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Name: Daniel "Danny" Heidecker / Rudy


Gender: Male

Age: 23

Bio: Of his family, Danny really only developed a bond with his younger sister, Joscelyn. He was never quite on the same level as his mother and father, who always seemed to want Danny to be something he wasn't. He was just never as smart as they wanted him to be it seemed. In some attempt to impress his parents, Danny started getting into sports when he got into high school, taking a particular interest in basketball and MMA. Through this, Danny found it easy to get friends. Still, in his senior year, Danny started to find himself closing off from most of the people he knew. The only person who was exempt from this sudden behavior was Danny's best friend, Shannon.

The pair had met in grade school and developed their friendship over time. It eventually got the point that Danny would spend more time at Shannon's than his own house. He enjoyed being around her parents far more than his own. It had been often whispered and joked about that Danny and Shannon were a couple, though truthfully their friendship had always been purely platonic.

For reasons known only to Danny, he had started acting out at home. He was never quite on good terms with his parents, but never to the degree of actively yelling at them. For a while, Danny's home life was a mess. When he realized this was negatively impacting his relationship with his sister as well, he started making plans to move out and live with Shannon's family. After a major falling out with his parents, Danny was quick to finalize the move. He lived with Shannon and her family for about a year, keeping in contact with only his sister. At 18, Shannon and Danny moved to a different state to live with Shannon's pen-pal, Monica.

When the apocalypse started, Danny and Shannon were forced to separate from Monica. While attempting to get back to Shannon's parents, Danny found himself separated from Shannon as well. Danny fell into despair for a time, believing Shannon to be dead. He eventually fell in with Myriah's group as they were initially starting Outpost. Danny came close to Myriah, who started calling him "Rudy" as a joke. Danny decided to keep the moniker and he eventually became known as Rudy amongst the people of Outpost.
Tyler - Haywood

Tyler's mouth went agape at the sight of Lauren's death. It was all he could do to stop himself from smiling. A few of the scouts squirmed at the lone shot being fired, one of them even belting out a "shit!". Beside him, Rudy shook his head. "I don't like this, Thomas. You have to-"

"Katie!" Tyler yelled. His little girl had managed to pull herself out of he woman's grip but was crying herself ragged over Lauren's body. "She was a bad woman, Katie! A bad woman who wanted to hurt you and me!"

The woman who had been holding Katie suddenly sprang forward. In the brief second it took her to hop the car's hood, Tyler saw a knife now suddenly in her hand. He raised his gun to stop her but her foot connected with his face and he fell backwards against the ground. There was grunting and a scuffle before someone said, "Shannon?". Tyler quickly propped himself by the elbow and aimed his gun at the woman, but he paused at the sight before him; Rudy was on his feet, his one hand out to stop Enrique and his other awkwardly aiming a rifle at the woman. The woman's arms fell limp at the sight of him. "Oh my God," she muttered.
Shannon - Haywood

This wasn't real. This wasn't real.

"Danny?" She wasn't sure when she dropped the knife, but she found her hand empty as it reached toward the boy before her. His own eyes were wide with-- Oh, God. It was him. It was really him. He looked weary and tired, the bags under his eyes slightly bigger than usual. His hair was a mess and he looked a lot skinnier than she remembered. But it was most definitely him. "Dan. Danny." She couldn't think, could barely form words. How could he possibly be alive? How could he possibly be here? "I don't understand," she said, her hand stopping inches from his face. Danny blinked and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he dropped his gun and pulled her into a hug, though all Shannon could do was hang limply in his arms. "You're not real."

Danny shook his head. "You're crying," he whispered. "Sorry."

"Rudy?" Tyler said. "What are you doing?" He stood up and aimed his gun at them. "You know this woman?"

Danny gave her a small squeeze before breaking the hug. He turned to Tyler, confusion apparent on his face. "What's going on?" he asked. "Is your name even really Thomas? Fucking hell, man, what's going on?"

Tyler could only stare. "They know me as Tyler, okay? I used a different name when they knew me, but that doesn't change anything. They have my daughter. They took her--"

"Not Shannon. I'm not doing this, Thomas. I don't care anymore." Shannon felt Danny push against her, trying to block her from Tyler. "This is all messed up."

Staring indignantly, Tyler nodded his head. "Then she can come with us. But I'm not leaving without my daughter."

