!” Ben points at a residential house. Jonah firmly plants the ladder into the ground. He rolls it out, letting it lean against the edge of the roof. They climb up just fast enough to be missed by the herd of walkers turning right.

Both men lie down flat on their stomach. The horde marches past them. They go straight down the road Jonah and Ben came from.

“Ah, shit!” Jonah whispers, forced. “They’re goin’ straight to subway!”

[OMEN]

wow this was a treat seeing the planning of the sabotage that Calhoun caused


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[the Walkin Dude]

Yeppir was interesting to see them setting up the generator to power up the alarm and how they had already blocked off roads.

[That Guy]

Author's Note: I don't know, guys. I might put this one on a hiatus too, just like i did with AWNW at after chapter 30. We'll have to see.


Journey, Part 64

Calhoun watches his technicians work while he keeps a close eye on their two new guards. Shaun might cause trouble, rally his group to not go along with their plan. If that would happen, he would have no choice but to silence them. The only question that remains is how he’d go about doing so, without having the people he leads think he’s a crazed killer.

Calhoun’s satellite phone chimes. He unlatches it from his belt. He answers. “Chad here. Talk to me.”

“Chad.” Ben responds on the other end. “We have a problem. There’s a herd heading for our place!”

“Fuck!” Calhoun begins to pace back and forth. “How many? Can you lead them away somehow?”

“No way. There’s dozens of them! What do we do?”

Calhoun rests his forehead against the phone. He grunts, frustrated and worried. “You just find another way in and help the people! Hurry!”

“Chad, what’s wrong?” John asks, having overheard Calhoun swear. He does not do that often.

“No time! Stay here and finish this! We’ve worked on this for too long to give up on it now.” Calhoun runs off, leaving the four men confused.

Calhoun runs as fast as his feet will allow him to. He sprints fast, not wasting any time. His hearts pounds up in his throat as his clothes are drenched in sweat.

He comes to a halt at the entrance to the subway tunnel. The guards have already retreated back inside, and the walkers follow them downstairs. “Screw the noise.” He says to himself before drawing his gun. He aims and shoots, hitting a walker in the side of its head.

A walker turns to face the direction of the sound. Before its head is fully turned, it is penetrated by a speeding bullet.

The second shot draws more attention. Those who haven’t yet made their way down the stairs begin to shamble towards Calhoun.

He takes small steps backwards as he fires on them. “Come get me, you bastards!” He screams at the top of his lungs. He fires off many shots. He doesn’t miss a single one.

His shots echo all the way down into the tunnels. Cassy’s head jumps up from washing clothes. “The fuck’s going on out there?”

Their barricade collapses and undead pour in. Cassy springs up to her feet. “Get down!” She warns as she draws her sidearm. She opens fire on the invading walkers. The shots resound off of the walls, creating a deafening barrage of gunshots.
Many panic. They have been trained, but have never been face to face with the undead until now. Some freeze if fear, while others run for their lives. They grab their children along the way.

Dr. Shannon sees a little girl cowering in a corner. Two walkers make their way towards her. He draws his revolver. He pulls back the hammer with his thumb. He pulls the trigger, causing the barrel to flash brightly as a bullet leaves it.

Dr. Shannon is a still target. An undead woman sees him struggling cocking the hammer back again. She ignores the moving prey and begins to drag her feet over to him.

He cocks the gun. The cylinder moves clockwise, replacing the empty chamber with a full one. He concentrates fully on lining up his shot. He can’t afford to miss.

Something grabs his ankle. His trigger finger twitches. The bullet goes astray. He tumbles, hitting his head on the platform.

The undead woman gnaws on his shoe. She can’t get through the leather, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.

She is brought down by a knife being thrust inside her eye. Anya backs up when another walker tries to get her. She takes a run-up, grabbing it by the throat. She stabs it in the temple. The blade slides into the brain like it’s cutting through butter.

Anya pushes it away. The body falls lifeless on its back. She sees that Dr. Shannon is regaining his consciousness. His vision is a blurry haze.

He can see the vague outline of a hand. He grabs it. Anya pulls him up on his feet. “The girl- the girl…” He utters.

Anya doesn’t listen to what he’s saying. He’s not all there. She and Jennifer take him to the break room.

Cassy makes headshot after headshot until her magazine is out of bullets. The gun ejects it. The sound of the empty clip landing on the stone platform is a quiet sound, yet to Cassy it has the same impact as a bomb going off.

She thwacks one walker on the side of the head with the butt of her gun. She’s brought it off balance. It trips sideways, cracking its skull on one of the tracks.

An arrow soars through the air. It goes into the back of a walker’s skull. It drops dead at Cassy’s feet. She looks up to see Jonah running in from one of the tunnels.

The gunshots resume. Anya, Jennifer and Dr. Shannon wait until it dies down. Shannon remembers what he was doing before he got knocked out.

His footsteps are weighted, carrying his worries. His fear comes true when he hears a woman cry. It’s a desperate cry, one that he heard many times before at the hospital.

The woman, he knows her well. Sheila holds the mangled body of her daughter. People have gathered around her.

Jennifer stops dead in her tracks once she sees the tiny body being cradled by her mother. Anya keeps walking. She taps Dr. Shannon on the shoulder. “Give me your gun.”

Shannon does not question her. His hands can barely hold on to the gun without dropping it. Anya takes it from him.

Cassy tries to stop her with both hands against Anya’s shoulders. “No, honey. You don’t want to see this.”

“It has to be done.” Anya coldness sends shivers down the soldier’s spine. Anya walks past her, towards the child and her mother.

“What are you-“ Sheila flinches from the bang. Her daughter’s blood splatters all over her face. She shuts down, her sight turning black.

The crowd looks on in terror. Anya turns around and explains coolly “it had to be done.”

[stickoffury412]

Whoa, best chapter yet. Well best that ive read so far . The child dying part was sad but its what happens . I expected a badass moment from Cassy not Anya . Well Casey did have one, Anya's were just better.

[the Walkin Dude]

Excellent job Tg. Was good seeing Cassy back in the action again, and Anya was right in there too.

[That Guy]

Whoa, best chapter yet. Well best that ive read so far . The child dying part was sad but its what happens . I expected a badass moment from Cassy not Anya . Well Casey did have one, Anya's were just better.

Well, considering what Anya has gone through it makes sense that she's the coldhearted one, not Cassy.

[Operational Security]

Really exciting chapters. Chapter 63 was interesting knowing what happens in AWNW and watching the plan unfold and come together is really creepy and I like it. I wonder how the group will react when Shaun tells them and if that may cause a rift somehow.

Chapter 64 was action packed and full of awesomeness. A lot of people stepped up this chapter Anya, Cassy, Jonah and I hate to say it, but even Calhoun. He cares so much for his group and now that we know his backstory his hatred for the Coronado group makes perfect sense and in a way he is justified. Darn you, TG These emotions I have are so conflicting. I can't just hate him.

Side note, I wonder if people will start fearing Anya since she is so cold and detached. I know she'd creep me out.

Overall really good stuff like always

[That Guy]

Announcement: it's that time again. I really, really need a break from writing. Until an undermined amount of time later, peeps.

[That Guy]

Correction to the post above: that's supposed to be an "undetermined amount of time".

[stickoffury412]

Well so far what ive read has been pretty good, and I will wait for some new chapters because the small bit ive read so far has me interested in everyone. However long it takes we'll all be waiting

Oh and Ps the fanfic section definetly allowed me to see you in a different way

[OMEN]

Take your time sir

We will be here waiting




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