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The sound of her mother's voice overwhelmed AJ. A few tears streamed down her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to be at her parents' side; back home and away from the carnage. She didn't care about the divorce, nor the arguments. She just wanted them both to whisk her away, far far away from this place.

"I'm... uhm," AJ sniffled, forcing herself to speak. "I'm okay, mom. They tried to get into the bus. I-I got separated from everyone else."

AJ turned to look at her surroundings. She hadn't realized how far she had ran, and so had no idea where she currently was in Caldwell. From what she could tell, there had been a few businesses nearby. A mechanic shop with a red roof stood next to a strip mall containing a mini mart, a salon and a boba joint. Across the street had been some sort of academy; a religious school of sorts as far as AJ could tell. She could make out a street sign down the road, but she hadn't the courage to get closer to read it by herself.

"There's a... school, I think. The sign says Trinity Academy. It has a big church next to it." AJ explained. "I see a few stores near us, too. We're right outside a mini mart and, uh, a boba place."

The sound of a car then drew AJ's attention. Unfortunately, to AJ's hope, it wasn't her parents.

"Someone just pulled up." AJ spoke, watching the battered Chevy Impala pull to the curve. "Kaitlyn and Shin-ae are talking to them."

As the others began to talk amongst each other, AJ glanced towards the road and looked down both ends of the street they were on. She hoped it wouldn't take long for her parents to reach her.

"Are you almost here?" AJ asked. "I-I don't see anyone else."

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"I only have my epi-pens." Lex explained to Flynn once her nerves began to calm down. "And they won't help here."

Still, a tinge of worry stuck in her head as they awaited for the police to return. What if they were hurt? The man already tried to take a chunk out of her, having been driven mad by whatever this virus was. What if it happened to one of the officers?

Regardless of the what-ifs, they had more pressing matters right now. Isaac was growing worse by the minute, and Kali's attempts to help hadn't seemed to be doing much. She looked to Billie, who began asking Isaac what had been wrong with him. Though she hadn't been a doctor, Lex had seen her fair share of similar cases of people falling ill at the museum; typically from heat or walking around too much. Taking her own experiences into consideration, she commented her thoughts.

"Maybe stress? Or it could be the heat. We're riding in a metal box. I don't think they designed these with air conditioning in mind."

Before she could say anything else, however, the sound of gunfire snapped Lex to attention. She looked outside the MRAP, and saw two of the three officers rush out from the gas station. Her fears had been confirmed as she noticed one of the officers clutching his bleeding arm.

Immediately, Gus barreled past the group, and moved to lock the doors to the vehicle. One of them looked bit, he said, as he shoved Flynn back down to keep him from helping the officers.

"We're just going to abandon people now?" Lex spoke, disgusted with Gus' actions. She didn't feel comfortable with leaving them behind, potential bite or not. Even though she had just been attacked by someone who had been bit, it could've been anyone outside those doors. June. Billie. Herself. Were they just going to abandon each other if something happened for their own survival? What if it was just a cut or some other injury? "They went in to help us, and now you want to leave them behind because of an assumption? What if it was you out there?"

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Kali had been glad that Isaac could hold down the water. Still, she was worried for his condition. He didn't seem to be getting any better, and instead it seemed that Isaac was only growing worse. His skin was extremely sweaty, and appeared clammy to the eye. Kali was grateful for their attempts to help her boss, but she was certain that he needed to be seen by a doctor. There was no way they could diagnosis whatever was happening to him between themselves with how little medical training they likely had.

She glanced at her roommate, who hadn't spoke up in some time. They had both known Isaac for some time, and seeing him in this state was probably as disconcerting to Liana as it was to Kali.

"Isaac," Kali softly spoke, turning her attention back to Isaac. "Tell me."

She remembered how quickly Jeff fell ill after he had been bit by their co-worker, Tobias. Isaac had helped secure Tobias, and even stopped the kid from attacking them outside her apartment. It couldn't be, right? Kali hoped she wasn't right. She didn't want to lose another person she cared about.

"Did the kid from before or Tobias do anything to you? They didn't bite or scratch you, right?"

As Kali waited for his answer, they were suddenly interrupted by gunfire from within the gas station. Almost as if on queue, two of the officers burst out from the building, with the third nowhere to be seen. One of the two officers had been clutching his now bleeding arm, which Gus had taken as a sign that the officer had been bit. He quickly rushed to close the doors to the MRAP, and locked the officers out of the vehicle.

Though Kali was disgusted with his actions, she dared not make a move nor sound. The news report said to stay away from wounded individuals, she remembered. Locking them out kept them safe if they were indeed bit. Still, abandoning the officers like this churned her stomach—something Lex and Gus seemed to agree with, judging by their reactions to Gus' actions.

Instead, she glanced to Isaac, hoping that he hadn't been bit as well. If he was, she was fearful of what Flynn or anyone else would try. She had seen how Flynn lobbed a crossbow bolt right into the head of one of the "infected" back at the museum. Sure, he had done it to protect Isaac and the officer from being attacked, but everyone had seemed too casual with the fact that he had just killed someone. They may have been infected with some virus, but they were still people like him and her. People who had family. Friends. Had they all lost their humanity just so they could survive?

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"You know, always glad to be of service." June said forgetting the meaning of humble in the effort of milking positive attention. This time from Billie. As a whole, she was on a roll. Sure, there were some people upset about the lack of "water" and "Survival supplies" in what June had brought back, but she was sent in, and she paid for it! She should 100% get a say in what was gathered! Plus she lived off this stuff on a daily basis and was just fine. Sure she probably couldn't be as aggressive in hockey as she was 10 years ago, but still! She was pretty sure that was age more than anything. While acting cool in the back of the truck she paused, took a deep sniff, and had a disgusted scowl for a moment. "What dumb ass was smoking near the fuel pumps?!" She looked grossed out and overall not pleased with it. "We have enough problems with sick people running about ripping each other to pieces, now we gotta worry about someone igniting the vapors and sending us up to kiss those fighter jets?" She paused herself, took a deep breath, tried to ignore the smell, failed, made a face, and exhaled. Her therapist told her she was too quick to judge people and lash out with her thoughts. Maybe they didn't know better? Maybe they didn't have the same IQ she did? Maybe it was drifted smoke from across the street, but taking a moment to calm herself seemed like the best course of action before she said too many hostile words. Another deep breath in, and another deep breath out. She had to remind herself that speaking her mind did not always mean it was worth being confrontational.