For a moment, nothing could be heard but the sound of Katie sobbing. Slowly, Danny reached over and took Shannon's hand. "Then we go. Right now. Fuck, you deal with this without me, Tom."

Damn him and his bleeding heart, Shannon thought. Grunting, Shannon pulled out of Danny's grip and went for the gun he dropped. She heard him shout and felt his hand try to grab for her, but she could not stop herself. Tyler had to be taken down, no matter the cost.
Tyler - Haywood

Still crouched behind the vehicle, Rudy spoke quietly to Tyler. "Why are they calling you Tyler?" he asked. He waited for Tyler to respond, but Tyler could not pry his attention away from the scene before him.

He watched as the most important person in his universe cried and screamed in front of him. She pried at the woman's hand even in the face of her injuries. She was the most powerful kid in the world, Tyler believed, and it took everything in him not to fire a shot between this woman's tearful eyes. Instead, Tyler calmed himself with a deep breath and said, "I have your hostage waiting outside your gates. I will bring her inside and we can do the exchange right here."

"No!" someone screamed. A woman exited the house, limping and pointing a rifle in Shannon's direction. "Bring her back inside! We're not giving her to this fucking monster!"

A red-hot fury overtook Tyler at the sight of Lauren. He had trusted her, once, and his trust had been repaid by the ungrateful little monster taking his daughter away. Lauren had been one of many in series of betrayals and, unfortunately for her, Tyler had learned one had to repay betrayal with execution. "She's going to shoot my daughter," Tyler said, unable to look away from Lauren. "She's going to shoot her! Someone stop her! Take her out!"

Lauren visibly shook and her eyes went wide. "I would never! He's tricking all of you! Katie couldn't be left around this monster-"

Neither Bex, Rudy, or any of the other scouts had moved to shoot. A few had moved slightly to try and see what was happening, but none looked ready to take a shot. Furious, Tyler screamed over Lauren's voice. "Kill her! Someone goddamn kill her!"
Shannon - Haywood

Lauren screamed as Katie ran outside the house. "Katie, no!" The woman ran for the girl but Shannon cut her off at the doorway. Lauren still walked with a limp, so it was easy to get ahead of her. Shannon yelled out Katie's name as well as she grabbed the young girl by the arm a few feet away from the line of cars. She held on for dear life, unwilling to let this girl run willingly into this monster's arms. "No, you can't. You can't!" Shannon found herself starting to sweat. She was out in the open now and unable to defend herself.

Tyler positioned himself behind the car's window so he could get a look at what was happening without putting himself in harm's way. Shannon watched as the man's eyes went wide at the sight of Katie. "Katie," he said, his voice low. "My little girl. Daddy's here now. He's here to rescue you."

Shannon shook her head violently. "No! You're the monster! You--"

Tyler slammed his fist against the car window. "Shut up! You are wrong! She is my-- My daughter! She belongs with me!" There was a long moment of silence. Shannon could feel the tension weighing down upon her. "Let her go and we'll leave," Tyler said, his voice more relaxed. "We'll hand over our hostage and we will leave."

Shannon shook her head. Tears stung at her eyes. "You're lying. You've come here to murder us. Your daughter ended up here of her own free will."

Tyler sighed, looking oddly weary. "You're holding my daughter against her will as we speak. She wants her father."

Shannon stared at the man defiantly, even as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she looked down at the young girl in her grip. "Katie," she whispered. "Please don't do this. Come back inside with us. I'll let you go but please, please don't leave us."
Roran Hawkins said
I hope my post is alright. I didn't know exactly if the attack had begun yet, and if something was planned to happen to Jess already, so if anything's wrong or needs editing, give me a shout.

Looks fine to me, I made mention in my post of some of the scouts scattering about like Alex.
Tyler - Haywood

Tyler looked at Enrique through the corner of his eye, his expression settling on a glare. "The bandits got to him first. There was nothing that could be done."

