Beside the Dying Fire

Danny's POV

Gavin didn't need a melee weapon because of his hook hand. Rather, he just picked up a 1911 handgun and left the armory. Antonio grabbed his katana and a Glock 18 and went on his way.I picked up a machete from the armory. Just a plain machete, no sentimental value. Then, I picked up my .357 revolver. Out of everything I took with me from Area 51 in the escape, I made sure this gun came with me. It had been through so much. It was the gun that I had killed Alyson with, which then went on to Gavin when he finally grew a pair and killed a few walkers. Then it sat it the armory for a month. A month later, Samuel took that pistol with him on the run that he died on. The doctor that killed him shot Kai with said gun and chased him back there with it. Once there, Kai took the same snub-nosed and killed the man, forcing us out. The pistol then went into Ajax's hands before he died months later within the walls of San Diego. Since then, the gun has not left the walls. It would again, though. I was going to use that gun to kill the Flickers who tormented us and I'll make sure that they wouldn't mess with us any longer.

Savannah rushed in and quickly grabbed her hatchet along with a pump-action shotgun. She took an ammo sash for it and wore it across her chest. I looked at her and asked, "Where's Kai?"

She was about to walk out, then I said that.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me," She turned around to the shelf full of ammo and pulled out a large Ziploc bag. She took a few boxes of 30 caliber bullets and poured them all into the bag. She sealed it. "This is for his rifle."

I shrugged as we both walked out.

Back at the burial site, we saw Kai, Gavin, and Antonio as well as some others who weren't going with us. Gavin and Antonio were talking to Bells. Kai sat alone with his feet dangling into the unfilled grave for Sarah. He looked down in there. Savannah most likely got to emotional to walk over there to look at her, so she went and joined Antonio and Gavin's conversation. I walked up behind Kai to comfort him, but one of the new girls beat me to it. I believe she was Lea. She sat down next to Kai and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're going through, and I'm so sorry that this has happened to you," she said softly.

Kai looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you," he hugged her. She looked shocked at first, then she too put her arms around him and smiled. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Kai."

"I'm Lea," she ended their embrace. "I hope you bring those people to justice. Will you tell me all about the battle when you get back?"

Kai smiled and nodded his head, "Definitely."

Lea got up and walked away. After a few seconds, Kai got up too. He spun around and saw me.

"How long were you standing there?" he blushed.

"The entire time," I laughed.

With an embarrassed look on his face with a hidden smile, he stumbled away.

After a few minutes, the SUV that Savannah's group arrived in pulled up. I got in the driver's seat and Gavin got in beside me to direct me. Kai sat in the middle with Antonio and Savannah on either side. I slowly accelerated out of the gate as Tyler, Sree, Henry, Lea, Bells, and Jayla all waved us goodbye. I assumed that all the other citizens went back to their apartments and that Cameron was busy with healing Leo. As Gavin blurted directions out to me, Savannah treated Kai's burns and his gunshot wound with aide from Antonio.

After 2 long hours of silence, we pulled up to the building that Gavin said was the compound. We all exited the vehicle and equipped out weapons.

There was a guard posted at the door. He looked about 24 years old and seemed very nervous upon seeing us pull up. He had an M9 handgun poised at us.

"D-don't come any closer!" he yelled to us. We all put our hands up except for Kai. I was planning on getting the drop on him when he would come over to bring us inside, but Kai had a different plan.

He walked up to the boy with his bayonet reflecting off of the setting sun.

"Back off! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" the boy refused to look at Kai as he slowly walked toward him.

Once Kai was in range, he smacked the pistol out of the boy's hands with the butt of his rifle. He then stabbed the bayonet into the boy's abdomen and slashed his gut open. His insides dropped out of him rather quickly. The victim tried catching his intestines as they fell out of him, but in the end he fell to his knees and passed away to the side.

Kai pocketed the handgun and kicked the door open to escape the painful December snow. Once we shook all of the snow off of ourselves, Antonio asked, "What's the game plan from here?"

Kai took off down one of the 4 possible passages. There was one that went straight, one on either left of right, and a set of stairs going up. He went left.

"Seems like a good plan to me," Savannah yelled as she ran straight with her hatchet at the ready.

Gavin shrugged and ran to the right. Just Antonio and I left.

"Go up?" he asked.

I nodded in return.

Antonio climbed the stairs first to make sure it was clear. The entire building was unexpectedly dark, so I couldn't see him at the top.

"It clear up there?" I hollered up to him.

I heard a bit of a struggle from the top, but after a while I heard him tell me, "Yes, you can come up now."

I figured that he hesitated because he had to kill one of them, but I figured wrong. Once at the top, I saw that Antonio was being used as a human shield by a man about the same height as the strangely tall Croatian boy. An M9 was being held to Antonio's head as the man said, "I'm taking this with me. You can have him back when I get the head of the girl that killed Yaaseen."

I breathed heavily. I knew who he meant. It pained me to say, "I'm afraid that you're about 2 hours too late for that request."

He looked at me confused, then he realized what it meant. For a moment, the man looked sympathetic, then he went back to his scowl.

"Then I guess you aren't getting this back," the man quickly backed away with Antonio.

"Antonio! I'll-"

I was cut off when a man to my right came running out of the dark and tackled me. He had me pinned on my back to the ground and he had a knife. He jabbed his blade downwards towards me, but I blocked his wrist with my hand. He retracted his hand and got ready to try stabbing me again. I threw my hand in the way of his arm again to block the stab, but he was expecting it. Rather than cutting into my chest or head, he impaled the knife right through my left hand.

The pain was excruciating. I felt blood trickle down my arm as the man straddle punched me. After I finally gained the strength, I kicked him off of me to my right. I looked at my left hand. I had to get this knife out. I grabbed the blade by the handle and pulled it out slowly. The pain was so much worse now, but it was worth it to get the weapon out of my hand. There was now a bloody hole in my hand, but I didn't care. I was too determined to kill the attacker. As I was pulling the knife out, he was retrieving an ax from an "In Case Of Emergency" box on the wall. He walked over to me with the ax above his head he was ready to strike. I quickly drew the .357 revolver from my holster and lined up the sights with his head. Once the man saw the gun, he turned around and tried to run. I then aimed at his leg and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

He collapsed to the ground, screaming out for backup. Before he could continue, I ran up to him and pinned him on his back with my foot. He tried grabbing my leg in hopes that I'd get my leg off of his chest. Rather, I aimed the pistol at his head with my good hand as I held the bloodied one to my chest.

Bang!

This was the start of a new war, and this time we were going to win.