Then, Gus ran through shutting them all in. In June's moment of trying to calm herself, she had clearly missed something as the cops were not being locked outside. "Yo, yo yo yo." She muttered quickly raising her voice. "Id like to point out locking the dudes with the only guns seems like a really daft idea since they could probably still shoot us, or the fact that they had actually helped us get out of the city and we should be thanking them!" June was far from a cop lover, but these dudes had helped her. She held respect for that when considering it would have been rather easy to leave her behind in the chaos of things. "Or are we just trimming the fat? Cutting out people who could get in your way? Who are we gonna cut next? Anyone out spoken? People who don't have the skills you want?" She wanted to say more, now mostly targeted to Gus. She knew if they were going to start cutting the unwanted she would be high on the list. Her social skills made it so she either didn't get along with anyone, or clicked perfectly. She also lacked a lot of skills that would be helpful in a cabin environment.

"What the fuck does bit have to do with anything?!" she asked in general, hoping there was some key piece of information she was missing. June said getting more and more antsy as the situation got more and more tense. her fingers started to fidget, every step and metallic clank she heard began to get to her, any pounding noises or chewing noises began to get on her nerves. She wasn't overwhelmed yet, but through years of therapy and even more years of life, she could recognize the early steps for over stimulation. Normally what she would do in this case is isolate herself, put on some comfort music, and let herself calm down. There was nowhere to go, she was trapped in this truck, and risked being left behind to die like those cops outside if she did. Important choices were clearly being made, and if she continued to not know what was going on she was going to lose it when it came time to act on those important decisions. "You Better Have a Damn Good Fucking Reason for this mother Fucker." She said towards Gus as she stood up. With a far harsher tone then she meant. Shaking the tone itself wasn't necessarily meant for Gus. A less than perfect reaction to high stress situations. Had she not been running pure survival mode all day, had she not been faced with the reality that an apocalypse was starting, or had she the right time and space to calm herself, she could have spoken in a more level tone. Instead, she was overwhelmed, scared shitless, and couldn't process what was going on in front of her. She knew the signs though, even if late. "I... I... I..." Deep breath in, deep breath out. "...that came out a lot harsher then I meant..." her hostile demeanor quickly deflating as she returned to just stressed and overwhelmed. She needed answers, but letting herself breakdown to get them would not help anyone.

Relief flooded Jack’s mind as Kaitlyn introduced herself and her companions, AJ and Shin-ae. At least he hadn’t made another mistake by stumbling across a group of hostiles. They seemed innocent enough… but perhaps that was the problem. Two women, one of whom appeared injured, and a teenager, wandering around in this dangerous environment by themselves, was an inherent risk. They were more susceptible to attacks, particularly from the ruffians and thugs who were undoubtedly eager to capitalize on the chaos.

Or was that an antiquated concept that would likely offend them?

Despite the annoyance, he wished he still had his PR team at his disposal to analyze these awkward social interactions and ensure that he didn’t say the wrong thing. However, there were also times when being true to himself was the best course of action. It was a lesson he had gained over decades of public service.

And in this case, he felt compelled to assist and protect them…

… if they would have him.

It wasn’t at all surprising when Shin-ae regarded him warily and asked whether he had been injured while fleeing the city. Jack couldn’t blame her, not really. Not after the things he had witnessed: the ambush on the public services building, his companions succumbing to the creatures one by one, Ben’s sacrifice—

The destruction of the bridges and tunnels was new information to him, though his expression remained unchanged. Deep down, he surmised something terrible had happened. He recalled how he had felt the distant rumblings, like thunder rolling through the streets. He now had context for the strange occurrence. It had been the detonations.

“No, no injuries,” Jack finally replied, his tone somber. “At least, not the type you’re referring to. I’ve… seen things. The group I was with before leaving the city… they all succumbed to those creatures, and… let's just say I have a pretty good idea of what to look for.”

He pursed his lips and diverted his gaze, no doubt recollecting himself after the harrowing experience. After a moment, he turned back and extended a hand, all too eager to change the subject.

“I’m Jack, by the way.” He nodded to Kaitlyn and Shin-ae. “It looks like you could use some help. I’m heading north, but I’m more than willing to take you as far as you need.”

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Isaac listened to everyone else speak as he shifted slightly before turning towards Kali, he quietly lifted up the cuff of his sleeve to reveal a small bite. "I got bit when we were wrestling Tobias was fighting against us before locking him in the freezer." Isaac whispered to Kali so only she could hear, with the way everyone was freaking out he didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was, Liana was quiet but listened to everyone in the room she noticed the bite wound on Isaac her eyes went wide as she looked to her roommate.

Gus turned to look at the group as they all started to demand what was going on, he had seen people turn due to the bites and the little bits on the news that got out as well to. "He was bit, meaning he'll probably turn into one of them things out there." Gus said looking at the group. "They locked down Manhattan for one, I aint letting anyone who was bit inside, to make sure y'all are safe period." Gus said crossing his arms over his chest.

"If y'all wanna hate me for making sure none of ya die thats fine you are more than welcome to get out." Gus said as Flynn quickly stood up and pushed Gus down onto a nearby seat. "We aren't leaving anyone behind." Flynn said looking over at the others. "I say we should vote does that work for everyone" Flynn asked the rest of the group it seemed far more reasonable than letting someone make all the decisions for the entire group.

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"It's nice to meet you Jack." Kaitlyn said as she listened to him as he recounted his escape from the city, it was scary for her as well to, and everyone else here especially for AJ. "I was headed up north as well to, we were going to look for AJ's parents." She said as her eyes wandered towards AJ who was still on the phone luckily it seemed that she was able to get ahold of someone. She didn't say where Shin-ae was going though she wasn't going to get far with her injured leg and broken bike.

"How far north are you headed Jack?" Kaitlyn asked as she gestured to her car as well to. "I have some food and supplies as well to if you need anything to." She informed him, Jack seemed to be nice enough and he didn't appear to be hostile or had any bad intentions either really to her.

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With Lex's suggestion of Isaac's condition being heat related, Billie brought the man another water bottle from their storage. Panic attack mixed with riding in this hot box could lead to his condition. She glanced at the separate water bottle Kali brought Isaac only a few minutes ago. "I know you have water to drink, but here is some more to cool you down. Apply some to the back of your neck or splash your face. It could help cool you down." She forced a smile to Isaac as she set it down next to him. If Isaac was wounded, she couldn't see any sign of it. Billie placed a hand on the back of her neck and squeezed. This happened before, especially back in the chemical labs in school. Sometimes one of her classmates would forget to properly vent the experiment leading to dizziness. Heatstroke became commonplace in the hot summers back in Arkansas too. The sooner they reached the lodge, the safer they would be. As Isaac turned to speak to Kali in a private manner, she turned away to address the group.

