Fear the Roaming Dead

Rough Riding (chapter 5)

Dex smiled and looked back at Wally. He nodded and took a deep breath. "Either we drive through and die, or we drive through and thrive." Dex looked back on the road. A sick person was drunkingly walking toward them. They were hissing and growling like they were some kind of animal. Dex pointed at him and Wally nodded. He lifted the desert eagle and popped a cap in the sick person's head. They dropped.

Wally holstered the weapon on the side of the motorcycle. Dex lifted the kickstand and he veered up the engine and they sprung forward quickly.

The wind slapped their faces as they drove. The orange tint in the sky was like a bomb had froze mid-explosion. It looked like the sun was rising, however, the sun had just set an hour ago. Vibrations and loud noises rattled the city as they entered. A horrible stench drifted over them like a wet fart. Wally squinted and made a face. "It must be the sick people." Dex yelled shaking a little. Each building had at least some damage on it. It went as far as some bullet dents to flames spewing from every window. Dex sped up and dodged bullets coming from a nearby ally. Wally looked to his left and three people with ski masks were firing handguns at them. "Faster! Faster!" "Shoot them!" Dex yelled.

By then, the motorcycle sped past the ally and they were momentarily safe. The orange light grew closer and closer. "Go right." Wally said. "I know the way to Norridge, calm down." Dex leaned right and turned right into the mouth of the beast.

A United States army tank had it's barrel aimed directly at the motorcycle and it's path. Dex slammed on the break and put down the kickstand.He stood off the motorcycle and yanked Wally from it. They both got on their knees and lifted their hands.

The top of the tank made a creaking sound. The opening twisted and it opened like a lid on a water bottle. A united state military officer stood out of it and aimed a M16 at them. "Are you guys bitten!?" "Why-" Dex yelled but interrupted by Wally. "No, sir! We're just trying to get through!" The officer nodded. "Get on your bike, get out before you regret being here." he ducked back inside and closed the hatch on the tank.

Dex sprung up and jumped onto the motorcycle. Wally stumbled and mounted the back. He made sure the desert eagle was still attached to the side. It was. "Go!" Wally patted Dex's back. Dex nodded and waved at the tank. He turned right and maneuvered around the massive vehicle. He sped past it and they were back on the road. "They let us off easy." Wally said. "They probably don't want to put up with anymore trouble than they have to." Dex said.

The orange became red and red became heat. Dex and Wally looked to their right to feel the hell sensation of the burning capital of Maine. The flames were fondling the building in it's giant hands, messing up the building second after second. Military vans were parked around it with barricades around them. SWAT agents were crouched against the barricades and reloading their weapons. Rioters were behind their parked gunshot wounded vehicles. They all had a handgun at their side, a .22 rifle on their back, and ready-to-fire molotovs taped to their belts. Dex slowed down a little to watch the crowd fighting. Corpses strung out in the street, and black smoke making the already dark sky even darker. A SWAT agent leaned up and set his gun on the barricade. It was a M4A1 and he let it rip. Bullets rained out of it like it was a typhoon. They raged through the windows nailing two rioters in the back of the heads. Dex covered his mouth. Wally put his hands over his eyes. "Let's get to Norridge." Wally yelled.

Rioters heard what sounded like a thirteen year old girl crying so they turned to look at Dex and Wally watching the show. Some aimed guns at them and began shooting. "Damn it!" Dex yelled accelerating.

The motorcycle wheelied forward and sped around the capitol. Wally put his hands at the side of the motorcycle and held on for dear life. Wally turned around the rioters who were running after them, got mowed down by the SWAT officers. Wally covered his eyes and made a little squeal. "What the hell was that? Did the back tire go out?" Dex asked. Wally shook his head. "No, I was scared." "You sound like a seven year old girl when your scared then."

The bridge was the gateway out of the city. Dex and Wally passed over it quickly and with ease. More vibrations came from the city. Vibrations surely meant bombings. Buildings were actually beginning to collapse from the fires and bombs going off. At least two buildings toppled over while Wally looked back upon the blazing fallen city. His phone buzzed.

