Was It Worth The Lives You Lost? (OLD VER)

The Zone

The four had been walking for 6 hours now with occasional stops, it was a silent walk most of the way due to the fact they were all in their heads thinking about the risk if they fail.

The sun had begun to rise.

"There, we're close." Said Kendrick standing at the top of a hill beside the road they had been following leading straight to the city, he pointed at the edge of the Zone.

Each of them walked up to the top standing beside one another in a line, "Almost there." Said Matthew letting out an exhausted sigh, continuing the walk toward the Zone.

"Quarter mile out." Marcus said looking at the distance before following behind Matthew, Kendrick followed as well.

Samuel continued looking at the Zone tracing it up to the City which had a purple haze around the center. He burrowed his eyebrows looking at the haze in thought, he did a light jog to the group making up the distance already made.

"Stay frosty." said Samuel swinging his rifle around to his chest while passing into the Zone, shortly passing a sign reading, 'Welcome To Kansas City.'

The others readied their weapons as well, corpses started appearing more and more scattered about the streets.

"Here." Said Marcus walking up to a barricaded 5 story tall building to make camp in. The group stacked behind Marcus ready, breaking open the front door with his hatchet, Marcus went in first carefully clearing the building with each of them doing the same.

Regrouping, they stacked up on the stairs to clear the next floor. In front was Matthew, then Marcus, then Samuel, then Kendrick at back. "First floor clear." Whispered Kendrick.

They repeated their coordinated sweep of each floor reaching the steps to the roof, again they stacked up at the steps.

Slowly walking up the steps, Matthew reached the door he grabbed the handle listening for anything on the other side only hearing the wind.

He looked down at them nodding while pointing his rifle towards the door slowly opening it.

Click- He pushed the door open carefully walking through it, checking the corners, the group followed behind.

"Clear." Whispered Matthew, standing up he walked over to the corner facing the main city.

"I'll go ahead and clear the top floor to sleeping in." Said Kendrick swinging his rifle onto his back while walking through the door.

Samuel putting his hood up kept watch from the other corner of the roof. Marcus walked up beside Matthew who was off in his thoughts, Marcus looked back and forth a few times between Matthew and the Main City.

"Go get some shut eye, I need you one hundred percent aware once we head out." Whispered Marcus while nudging him with his elbow to get his attention.

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Matthew whispered with exhaustion.

Matthew walked back inside while Marcus walked over to Samuel, "I can keep first watch." Suggested Marcus.

Samuel looked over his shoulder then looked back off the building, "I was the last to rest, I've got this one." Whispered Samuel adjusting the rifle in his arm.

Marcus walked back inside down into the top floor where Kendrick had a small fire going, Matthew sat across from the fire back against the wall out cold.

After Kendrick finished and sat down, Marcus sat across from Matthew.

He took a deep breath with some PTSD at the back of his mind.

Kendrick noticed the anxious look on Marcus, "You good?"

Marcus cleared his throat, "Samuel is keeping first watch, early morning tomorrow, get rest." Marcus laid down facing away using his pack as a pillow.

Marcus drifted off fairly quickly not knowing how tired he actually was.

Samuel rounded the rooftop keeping a keen eye.

Gun fire started echoing a couple miles out towards the Main City area, Samuel looked in the direction of the gunfire.

Kendrick came up to the roof top walking over beside Samuel listening to the gunfire, "Sounds like there's quite a few people over there. Think they'll make it?" Kendrick asked.

"Depends on who's fighting, and what they're fighting. In this world the more men you have, the blurrier the line between survival and death becomes. " Samuel responded.

"Maybe. I'll take next watch soon." Said Kendrick before walking back inside while the echoing gunfire quickly depleted, it became silent.

Samuel continued lookout, rounding the rooftop.

Marcus words, "Only one has to make it out alive." Kept replaying in Samuels head.

"It doesn't have to be just one." Samuel mumbled to himself in disagreement.