As Flynn, Lex, and June each argued to let the officers in, she kept a hand near her hammer as she backed up to block the MRAP doors. She didn't plan on using the hammer. Attacking the group would be a surefire way of getting her left alone in those streets with those things, but she wanted to feel safe in some way. If they forced the doors open, would the cops turn on the group for locking them out? Cops be damned, she didn't trust them anyways."Are you fucking kidding me? Y-Y-Y-You want to let them in? How the fuck do you think it is spreading?" Billie yelled at the group. "Have you forgotten the past four years, ya idiots? Covid! We had covid-fucking-nineteen! Whatever that is," she gestured out the door, "it's...it's...the military is bombing the bridge to New York for god's sake! We can't risk letting them in. We need to quarantine ourselves." As her fist clenched, she took in a deep breath trying to calm herself. "We're not voting."

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Her daughter was alive, thank God AJ was still safe. Even though the speaker was on so Paul could listen in, she still turned to him to repeat the information. "Do you have that Paul? At the mini-mart, next to a boba place, Trinity Academy is right there next to it." She gestured to Paul to start driving. "We should be right there, sweetheart. Keep talking on the phone, keep telling us anything going on, we should be there in just one minute." Diane anxiously shuffled her seat on the verge of tears. AJ was so close but still too far away. "AJ, AJ, who is Kaitlyn and Shin-ae? Are they your friends? Are they from the team? And who are they talking to? Who is it?"

Diane grabbed her backpack into her lap hoping it would contain something useful inside. The history textbook and work laptop took up a bulk of the space, what could they be used for? She fumbled through her purse for her pepper spray. Diane clutched it tightly in her free hand ready to spray those freaks outside. Memories of those people rushing into the school flooded back. How could they storm the school sustaining such injuries? Would pepper spray even work?

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A wave of relief washed over AJ as her mother said they would be arriving anytime soon. It'd be a matter of minutes, preferably seconds, AJ had hoped. She hadn't known from where they would be coming from, but Glen Rock couldn't have been that far away from where she was now. Perhaps fifteen or so minutes, AJ figured, at maximum. They hadn't been on the bus for long prior to the incident, so her parents couldn't be far behind on their way to her location.

"They're, uh," AJ paused, wondering how to properly explain how they met. A knot grew in her stomach, afraid of what her parents were going to say next. "People I met. I-I thought Shin-ae was one of them, so I swung my crosse... and... and.."

AJ looked back to Shin-ae and Kaitlyn, who had seemed to be getting along well with the stranger. She could hear something about directions from where she stood, as if they were trying to figure out where either were heading. They seemed to be heading north, which would've been perfect had AJ not already gotten ahold of her parents.

"I hurt someone, mom." AJ explained, remorseful for her actions. She hadn't meant to wipe out Shin-ae, but her survival instinct overwhelmed her senses. "Her bike is ruined, too. The pedal broke right off."

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The tension continued to increase inside the MRAP. It left Lex was in disbelief, astonished at everything she had heard. Gus claimed that his refusal to let the others in was for everyone's safety. Meanwhile, Flynn tried to raise a vote between all of those in the vehicle. A vote on whether they abandoned the officers or not. While Lex knew it was an attempt to ease the tension, she had been dismayed that it had came from him of all people. He leapt into action when the man pushed her down and tried to rip her face off, yet now wanted to leave the fate of others to a "vote".

"These are people. Real, living people. And we want to hold a vote on their lives? Whether we leave them behind or not?"

Lex gritted her teeth in frustration. She didn't want to leave people behind to save her own hide. They were bit (or at least assumed to be), sure. But that didn't give them the right to dictate their survival; to leave them behind after they kept everyone else safe from harm.

So, when Billie positioned herself between everyone and the door, she could only feel disgust. Lex watched in disbelief and astonishment as she held her hand close to her hammer, and demanded that they weren't going to vote at all. Would Billie truly go to such great lengths and try to hurt someone with the tool if they tried to force open the door? She didn't seem the type to, Lex believed. Still, anyone could be pushed to do something unexpected, especially someone in a situation like they were currently in now.

"So that's it." Lex spoke. "Agree with us, or we'll beat you and throw you out. Great to know which side you're on, Billie."

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Kali felt her heart sank. Her face grew pale, and she could only look back at Isaac with a stare that begged why. She couldn't understand how the world could've been so cruel; to continue to take away people she cared about. First, it had been Jeff, and now Isaac had been next. Even if he had been alive now, Isaac was as good as dead. The bite was how it all started, they had since come to figure out. Given time, and Kali hadn't known how much longer Isaac had, he was bound to turn into one of them.

She looked back to Liana, who was just as shocked as Kali had been. What was she, or rather, they supposed to do? Kali hadn't known, nor did likely Liana. Gus was advocating to throw out anyone who had been bit to "keep everyone safe". There was a bit of truth to his words. Leaving behind those who were bit increased their odds of survival, keeping them alive and in one piece. But they couldn't just abandon people, like Lex and Flynn exclaimed. It was inhumane. They weren't cogs in a machine, ready to be discarded once past their usefulness.

And so, when Billie demanded to not let them in; that they weren't going to vote, Kali stood up to say her piece.

"You all disgust me. A bunch of bloody cowards claiming that they're thinking of everyone when you're all just looking out for your skin. They didn't have to go into the station to help, and then it would've been you outside those doors begging to be let in."

A hint of venom in her tone echoed the frustration she had felt. The audacity they all had—Gus, Billie and anyone else who had been in favor. How dare they discard someone like a broken tool, as if they outlived their usefulness?

"We're not judge, jury, and executioner. It isn't our place to decide whether someone is left behind or not. If it comes to it, and it likely will, then we can act. But not now. Not here."

Jack slowly nodded, following Kaitlyn’s gaze toward the teenager, AJ. The girl looked distraught. While her words were not apparent from this distance, her body language was a testament to her emotional state, particularly the way she clutched the phone as if it were her lifeline. A pang of empathy clutched his chest at the sight. He felt sorry for the girl, though he wisely kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his place to further inquire about her situation. Kaitlyn already mentioned her goal was to find her parents; he’ll leave it at that for now.

“I hope to make it to Boston,” Jack replied after a moment, returning his gaze to Kaitlyn. “My daughter… Claire lives up that way with her husband. I haven’t heard from her since everything went to hell, but—”

He trailed off with a rueful smile, his words hanging heavy with implication. He didn’t want to elaborate, especially when he considered the alternatives.

