"Daddy?"

Ethan opened his eyes from rest. He had fallen asleep in the front seat of his police vehicle, Dallen was sound asleep in the back.

"Daddy, are you there?"

At first the sheriff thought it was part of the dream he had just forgotten, but when he heard the voice again he noticed it was coming from his sattellite phone lying next to him. The last he heard from his family was that they were at the military refugee camp, safe. He told them to use the phone if anything happened.

"I'm here sweety," Ethan replied into the phone, the static was starting to pick up. He was half awake but the severity of what was happening in the world quickly sunk in. Dallen woke up but stayed motionless.

"Daddy I'm scared! They're everywhere!!" 

His heart sunk as a million things started piling through his mind. "What's happened sweety? Are you hurt? Where's your mom?? Erin? ERIN!?"

"I'm hiding,"she said after awhile. "They can't find me. Not yet."

"Stay put honey, I'm coming now," he had already started the car and began moving down the gravel path. He rolled down his window to quickly tell Johnny Blackburn that the military camp was being attacked.

Johnny Woke up at first light. He just layed there for awhile, watching the darkness around them lifted off and away from the earth. He thought about everything that happened last night, the image of his bandmates coming after him reanimated still gave him a chill up his spine. 

He got up to see that some of the hunters were still on watch, while people rested in their cars or in tents. Dew covered the orchard and the field, and it was slightly cold. After taking a piss on a nearby tree, Johnny decided to make a small camp fire to stay warm. 

While he was gathering wood, the police car suddenly fired up and Ethan was making his exit before anyone else was ready. "We're leaving now?" he asked.

"The outpost is under attack, keep everyone here and calm," he said. "My family is there. I'll return if I can."

"Goodluck," Johnny said with a nod. "Thanks for everything. I hope you find them."

The vehicle sped off after that, leaving Johnny covered in an unintentional cloud of exhaust. The rockstar covered his mouth and walked back to the Parsons, his head hung low. If the military was gone from Fort Benning, they really would all be on their own. Who knew how long they'd be able to stay at this orchard until things turned south. He didn't want to fall victim to it, so he decided to greet with the Parsons so that they would keep him around. At least long enough until he figured out what to do with himself.

Johnny knocked lightly on the Parson's door, opening it and letting himself in. The Parson's loved him, they were dear friends to his parents. When he saw them though, he felt like just another person here. Smiles were exchanged, but before they were able to speak Johnny let everyone in the room know the situation. He told them about the outpost being under attack from the undead, and of how all these people on their land weren't planning to go anywhere else.

Ethan drove down the highway as if he were in a police chase. It wasn't until Dallen sat up that he remembered he was back there, seeing him in the rearview mirror. They were already too far ahead for him to stop.

"Have you forgotten about me?" Dallen asked, fixing the tie to his suit.

Ethan ignored him and tried to reach his daughter on the radio again, but all he was recieving now was silence. After a few more attempts, he looked at Dallen in the rearview. "I'll drop you off somewhere on the way," he finally told him. "I've got bigger problems than to babysit a murderer."

"I heard," Dallen said. There was a long silence again. "I'm a lawyer. Was, I guess. I was good. Real good. There was this other lawyer, I beat him in court on a number of occasions. Embarrassed him, ruined his life and career according to him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ethan cut in. "You're not on trial, I said I'll let you go. It's your lucky day, while everyone else's worst nightmare. I just want my family back."

"Then the guy disapeared," Dallen continued as if the sheriff had never spoken. "Ten years later, he's after revenge. He stalked my wife and I, took pictures. He studied us. Eventually...." He paused again, frustration being held back from his face. "He murdered my wife, then killed himself. He wanted to ruin my life like I ruined his, and he did. I wasn't running from the law, I was heading back to my old office to find what I could on the guy to prove my innocence. Then I got caught and brought to your little shithole of a town until they transported me back."

"Again, why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to know that I'm not a murderer, I will help you find your daughter and your wife," Dallen replied. 

"Thanks," Ethan gave him the benefit of the doubt. "We're forty-five minutes away."

Forty minutes later they came up to a traffic jam, heading toward the camp. There were too many cars in the way, all seemingly empty and quiet. It appeared as if everyone ditched their rides, maybe walking to the outpost from there. It was what they had to do.

"We head through the trees, it's faster and quiet," Ethan told the suited man. Ethan handed Dallen over a handgun, staring him direct in his eyes when he did. "My family is on the line. If you betray me or they get hurt from your doing in any way, I'll kill you. Or I'll die and come back to kill you."

"Lead the way."

The sattellite phone crackled back to life as they headed out. "Daddy? Hurry!!? I think they heard me!"[/color]

"Hang in there, sweety!" he replied, then started running. "I'm close!"

Dallen huffed and sighed, he was a smoker and didn't like the fast approach. He moved quicker, but Ethan gained a speed advantage as they pressed through the wilderness. 

When they came out from the outher side, they were exhausted and took a few moments to catch their breath. Over the next hill was the military outpost called Fort Benning, the city was on fire in the skyline distance. The closer they got the more undead there appeared to be. Hundreds of them it seemed, both inside and outside the base. It was completely overrun by the dead.

Ethan scouted the area with the sight on his bolt action rifle. He zoomed in and saw that there was little hope for any life, but he knew his daughter was somewhere in there hiding. He waited for her to use the phone once more.

From their vantage point, they were atop the highest hill overlooking the valley leading into the city. They could see in all directions for many miles. The undead surrounded the fort but they were scarcely separated around the highway, parallel to it. 

"Where are you baby?" Ethan called into the phone. "Come on, where are you?"

Silence.

"Going in there is suicide, you know that right?" Dallen asked.

"She's alive and in there somewhere, I have to go," he replied and started moving forward, set on his decision. 

"Wait, we need a plan. We can't just..." Dallen started, Ethan had already moved further downhill. He wasn't turning back again. "Meet back at the highway!!" If they were chased, they would be able to at least hide under the vacant vehicles for protection.

Dallen changed direction from following the sheriff to heading to the traffic jam. He figured he might be able to find a new, working ride out of here. More importantly he needed to make noise, the infected seemed to be drawn to it. He snuck his way down the hill slope until he was close enough to start moving from vehicle to vehicle. Ethan used stealth all the same to get close to the compound, though he was clear on the other end.

"Daddy! I'm in the dumpster!" Erin shouted into the satellite phone, then it immediately went to static again. 

Ethan scoped the area one last time before he spotted a few dumpsters, just inside the outpost secluded from the rest. There were still far too many to go running in, so he moved quietly and quickly from cover to cover. The closer he got, the harder it bcame to pass. He slid under a pickup truck while the walkers passed around him. Shutting off his phone, he waited for the right time to move.