As the vehicles made their way into Haywood, return fire began to rain down upon them. It was nothing compared to the art museum gang, further proving that Haywood wasn't doing so good these days. A sudden intrusive thought entered Tyler's mind, that his Katie lie dead in one of the graves. If that was the case, he would just have to murder each and every one of the people who let her die.
Shannon - Haywood

Shanelle and her friend Ryder kept watch over James toward the centre of the house, where it was least likely for them to be hit by gunfire. Shannon had tried to get Valentina to join them, but the girl refused to leave her room, only staring up at the ceiling in a catatonic state. Shannon worried that the girl could be dangerous in her current state, so she was forced to leave her. Then she scrambled to join the others in firing on their attackers, but she found herself stopping at one of the windows to see what they were up to. She kept low, only daring to get the tiniest of peeks out in case she was fired upon.

Shannon watched as the attackers pushed a series of vehicles into Haywood, most of them choosing to settle outside Daniel's home. Once they were in place, some of them scattered, probably to round up anyone wandering outside. One of the attackers began to yell, "I want my daughter back, and any other prisoners your people have!" Shannon couldn't see the person behind the car, but the sound of his voice indicated that he was male. "My daughter... Katelyn. You will hand her over! We have one of your own as hostage! Another young girl!"

Shannon ducked down and brought a hand to her mouth. That man could only mean Katie, and it meant that man was Tyler. Though she had never met the man herself, the horror stories that the others had told her were brought to the forefront of her mind. He couldn't possibly be bluffing about a hostage, could he? Shaking her head, Shannon got to her feet. She felt clumsy and frightened, but she couldn't sit this one out, not like last time. She hurried down the stairs, yelling, "Daniel! They must mean Emma! He has Emma!"
Tyler - Haywood

The art museum gang's armory had been stripped completely in preparation for this attack. Though Outpost had a healthy supply of guns and ammunition, it was lacking in explosives in particular. The grenades worked well, as observed by the death of Simon, so Tyler was ready to throw every one he had at these damned people. Well, not until he had Katie by his side. They would blow the gate open with explosives and ram a couple of vehicles through for cover , a similar strategy employed by Enrique back at The Pub. The sharpshooters were positioned all around Haywood, their sights set on windows and structures. They had spent a large portion of their morning watching Haywood's movements, but the place seemed to be a ghost town. One of the scouts had spotted a large number of freshly dug graves, so Tyler could only imagine he was the luckiest man in the world. It was destined for him to reunite with Katie again. She would be here, he just knew it.

Rudy was at Tyler's side. He was someone that had become just about as loyal as Enrique. Both men shared the fact that Tyler had been lying to them both since he met them. Tyler realised the circumstances were a bit odd, but he considered Rudy a friend. He was a good guy, someone far better than the monsters Tyler used to command. "It was a big risk putting me in charge," Tyler said as the scouts got into position. "I'm not sure how you feel about this, but this is necessary. These people took my daughter from me."

Rudy didn't seem to acknowledge him, only staring straight ahead from their position a block away from Haywood's gates. Tyler was about to ask what was on his mind when he spoke up, "I know you wouldn't have done this if you didn't have a fucking good reason. So, thank you for telling me that."

Tyler smiled, a genuine smile, not just a smile Thomas would make. "... Your name isn't Brad, is it?"

Rudy nodded. "That's it. You got it."

"Really?"

"Nope. One more guess."

"I'll try again after we've got my daughter back." Rudy nodded and Tyler turned back toward Haywood. Perhaps he would tell Rudy his own real name if he managed to guess correctly.

While they watched, Sylar approached them practically dragging a girl behind him. It seemed he had succeeded in his plan to obtain a hostage. Tyler wasn't sure they needed one, but just his luck that it worked out anyway. Beside him, Bex grunted. Tyler turned to him to find that he looked completely startled. He probably didn't approve of a hostage, but--

"Oh," was all Tyler could say. He recognised that girl, she was his captive only a month ago. That meant Bex recognised her as well, as well as that damned Hex. "Make sure to keep her gagged, Sylar. Hansel and Cain should watch her. I'd rather have everyone assisting in the assault, but she needs to be watched."

Tyler then approached the two men and spoke quietly to them. "Don't you dare harm her. Don't even touch her. She's a hostage, and the hostages must be kept safe for them to be effective."

With that, Tyler turned and nodded to Bex and Rudy. "Let's get started."