To suppress those thoughts, he quickly changed the subject, retaining hope in the process. His expression softened as he sought Shin-ae’s attention, once again noting the woman’s apparent injury. “It looks like you could use another set of wheels,” Jack said with some levity, keeping his tone light so he wouldn’t startle her. “You can ride along with me, if you want. I should have plenty of room in the trunk for your bike.”

He then turned to the others, his brow furrowing slightly. “Speaking of which, if you’re all heading north, then maybe we shouldn’t go alone. Strength in numbers, and all that.” He hesitated, some of the light seeming to fade from his eyes as the carnage of the last several days came surging back. When he spoke again, his voice was more subdued… haunted. “We’ve lost so much already.”

Snapping out of it, Jack pursed his lips and nodded toward Kaitlyn once more. “Uh, and thank you… for offering the supplies. I appreciate that. I only wish I had some to spare to show my gratitude in return. The best I can do right now is a ride. How about we start there? That’s still on the table.”

He reached over and popped open the passenger-side door with a metallic clack.

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"Probably? We seem to be basing a lot off of probably here." June mumbled in her seat. The noise of everyone talking the noises outside and her over thinking herself in her head beginning to drive her mad. She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular. "....how long until we're leaving people behind for other reasons..." she muttered in a deep half secretive voice. She was overwhelmed. She was scared shitless. She wasn't even sure how she survived the day and if she got booted out next for getting scratched? Or because everyone here found her annoying? She was dead. At least before she may have been able to make a beeline for her car and book it. But now? Home was a 7 hour drive away in the best of conditions, which things were not now. And she didn't have a spare car laying about to drive either.

When Flynn took over things seemed to calm down. Ish. There was debate on even if they should vote at all, June was simply trying to not let herself break down. Stressed was an understatement. Every sharp sound or loud voice felt like it was personally attacking her. With a deep breath, a long sip from one of the energy drinks, and a mouth full of gummy worms, she slowed down her thinking, cleared her throat and spoke up rather meekly in an attempt to bring up her point to the group. "If we lock them out, we condemn them to death. We all know what it is like out there, and we can't be sure how it spreads yet." Her voice was rather soft in this moment, but if she didn't speak at all she would have to force herself to close everything out. She wasn't sure she could live with that guilt. "Do we... do we draw a line at what times it is okay to abandon people? If we don't like them? If they're too much a burden? Billie you're right Covid sucked ass, but we don't even know if they're sick." She paused, her eyes seeming to sink for a moment before another realization hit. "They also have the guns." June muttered. This could mean they were the only ones really in a position to protect them, but it could also mean a threat assessment. If they were left behind to die would they retaliate? Could the group defend themselves without the officers? She wasn't sure which direction she was leaning with it either.

Thankfully she wasn't totally alone. And others saw the fear of tossing people aside so carelessly. Where do we draw the line. "What if we restrain them." she muttered. barely above a whisper. Unsure if she could be heard the first time she cleared her throat, downed the rest of her energy drink, and spoke up with far less confidence, but a little more volume. "We could restrain them... the sick attack people, and if it spreads through bites and bodily fluids, a gag, restraints, and even s cheap disposable mask should do the job no?" June tried to plead optimistically. None of these people knew her. No one here could vouch for her. She knew she wasn't good at being social, especially under stress. She also knew in an emergency situation she was more a liability than an asset. the longer she could hold off the talks on kicking people away who were a problem the better. "Or maybe we can grab another car? Or a trailer to pull to act as a quarantine?" She spoke, her voice cracking as what confidence she held left failed her.

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"Thank you." Isaac said as he took another sip of the water and leaned back slightly he didn't want to be a burden to the group at all or hurt anyone as he listened to the group debate. Liana turned to Kali and whispered so that way no one else could really hear what she said to Kali. "Should we tell them or something, what do you think we should do?" Liana asked her.

Gus turned to look at the group, seeing that some of them weren't onboard with just leaving the officers behind, they were all bit as far as he was concerned. "Hey listen I saw that when those things bite you, you end up turning into one of them." Gus said as he glared at the group, at least Billie seemed to agree with him. "If y'all want them in they'll turn and we all are food. And I ain't going to be someone's next meal." Gus said, he really didn't like the idea of being zombie food at all really.

Flynn turned to look at June who came up with a better solution as he looked through the small windows in the back of the MRAP, he noticed that there was an abandoned tractor trailer nearby, and started to think of an idea. "We inspect them for bites and if they are we have them restrained, and then we use that and keep them in there." Flynn said pointing out to the truck trailer nearby. "We wait a little bit and listen if they turn then they can be safely locked in there and we move on." Flynn suggested.

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"It's only been a few hours since they locked down New York, but yeah I think strength in numbers would be better." Kaitlyn suggested, Jack seemed to be trustworthy enough and he was right having strength in numbers was a good idea right now. "Who knows how far this thing has really spread." Kaitlyn then added as she listened to the bits of conversation that she heard from AJ, her parents weren't that far really she guessed maybe a few minutes away or so.

"Your car looks a little beatup are you sure it'll be alright for the long haul?" Kaitlyn asked looking at Jack, she turned to Shin-ae and approached her offering the woman a hand up. "We can take my car it's got more room, and it has a rack for your bike if you want to use that." She offered. "So we find AJ's parents, then we see how things are in Boston does that work also have you tried calling your daughter and son in-law? I think the phonelines are still up last I saw."

Yeah. Safety in numbers sounded good.

She was about to break her silence--which she'd kept for a little while, the entire thing just felt very awkward and she felt very out of her depth--to agree with "Jack" to throw her bike into his trunk and head north. It's not like she really had anywhere better to go, after all. Well, it would maybe be nice to go back California to make sure her parents were okay, but just imagining what the airports and interstates looked like right now was enough to convince her that was a phenomenally bad idea. Even if she wasn't bitten in the panic-stricken airport. So her parents were just--

...Then Kaitlyn interrupted her stupor by offering her a hand, and she took it gratefully, hauling herself to her feet and doing her best to shake off the thoughts. And, as a bonus, she also offered a slightly more convenient way to travel around and carry her bike. Shin-ae gave a soft sound of assent, but shot a quick glance at Jack out of the corner of her eye all the same. He'd offered so kindly to help. It seemed like a shame to tell him "hey I know that you let me ride in your car out of the kindness of your heart even while worried about your daughter, but Kaitlyn's has a bike rack. And in order to come you have to abandon your own car." Still. She had to consider her own safety, and it did look like a fairly beaten-up car. She bit her lip slightly. The answer was obvious. She just...still felt a little bad.

