Discernment

Chapter 18

When we got everything settled, we were all sitting on the benches all close to each other, while Fay and Hilda were up in the control room looking after Erin and Sandra. Last we've heard was Sandra was still unconscious and Erin is getting stitched up. Devan was in the train sleeping and still recovering, he doesn't even know what had happened earlier today. But where we were, it was just quiet. It was most likely the thought of three of us are injured and another one had ran off to join people who are trying to kill us, where he had given them every little bit of information about us.

"The fuck are we going to do about this, Elliot?" Quinton asks. "I don't know, Thomas wouldn't let me lead us to attack them, now we have two more injured. Now we're down to about ten people against about a hundred or so of them! It's like the Persians versus the Spartans!" Elliot screams. "It's not Thomas' fault, Elliot. Stop blaming him!" Jess yells. Hilda looks up to him and shakes her head. "Elliot, you need to stop. This is getting you nowhere. You were a terrible leader before and you still are!" Hilda shouts. Elliot frowns at her while he was shaking his head, then gets up and storms for the entrance of the subway, staying outside.

"I don't like him as our leader Thomas, you made a way better leader." Jess says. "Yeah, I think you should just talk to him and have him make you leader again." Hilda suggests. I think about it for a few moments. If I do this, I know I'd make the better decisions than Elliot, but do I really want the stress of all these lives in my hand? Then again, if I don't, I leave these lives in the hands of Elliot. "I'll do it.. Tomorrow though. I think we could all use some rest after this day." I say. "Should we go get Elliot?" Marshall suggests. "No, he needs to cool down. He'll come along sooner or later." I say. Everyone gets up and starts heading to their tents off in the corner, and those who didn't have tents went to the trains.

A few hours passed by and Devan wakes up. He gets a bottle of water and starts walking toward the benches where he saw Erin sitting there. "Oh.. Hey Erin. Why up so late?" He asks, still not even a clue of the day before. "Hey Devan.. It's just that the Zealots attacked us yesterday.. Craig was with them. He told them everything about us and the subway." Erin says. "Man.. That sucks.." Devan says. "Yeah, they shot me in the leg and the shoulder and they sliced Sandra with her machete. They just attacked us outta nowhere." Erin says with a sigh. "I hope you and your sister get better.." Devan says. "Same with you, Devan." She replies. He smiles and they both, slowly, lean in for a kiss.

Right as their lips met, Joel's men soon after rampaged through the subway, quietly though. "Get on the floor and don't make a fucking sound." Someone whispers to them from behind. They both nod and slowly get to the floor. The man stands over them with a large automatic gun and they can't see much. Devan and Erin are shaking in fear, knowing these people are willing to kill them at any giving moment.

Outside of the subway, Elliot stands there with Joel and his right-hand man. "So, the deal is set, Elliot." Joel says. They both look up to see a man dragging up Hilda, she was crying and another man carrying up boxes of food. "This the woman you were talking about, Elliot?" The man asks. "Yes.. Yes it is..." He mutters. Joel smirks at the sight of her. "Elliot... How.. How could you do this to me.." He then pulls out Sandra's machete out and walks up to her. "You and Thomas are in my way of staying leader.." Elliot mutters. "Now, if you two are done ranting on.. I'm going claim my prize now.." Joel smirks and pulls her hair up with one hand to keep her head straight, raising the machete with the other. He would then swing the machete down a total of three times, cutting Hilda's head clear off her body. He raises her head and chuckles as her body fell limp on the floor. "Pleasure doing business with you, Elliot." Joel says and shakes Elliot's hand, then put's Hilda's head in a cloth bag, setting the bag in the back of a truck where they begin taking off.

Elliot then walks down the stairs and sees Erin and Devan lying on the floor, beginning to get up when they realize the Zealots were gone. That's when Elliot had to think fast. He then tucks in his arms over his head and throws himself down the flight of stairs. Erin and Devan rush over to him and help him up. "You alright? Did they just take our food?!" Devan asks. "I-I'm fine.. We'll call a meeting in the morning.. Can't believe these assholes did this.." Elliot says. "Let's get some rest.. Talk about this in the morning.." He continues as the start walking off.