***

Explosives had been set around Haywood, ready to blow at Lucas' command. The man was a godsend for at least having basic explosives knowledge. It was something that completely baffled Tyler, but Lucas assured him they could wreck the gates at the push of a button to let a whole mess of walkers inside. Inwardly, Tyler warmed with joy at the idea, for it would be Haywood's punishment for releasing his own walkers with explosives. However, unlike these damned people, Tyler would hold off on blowing anything up until Katie was out of there. He could still see his dreams for the future mauled to death as if the scene was right in front of him. Haywood would pay for that as well.

For now, the explosives at the front gate were all that would explode. As Tyler gave the signal for his sharpshooters to start raining down fire, Lucas set off the explosives on the gate. There was an anticipated BOOM! as the gate exploded in a flash of flame. The vehicle parked behind the gate was pushed violently into the air, rolling over once before resting on its side.

"Push!" Tyler commanded. "Don't stop moving!" At the front was the heaviest vehicle, the one that was not to be pushed, but driven at full force into the gate in order to clear the remaining debris. The driver, Jerry, was decked out in riot gear in case his crash proved a bit too bumpy. As he began to drive forward, the scouts began to push their vehicles into Haywood, making sure to duck as low as possible in the process. Beside him pushing one of the front vehicles was Bex, Rudy, and Enrique. "This is for who we've lost," Tyler said to them and only them. Who he meant was different for all three of the men that heard, but Tyler truly meant them all.
FOR THE ATTACK ON HAYWOOD, anyone who has a character within the scouts (this is including Alex) can choose for them to simply stay in Outpost and not get involved.

@Shelton, the same goes for Cody, who could be at The Pub, or Outpost, or in the attack, it's entirely up to you.
Tyler - The New Orleans Museum of Art

He watched as Reggie fired a second shot into the man on the floor, cutting short his last few seconds of life. He watched as Reggie stared at the two dead men, their limp bodies beside each other in a growing puddle of blood. Though it was Thomas that watched, it was Tyler that raised his gun to the back of Reggie's head. There they both watched, imagining the bullet smashing into Reggie's soft head and blowing his brains out on the other side. In just a few more seconds it would be over, though Tyler wanted to savor these last few moments with Reggie. He was a respectable man who had been guilty of little more than looking out for his community. It was just unfortunate that he had to be eliminated in order for Tyler to get to his one and only daughter.

"Reggie," Tyler said a bit wearily. He couldn't shoot the man from behind, unfortunately. Despite what some people probably believed, Tyler had never taken much joy from the act of murder. He would have to look this man in the eyes as he died.

"What is it, Thom-" He turned around with little fanfare. As far as Tyler could tell, Reggie wasn't surprised by these developments, as he wasted no time in raising his own gun. A valiant effort, but too slow to stop the inevitable. Tyler's pistol fired a bullet into Reggie's head, killing him instantly. The man crumpled to the ground as if his very life force was suddenly ejected from his body. Tyler stared at the man's open dead eyes and thought of Brad.

---

Rudy - The New Orleans Museum of Art - Aoife/Cody/Sylar/Hex

His team of Bex and Aoife had encountered little resistance securing their entrance. As planned, the fighting had been concentrated at the front, though a few stragglers eventually ran into them as they tried to flee. Reggie had ordered that they take no prisoners, so it was with heavy regret that Rudy and his team killed them as they arrived. Though Bex hadn't said a word, Rudy could see trepidation on his face. Whether the man had a problem with killing the men or if something else was on his mind, Rudy wasn't sure. Eventually the shouting and gunfire ceased and Rudy believed that they had finally won. Not wanting to keep watch over the entrance any longer, Rudy brought his team further into the museum to get some sort of status update on the situation.

It was then that they found Thomas standing over the bodies of three dead men. When he noticed Rudy approaching the scene, Thomas buried his head in his hands. "Rudy, I'm-- Damn. I tried to save him." Rudy, Bex and Aoife circled the bodies and they saw that one of them was Reggie. "One of them got a shot on him. I-I didn't fire in time. Reggie wasn't a good man, but I didn't want it to end like this."

Bex shook his head and turned away from the scene. Rudy looked up into Thomas' eyes, unsure of what to say. "So, he..."

"It's a mess," Thomas said. "But we've won. What we need to do now is gather everyone together and figure out what to do from here."

Thomas was right. Rudy was thankful that Thomas was right, because he had no idea what to do. Thomas was a capable man and someone that Rudy knew he could rely on. Rudy knew he was only cut out for being a follower, so he was glad there were people like Reggie and Thomas who were good at being leaders.

