2 Episode 1.2

Just as Joe's neighbors were about to pounce, they heard the sound of an engine at the end of the street. An orange pickup truck careened down the lane, ignoring all traffic safety laws as it jumped the curb and barrelled into the crowd of zombies like they were bowling pins. It only narrowly missed Joe.

A young woman threw open the door of the pickup truck, turned towards Joe, and looked at him over her aviators. "Need a ride?" she asked, casually.

Joe didn't hear her. He was too busy watching his life flash before his eyes.

The woman cleared her throat. She wasn't used to being ignored. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" she snapped.

Joe finally came to his senses enough to realize that the person who had almost killed him was offering him a ride in her pickup truck.

"No, thank you," he whispered. He was so scared that he could barely get the words out.

The woman blew a bubble gum bubble and popped it. "You'll probably die out here if you don't come with me. There'll be more zombies in a few minutes."

Joe glanced down at Mr. Warner, who was twitching on the ground as the zombie fungus attempted to knit his broken bones back together. By all accounts, he should have been dead when the woman's truck hit him; however, he remained very-nearly-dead-but-not-quite-dead, and merely foamed at the mouth a little. Joe looked between the woman and Mr. Warner, unable to make sense of it all.

"Zombies?" he finally asked. "Is Mr. Warner a zombie?"

"Dude, all your neighbors are zombies."

Joe jumped away from Mr. Warner in horror. "WHAT?!? How did they all become ZOMBIES?!?"

The young woman jumped out of her car, grabbed Joe's head, and forced his eyes open with her fingers. She inspected them carefully.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you have a concussion."

"Why?"

"Everybody knows the zombies were created when the meteor crashed into the earth."

"There was a meteor too?"

"You don't have a concussion. Have you experienced any sort of traumatic event recently? Are you in denial?"

"No…" Joe said. "I've just been going about my life."

The woman tossed her blue hair out of the way and crossed her arms. "So...you're just stupid then."

Joe was deeply offended.

"Well, regardless, you'll have to do." The woman climbed back into her truck and started to rifle in the glovebox. "Get in the car."

"I'll...what?"

She pulled a pistol out of the glovebox and placed it on the dash. "Get in the car. You're coming with me."

Joe hurried over to the passenger's side and got in.

The following car ride was rather awkward. Joe thought of making small talk for about a millisecond, before remembering who he was. Instead he pulled out his phone.

The woman eyed him. "Does that thing still work?"

"No, this died days ago," Joe said. "Taking it out when things are awkward is just second nature."

The woman nodded.

The car went over a (probably undead) bump.

"I'mJoeByTheWay." Joe blurted.

"I'm Mary."

Joe looked around. "Is this a kidnapping?"

"No. You got in this truck of your own accord."

"You threatened me with a gun."

"I just put it on the dashboard. You're the one who decided to interpret it as a threat."

Joe looked out the window and pouted.

"Anyway, I'm bringing you to a settlement. We could use the extra help, even though you're dumb as a rock."

Joe's heart sank. "I was kinda looking forward to being alone."

Mary looked like she might barf.

"Oh! NO! I didn't mean--I don't want to be alone with you! I did NOT mean it that way, trust me!"

"Oh thank goodness." Mary grimaced. "I think I might've thrown up in my mouth a little."

Joe was a little bit offended, but shook it off to ask, "You got any milk at the settlement?"

"What? Why?"

"I need it. For my cereal."

"Milk products went bad a long time ago. And we ain't got no cow."

"Darn. I'll just have to find one then."

The truck roared around a corner and coasted up to a large bronze-colored gate with a sign that read "Fountain Springs." Joe knew this place; it was the richest neighborhood in town, notorious for its exclusivity. Those bronze gates, along with the vicious neighborhood watch, kept out every rebellious teen, every door-to-door salesperson, and every proselytizer. It was even rumored that the golf course had an electric fence, to keep out the gators. As a child, Joe had dreamed of seeing the inside of those gates, and now, he would finally be able to.

The truck turned away from the gates, going down a side street and into the parking lot of a run-down storage complex.

"Welcome to fort U-store." Mary said as she snatched the keys from the ignition and threw the pistol back into the glove box.

Joe looked around, wrinkling his nose a little bit. "This is where you live?"

"Yep."

"But what about Fountain Springs, right next door?"

"Not as safe."

"It has a giant metal gate and electric fences."

"There are more zombies in there."

"It's right next door!"

"Don't question the method." Mary slammed the car door.

Joe followed Mary into the storage complex. It was rather empty, at first glance; as if it hadn't been lived in at all. At second glance, Joe could see that there was the odd piece of furniture here or there, sometimes with parts missing, as if they'd been cast aside.

Mary strode up to one of the storage units and banged on the door. "Yo Grayson! I'm back!"

A mousy girl wearing jean overalls, a white shirt, and swim goggles rolled up the metal door. "Hey Mary, did you get the--ZOMBIE! MARY, THERE'S A ZOMBIE BEHIND YOU!" She pointed in Joe's direction. He spun around, alarmed.

"Grayson, that's just Joe," Mary said.

"You named the Zombie?! Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"He's a human, Grayson. Picked him up in the apartment complex off Lemontree road."

"Oh." Grayson wrinkled her nose at Joe, who was still trying to find the zombie she'd been pointing at. "Why?" She said.

"I think he might be useful."

"...For what?"

"Bait, probably. He's too stupid to know any better."

"Oh. Well I suppose--wait, are you going to try to get into the Lotus Corp building again?"

Mary frowned.

"You can't keep sending people in there, Mary. Remember what happened to Martin?"

"I thought we agreed not to talk about Martin."

"No, that was Wanda."

"Oh, right. Poor Wanda."

"Hey!" Joe called. "I'm pretty sure there's no zombie back here!"

Grayson raised an eyebrow. Mary pursed her lips.

"Wait!" Joe said, using more brain power than he'd ever used before. "Were you talking about me?"

Mary pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Nevermind, Mary. Go ahead and send him into Lotus Corp." Grayson said, smirking.