In the morning, I wake up to see Marshall looking around on the train, "What are you doin', Marshall?" I ask him. "Looking for the food, did ya' move it at all?" He asks. "No.. I didn't.. Which is odd." I say. I walk off the train to go ask Elliot what had happened when Devan comes up to me. "The Zealots had come in over night and stole our supplies.." He says quickly. "Why didn't you tell me?!" I reply. "They were aiming guns at Erin and I.. Nothing we could do. Elliot was out there, they threw him down the stairs and took off. He's alright though. He said he was going to call a meeting today.." Devan says. I then see Elliot coming down from the control room and tosses me my bat. "Looks like we're going on a supply run. Eddy and I just looked over the buildings surrounding the stops and Stop C seems to have the most.. I think you and I should check them out."  He states. "Alright, I'll just grab my bag and we'll head out." I say. I turn to go get it and Elliot starts announcing what was happening.

As I was walking, Jess walks up to me with my bag and hands it to me. "Thomas.. Be careful out there, okay?" She asks. "You know I will, Jess.. Don't you worry." I say and smile at her. "Thomas, we gotta go by car. They're going to use the train and look for supplies themselves at the other stops. So we should head out now." Elliot says from a distance. "Alright, I'll be there in a little bit." I reply, then look back to Jess. "Stay safe. You know what to do if there's trouble." I say, giving her a small hug.

I then head after Elliot who was walking up the stairs and I catch up to him. "You know where Stop C is?" I ask him. "Yeah, I'll drive. Don't worry." He replies. When we take off, I noticed a headless body, off to the right. There were two biters eating the flesh off of it, though I'm not worried since the group can handle two biters of course. "We're almost there. I'm sure this warehouse will have food..." Elliot says. I simply nod and then look to him. "What were you doing out there when the Zealots showed up?" I ask him. "I walked off when I was mad at you guys. Why do you think?" He replies. "Well, I thought you might have fought back against them. I don't know?" I say to him.

We then pull up to the warehouse, where I get out and see the door is already open. "Let's go in, might be looted already." I say, slowly walking in the building while holding a gun aiming around. "It's clear in here.. Elliot?" I ask, turning around looking for him. "Must be checking the perimeter.." I mutter to myself. I then begin walking in more, looking around. That's when I see three crates. Almost similar to the ones that the Zealots took from us... "The fuck is going on here.." I mutter. Then, out of nowhere, Joel jumps from a shelf, pepper spraying me. The pain of the pepper spray was terrible. I fell down, screaming.

"Good work leading him here, Elliot.. You can now take your food back ad be on your way. We won't bother you again." Joel states to Elliot, who I suppose walked up behind me. "Don't kill him, Joel.. He's a good man.. But he just got in my way.." He says. I managed to listen in on this and I stood on my knees. "F-Fuck you Elliot! You'll fucking die for this!" I scream at him. One of Joel's men then took his gun and smacked me upside the head, knocking me unconscious.

"Gentlemen, load up Elliot's supplies for his group. Throw our new addition, Thomas, in the back of the truck." Joel says. Right as he said that most of his men started spreading out, doing what they're told. "Elliot, you ever do methamphetamine? Gets you excited about things! Pumps your blood!" Joel says, showing a bag of crystals to Elliot. "No, don't wanna get hooked on that stuff.. Especially during the apocalypse.." Elliot replies. "Your loss, good man." Joel says and then starts cutting some up on a shelf next to them and snorting it. "Gah! That's some fucking good shit!" Joel shouts with joy. "Alright, we're all set to go, men! Let's get the fuck outta here!" Joe says and starts walking toward the exit.

Elliot gets in the truck with the supplies and heads the opposite direction of the Zealots toward Stop A. "Sorry Thomas.. But you got in my way." Elliot mutters as he looked in the rear view mirror. Soon after, he was at Stop A again. He gets out of the truck and sends Marshall and Quinton up to bring the crates down. "Did you and Thomas see Hilda out there? No one has seen her all day.." Eddy asks Elliot. "No.. I haven't." He replies with a sigh. "Wait.. Where's Thomas?" Eddy questions.

"He was bitten.. I had to leave him." Elliot says.