Chapter 3: Bill's Town - 3

Unfaltering Bereavement

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The next few weeks are pleasant for Harry. He regularly helps Bill gather hay and leaves for drying so they can be used to feed Bill's goats during winter. Speaking of goats, Harry is introduced to Bill's animals once the man decides Harry is trustworthy. Bill has over twenty chickens and twelve goats. They are unbelievably demanding animals and Bill spends most of his time cleaning up after them, surveilling the goats as they graze in a paddock, harvesting unfertilized hen eggs and milking the goats.

During his time in Lincoln, Harry doesn't see Frank at all. He's too busy helping Bill clean the chicken coops, transport the hay and also keep Infected away from the animals' locations.

Harry learns a lot. He realizes how hard it is for only two people to be in charge of a town, growing and harvesting food, setting traps, dealing with outsiders, trading for necessities, culling or herding Infected... It's a lot of work and Harry has no idea how Bill managed his own chores before Harry came. There's just so much to do.

It's just another ordinary day when things change. Harry is heading over to Bill's church for lunch after a long morning spent using his magic to repair and clean buildings Bill has pointed out the day before. Bill is slowly starting to trust him enough to let him work on his own without supervision and Harry is glad to be given more respect. After lunch, Bill is going to spend the afternoon teaching him about various facts pertaining this world, as per their agreement. One afternoon per week, Harry gets these classes. He has already learnt about the different states an Infected evolves into with time. Those states are Runner, Stalker, Clicker and Bloater. He has also learnt about how most cities are called Quarantine Zones, with large walls around them.

As Harry heads over to the church, only focused on the hunger he is currently experiencing after hours of hard work, he hears gunshots nearby and the growls of the Infected. Surprised, he turns in the direction of the sounds.

It can't be Bill because the man is in his church. Are the gunshots from Frank? Is he being attacked by Infected?

Forgetting everything about lunch, Harry hurries over to where the sound of gunshots comes from. He crosses the street, zigzagging between the rusted remains of abandoned cars and heads through a side-alley. As he runs, he realizes that the gunshots are coming from a building that used to be an automobile repair shop. The front of the building is wide open and too easily accessible. Bill has a lot fo traps there because there are many Infected around that area. Frank wouldn't wander over to that garage. He knows better. So why...?

And as Harry approaches, he notices a little girl in the repair shop, desperately trying to cut the rope of one of Bill's traps, which is holding an older man upside down, hanging from the rafters.

The girl and the tied-up man are not anyone Harry has heard of. Bill rarely permits anyone to enter or pass through his town, so the two people Harry is seeing right now are ether friends coming for an unexpected visit, or trespassers. It doesn't matter. Even if the pair has bad intentions, Harry cannot just leave them at the hands of the Infected.

Harry has his bow, but he doesn't have enough arrows to deal with all the Infected he can see converging on the couple of trapped travellers. He could use Bombarda to kill a large amount of Infected, but the noise might attract unwanted attention.

Most of the Infected he can see running towards the man and the little girl are recent Infected, Stalkers and Runners, who still look relatively human. An explosion would only bring hordes of Clickers to Harry's location.

Harry knows how to deal with groups of Infected. A group of Clickers? Fine. A group of Runners? Fine.

But what he hates is when he faces a group that has both Clickers and more recent Infected like Stalkers and Runners, who still have their sight.

After all, a Clicker's weakness is its lack of sight. Anyone quiet enough can either get away from Clickers or kill them without much trouble, despite the superhuman strength a Clicker possesses. But when you have Clickers and more recent Infected together? That's the worst situation to be in, because the blindness of a Clicker doesn't help you if other Infected will alert it whenever they see prey coming close.

The Infected attempting to get to the repair shop are all recent Infected, and the last thing Harry wants to do is to bring Clickers running.

Instead, Harry decides to use a spell with less risks of collateral damage.

"Wingar—" Harry is interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. He flinches, surprised.

Months spent travelling alone prior to settling down in Lincoln has made him unused to sharp, loud sounds.

The gunshots are coming from the man caught in one of Bill's traps. The man is shooting at the approaching Infected while hanging upside down. The little girl with him is trying to cut the rope trapping him there.

