The Fight to Survive

Chapter 7: The Way Forward

Chapter 7

The group all sat in the lounge area of Ryan Hall. The room was well lit, with large windows which currently had biters pressed against them, trying endlessly to claw their way into the room for a nice, big meal. The couches in the room were arranged in a semi-circle, with Nick standing at the open end. Kelsey was seated in the couch closest to him. Though she wasn't even aware she was doing it, her hands were covering her tummy, almost as if she was defending the baby that was beginning to grow in there. Noah sat next to her, waiting patiently for Nick to start talking. On the next couch, which was directly across from where Nick stood, Zac sat alone, looking at his leader with a glare. He hadn't gotten over what had happened in the store yesterday. The way Nick and Noah just shot down that other group. It was a massacre. And in Zac's eyes, it was just another reason Nick wasn't fit to lead. On the third couch, Brian and Alec sat silently. Brian, though not nearly as upset as Zac, was not thrilled with what had happened yesterday either. The way he saw it, they could've done much more good by working with the other group. He had discussed this with Alec the night before, and though Alec was against all of the killing, he was starting to understand that it was necessary, and he was still loyal to Nick.

After a minute of waiting, Nick began talking in a firm voice.

"We can't stay here anymore" he started. Instantly, Zac was out of his seat.

"What the hell are you talking about? Where are we going to go?" Zac exclaimed, his built up anger fueling his argument.

"Zac is right, we have nowhere to go. Why do we even need to leave?" Brian added.

"If you would let me finish, I'll tell you" Nick said with a sigh, knowing this would not be easy. When Zac calmed down, he began speaking again.

"This has been a good home for us, and it wasn't an easy decision for me to make, but something has happened and I know we can't stay here anymore" He paused, glancing over at Kelsey, who offered him a reassuring smile which gave him the strength to keep talking.

"Kelsey is pregnant. She isn't far along yet, but we can't just wait it out before we leave. If things were different, this would be something good. Hell, it would be a miracle considering how few people are left here. But the reality is that none of us have any medical training. If we stay here, she will die in childbirth. And I am not willing to see another member of this group die. But if we get to Vermont, to the safe zone, there's a chance that they could have a medic or something there" Nick explained. As he did, Zac laughed, a dark chuckle that served to poke at Nick, making him angry.

"Something funny?" He asked.

"Well fuck, Nick. You just can't stop getting our people killed, can you? First Richard, then Ashby. And Max. And now you knock up your girlfriend and give her a fucking death sent-" Before Zac could even finish, Nick was on him. He ripped his friend off of the couch and threw him to the floor. In a split second, he was on Zac, punching him with everything that he had. As his fists made contact with Zac's face, drawing blood from not only his face, but Nick's knuckles, he let his rage take over. He would not be blamed for the death of his friends. That was one thing he couldn't handle. And if Zac knew the real story, he wouldn't be saying it. As Nick went to land a big blow to Zac's face, his arm was held back by Noah.

"Come on man, you need to chill. This isn't helping anything. He doesn't even know what the fuck he's talking about" Noah said, attempting to calm Nick down before he caused too much damage. Nick yanked his arm away and stood up, glancing around at the people in the room. Brian and Alec were both standing, ready to step in if they had to. Kelsey was also standing, but she looked scared of what Nick had just done. Catching his breath and clearing his throat, Nick spoke again.