Extinction Event¹ ━ FTWD

CHAPTER 20: The Same As It Was

EXTINCTION EVENT

chapter twenty: the same as it was

[ season 1, episode 6; the good man ]

DAY 16

Upon returning to the parking garage, Travis called out for his children. "Chris? Alicia?"

Madison was the first to point out the elephant in the room — or the lack thereof. She pointed over to where they had parked the SUV the teens were meant to be staying with, now an empty space. "Where's the car?"

"Did they leave?" Ofelia questioned from behind them.

Katie felt a sick feeling settle into her gut as she shook her head. "Something went wrong," she said, her heart beginning to race. "Look." She pointed out the dark red trails on the ground, surrounded by broken glass where the car used to be.

At that moment, something growled. The form of a soldier stepped into view behind one of the cars lined up along the wall, stripped of his jacket and weapons, with a scarlet stain across his chest. It didn't get more than one growl out before Daniel shot it cleanly in the head.

Still, she'd gotten a good look at it. It was fresh, no more than a few hours dead.

"Oh, no," Travis had come to the same conclusion she did, and shouted, his voice panicked. "Chris!"

Madison called out as well. "Alicia!"

"Heather!" Katie shouted, her voice reaching a fever pitch. "Meghan!"

As the parents continued calling, Daniel stepped in front of Travis, holding up a hand to shush him. "Shhh!" he reprimanded. "Lower your voice."

Travis didn't seem to have heard him, and continued talking. "We got to find them."

Daniel spoke again, attempting to explain as he pushed back on Travis. "The dead will hear you, and they will come-" As Daniel tried to keep the father back, Travis shoved him aside, and continued to call out for his son.

Katie could see where Daniel was coming from, but these were her daughters. If Ofelia was missing, he would be doing the same thing right now. As far as she was concerned, she didn't care if she brought the whole horde down on them — nothing mattered more than finding her kids. She called out again, "Meghan! Heather!"

Liza joined in. "Chris!"

Towards the back of the garage, a door opened, and Katie spun towards the noise. Alicia jumped out of the SUV first, which had been hidden in a darkened corner of the lot, under a broken light. "We're here!" the blue eyed girl shouted. "Mom!"