Until the End

Chapter Eighteen: The savages.

For a solid week on the Sea Beast it has been nothing but calm. Everyday seemed like a paradise without the worry of a walker bit ting into their flesh. T-Dog hasn't been jumped by either one of the Dixon brothers. Amy and Glenn are now an open couple. Kirby hasn't had any more harassment from Shane.

Kirby laid out on the second floor deck with Andrea and Lori, sun bathing in bikinisAmy had taken from the small strip mall back in Savannah. Kirby grinned over at Lori and Andrea, rubbing her freshly shaved legs together. She let out a sigh of content.

"Despite the skimpy bikini's Amy got for us, this is oddly relaxing." Lori said, flipping over onto her stomach.

Kirby and Andrea laughed.

"Too bad she didn't think about sun screen." Kirby stated, feeling the sun toasting her skin.

"And some decent shades." Andrea said, pushing her sunglasses back on her face as she turned over.

"Complaining....I never would have seen us complaining about sunscreen or bikinis two weeks ago." Lori said, looking over at Kirby and Andrea.

"No disagreement from me." Kirby stated, resting her head down on the blanket they shared.

Running was heard coming up the stairs that connected the second floor with the first and Carl came around the corner.

"Mom!" Carl shouted, running over.

Lori got to her feet in a hurry as Kirby and Andrea sat up and watched. Both lifting their sunglasses up to rest on top of their head.

"What is it, Carl? Did something happen?" Lori asked, worried.

"I don't know. Dad told me to come get everyone who was up here. Dale spotted another boat near by." Carl said in a hurry.

"Another boat? As in more survivors?" Andrea whispered to Kirby.

"Maybe. It'll be a first since this all started." Kirby said.

"Come on, Mom. Kirby. Andrea. Everyone else is already down stairs waiting for the boat to come over." Carl said, tugging on Lori's hand.

"Go on, Lori. Kirby and I will fold the blanket back up and meet you down there." Andrea said, getting to her feet.

"Okay, but hurry up. Oh and if I don't have time to change, then neither do you." Lori said sternly to Kirby and Andrea.

Smiling, Kirby stood up and helped Andrea with the blanket. Together they walked down the wooden stairs.

"What do you think the others will be like?" Andrea asked Kirby as the two walked around the lower deck to where everyone else was crowded around the railing.

"Um...Curious about us. Their probably asking themselves the same questions as us." Kirby stated.

Andrea snorted out a laugh, causing Kirby to laugh along with her. Andrea left Kirby to go stand alongside Amy. Daryl moved past Jacqui and wrapped his arms around Kirby, standing behind her.

"Are ya tryin' to drive me crazy?" Daryl whispered, his beard tickling Kirby's ear.

She placed her hands on Daryl's arms as she tilted her head back to peck his jaw, before their lips met in a closed kiss. Pulling away Kirby stared out onto the water until she saw the fishing boat.

"Is anyone even on board?" Kirby asked Daryl, placing her hand on top of Mallorie's head when she came over to her.

"Mama, did you see the boat? Uncle Merle said it's a crab boat." Mallorie said, excited as she looked up at Kirby.

"Really? A crab boat? That's awesome." Kirby said, tucking a strand of hair behind Mallorie's ear.

"Here, Kirby." Merle said, tossing a towel her way.

Daryl caught it and wrapped it around Kirby's chest. The towel reached her upper thigh. Andrea and Lori were sporting a towel similar to her own.

"Thank you, Merle." Kirby said, going back to leaning up against Daryl.

"To answer your question, the boat had turned towards us soon after Dale spotted it." Daryl stated.

Soon the crab boat was anchored beside the Sea Beast. The sides of the crab boat were once a white color, now orange from rust. Along the side of the boat was The Abyss. Five men exited out of the cabin of the boat, all in hole-filled wife beaters and jean shorts. They wore no shoes and their hair was oddly cut with the shortest behind to his chin. All in all, Kirby thought they looked like hippies with attitudes.

"'Ello. The name's Berny. This is Nate, Donald, Joseph, Pete, and Ruben. We just came from up the coast a ways." The one that stood closes to the boat's railing said.

"Forgive me if I'm rude, but we can't have anyone boarding the Sea Beast on account of trust issues. We have children on board and don't want to risk them to possible dangers." Rick called out to the men.

Joseph chewed on a wad of tobacco in his cheek, spitting the discolored liquid to the deck. Seeing that made Kirby want to puke. Apparently Amy felt the same way since she gagged.

"Well, that's not very nice. We just wanted to make some friends." Pete said, his eyes lingering on Lori.

Rick stepped in front of his wife, his revolver at his side, but out of view.

"Like I said--"

Rick was cut off when three more men walked out onto the deck. They each held military issued M-16s in their hands, pointing straight at Rick and the others. Daryl shoved Kirby and Mallorie behind him as Carol cried out, covering Sophia.

"Don't none of ya's move. We're coming aboard and if ya's think about doing anythin' smart, we'll kill the children first." Berny stated, taking a .9mm from the back of his waistband.

"Stay behind me." T-Dog whispered to Jacqui and Andrea.

Amy had Glenn's arm in a vice grip as the strangers jumped on board the Sea Beast. Lori and Rick had Carl squeezed between them. Shane and Dale moved around to make sure the women and children were behind the guys.

"Now, everybody drop all of y'all weapons." Berny chuckled.

Kirby gripped the back of Daryl's shirt as he kept one hand on Kirby and the other on the knife on his side. No one moved to drop their weapons, all eyes trained on the strangers.

"I said," Berny aimed his .9mm at a petrified Glenn before pulling the trigger. "Put yer weapons down."

Glenn shouting in pain and crumpled to the deck, clutching his bleeding leg.

"Glenn!" Amy screamed, falling down to his side.

Kirby's heart threatened to jump out of her chest as Glenn continued to bleed out. Mallorie was screaming, tears falling down her face as everyone watched in horror. Everyone but Daryl dropped their weapons to the deck.

"He's just a kid!" Shane shouted, earning a gun pointed at him.

"I don't care about no sissy boy. Y'all be dead soon enough." Berny stated, cocking his gun and aiming it at Rick.

"Now, y'all's going to listen to me or do I have'ta shoot somebody else?" Berny asked, his eyes wide and crazy.

Amy was crying as she tried to stop the bleeding.