Harry takes a deep breath, trying to focus. He cannot afford to let his concentration break. Then, he tries the spell again. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

A nearby car rises up and is placed on top of a group of Infected, crushing them mercilessly. Since all the Infected are coming from the same direction, the car also serves as a block to delay the next zombies.

Harry levitates two other cars, one after the other, and places them around the first. They form a loose semi-circle around the entrance of the garage to make it less accessible. That way, instead of a large amount of Infected entering the garage at once, there's a trickle of them.

The little girl has managed to cut the rope and her partner has fallen down on the floor, no longer tied up. Harry brings out his bow, unwilling to use magic now that the two strangers aren't distracted and might notice.

Levitating those cars while the two strangers were too busy to notice was fine, but that doesn't mean that he is willing to flaunt his magical abilities now that he runs a higher risk of his magic being noticed. He still doesn't feel entirely comfortable with Bill and Frank being aware of his capacities, as he is used to hiding magic from muggles back in his own world. He doesn't want that little girl and that man to know about his magic, so for now he will use his bow and arrow to help.

"Over here!" he shouts, waving to try and gain the attention of the two strangers.

He knows as he shouts that the noise he makes is going to attract the nearby Infected, but he can't think of any other way to get the attention of the two people fast enough.

Sure enough, the two strangers see Harry. Unfortunately the shout also gets Harry noticed by several Infected, who stop trying to climb over the block of cars in front of the garage and run towards Harry.

The two strangers are hesitating, probably not sure if Harry is trustworthy. Annoyed, Harry shouts again. "Come on!"

He shoots an arrow at the closest Infected and it dies immediately. Nevertheless, more are coming and Harry doesn't feel like staying in place like a sitting duck much longer. Luckily, the girl and the man get out of the garage, crossing the street in a large detour to avoid the Infected near the cars, and head for Harry.

One of the Infected's hands whips out to catch the girl's coat, but the man shoots it in the face before it can bite her.

"This way!" Harry orders, pointing at the alley he came from earlier.

He starts running, and the two strangers follow him, with six Infected pursuing them.

A short plan forms in Harry's head. He needs to get rid of the Infected chasing him and the two strangers, and then he has to bring the pair to Bill. Bill is the one in charge, so he is the one who needs to decide what to do. Harry doesn't know if these two strangers are friends or enemies, but he figures the best thing he can do is to bring the situation to Bill's attention.

When the older man tries aiming his gun at one of the Infected, Harry gives a sharp shake of his head.

"Don't shoot!" he orders. "The noise will attract more of them. Just follow me!"

He runs over to a nearby three-story building with brick walls covered in creeping vines. The ground level is full of glass windows that Harry used his magic to repair a few days ago. It's one of the latest buildings that have been cleared of the Infected.

Harry sprints over to the front door and nearly rips it off in his haste to open it. The two strangers leap inside and Harry slams the door shut two seconds before the Infected crash into it.

Harry and his two unnamed companions are inside what was once a large supermarket. Now the shelves are mostly empty of foods and what has been left behind is rotten or useless.

Harry keeps a wary eye on the glass façade the Infected are throwing themselves at. One of the Infected slams particularly hard into the glass. A crack appears.

"What now?" barks the older man. "Did you just trap us in here?!" His upper lip is curled in anger.

"No," Harry snaps. He points at the back of the shop. "There's a staircase there. We need to get on the roof, where there's an escape route. The glass should hold long enough for us to get there." And to accompany those words, he starts jogging towards said staircase.

The two strangers hesitate, not fully trusting him. There comes the sound of another crack as an Infected throws itself at the glass. The noise cuts through the reluctance of the two strangers, and they follow after Harry.

They make it to the first floor before the roars of the Infected is heard, signalling that the building has been breached. Thankfully, the Infected don't immediately realize where their prey is, leading most of them to stay on the first floor while only one of them has the intelligence to head up the stairs.

Fortunately, by then Harry and his companions have managed to access the roof, having been fast enough to evade their pursuers entirely. On the roof is a short zip line made of rope, connecting the roof Harry is on to the balcony of a building across the street.

