This takes place less than a year into the apocalypse in San Francisco, where the Infected are the ones you need to fear. They are savage, flesh-eating beasts that act as if they are filled with rage. They sprint, they jump, and they only feast on u...
Cassie wasn't sure where they were heading. They've been walking through the woods for well over an hour and she's been helping a half-conscious Ben slowly go along with it. She was supporting his entire body weight on her bad knee, but his leg was in a much worse state than hers.
None of the assholes that beat him would help and Sean was carrying a heavy load of supplies, so she had to do it on her own. She managed to get him as far as they were told, until they reached a boat in the bay.
"Where are you taking us?" She asked as tried to balance Ben by putting one hand on his chest and tightening her arm around his waist. Sean through the supplies into the boat as the others from the group got in.
He turned to her, then said, "Back to my people, as I said. The infected can't swim, they drown. So what safer place than to be living on the water?" Cassie thought this was getting oddly suspicious, more so than before. But she couldn't exactly run; not with her knee and not without leaving Ben behind.
So, she had no choice.
Her and Sean managed to get Ben into the boat and lay him on the floor. Cassie sat down next to him and started looking over his injuries. They were bad. Really bad. He was just starting to become conscious, but there was no way he would remember anything that happened.
The boat started up, causing a loud revving sound to come from it. As soon as it made the sound, there were screeching and screaming sounds coming from inside the woods. "Infected!" One man shouted. "Go, go, go!"
Sean quickly put the boat in gear and got it going just in time for the infected to come running out. Cassie put her gun up just in case they got too near them, but the infected stopped as soon as their feet hit the water.
She put her gun down and sighed. She plopped herself down next to Ben and watched the water as the boat sped through it. Suddenly, she felt something touch her thigh and she jumped and turned to see who it was.
Ben was reaching for her. She quickly grabbed his hand and loomed over him. "C...Ca...," he started coughing and spitting out blood. "Ben. Ben, don't talk," she told him. "Look...we..." She looked around at the distracted group, then put her lips to Ben's ear.
"The men that beat you, we're going back to their base. One man said he can help you, but...I don't know if I trust him. We had no choice with the state we were both in. Just promise me you'll trust me to get us back home."
Ben's breathing was a bit labored in her ear, but he gave her hand the tightest squeeze he could muster before falling back into unconsciousness; his breathing now back to normal. Cassie ran her fingers through his hair and sighed.
"We're almost there!" Sean called over the sounds of the boat. Cassie looked up, but couldn't see anything from her angle, so she gently let go of Ben's hand and stood up. She walked up next to Sean and said, "You have got to be kidding me."
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"It's the safest place in the whole city," Sean explained. "The infected can't get in...and it's damn hard to get out. Unless you're me." Cassie looked over at him with suspicion, then turned back to watching as they got closer and closer to Alcatraz prison.
"We'll be there in two minutes," he told her. "Get him ready to disembark." While still eyeing him skeptically, she went back over to Ben. She got down on her knees and started putting his arm over her shoulder.
She managed to sit him up, causing him to grunt. She miraculously got him up and sat him on one of the seats where he leaned comfortably on her. About a minute or so later, they approached the prison and Sean parked the boat near a grassy area.
A couple members of the group got out and tied up the boat. As they were gathering their things and supplies, Cassie was gathering Ben. "Come on, Ben, give me something," she muttered. She got him to stand and started walking carefully off the boat.
They got on land and followed Sean and the group up a steep hill. They got over it in--what seemed like--hours to Cassie. She hauled Ben up the entire way, but stopped once they were over. The prison wasn't a community like she had thought.
There were people polishing guns, sharpening knives, kids learning to make bullets and learning to shoot. There was no sign of survival, but surviving. "What the hell is this place?" She asked. Sean had one of the people that was sharpening knives take the supplies from him and he went and helped Cassie with Ben.
"This is our camp," he told her as they walked to the front of the prison. "And this," he said as he opened the door to the prison halls, "is where you will be staying."
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Cassie was nearly appalled. "There are several buildings here," she told him. "Can't we stay in one of those?" He shook his at her. "Afraid not," he said. "Most of those buildings are either occupied by the other people we have living here, or it's...just occupied."
"So how many of your "people" sleep in these cells?" She asked as Sean helped her lead Ben down the hall. "None," he told her. "This is where traitors and trespassers stay. You are neither, but we still do not know you well enough to trust you. You'll rest here until you are both able to leave, or until we've gained your trust. This cell, down here."
He took them to one of the cells near the end of the row. He and Cassie got Ben on to the cot and into a comfortable position. "He'll be fine here, but for now, you have to come with me." Cassie crossed her arms and cocked her head. "Why?" She asked.
"Because...my boss will want to speak with you."
**
Tom's P.O.V.
"They should have been back hours ago! Don't you understand?!" Mark put his hands up to calm Tom down. "Tom, I cannot send you out there this late," he explained. "Those two are toughest people I know, I'm sure they're held up in a building somewhere as safe as they can be."
Tom paced the room and ran his fingers through his hair. "Or they could be trapped in a building, trying to keep alive! Even worse, they could be out on the streets, in the woods! Don't even get me started how they can be dead!"
Mark then looked to Chris, who said, "Mark is right. They are the best when it comes to survival. If they don't get back by dawn, we'll both start up a group to go look for them. Please, Tom, we don't need you stuck out there, too."
Tom glared daggers at Chris because he knew he was right. Damn him. "How long have Ben and my daughter been seeing each other, anyways?" Mark asked. He found out after he found Sharon sobbing her little heart out once word got out that he hadn't come back yet.
She spilled everything out to him and he was upset, but not as much as anyone thought he would be. It was probably because of his daughter's state, but he will have a firm few words with Ben when he comes back. If he comes back.
"A few months," Tom told him. "But that is beside the point! My best friend and the woman I love are stuck out there with the Infected and God knows what...or who."
