WORLD GONE MAD ➳ FTWD

iii. THE OTTO'S LEGACY

There was nothing Troy could do but pull the switch and put Madison and her family at risk of being drawn into the flood. Troy was getting nervous and felt pressured. Proctor John was getting anxious and he almost gave his men the nod to take Troy but then they heard gunshots and two men fell. They all looked around for any sign of a shooter but saw no one. The gunshots didn't stop and Proctor John didn't know what to do or say as his men and himself began to get frustrated and fearful. The anticipation was increasing and Troy felt an urge to finally flip the switch. Flipping the switch wasn't just blowing up the dam and killing himself to Troy, it was like flipping a switch in himself. Even though these would be his last moments and he wouldn't get to live on with Nick and the others at least he would find some kind of peace within himself and leave the ruined world to find a better place. Or perhaps no place at all. It didn't matter to Troy because anything was better than the world he was trying to survive in now. Troy tuned out the noise of men shouting out with panic in their voices and the piercing sound of guns firing. He looked out onto the lake and placed his hand on the fence. "Goodbye, Nicky." He whispered to himself and flipped the switch. He closed his eyes and felt the vibrations of the explosions take over and the ground below him crack. Proctor John was holding onto one of his men and looked at Troy in disbelief. He was hysterical and could barely keep up with his men— who were all trying to outrun what seemed like certain death. Troy thought of his father, his mother, and his brother. The otto's legacy was destroyed. He missed his older brother so much it hurt him to the point where he could feel his chest ache and his muscles tense as Jake dying played over and over again in his head. One of The Proctor's men was left behind and started jolting as fast as he could towards Troy with an injured leg. Troy didn't budge or look behind him, at this point he was lost in his thoughts and beyond far from coming back to reality. The man was seconds away from grabbing Troy when Nick arrived. Nick's eyes widened at the sight of the man almost hurling himself at Troy. He quickly pointed the pistol that Walker gave him at the man and shot with no remorse. Troy opened his eyes and turned to face Nick. He had come back to save Troy one last time— or possibly the second of many more times to come. Even if it meant abandoning his family he couldn't leave Troy behind no matter how much it hurt for him to leave them. Nick knew Troy would do the same for him. He raced to Troy and grabbed him so fast that Troy almost fell down. "Troy, we have to go! Now!" Nick yelled. Troy snapped out of his trance-like state and kept up with Nick's pace. Now that Nick was here with him he suddenly had the motivation to live again. Like Madison, Troy never gives up easily. He's a born fighter and the apocalypse only amplified the fighting qualities within him. However, in the moment he flipped the switch he gave up on everything. When Nick returned to him he knew he had to get out of there to save Nick, not himself. He grabbed onto Nick and took the lead of getting their asses out of there. Damn fools, we are. He thought to himself.