Collapse (TyVan Fanfiction) ((discontinued))

III

Collapse (Verb)
(of an institution or undertaking) fail suddenly and completely.
"in the face of such resolve his opposition suddenly collapsed.)

Chapter Three
Misdirection

Endless hours of walking,
Travelling to the unknown,
Running from murderers. 

It was our daily routine. Those three options were our only chance of survival, yet it was a two-three deal. 
 

The midday sun beamed down ever so brightly on the third day of travelling empty roads, our only surroundings being the forest of trees, only offering a little protection and cover from the elements. 
Sweat ran down my forehead, the humidity causing us all to feel tired  and dehydrated. Several times my pistol had to be returned to my back pocket, as it kept sliding through my fingers. 

"Guys! There's a-a map there! We must be close to somewhere!" A chaotic American exclaimed, hope and joy lacing his voice. The other three of us immediately perked up, desperately trying to find said map. And yet, there is was, pinned to a speed limit sign on the side of the road. Clear as day. 

At the sudden outburst of Jon and the image of the map filled me with newfound determination. Days of travelling were fruitless up until now, the silence became quite overwhelming. 

All four of us picked up our pace, jogging up to the sign that was once important to society in several different ways. Now, it's only useful to attract the other survivors. 
"Someone's marked where we are- it should only be a couple miles to the next town! We're closer to the city than I thought!" David sighed in relief, pointing to the large black dot on one of the roads. 

"Finally!" My sleeve wiped the moisture from my forehead. It will possibly be only half an hour before we reach a bed...

But what any of us didn't see or bother to read...
Resistance claimed. 

The city limits sign came into view ten minutes later, greeting us with seemingly open arms. In the background, several buildings seemingly touched the sky, broken windows at the uppermost floors. My stomach quenched uneasily at the sight, only imagining what had gone down there.

Still, we walked on. There wasn't a walker in sight; just corpses with a bullet hole, exactly between their eyes. Professionals have probably been through here, or are taking refuge. 
It did fill me with a little discomfort, but mostly tranquility knowing that there were people out there who knew exactly what to do, and how to play it out. 

"Look, I know that this place was marked on the map possibly because there was maybe a community here, but..." David broke the silence suddenly, unease thick in his accent. "I can't help but feel alert and on edge, y'know?" His words seemed to unravel the feelings in my own gut, and possibly Lui and Jon's as well. Playing it off as 'new place, new experiences' didn't quite satisfy. 
"The people who have been through here seem quite polished. All these bodies seem like the bullet holes are in the same place," Jon agreed. His anxiety was starting to take over his emotions as he continued speaking. "What if we aren't actually running from the bandits, but to them?! Oh God, it'd all be my fault..."

It felt as if all the bones in my body froze over after he made the comment. My blood ran cold through my veins, but, why was I scared? He said there were only four, nothing we can't handle. Hell, I'd run my knife straight through the leader's skull without another thought. "Look. People make mistakes. As I said before, they're nothing we can't take care of. The only part of them that would touch us would be their blood." I tried my best in comforting Delirious, but it came out harsher than I intended. 

He looked more in comfort with what I had pronounced, but still had that edge to him. 

As before, tranquility was brought down on us. The veils of tension only stacked higher as we passed more corpses who's blood leaked from the same place every time, the bullet holes shaped into a perfect circular crater. I became more agitated and restless with every passing minute, wanting to turn on my heel to prove myself there wasn't anyone or anything stepping after our tracks. Several times, I barely glanced back, only seeing my own shadow. 

A human figure dropped in front of us ever so suddenly, causing us all to freeze and back away. Their blood splattered on our clothes and skin, like this person still had all their gallons before falling. 
"Get your guns out." David mumbled, staring at their open eyes. My heart jumped after seeing their hazel colour- not grey as the corpses have. In a mere couple seconds, my larger gun that was previously strapped to my back was grasped in my palms, fixed on several locations within the dark corners between the skyscrapers. 

"There's people here." Lui mumbled with the same tone David used, his breath shaking. "Making that move; they don't seem to want us here." 
I trusted our tactician more than myself, since he knew how people thought, what their actions meant. 

"Well, we just have to either drag their asses out or put a bullet in their brain, don't we?"
Jon's voice was dark and somewhat crazed, completely opposite from what he was earlier. Maybe this is where Lui got the idea of 'Delirious'.

Something clicked next to my ear, a sound I knew all too well. A cold barrel pressed against the back of my neck threateningly. I had no choice but the relax the gun to my waist.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. If you could, that is." The owner of the gun spoke in a mocking tone, their ego clouding their raspy voice. A moment of silence passed, none of daring to even move a muscle. The faceless man continued. "I can tell you guys are real fighters, so there won't be any deaths today. Other than the backstabber who's blood is on your clothes, that is." 

"Who are you." My nerves were heightened, causing the sentence to come out as more of a demand. The man behind me chuckled darkly.

"Just know me as... Wild."