So she limped up to the window where Jack still sat and gave him a smile she hoped wasn't too forced or awkward. "Thank you for the offer, Jack. Really. But I really would rather stick my bike on a rack so it doesn't up too much space. The more you can carry the better, and all that. I'm sorry." A part of her jealously hoped that he would abandon his car to join them, he seemed like a nice man, but she acknowledged that was probably unrealistic.

With that task done, she gave another smile--this one apologetic--before she turned to walk back over toward Kaitlyn, pausing as she did to pick up her violin case and give the woman a fractional nod.

"Lead the way." Another thought crossed her mind: "Unless we want to wait for AJ's parents to pick her up?"

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Why were they all against her? How could everyone inside this cage be this irresponsible with their safety. She scoffed at Kali's ignorant statement. They were not the authorities. The military and police failed in maintaining order in the streets. The bridge into New York was currently at the bottom of the Hudson River as they argued. Right now everyone in the MRAP needed to evacuate to Gus' cabin for quarantine; but it was Lex's comment that stung her the most. "I'm on our side. I'm on our side. We just can't risk infection. I'm on our side," her voice quieted near the end. Billie removed her hand away from the rock hammer at her side. The only one here inside the MRAP on her side was Gus.

As June joined the others in advocating to let the police in, she questioned the reliability of each person. Everyone inside this cage voted against their own safety. She raised an eye on June's statement regarding casting out others due to their usefulness. Billie leaned against the door with her arms crossed. "What are you on about? We're talking about quarantine measures!" Billie viewed June becoming increasingly immature these past few hours and careless, such as purchasing energy and snack food instead of useful provisions.

Once June mentioned trying to restrain them, Billie scoffed at her comment; however, the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded. "Sorry, um, sorry. That could work. Keep them restrained and locked away. That way we know for sure if the bites actually do anything." Billie peered out the window to see the tractor-trailer Flynn mentioned. How long do we want to wait though? What if the time for each of the bitten to react to the rabies differs? Do we wait for all of them?" She didn't want to dismiss the idea outright, but she was concerned for the logistics. "Especially what do we do when things take a turn for a worse out here? Shouldn't we focus on getting to safety as we are at it?" Billie retreated to a seat to be further from the rest of the group, which didn't give her much space.

---

---

The phone call from Diane's side became repetitive. After each block she would update AJ on their position until finally spotting AJ with a group outside a gas station. "Stop the car!" She shouted towards Paul as she undid her seat belt. "She's there, oh my God, AJ she's there!" Once the car came to a stop, Diane slammed the door open without care for Paul's property. "AJ, AJ, AJ, oh my god you're alive!" Diane rushed towards her daughter with her arms wide. Crying, she skidded to a stop as she wrapped her arms around AJ. "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive." Diane cupped her daughters face between her hands. "We're going to go back to the apartment and hide until everything blows over. Come on, lets get back home."

---

---

It seemed like her mother hadn't heard what she said. Someone had gotten hurt, and it had been all AJ's fault. Her mother had glossed over it like Shin-ae's condition, or her broken bike, didn't matter. Instead, all concern was swept up into a fury, wherein her mother continuously focused on status updates. That they weren't going to be much further out. That they were going to be there soon. Although AJ was glad her parents were on their way, in the end, she was forced to put aside her concerns for Shin-ae and the woman's bike—at least until her parents arrived.

Thankfully, it hadn't been long before her parents did pull up to the street they had been waiting at. As soon as her father's 2019 BMW 3 Series came to a stop, her mother had leapt out of the vehicle, and raced towards AJ.

"Mom?"

AJ ran in kind to her mother, eagerly returning the wide bear hug her mother had given. She didn't want to let go of her mother. She felt safe in her arms, as if the last hour or so hadn't existed. There was no one being violently murdered. No one screaming for their life. It was just the two of them—and her dad, of course.

Her mother then insisted they go home, back to their apartment and hide until everything blew over. AJ did want to go home, having wanted to ever since the bus bloodbath. However, AJ wasn't keen on the idea. Although the apartment had been a home every other week to AJ, it was tiny, in a busy area of town, and had several families living alongside them in the same complex. What if one of them were... sick, like the one that killed Coach Everett? She had seen how quickly the violence spread first-hand; how fast people turned on each other. They couldn't hide in a packed apartment building with tons of people nearby.

Dad's house had to be more safe. His house was bigger. Had less people around. If anyone could keep them safe, he could.

"I," AJ began, "I think we should go to dad's, mom. He doesn't have as many neighbors as you do."

She looked towards her father, hoping for his approval.

---

---

A piece of Lex felt guilty as Billie began to quiet. She knew that the woman had their best interests in heart. No one wanted to be mauled to death, or be have whatever... this thing was passed onto them. That was an entire reasonable thing to ask for. But they couldn't just abandon these people, even if they were infected. People weren't a tool to just be abandoned past its usefulness. All they were looking out for their own survival, without a single care if the roles were reversed.

Sighing, Lex was at a loss as what to do. She rolled her hand through her messy hair. They weren't going to find middle ground, as far as she could see. No one was going to win this argument. But then, Flynn had an idea, piggybacking off June as he pointed to the trailer outside.

It could work. Maybe, she could only hope.

"It's an option." Lex admitted as she glanced around the group. She hoped Gus in particular would be onboard, as he had been the most vocal so far. "It keeps them quarantined without us having to leave them behind. And if anyone does happen to turn into one of those... things, the restraints should stop them from hurting anyone else."

---

---

As Liana asked what they should do, Kali was at a loss. Hiding Isaac's bite was a death sentence for each and everyone in the vehicle. On the other hand, bringing it up was likely to make things much, much worse. People were already hot headed about leaving people behind, herself included. Announcing Isaac had been bit earlier in the day was likely to cause the tension to explode within the MRAP, perhaps in violence. Billie was already gripping her rock hammer, while guns were readily in reach for anyone to grab. All it took was for someone to get too hotheaded in the already cramped vehicle.

Kali bit her lip. Why couldn't Isaac have told her sooner? Why did he wait until now? She wanted to curse and scream, but instead internalized her frustration. There was no win-win, even with the suggestion Flynn provided. There was only lose-lose.

"I'll... help. We just need to check for bites. That way, everyone, including those outside, stays safe." Kali spoke up, looking to Flynn. Perhaps he could help her with Isaac, even though locking him up in the trailer would cause even more issues than before. Still, something needed to be done about it. "But how are we going to restrain them if they are bit?"