"Let's go."

***

The scouts were gathered together after their arduous battle. Their casualties were lower than expected, consisting of only Simon, Reggie, and Arthur. It seemed that Jerry had faced more resistance than Rudy and that Arthur had been killed in the fighting. As for the wounded, there were quite a few, but only a handful of scouts would be out of commission.

Despite the rumours of Reggie's hand in Samantha's murder, many of the scouts had respected Reggie. For him to die was a heavy blow to their morale. Though it was a hard topic to discuss, Rudy suggested that they choose a new leader for the scouts as soon as possible. Mostly everyone agreed and Phon was suggested to take over for Reggie. A few of the newer scouts suggested Enrique and a smaller number suggested Lucas. Rudy thought those were good ideas (Well, except maybe Enrique), but he had someone different in mind.

"Guys, I know a lot of us loved Reggie, but there's something we need to talk about!" Rudy raised his voice to drown out the talking, but quieted down once he had everyone's attention. "There was a group of us who were... investigating Reggie. We had searched his cabin a week ago. Samantha was one of us." The group of scouts looked warily at each other at the mention of Samantha. "We found a journal belonging to Reggie that implicated him in the mutiny from before. It's likely that he was the one who killed Samantha in retaliation."

Perhaps it was because Rudy had spoken without a single swear, but the group of scouts had gone deathly quiet. Their minds appeared to be connecting the dots and already they were believing what Rudy was saying. Of course, Adam quickly stepped forward and demanded they show this evidence. Rudy began to speak, but Thomas cut him off. "We don't have it with us," he said. "It's back at Outpost and probably in the council's hands. The truth is, Reggie has been using you all for a power trip. He's lied and cheated to get where he was. Though I wish he hadn't died today, the truth is that he was no friend to any of us."

The group was being easily swayed, the rumours from before were still weighing heavily on their minds. Rudy chose now to make his suggestion. He tried his best not to swear. "Thomas is a man I've come to respect. Without him, we would not have figured out the truth about Reggie. He has worked so hard for us despite barely knowing us. I think that despite him only being with us a short time, that he should be the new leader of the scouts."

That got a loud response, though Rudy could see the newer scouts already warming to the idea. They liked Enrique for whatever reason and Thomas was Enrique's friend. As the group began to voice their affirmation, it seemed that Thomas would become the leader after all.

"Ridiculous," Phon said, uncharacteristically speaking up. "Reggie was not that kind of man. I am not following a man who would speak ill of my friend."

"Yeah!" Adam yelled. "Fuck that! Reggie was one hell of a guy! He couldn't be a murderer!"

They were the minority. Thomas only shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it seems we've come to an agreement. If you have a problem with my leadership, then you may leave and I would not hold it against you."

Phon was quick to go. "This is too much for me. I'm sorry, everyone, but I can't go back to Outpost." As he began to leave, Adam rushed to follow him. Before long they were both out of sight.

---

Myriah - All of Outpost

Myriah had been in a state of shock ever since the attack. She could barely live with herself. That poor girl had died while Myriah was in the next room. When Myriah had awoken, all she could tell anyone was that it had been a man who attacked her. Unfortunately, they had been quick enough so that Myriah had not been able to get a good look at them. Myriah believed it was shameful, especially so when it was believed that Myriah had been the intended target. Why the killer hadn't finished her off was beyond her, but Myriah couldn't stand thinking she was the cause of Samantha's death. It had to have been related to Samantha's strange actions the night before, but neither Myriah or anyone else could see the connection.

When Elliot and George came forward with the journal, it all began to fall into place. While everyone was led to believe that Reggie was behind the murder to cover up his own tracks, Myriah knew that just could not be possible. When it was discussed at the community meeting that Matt had a heavy hand in finding the evidence, Myriah knew who was to blame. Unfortunately, she could do nothing while the community's approval of Matt grew. It bugged her that approval of the sign language class grew as well by some ironic extension.