It read "Officials have confirmed that Augusta Maine, New York, Boston Massachusetts, and most of New England has fallen. The west coast is in peril as of right now and the military has this under control. Go to your safe zone and remain there until it all clears up."

Wally rubbed his thigh. The vibrations of the motorcycle made his legs ache. Dex pointed at the road ahead. "This is the way to Norridge. This road is barely paved, barely taken care of, and cracked. Not the best place for people. Say they say." Dex nudged Wally. "Just go." Wally shivered. Dex sighed and continued down the dirty and old path. "You think anyone else will be there?" Wally asked. Dex chuckled. "Hell no. We're the only smart people in this world." Dex said. "Well," Wally laughed. "I'm book smart and you're street smart. Did you know I learned to wire explosives in my chemistry class!?" "Cool. Cool. I don't care. Not like we'll see any explosives when we get there. Don't forget Norridge is an old Indian preserve." Dex said.

The wooden walls peaked over the hill. Logs were stacked up and they had metal shingles attached to them. Up and down and side to side. The road wasn't even a road anymore, it was a mix of gravel and dirt. No pavement at all. Dex looked forward and noticed the gate wasn't even open like is was for the public.

Usually, Norridge kept its gates open so schools could visit it with school buses. The gate was closed. Wally leaned outward and pointed. "What the heck? How do we get in?" he asked. Dex pulled up right in front of the gate and he kicked down the kickstand. He turned off the ignition. He unmounted the motorcycle, crossed his arms, and walked up to the gate. "I dunno. If the gates closed then that means people are in there." Dex knocked on the gate.

It made a banging and ringing sound. The metal vibrated and made a humming and ear splitting noise. He yelled. "Anyone in there!? We come in piece! We're not rioters or police! We seek refuge!" Dex paused for a few seconds. "He have one gun and some knives. That's it. We're not going to kill you!" Wally yelled. Dex whipped around. "Hold it, shorty. We don't know if we're not gonna kill them." Dex said quietly. Wally crossed his arms. "Did the apocalypse already change you for the worse?" Dex slapped his sides. "Are you kidding me," he growled. "You watched me kill that guy in cold blood the other night!" "Then use this as a chance to rewind and start over." Wally said hopping off the bike. "There is no restarting anything! We-"

The metal gate made a ear-killing screech. The hinges seemed to scream as someone from the other side of the gate was opening it. Dex covered his ears and turned to look at the sound. Wally stepped back and put his hand on the desert eagle he was holding. Dex stepped towards Wally and snatched the pistol from his hands. He clicked the hammer and aimed it towards the opening gate.

Two other people were behind the gate.

A woman with long brown hair, overalls, a green shirt underneath and sneakers. She was holding a Glock 17 in her hand. She looked nervously at Dex and Wally. The other person was a man. He was aiming an AK-47 at the two. He had medium length pure black hair, a black jacket, black pants, and a red shirt underneath. He stepped forward.

"State your names! Or you'll be shot!" the man yelled. Wally got on his knees and whimpered. "I'm Wally! Don't hurt me! Please!" he yelled. Dex looked at him and laughed. "Weakling." he looked back at the man. "Well, what's yours?" "I don't need to tell you. It doesn't matter. What's your name?" Dex asked. "I'm Aaron, and behind me is Veronica. Now state your name, it's only kind and fair." Aaron growled. Dex uncrossed his arms. "I'm Dexter Luxford. Behind me is Wally Williams. We come from Augusta. We just need refuge," Dex peered inside. "Is there anyone else in here? Or is it just you guys?" Dex asked.

Aaron lowered the gun. "It's Veronica, me, and one other person. A girl named Cam." Aaron said. Veronica stepped forward and smiled. "You guys must've been through a lot. Would you like to come in?" "Yes, please." Wally said jogging inside. Dex walked inside all cool and collected.

"Oh, um," Veronica tapped Dex on the shoulder. "Do you guys plan on staying?" she asked. Dex looked at her then back up at the scenery of Norridge.

"Hell yeah we're staying."