Jack supposed he couldn’t blame Shin-ae for declining his offer to ride along with him. Despite their situation, he was still a stranger. Their meeting was the result of a random circumstance, which certainly wasn’t enough for him to earn her trust. That would come in time. For the moment, he would respect her boundaries.

Nevertheless, Jack had felt a little wounded when Kaitlyn questioned the versatility of the car itself, something that had likely also crossed Shin-ae’s mind. He would be the first to admit that it was far from dependable, nor did it hold any sentimental value. It wasn’t even his car! However, it was his last connection to Ben’s memory. The young man had sacrificed himself to allow Jack to retrieve his car. That had to count for something.

But there was also the question of practicality, especially in terms of their safety. In that sense, perhaps Kaitlyn had a point.

With a quiet sigh, Jack ran his hand along the dashboard and frowned. "There is a chance it could slow us down. I did notice a slight uptick on the temperature gauge on my way out of the city. There was no time to stop and diagnose the problem, but the best-case scenario? It simply needs an oil change." He angled his chin to meet Kaitlyn’s gaze. "I could take a look now and go from there? An extra set of wheels wouldn’t be such a bad idea—"

A revving engine announced the arrival of another car, a lavish BMW, which halted Jack’s thoughts. As he opened the door and rose to his feet, he watched the scene unfold with narrowed eyes, his frown deepening. A woman with fair skin and equally blonde hair emerged from the passenger side of the car, ran across the asphalt, and flung herself against AJ. The two embraced, the woman sobbing inconsolably. The driver, who remained in the car, was difficult to see through the tinted glass, though Jack could only deduce that they were the girl’s parents.

Good for her.

He allowed himself a small smile at the reunion, though it soon faded, quickly replaced with a pang of anxiety for his own daughter. Claire was still out there. Only then did he acknowledge Kaitlyn’s inquiry about whether he had tried to contact her.

"She called me when everything went to hell," Jack explained solemnly, his blue eyes turning distant. "The line cut off shortly after I answered, and I haven’t been able to get a hold of her since. It could be as simple as her phone dying, or—well, I’d rather not consider the alternatives. Not yet, anyway. I’d rather maintain hope." He shook his head and scoffed at his own expense. "But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try again. You never know."

With another wary sigh, Jack pulled the phone from his pants pocket and retrieved Claire’s information through his contacts.

---

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---

---

June may be socially inept, and struggle with social confidence, but while everyone else argued what to do with the potentially infected cops, June shared her idea, and was told it was a good idea. This was literally the best case scenario for June. Even better! Since Flynn had accepted things and taken the time to plan out the micro details! That meant that June didn't have to present her details even more so! She wasn't on the spot anymore! What else could a woman ask for? All it required was breaking into a truck! Which... June wasn't sure if they could with the cops present. And she had no idea what kind of counter lock measures that trucks had. Even Billie seemed to be softening up! Which was good because she very much gave the impression of someone who seemed ready to lose it. Though the woman seemed friendly enough, she reminded June of someone who could be a bit of a hard ass. If everything wasn't to her degree of perfect she began to quickly get agitated. Then thinking on it, so did June. But in this case June's line of thinking was that of self preservation so she was totally justified in all she did. But the idea of waiting was concerning. They didn't even have time to swing by to pick up her car of all things! "I mean if we're gonna wait we could swing by and pick up my car?" She asked optimistically, knowing the chances were slim. But she figured why not? But things were getting worse, and worse. What if things got so bad they couldn't stay and didn't yet know one way or another?

But there was the problem that the cops outside had to be willing, and what did they have to restrain them? "I mean restraining people is surprisingly easy. Most cables tied into a decent knot can contain most people rather easily. Denim works wonders! Towels are also hard to tear and wear down by hand. Going back to cables any cord longer than 6 foot should do the job just fine. And if we're worried about bites we should try some form of gag. Again denim but a leather belt does wonders too!" June exclaimed sharing her knowledge on how to restrain people with common household supplies! "I suppose we could use seatbelts or those restraining belts used in cargo if the truck has them..." She then spoke up her train of thought forcing her to ponder options. "Though I suppose they probably have hand cuffs. But they also have the keys to those. And the guns." Those were still on her mind. What if they decided to retaliate with bullets? Or were unwilling to cooperate? "..._{we should take their guns....}" June mumbled. "At least from those who are likely sick." She continued a little louder. And to her own guilt, with the slim hope of getting one for herself. Then she had to justify it logically. She needed logic to justify her decisions or they would all sound silly to herself. "The sick may become desperate. A desperate man with a gun is a problem. But if one turns and the others don't, leaving them unarmed is as good as dead. So we take the guns from the sick. The exposed. The bitten." She spoke in a cold logical tone without making eye contact with anyone but the energy drink she was holding firmly in both hands.

"We should check for signs often, if one turns and the rest don't we'll wanna separate them asap. And we don't wanna stay here longer than we have too." She didn't need to say the obvious. They were outside of the hot zone, and things were already beginning to fall apart. How long did they have until the military decided to amputate more of the sickness? Yes June was a creature of self preservation. Saving the cops right now was a step to that. They were the weak link now, but June was on the list. She just hadn't been inconvenient enough to leave behind yet. "Maybe we can find the driver of the truck? Either get them to come with us so we can keep moving, or barter for the keys?" Or steal the truck. But she wouldn't propose that in front of everyone. Especially cops. "Then we take both trucks and book it. As fast as they can."

---

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---

Flynn started to think for a moment as he looked over towards the window back at the gas station store, the last of the people had left maybe there was a chance to get a few more extra supplies. "We ask them to use their handcuffs and restrain them, then we take them to the trail and restrain their feet with any cords or other materials we find to bind their feet." Flynn suggested looking at the group as he thought a little bit on how long they should keep them in there. "We don't know how long it'll take but I say we wait about an hour, if nothing changes we let them free and we can move on sound good?" Flynn asked the entire group.

Gus grumbled slightly to himself, not really to keen on the plan and wanted to get as far away from the city and suburbs as soon as possible. "Fine one hour, no longer than that." Gus said looking at Flynn Liana looked at Isaac for a moment and then looked at Flynn and the others. "An hour works for me." Liana said agreeing to the plan as Isaac took another sip of water, Gus made his way towards the back of the MRAP and unlocked the door looking at him. "Since it's your plan your plan you get to tell them. The rest of you get cords or whatever inside the store and any remaining supplies we may need." Gus, looking at his friend and the others, Flynn didn't really like the idea of having to break the news really.