There is a plastic box set on the roof. Once Harry opens it, the contents are revealed to be several pulleys attached to crude, home-made belts.

"Put these on," Harry orders, handing a belt to each of the two strangers.

"I hope you're not expecting us to slide down that rope," says the girl, looking down at the street bellow warily. "Is it even safe?"

"I've used it several times," Harry responds, clipping his belt on. "When the Infected get up to the roof, they won't be able to follow us, and they don't have the intelligence to go downstairs and walk over to the building we're heading to."

"While I'm sure that's meant to sound reassuring," drawls the older man, arms crossed in disbelief, "I'd rather you go first. Just to be sure it ain't a trap." He also hasn't put his belt on, showing how much he distrusts Harry.

"Fair enough," says Harry. "I'll go first. You can follow me, or deal with the Infected that'll be coming up here any minute."

He wraps another of the belt's ropes around his waist and ties it to the belt. This is nowhere as safe as a professionally made one, but it's the best he can do.

He sets the pulley on the zip line, pulls at it a few times to be sure it'll hold, and lets himself drop off the side of the roof.

The zip line grows taut. Harry glides along it, crossing the street and landing somewhat roughly on the balcony the other end of the rope is tied to.

He turns around and sees that the two strangers haven't crossed yet. He waves at them somewhat erratically, knowing that shouting at them to get on with it would only attract Infected.

The little girl goes first, sliding across the rope with her face tensed up like she expects to fall. Her landing is not very graceful, but she manages to avoid tripping.

The older man comes just after her. For a second Harry thinks the zip-line won't hold—he set it up recently and it hasn't been tested by anyone other than him yet, and this older man is significantly heavier than Harry—but nothing bad happens. In fact, when the man lands, that's when the Infected finally arrive on the roof, growling at prey that is no longer there.

When the man turns around and sees the Infected searching fruitlessly for their prey, he laughs.

"At least that problem is taken care of." He gazes down at the ground floor of the building, where some Infected can be seen. His lips tighten. "Somewhat."

"Unless we make too much noise, they won't be smart enough to follow us here," says Harry. He looks at the man with streaks of silver in his hair, and then at the girl who seems to be in her mid-teens. "What were you doing here? This town is off-limits to trespassers."

The man turns to look at Harry. "I'm looking for Bill. Didn't know there was anyone else living in this town." He hesitates. "Is Bill…?"

Harry's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh, he's alive. I didn't take this place from him, if that's what you're trying to say. He lets me live in town. I work for him. Are you friends of his?"

"You could say that," the man answers. "Bill owes me a favour and I'm coming to cash in on it."

Harry pauses, evaluating the man. "I'm Harry. Who're you?"

"The name's Joel," says the man. He points his thumb at the girl standing slightly behind him. "This is Ellie."

Harry sighs, wondering what to do. Bill never told him how to act in this kind of situation. Joel and Ellie are most likely telling the truth, but they could be lying. Maybe they've heard of Bill's monopoly over the town and want to challenge the status quo.

In the end, Harry knows he can't bring himself to just leave them because they might be lying about their intentions. So...

"I'll bring you to Bill," he declares.

The balcony door leading into the building can only be opened from the inside, but Harry thought of that when he installed the zip line. So the door has been left slightly open, with a brick holding it in place and a plastic shower curtain set in front to stop the rain from coming in.

Harry pulls the curtain aside and pushes the door open. Inside is a bedroom with a large bed covered in moth-eaten blankets. The walls are a faded gold and the years have caused flecks of paint to fall off of them and cover the floor in a dusting of yellow.

Harry leads Joel and Ellie out of the bedroom, as well as out of the flat it is part of. They head downstairs and leave the building through a back door. They end up in a narrow alley with overturned dumpsters and decades-old garbage spilled on the ground.

It takes ten minutes to get to the church Bill lives in. Were Harry alone, he could have made the trip in half the time. However, mindful of his two companions, he takes a slightly longer route because it is safer and there's a lower risk of encountering Infected.

When Bill's church finally comes into view, Harry speeds up, thankful to finally be there.