The day after the community had discussed drafting a new scouting team, the old one returned, albeit without Reggie. They had been met with disapproval and suspicion, but once they explained that they had nothing to do with Reggie's actions, the people began to warm up to them again. Everyone found it weird to see someone they didn't know too well as the new leader of the scouts, but once Matt spoke up for Thomas, everyone's doubts seemed to disappear and Alex was offered a spot back on the team. Though it was considered inappropriate for Thomas to join the council, it was decided he would stay the leader of the scouts. In fact, Thomas already had a new mission in mind for his group. It was briefly discussed with the council that after the success of taking down the art museum gang (Which the council hadn't been too happy to learn about after the fact), that it would be in Outpost's best interest to take out another dangerous gang lurking within the city. Matt's new sway with the council and the community pushed Thomas' plan into approval and preparations were underway for the attack on a place called Haywood.

***

The evening the plan was approved, the scouts had left. They intended to reach Haywood by morning, but that was beyond Myriah's concern at the moment. She had let her emotions boil to the surface and she could not take sitting on her hands much longer. At a time when most of Outpost was going to bed, Myriah confronted Matt in the office. "We should talk," she said, standing before him in the doorway. "I think." She crossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh. "I know that Reggie wasn't behind the mutiny. And it's doubtful he killed Samantha." Myriah paused, though she wasn't trying to be dramatic. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to continue with this. "... You killed her, or at least a friend of yours did. Maybe it was that Thomas man. I don't know."

She continued quickly, in case Matt got the idea of killing her now as well. "But unfortunately I can't say anything. I would have by now if I could. It's related to how I know Reggie is innocent, so come to your own conclusions." The truth was, Myriah had been the one behind the mutiny attempt. It had been her idea all along in order to convince Outpost that she wasn't fit to lead them by herself. Though her plan ultimately worked out, it seemed Jonah had gotten overzealous. Myriah would have ensured his safe escape after his fabricated attempt, but Jonah had decided to turn it into a real attempt. If it hadn't been for Reggie, Myriah knew she would have died and it would have been entirely her own fault.

"I don't trust you, and I don't like this, but I have to live with it. All I ask is that you don't speak to me ever again outside of council meetings. We must unfortunately coexist."

---

Shannon - Haywood - The Attack

It was unbelievably relieving to finally get her sling off. She had almost kissed Riley when he told her it was time. After how miserable she had felt in the last few days, Shannon now felt like she was walking on air. Now, they could finally start seriously considering leaving. Her group of four had discussed who would go and who would stay a few times, but they had not seriously committed to an idea yet. Shannon had warmed up to the idea of taking Katie with them, though she imagined that Katie would need Lauren to join her. This was a problem, as even though Lauren had been keeping her cool for most of the week, Shannon still could not get the woman's violent outburst out of her mind. They had all tried to make an effort to get along, but it had been rather difficult.

Shannon decided she would bring Lauren some tea this morning. A sign of good faith, right? Shannon was in a good mood now with the use of both her arms and figured they may as well use the tea if they still had it. Boiling water was a bit of a process without a stove or electricity, but Shannon had done it so often within the last few months that it almost felt as natural as making tea before everything went to hell.

She brought the mug of hot liquid upstairs where Lauren was sleeping. The woman was still dreaming, so Shannon silently watched her for a moment, wondering if she should wake the woman or not. She could just leave the tea at Lauren's bedside, but it would be awful for the tea to grow cold while she slept. As Shannon started working herself up to waking Lauren, the mug of tea exploded in her hand. She screamed and ducked to the ground, her mind briefly imagining that she had made some kind of explosive tea.

But a second sound of breaking glass was heard and Shannon found shards of glass surrounding her. It was then that she realised someone had been shooting at her from outside the window. "Daniel!" she yelled as she cautiously peeked her head up to see outside. She didn't see who was aiming for her, but she saw a group of people at the gates ready to break it down. They were all armed heavily and-- SMASH! Another shot was fired and Shannon ducked for cover again. Vivid memories of Emma's group firing back at her suddenly filled her mind. Lauren sat up in the bed and groaned and Shannon leaped to grab her by the arm.

"We're under attack," she told a bewildered Lauren. "Find Katie and lay low!"
Reggie - The New Orleans Museum of Art

The scouts had managed to secure the entrances, trapping the art museum gang inside their own home. The surprise attack had forced the gang to come out in haphazard waves, ultimately mitigating their possible strength. Though some of Reggie's men had suffered wounds, they were all at least alive so far. The wounded were left behind with the newer members to watch the front entrance while Reggie moved deeper into the museum with the sharpshooters. Eventually, the core of the fighting settled in one of the exhibition halls, gunshot fire zipping by discarded art exhibits.

