When August Ends

Whose The Boss?

"'Cause I am too young and too dumb to consider the terms,
I'm breaking the law and I'll curse the day they return,
With a smile on my face as their heads hit the floor,
And it's done now, curtains closed, blood lost, it's the cost, and it freaking hurts,
But it's working and even if you ask me to stop it's too late,
Because I've already decided that faith is not a distaste, it's pure hate,
And it pulsates and it works it's way around my brain."
- Raleigh Richie, Bloodsport

Troy's P.O.V.

Blood sprays as my blade sinks into the skull of an Infected. Mace is hacking at the neck of another corpse. I yank my blade back and plunge it into another Infected getting uncomfortably close. I expected this town to be overrun with little to gain but there ended up being a canned foods factory that has obviously gone untouched and we definitely need the supplies. Mace and I keep taking out Infecteds but more keep coming. We push towards the closed factory door and are almost there when I notice Mace is being overtaken. Infecteds grab and claw at him as they surround his live form. I stab my way towards him and lose my knife in the body of a corpse that got away from me. I grab my pistol and rain my bullets into the craniums of as many Infecteds as I can. Suddenly I am being dragged to the ground by many hands with minds that have one intention: to eat and turn me. I keep pulling the trigger of my pistol but I am out of bullets. The empty clicks ring in my ears louder than the Infecteds groans and snarls. As their clicking teeth get closer and closer to me I have a flashback of when the turned version of Jon bit me and how Maya leapt into action and cut my hand off. I miss my right hand, but I miss Maya more. I can't go down right now, I can't. I reach up and grab the throat of an Infected and bash it against another. I reach for my second knife, clipped to my belt and whip it up into the forehead of a corpse.

"Troy!" I hear Mace call urgently.

I heave myself up and get back to attacking these things, all the while heading towards Mace. But every time I get close, I get pulled away by more Infecteds. I see as Mace frantically swings his ax, he's a good fighter but I can see the Infected closing in behind him. I fight my hardest, I have to help him, but a knife can only take these things down one at a time.

"Mace behind you!" I yell and then I hear a gun go off and the Infected behind Mace collapses.

I continue stabbing but look around as more gun shots go off. I am suddenly fighting beside a pretty girl with long brown hair who is stabbing Infecteds right and left along with me. I notice Mace and a young man fighting together also. I kill a corpse that has a grip on the girls neck and she gives me a grateful glance. The fight lasts another ten minutes or so but the girl drives her blade into the temple of the final Infected. She is breathing heavy and blood covers her chest and arms. She is wearing jeans and a black tank top with dark boots. Mace and his new friend approach us. He is tall, thin, has black brown, and kind eyes. He looks like he's been fighting for a long time. Mace' blonde hair is looking pretty red, like he dyed it almost. He is breathing heavy.

"You alright?" I ask him. He nods. "Thank you," I say offering my hand to the guy beside Mace. He regards me cautiously and then shakes my hand.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping us clear this place out. We've been trying too get it done for a week now." he says and then releases my hand.

"It wasn't the plan to clear it out today with just the two of us. I'm impressed that the four of us were able to do it," the girl chimes in.

"We've been through a lot. Not easy to take us down." Mace says heavily.

"I'm Matt," the guy says and holsters his gun.

"And I'm Hannah." the girl chimes in.

"Mace," Mace says plainly.

"Troy," I say with a smile. Both Hannah and Matt look at me and then at each other after I give my name. "Everything okay?" I ask.

"Yeah!" Matt replies after a pause. "So you wanna help us clear the building out?"

"So long as you share the spoils," Mace says suddenly standing straight. Matt squints at him.

"I'm sure there's more than enough," Hannah chimes in and I suddenly notice she's pretty cute.

"Yeah I'm sure we can spare food for the two of you." Matt smiles and Hannah suddenly glares at him.

"Actually we came here to get supplies for our group. There's more than the two of us." I explain.

"Well we've had our eye on this place a while so I'm not sure how much we can spare." Matt states firmly and I begin to realize that the extent of their help was keeping us from turning but they will protect themselves first and foremost.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Mace says sharply.

"Yes, we will." Hannah says confidently. I look between her and Matt. They are looking at each other in ways that almost look like a silent conversation.

"I'm not really sure what to do without running it by our group leader," Matt says finally.

"I mean we did help you guys clear this place out. You said so yourself." I note.

"Yeah well we'll have to go and talk with him about it." Matt replies.

"Let me talk to him. I'd like to meet your leader, see if he could help us out actually. We're missing someone from our group. Maybe you've seen her? She has long brown hair and blue eyes, judges people real hardcore with her stare?" I describe and Hannah smiles, Matt just looks uncomfortable.

"We'll bring you to our camp after we get all the supplies out of here. We'll divvy it up when we get there and go over it with Thomas." Hannah suggests.

"Alright. Deal." I smile.

"Let's get a move on." Matt sighs.

We all enter into the black doors of this white factory building. It's dark inside and as we walk inside I realize there's more fighting to be done. We kill several dozen Infecteds and over the course of three hours we have brought all of the canned foods to my van and Matt's truck.

"Follow us!" Hannah says getting in the passenger seat of the truck and we follow behind as Matt drives off. After a twenty minute drive we pull up to a complex, that actually looks pretty well fortified with it's black barred gates. We drive in the gates that are opened by a young man with brown hair and a young hispanic girl. They close the gates behind us and we park. I get out with Mace intending to approach Matt but I am cut off by a tall man with black hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Who is this!" He shouts jovially but his eyes shine with distrust.

"They are okay Thomas, they helped us," Hannah defends sensing the hostility in his eyes as well.

"This is Troy," Matt says cautiously. The man called Thoams looks at me with a furrowed brow.

"Troy?" He asks.

"Yes. Matt and Hannah helped me and my friend Mace out back in the town. We're very grateful." I reply calmly.

"You're the one Grace told us about?" he asks disapprovingly looking me up and down. Suddenly I don't like this man.

"How do you know Grace?" I ask coldly.

"I'll ask the questions around her." he squints.

"How do you know Grace?" I repeat heatedly. He regards me with hostility and squints, and then his expression cracks.

"I like this one, he's got guts. Thomas Higgins," he says extending his hand to me. I can see the outline of his veins along his long fingers as I shake his hand hesitantly. "Grace and Rachel are both here. We rescued Rachel a few days ago, but Grace stumbled upon us today actually." he explains. "Welcome to our current residence!" Thomas grins and suddenly I feel at ease.

"Nice to meet you sir, and I'm quite relieved to hear you've got our girls. We've been worried." I reply.

"I can imagine. It's a scary thing losing somebody these days because usually it means we've lost them for good. You're lucky we found them at the times we did." he adds.

"I'd agree. So who are you exactly?" I inquire. The man grins a white smile.

"Why I'm Thomas Higgins. Scientist and humbly speaking, the boss." he chuckles.