Hell On Earth 2

Chapter I: Home Alone

Taylor sat by herself alone inside of HQ. Her room was completely trashed with broken furniture and a messed up bed all around her. In her hands, she held a broken picture frame with a lovely picture on the inside; it was of herself and Eric together, happy and care-free despite the world around them. She used to look at this picture and remember the good times, but now she would always be reminded of the emotional pain of Eric's betrayal, the words he said to her, and her feelings of doubt. Soon, she would be the mother of a child in 9 months who would possibly never get to know their father and have to learn to grow up without a male figure in their life. The scenes of the good times and the bad would constantly replay in her head, but Taylor knew she needed to fight through-- for her own sake, and the community of Haven. She would be expected to lead and to become a mother-- this was her hell on earth. 

1

Today was a rather relaxed day for the people of Haven. With the death of the 5-6 leader, Slash, it seemed as though Haven could finally live in peace, but it cost them so much-- people, family, and friends have sacrificed their own lives to allow the community to move forward; however, they now had a greater opportunity to thrive than ever before.

"Finally, we get some goddamn peace around here," a Haven resident said. "The 5-6 were a pain in the ass."

"True," said another man. "But is Taylor doing okay? She seems distant and unlike herself."

"I don't know, but I do know that we need to stay out of her business-- for our sake and yours."

While the two residents were talking to one another, Maverick was making his way towards the headquarters to talk to Taylor about a supply run. Maverick was a tough and hardened man, but he knew that Taylor was going through the roughest time of her life. Eventually, Maverick made it towards the run-down house which not only was the residing quarters of Taylor and Eric but was the operations facility of the whole community. When Maverick politely went to knock on the door, it easily swung open. He saw inside a huge mess with glass, as well as broken furniture and other items. Lying on the living room floor, Maverick found a used pregnancy tester which read positive.

"Taylor's pregnant," Maverick said to himself. "Well, shit... kind of a bad time to raise a kid."

Faintly, Maverick could hear crying; perhaps coming from Taylor. Calmly, Maverick made his way towards the noise. Fortunately, Maverick was right as he found Taylor laying in her bedroom. When she heard the heavy footsteps, she jumped.

"Easy," Maverick said. "It's just me."

Taylor gave a shaky sigh of relief, but to Maverick it was obvious that she wasn't in much of a talking mood.

"I came to visit you because... well," Maverick said. "We need another supply run and I don't know who I can take with me."

"Bullshit," Taylor sniffled. "You are my best student I've ever taught... you know how to set up a fucking supply crew. Why do you need me?"

Maverick sighed.

"You're right, I don't. Rather, I was trying to check on my friend and see if she was okay... especially with you now having to manage to be the leader and a soon-to-be mother."

"Fuck off."

"Taylor," Maverick said calmly. "You don't really mean that do you?"

"I said leave me alone Maverick," Taylor choked back tears. "I can't do this right now."

Nodding, Maverick left the room, but he felt that he wasn't being as helpful as he could be. Sure, Taylor needed time to grieve as anyone did, but he thought that there was gotta be something to help Taylor be herself again. Maverick then left the headquarters and rounded up his supply crew.

"Gabriel, Mason, and Steve," Maverick said. "Are you guys ready to do our early morning supply run?"

"Damn right," Steve said. "I'm tired of bein' cooped up in here."

Gabriel and Mason nodded.

"If we leave right now," Mason said. "We could go for about an hour, maybe three at the max and head to the supermarket in town. I know we've used it in the past, but I think we could check their inventory for a real stash."

"Definitely sounds like it'll work," Gabriel agreed. "Let me just grab my stuff and we can leave in 30 minutes."

When 30 minutes had passed, the group set out to the supermarket in D.C., but they knew they had to be cautious. Sure, perhaps there were many Infected at the 5-6 compound, yet there was always a possibility for other survivors to encounter them-- which could prove just as dangerous. Maverick's group walked about 5 miles from Haven and went over the ridge that overlooked the urban side of the state and they traveled down the ridge towards the streets.

When they arrived, the room was large but empty and the room was dead silent with the faint whirring of fans. The lighting inside of the building was dim because the sun hadn't shone through. Cautiously, Maverick's group pulled out different weapons. Maverick carried his trusty machete while Mason carried a sidearm, Gabriel had a crowbar, and Steve with a small knife. Each survivor carried a flashlight as they swept the room, checking for Infected and other survivors alike. Soon, the group made their way towards the back of the room where food trucks would regularly supply food for the market. When they initially opened the large door, the back room was bigger than the front half of the store, but it would seem as though the group was in the clear. Unfazed, Steve walked through first.

"Steve, you need to be careful," Mason warned. "There could be Infected here."

"Relax Mason, there's nothing that I need to--,"

Steve was immediately grabbed from behind as he was grabbed by his legs. When Steve turned to see who it was, he could see an Infected with its glowing yellow eyes gazed upon Steve.

"...Better luck next time, fucker," the Infected cackled. It then proceeded to use a butcher knife and squarely put it into Steve's back as his screams of agony echoed throughout the room. Gabriel, Mason, and Maverick were quiet, for they knew that they were just out of eyesight for the Infected to see.

"HELP ME," Steve pleaded. But it was all useless.

"Trust us," the Infected said. "You'll look... beautiful when I'm finished with you." Soon, the Infected began to hack away at Steve's arms and legs with the butcher knife, and the Infected would sadistically savor the blood-curdling screams as the blade of the knife squelched over and over again into the human flesh and the sounds of the bones breaking could be heard. From a distance, Maverick realized that other Infected were trying to join the fray and signaled for Gabriel and Mason to leave Steve behind, despite how difficult it was for Mason to leave Steve. When they made it outside, they took about 30 pounds of food and each man carried 10 pounds each.

"Dammit," Mason cursed. "Why couldn't he just listen to me?"

"Come on now Mason," Gabriel said. "We know that Steve was a stubborn son of a bitch. It would've only been a matter of time before--,"

"Enough," Maverick interrupted. "We've got what we came for and I'm not hoping to lose any more people, got it? Now shut the fuck up and move your asses."

Maverick couldn't believe it. He felt that Gabriel and Mason were acting like a bunch of small kids who would constantly bicker all of the time. Sure, Gabriel and Mason were new to Haven, but Maverick figured that he wouldn't need to babysit anyone... at least not two grown men.