"Fine i'll do it." Flynn said as he went and got out of the MRAP and looked at the three officer looking at the one who was holding their arm where they have been bit. "What the hell man?" One of the officers asked looking at Flynn and the group that was there before Flynn spoke. "We noticed one of you got bit inside there, we don't want any of you to turn if it is caused by a bite." Flynn said as he gestured towards the abandoned tractor trailer nearby. "It'll only be for an hour if you don't turn we release you and we can continue on our way does that sound good?" Flynn asked the officers as they went to talk quietly amongst themselves.

---

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---

Kaitlyn nodded to Shin-ae glad that she was okay as she pulled herself up, as her attention turned towards Jack bringing up an issue with his car. She wasn't sure how many of those things were in the area or when more of them would appear as she looked to Jack. "I don't have any tools or the skills to check any of that. But if you do you could try it I guess, but i'm not sure when more of those things will show up and i'd rather be away from here if they do." Kaitlyn said, but she was willing to let Jack see if he could fix his car if he wanted to do that.

Then a car drove up to them, and another woman quickly ran over to AJ and the two of them hugged which made her smile slightly she was glad that she was able to be reunited with her parents. She looked to Shin-ae for a moment and dug into her pockets and handed the woman her keys. "Try and not drive off without it. I'll be over in a moment to strap your bike down." She said jokingly, hopping that Shin-ae wouldn't actually do it though as she approached AJ and Diane. "Hi there I am Kaitlyn it's nice to meet you. We were headed up north further away from the city, if you want you are welcome to join, it's better to have strength in numbers." Kaitlyn told her.

---

---

Disappointed with the group, Billie stuffed a couple of water bottles and a snack from the stash of food into her backpack. Arguing against the plan would only fall on deaf ears and she felt it would lead to further distrust. Maybe June was right on one thing. If the group were to start voting on who to oust, her recent episode placed her on the chopping block. As Flynn broke the news to the officers, she stayed near the front of the MRAP near Gus. If the officers were to react violently, she wanted to be far away from them. To her surprise, they didn’t react with gunfire.

Billie tightened the backpack around her while exiting the vehicle. “I’ll go look inside the semi.” She hopped out of the back and gave the officers a wide berth. After the bitten man reacted violently in the gas station, everyone evacuated in every direction. Billie lifted the handle from the semi truck and rolled the door open. Empty. Goddamn fucking empty. Not a single case of food, not a case of clothing, not any cases of drinks-water or otherwise. Of all the semi trucks she’s seen, why was this one empty? "Fine.” She turned away from the truck before seeing a dolly inside. Billie hopped inside the back of the semi-truck to retrieve the dolly. Could they feasibly restrain someone inside of here? To be locked inside for an hour would be hell. Each passing minute waiting to just see if you turn? What if someone succumbed to the rabies before the others? What if the infected broke their restraints and attacked everyone inside? Billie shook her head as she brought the dolly outside the cargo bin. ”Dolly here. If there are any cases inside, this should help haul them over,” she informed the group. ”I’m going to check out the cab, maybe they left the keys.”

With the dolly left with the group, she rushed towards the cab. If there were keys, maybe they can get the best of both worlds. Lock up the bitten inside and drive to safety. Billie opened the front seat door with a small smile. She expected it to be locked. Billie shuffled around the inside of the cabin searching for the keys and anything useful. The glove box proved disappointing, just the usual registration and presumably company documents. She shuffled up to pull down the mirror. To her surprise, the keys fell right down into her lap. ”Yes!” She raised a fist in victory to herself before placing in the keys. Hearing the semi-truck start, she leaned back with a smile. Billie closed her eyes, picturing herself driving off in the semi truck into the far distant mountains near some truck stop. Away from everyone. Alone. She spent a good minute picturing the bliss before returning to the MRAP. ”Good news,” she said, dangling the keys to the group, "I have the keys to the semi. We could restrain those bitten in the back of the cargo space and still drive to the cabin. Kill two birds with one stone." If the group agreed with the plan, next question came down to who would drive?

---

---

AJ’s request to stay at her dad’s house stung Diane. Only a few short hours ago did the hysterical mob bash through the school’s doors for their children. Then the blood. The quaint hallways filled with school banners and excitement for a new school year to be met with a rabid horde. She left them. She abandoned her students. Out the fire escape. Gone. She understood why AJ wanted to hide at her ex-husband’s home. He kept the house in the lovely neighborhood with the large home, a giant bedroom for AJ, the home AJ grew up in. Why would AJ want to stay in Diane’s apartment? Why would AJ want to stay in the cramped apartment still filled with boxes from the move? Diane didn’t keep all the luxuries Paul could afford. ”I know AJ, but we live on the fourth floor. We’ll have a better time hiding up there, right? Easier to hide away in.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a woman who introduced herself as Kaitlyn. Definitely too old to be AJ’s friends, but these must be the people she met. Diane released the tight grip around her daughter and tried her best to compose herself. "Hi, Kaitlyn, I’m Diane, AJ’s mom. Thank you so much for watching over my girl, I appreciate it.” She turned back towards Paul then back towards Kaitlyn. There was an appeal to go with them to just get away from her ex, but she still wanted to go home. ”I appreciate the offer, really, I do, but I think we are going to go back and hide at home. I mean with the military here now, I think we can trust them to sort things out. They should be bringing in the National Guard at any moment now.”

---

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June knew she was smarter than most people. Her problem? She had the social skills of a wet noodle who knew she was smarter than most people. And she rarely knew the best ways to apply her intelligence. She was more of a give me a task and I will figure it out sort of person. But if no task was presented it was more of what were her own specific short term goals. In this case, Flynn was the one executing the idea of telling he cops to hand over their guns and restraining. June sat out of sight of the officers as Flynn attempted to take control of the situation. But felt the need to share about the guns again. "And the guns. Don't forget the guns." June said. She worried those accused of being sick may get hostile. But also, what if they needed them while the officers were quarantined? What if They never got better?

When Billie snuck her way out while trying to not be noticed it seemed, June noticed, and debated going with her. Since they may be staying for a hot minute, June didn't like the idea of being trapped. Maybe if she had the keys, or maybe if she was armed. But it was a small metal box where she had no control over her environment. Something she wasn't at all a huge fan about. In the end, she waited out of sight, waiting to see how things would play out. On top of that, it seemed Billie was able to even find keys! So they could get the other truck moving. In a rather excited manner, June leaned out the back door trying to not accidentally shove Flynn too hard and asked out to Billie "Find anything to eat in there? Chocolate? Soda? Booze?" Look, everyone needed their comfort snacks. Today was absolutely a comfort snack sort of day. And as the woman with pockets filled with gummy worms, she should know a thing or two about that.

