"Yeah man, we have to watch each others back!" Johnny said from the passenger seat of the vehicle. "Just keep going."

As Johnny and Aeres were amongst the first to leave the area, there was a dispute amongst the remaining hunters on whether to stay or go. One man claimed they had enough ammo to wipe them all out, while others were saying how this place could hold out on an attack. Many stayed, while a few remained hesitate. Cody Sandusky was one of those few, a red neck southerner wearing a white tank top and a trucker hat. 

"Fuck it lets wipe these fuckers out!" Cody yelled, he was in the back of the group and watched as Wes drove away on his motorcycle. Second thoughts rang through his mind, so he stayed at the back. 

When the horde came around the Parson's house, they came fast and aggressively. The first few were shot down but the hunters didn't expect them to be moving so quickly and all together. One by one they were taken down and devoured by the dead, as Cody dropped his rifle to run as fast as he could. He managed to jump into the back of a pickup truck with a few other hunters and they drove off. "Drive!! Fucking drive!!"

"Pull over here," Johnny told Aeres. They were on the long highway, no vehicles or sign of life anywhere to be seen for miles. The horde back at the Parson's was still heading for them, but they were far enough away. 

Johnny got out the vehicle and lit up a cigarette while they waited for the others. The first to come was the RV, it held two families within. The Miltons, a southern family of four, Mark and Bobby Milton and their two teenage boys Adam and Drew. The other family was Tavien and Iris Grimes, a young attractive couple that were locals here and went to school with the rest. They had an infant baby boy with them they named Bruce.

After the RV came the van with various hunters and a few concert goers. After that Johnny saw Wes heading toward them alone. The last to come was a pickup truck, Cody in the back and another two hunters inside. They all piled out and gathered around, noting who made it and who was left behind.

"They thought they could fend them off," Cody spoke. "They didn't stand a chance!"

"Did you see Sarah?" Johnny asked Wes, he hadn't noticed her during the attack. He remembered they all scattered, he had no idea what happened to her. 

"There's got to be something, anything out there!" Cody continued. 

"There's a church, about 18 miles out, it's the nearest thing to a goodnight's rest," Mark spoke up, he had his arm over his wife Bobby's shoulder while his two young boys hid behind their parents. "It's run by Pastor Leroy Book, if it's still standing he'll help us out. It's got a few townhouses with beds, also has a brick wall surrounding it could be useful. We go every other Sunday."


As the sky drew darker a single bright light shone out in the darkness. It was a cross with jesus on it, a lighted sign that could be seen for miles in all directions. Dallen kept his foot on the brake as he looked at it. There was a small village of houses in the valley before them, all vacant of life and completely dark, save for the church sign.

"This is where I need your help," Dallen told the newcomer. It was the first thing spoken almost the entire ride. Dallen could feel the tension that this lady was in it for herself, but he was in it for himself as well. The little girl who just had her father massacred in front of her was the problem. The conscious within him told him he had to make sure she was safe before he could leave her. 

As they pulled into the lot under the flickering church sign, they could see the large two storied structure of the church itself. There were a few town houses next to it with the lights on inside their windows, to the other side of the church was a crop plane parked on a long dirt landing area. All around the houses were crops and farming lands, wheat fields and a watering tank. The land was flat with the mountains towering over it from behind, and after awhile the land dropped and curved towards the city.

"Keep her safe," was all Dallen said as he exited the jeep, making his way toward the church with his gun drawn. He didn't know what to expect.

Suddenly lights shined on them before Dallen could get away from the jeep. A few spotlights aimed at them, shadows lurking behind them. 


"Drop the mother fucking gun!" shouted a demanding, deep voice. 

Dallen nodded and placed his weapon on the ground. When he looked back up he saw a man with an afro, wearing a pastor outfit. The man briefly aimed a shotgun at him, then lowered it as a group of stangers emerged from behind the lights.

"Just had to make sure you didn't accidentally shoot at us before we could speak," the pastor said and changed his angered expression to a smile. "You followed the light, you found sanctuary. Please, follow me."

Dallen looked back at Elizabeth and shrugged, then followed him toward the church. "We are in the business of helping," the man continued. "Sorry, I'm Pastor Leroy Book, this is my church. Everyone is welcome here."

"Dallen, the little girl's Erin, and she's..." he just realized they hadn't told each other their names yet. 

"Well we have food and shelter to last a few months, just had a food drive just before everything went to shit," Leroy added. "It's only been days and the city's been wiped out, last we heard it stretches from coast to coast. Might take years to fix, but we're willing to wait it out here. You and your company are more than welcome, so long as you help out. There's a lot of work to be done, end of the world and all. In the morning though, you can rest up in the house there. Showers work but be curtious, we got a few families in here."

Dallen simply nodded, then turned toward Erin. This might be the best place for her, he figured. The little girl looked away from him, so he turned back to the pastor. "Thank you."