Reggie spotted a tall man issuing orders from across the hall and nudged Simon at his side. "That man has to be taken out!" Reggie said over the gunfire. "Ben's death is on his head!" Simon nodded in affirmation and moved to duck behind a dividing wall. Though the man had only recently recovered from his wounds, Simon was one of Reggie's biggest supporters. This attack had been eagerly anticipated by Simon. Reggie might have been scared of the man's grin if he wasn't on their side.

That grin was plastered on Simon's face while he awaited a chance to get into position. Yelling, Reggie rose along with Phon and fired on a lone statue to the right, sending a group of gang members scrambling to find new cover. This gave Simon a chance to move forward and get into a position where he could take out the leader. "For Ben!" Reggie could hear the man yell as he fired on the unsuspecting leader. Most of the shots went wide, but a bullet managed to clip the man in the head and sent him dropping to the ground. There was a raucous cheer from the scouts as the gang scrambled in the face of their fading confidence.

But then someone screamed. Reggie saw the grenade before Simon did. He tried to yell out, but the blast forced him to duck down and lose sight of Simon. A slight ringing in his ears kept him pinned. Blood pumped heavily in his veins and his ears thumped loudly. Reggie didn't rise until someone uttered the words, "He's dead! Simon's dead!"

He looked over his cover to find the dividing worn from the explosion. Red splatter could be seen on the wall and ground. Their first casualty, and their last. Reggie hopped over the low wall and rushed to the left dividing wall. His men pushed forward with him, sending the art museum gang scrambling to maintain distance. Their numbers had dwindled to pitiful amounts and Reggie could see some of them fleeing in fear. It was like a chain reaction in motion as the remaining gang members ran fleeing one after another. Reggie called out for his scouts to pursue them. "Thomas!" he yelled. "You're with me!" The man nodded and followed Reggie into the hallway.
Marcus - The New Orleans Museum of Art

He was on the move now, trying to think of some way to fix all of this. He had always needed to move to live, it seemed. A life of vagrancy had suited him well in the apocalypse, but it had been a lonely way to live. No attachments meant no heartbreak, but Marcus had done a whole lot of that when the world was still functioning. Eventually he decided that he wanted a change in the new world. That's why he finally stopped moving and fell in with Barker and his gang. Most of them were far younger than him, but he had pulled his weight. Perhaps Barker saw wisdom in Marcus' years and made him second-in-command for that reason. Perhaps Marcus was just lucky.

Actually, no, that wasn't true. If Marcus was lucky, he wouldn't have been in this position. With Barker dead, it meant Marcus was in command, but there was very little left to command. He had been forced to leave the fighting with only Clark and Berg by his side. Winning was not possible at this point; All Marcus could hope for was to get himself and his two companions to safety.

Shouting from further down the hall stopped Marcus and his followers in their tracks. He hesitated, unsure how to proceed. They were likely surrounded from every direction. If only they had been more diligent in their security, then perhaps--

"We'll split up!" Berg said, suddenly rushing down the right hallway. "Meet at the emergency exit!"

Marcus looked at Clark and the man sighed. They both ducked into the left hallway, hoping for salvation. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, which was surprisingly fast for Marcus at his age. He knew he was running mostly on adrenaline and that he probably would be feeling like shit later if he managed to survive this. "Damn it! Marcus--" A shot fired, making Marcus duck. He looked up to find two men standing before him in the hallway, one with a goatee and pointing a gun to Marcus' right. A slight gurgling noise made Marcus look in that direction, and he found Clark on the ground, blood leaking from his neck. It was a harsh sight, but Marcus only looked back toward the two men and shook his head.

"Who are you people?" Marcus asked, his voice sounding rather even.

The man turned his gun on Marcus and paused. "You killed one of our own," he said. "You were a threat to our way of life."

Ah, so that's how it was. "I'm sorry to hear that, but--" Marcus would die here, he knew. It had been a long enough life, if not a terribly happy one. "That's the way of things now. If it was not us who killed your friend, it would have been something else eventually."

The man stared at Marcus with a blank expression. He then nodded. "This is the way of things now." The gun in his hand fired. All Marcus could see was red.
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