Again, a pang of remorse clenched his chest in response to Kaitlyn’s recommendation to abandon the car, though Jack nodded all the same. While he still hated to discard his last link to Ben, it almost felt like a betrayal to the young man, it made the most practical sense. The car was a liability, and he didn’t want to become responsible for any additional deaths. In that regard, he appreciated Kaitlyn’s ability to stay rational in the face of chaos.

Nevertheless, he had to be sure. Call it stubborn pride, but Jack wasn’t about to throw in the towel just yet.

And so, as Kaitlyn handed over her car keys to Shin-ae and strode over to greet AJ’s parents, Jack bent down and popped the hood of the Impala, the metal groaning in protest as he lifted it. He immediately felt the heat rising from the engine block, accompanied by a burst of steam that wafted into his face. As if that wasn’t enough to raise concern, the thick, pungent fumes of rancid oil clung to the air and burned his nose as it worked its way through his sinuses. That certainly wasn’t a good sign.

Jack stood back and took a moment to breathe the fresh air. "Of course," he muttered under his breath. "The one time I need a reliable car…"

Under normal circumstances, he likely could’ve eventually identified the problem and devised a way to patch it back together, but he did not have the luxury of time or resources. It was a fruitless gesture when he had nothing else to go on except the smell of burning oil. He was no mechanic, but he still understood how that particular symptom could indicate a variety of problems. At this point, he had to admit that Kaitlyn was right. It was probably best to abandon it.

With a sigh, Jack slammed the hood back down and instinctively fingered the phone in his pocket. Despite everything that had transpired over the last 24 hours, it provided an odd sort of comfort, especially since it was the last thing linking him to Claire. It was only then that he remembered Kaitlyn’s earlier suggestion to contact her—or at least, to give it another try.

He stared at the screen for a long moment before unlocking it, thumbing down to his daughter’s name in his contacts. The photo attached to the profile was taken a few years ago, with her hair tangled in the wind and her eyes closed with laughter. It was the face of a child with her whole life ahead of her. The realization that she may never fulfill her dreams felt like a punch to the gut.
Jack hastily hit the “call” button before he could talk himself out of it again.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

Still no answer.

He was about to hang up when the line clicked, and a familiar voice filled his ear.

"... Dad?"

"C-Claire?" His breath caught in his throat. "Is… is that you?"

---

---

Paul’s hands gripped the wheel as his eyes moved across the street, listening to the conversation ardently with his window down.

The streets were empty and he couldn’t quite shake a feeling of uncertainty as Diane insisted to their daughter that they would go back to her apartment and tuck away until the military handled things. The same military that had lost an armored truck to civilians at the gas station they passed by? Something was off and he had no intention of listening to Diane nor telling her he was going to ignore her wishes. His daughter seemed to have some sense, recognizing the situation, and knowing that the best choice was the house he had bought to raise his family twenty or so years ago.

Diane would have to humor it. The walls that made her anxious, the ones that made her resent him.

“Diane.” He managed, finally, “I don’t think this is the place to argue.”

He remained in the driver’s seat.

“I have space for two other people if they need to get out of here.”

---

---

AJ had been left disheartened. Despite her concern, her mother had been insistent on them taking shelter in her apartment. She hadn't seen what happened on the highway. How so easily people began to rip and tear each other apart. Being potentially trapped above those things felt like a nightmare waiting to happen, and AJ wanted no part of it.

And when Kaitlyn approached, it only added fuel to the fire. She felt like her mother was ignoring her concerns; deciding what was best for them without her input. AJ wanted to stand up for what she believed in and to challenge her mother's train of thought. She didn't want to disappoint her mother, but being walked all over was frustrating enough. It had been this way ever since the divorce. No one seemed to listen to her. No one seemed to care. Even her father seemed indifferent, appearing to take neither side when AJ had hoped for his favor.

They would never understand how she truly felt, not even in the damned apocalypse.

"Okay, mom." AJ responded, disgruntled with her mother. It was a tone reminiscent of all those nights, wherein AJ would pass on her mother's attempt to continue their family traditions. "If you say so."

Grabbing her duffel bag, she loaded it into the trunk of her father's car. AJ then climbed into the backseat and buckled her seat belt in silence. This time, there was no bedroom to run to to get away. She was stuck with her officious parents until they got back home.

---

---

Despite the slight tension still in the air, Lex was relieved that they were no longer at each other's throats. Everyone moved to help with the plan, regardless if they had been full onboard or not. Flynn and Kali had went to help with the officers, while Billie went to acquire the semi for their own purposes. Unfortunately, that meant the only piece left was to go search the store that everyone had just ran out of—something Lex wasn't particularly keen on. One of those things had just attacked her inside the gas station, and the cops had seemed to be in a hurry to leave after coming to their rescue. Something had to still be lurking inside.

"I'll check the cars first." Lex said. She didn't feel comfortable entering the gas station alone, and not without some sort of weapon. "There has to be something someone left behind."

Pushing past June and Flynn, Lex climbed out of the MRAP and walked over to the nearest vehicle. Robbing people of their belongings didn't seem right to Lex, especially with the cops standing nearby. This wasn't the vending machine all over again; this was someone's livelihood and belongings. That being said, they already had stolen an MRAP, and it didn't seem like the vehicles' owners were bound to come back soon. After all, why would they leave a perfectly good vehicle they could've driven away in?

"They're not helping anyone just sitting in there." Lex muttered to herself, attempting to justify breaking into someone's car to take whatever supplies they were holding onto. "Here goes nothing..."

---

---

It seemed like there was finally a plan of action. Although not everyone was fully onboard with the plan, the tension seemed to quiet down.

Kali took one final look at Isaac as she followed Flynn outside the MRAP. Regardless of the plan, she needed to bring his condition up. It was now or never, and never was putting their lives at risk. She didn't know how long Isaac had. He was a ticking time bomb; one that was bound to turn cannibal and attack someone. It pained Kali, but there was no alternative. Any shot at saving Isaac was likely long gone.

As the officers went to convene among themselves, Kali turned to Flynn. It would be easier to break the news without Gus breathing down their necks, although Kali was still afraid of how Flynn would react. He seemed to be the most level-headed out of all them, though he was still a stranger whom she knew little about. There was a high chance he was bound to react horribly to what Kali was about to tell him.

"Flynn," Kali spoke, lowering her voice to a whisper so that only he could hear. "I need your help. Isaac... He—He isn't just sick. He's been hiding a bite since New York. I—I swear I didn't know. I had no idea until just now."

Kali nervously looked around, hoping no one was listening.

"I don't know what to do, Flynn. I don't want to lose another person I care about."