The Dead Studios: Season 11

Chapter 9: To Kill or Be Killed

    James and Lisa, who have been traveling for a few weeks, as they continued to walk down the misty road, reaching a large sign saying "Welcome to Rhode Island".

"Should we turn back?" James asked, turning to Lisa.

"Nah. Fuck it." She said, as she continued to walk down the road into the new state.

They continued walk for hours, as the sun finally began to move down the horizon, as they set up a small camp in the woods. The two of them sat there quietly, as the small fire crackled and sparked in the moonlight.

"James." Lisa said suddenly from the quietness. "I never got the chance to truly thank you for what you did at the scrapyard. You really saved our ass's." Lisa said.

"I killed people, Lisa." James said softly, looking at the burning fire.

"No James, you killed bad people to save the good." Lisa said. "We're all guilty for something. We just have to live with it."

"No, it's different now, Lisa." James said sternly. "In the eyes of those people, we were the bad guys. It's different for everyone. There are no more good or bad people. No more right or wrong. It's just to kill or be killed in this world. You'll always be the hero in your own story. But you'll also always be the villain in someone elses." James said, as he threw a small twig into the fire, watching it light up.

"Either way. You saved me so..." Lisa took a small pause, as she looked up at James. "Thank you."

James looked up from the fire, looking back at Lisa who was staring at him. "Let's get some sleep." He said, as he laid down on his sleeping bag. 

The two of them slept until the break of dawn woke Lisa up. She sat up, looking over at James who was still sleeping. The misty and humid air made her skin feel sticky, as she looked around the woods of Rhode Island. She began to pack up the camp, as James woke up. He helped her pack, as the two of them began on their way again, going wherever the road took them.

"You know we can't do this forever, right?" James said, as they walked down the road.

"We can try?" She said. "You thinking about giving up?" She asked.

"No-" James said. "I'm just saying, I'm getting sick of walking." 

"We aren't just walking. This is survival." Lisa said.

"But what if it could be more than that?" James said.

"What're you talking about?" Lisa asked.

"What if we could live instead of surviving. Actually, have a life." James said.

"That's not what this world is anymore. You know that." Lisa said.

"But I'm saying, what if it could be." James said.

"James--come on." Lisa said.

"What?" James replied.

"You're being ridiculous. You know those "communities" are all bullshit, right? The only way to live during these days is to keep moving. Nomadic style." Lisa said.

"Well I'm getting pretty sick of it." James said.

"Yeah well you don't get to be 'sick of it'. You have to keep living for the ones who have died to get you here, okay? If you make it about anything else, you're just being selfish." 

"No, Lisa!" James said as he stopped in the road, Lisa turning to face him. "We are wasting our lives that people died to save, by just walking around! This is a WASTE." James said. "Don't you want to find somewhere you can just settle down? Settle down and- and live??" James said.

"If you really wanted that, you wouldn't have agreed to burned down the mansion." Lisa said.

"We burned down the mansion to clear our conscious. To forget about our past. Nothing more, nothing less!" James said.

"NO! Something more!  We were running out of food and you decided it was in our favor to leave and find some. We could've ended up going back. But you didn't want to. You had to make it about yourself." Lisa said, as she turned and began to walk down the road again.

James opened his mouth- as he was about to say something, but chose to keep it to himself as they began to walk down the misty August road.

They walked for hours down the road, until they finally hit a stop. Lisa was walking, her head titled down, as James ran up and stopped her.

"Lisa, stop!" He said quietly, as she looked up at the incoming swarm. 

The two of them quickly turned, running into the woods, but the swarm had already saw them. They ran as fast as they could, dodging the trees and branches as they finally stopped to catch their breath.

"I think we're okay." Lisa said, as the sudden moans and growls began to get louder.

James suddenly looked up, seeing a hunting tree stand in the tree above him, with a ladder still connected.

"Follow me!" James said quickly, as he began to climb the ladder into the stand.

The growling grew louder, as Lisa began to follow him up the ladder. The misty air of Rhode Island had dampened the ladder, as Lisa's foot suddenly slipped on the metal bar, causing her to fall off the ladder, landing onto her leg. A loud snap and thump was heard, as Lisa held in her scream, as her leg broke from the fall.

"Lisa!" James whispered yet screamed down to her, as the dead got closer.

"I can't move my leg!" She said, as James began to climb back down the ladder.

"No! No, stay up there, please!" Lisa said, as she held her leg.

"No!" James said, as he got to the ground. "I'm going to help you up, okay?" He said.

"No- James, look." Lisa said, as her leg was clearly broken, with a large dent in it.

"No, no, I'm going to help you." James said as he tried to help her up.

"James- you have to go." Lisa said.

"NO!" He yelled, as he tried to pull her threw the woods.

"James, stop!" Lisa said, as her leg began to hurt even worse. "It's no use."

James got down on his knees, as he kneeled next to Lisa. "I'm not leaving you." 

"James- you have to go. You can't die for me." Lisa said.

James shook his head. "I'm not leaving." He said, as he held Lisa's hands. "You didn't leave me."

Lisa shook her head. "That was different, James!"

James began to shake his head more. "It's not different." He said, as he squeezed her hands.

"I'm so sorry." Lisa said, as James closed his eyes, a tear falling down to his cheek.

The growling of the dead began to get louder, as a sudden yell was heard.

"GET DOWN!" A man yelled out, as James turned, ducking Lisa and his head down to the ground, as loud gunfire began to blast off around them. 

The gunfire continued for a solid minute, until it finally faded way into the night. James kept his head lowered, as Lisa squeezed his hand from her broken leg. Sudden footsteps approached, as James's shoulder was quickly grabbed. James grabbed the pistol that was strapped around his waist, as the man quickly grabbed it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. We just saved your life." The man said, as he picked James up, dragging him to a truck.

Another man came over and picked up Lisa, carrying her behind James. They were both put into the back of a large truck, being seated on soft cushions. 

"Everything's going to be okay now." A voice said from behind the wheel, as the truck began to rumble beneath them, driving into the night.

Lisa laid on the seats, as a man elevated her broken leg. She was able to quickly find James's hand again, as she grabbed it. James held it, as he squinted out the windows of the large vehicle, as they drove through the country of Rhode Island.