While Bill sleeps in a room on the ground floor, all of his valuables (weapons, maps, plans, etc.) are in the basement. That's where the man spends most of his time, so Harry decides to look there first.

On the side of the church, there's a door set diagonally against the ground, leading downwards. Harry opens it carefully and ushers in Joel and Ellie. He follows the inside and shuts the door gently after himself.

Harry was right; Bill is indeed in the basement, tinkering with some home-made bombs, the ones he typically uses for his traps. Well, the man was tinkering. When Joel and Ellie came in, he stopped. Now he's looking at them warily, though Harry's presence seems to reassure him. Obviously, the fact that Harry has brought the pair to the church makes Bill slightly less aggressive than if the strangers arrived unnanounced, by themselves.

"Joel," says Bill, setting down the can full of metal nails he was working on. "Whaddaya doing here?" The tone is confrontational. Obviously, they know each other and are not the best of friends. But on the other hand, Bill acts rude and blunt with Harry too. It's part of his personality, and what he just said might be his version of a friendly greeting. Bill is so abrasive that it's hard to tell when he's being polite (or his version of it, at least) and when he isn't.

"Got a job," Joel answers. He gestures at Ellie. "I have to bring her to the Fireflies. I need to call in that favour you owe me."

Fireflies? Harry wonders. From the way Joel talks about them, he is not referring to the insects.

Bill grimaces. "A favour? I repaid that last time I saw you!"

Joel just looks at Bill, face serious and hard. A second passes, and then another, and another. Finally, the pressure affects Bill enough to make him relent.

"Okay, I get it. I'll help ya." He looks at Joel and Ellie. "Where's Tess? I thought you never did any jobs without her."

Joel crosses his arms, face bereft of any emotion. "She's busy."

Bill smirks, having noticed something Harry has not. "You don't seem very happy. Trouble in paradise?"

Ellie's face is mournful and that makes Harry realize that something must have happened to this woman he doesn't know, something Joel doesn't wish to talk about.

"Just drop it," Harry tells Bill. He turns to Joel, his gaze compassionate. "What's the favour you need from Bill?"

Joel's eyes flick over to Bill, who is in the middle of the room surrounded by self-made bombs and looking annoyed at the interruption of his work.

"I need a car."

Bill snorts. "Oh, is that all?" He walks over to Joel, steps slow and heavy. Purposeful. "You need a car? I'm not sure if you've realized, but the cars in my town have been rottin' for twenty fucking years. We don't have a working car, don't have a mechanic, and even if by some goddamn miracle a car is still in working order, it probably wouldn't have any battery left. So shit luck - I can't help you." Bill stops near a pile of magazines with two small handguns and a figurine of a cartoon character on top of it.

"I could try to repair a car with my... you know..." says Harry hesitantly, not wanting others to know about his magic. Reparo doesn't work well against rust, but it might get a car in a usable state.

Bill looks annoyed, and it is only then that Harry realizes Bill was trying to get rid of Joel and Ellie by denying having any cars. Even if the man has a working car, he probably wouldn't give it over to the pair. He said that he doesn't have any cars available so Joel and Ellie would leave.

Joel looks at Harry with interest. "You a mechanic, kid?"

Harry grimaces, trying to find a way to answer without being forced to lie. "... Not exactly."

Before Joel can continue pressing Harry for answers, Bill interrupts, having seemingly realized that Harry isn't comfortable and that he should say something:

"By the way, Harry, you checked them for bites, right?"

Harry pales, realizing he completely forgot. One of Bill's rules is that if trespassers or visitors come to town, then whoever sees them first has to ensure they have not been bitten and haven't breathed in any Cordyceps spores. It is a security measure to avoid any nasty surprises.

... And Harry has completely forgotten to check the two visitors.

"I'm sorry, I forgot," he says, figuring it's best to admit it and be yelled at than to lie to cover his mistake and risk either Joel or Ellie turning into an Infected and attacking.

In a movement so fast it leaves Harry blinking, Bill picks up one of the handguns on the pile of magazines he's near, making the little cartoon figurine topple over, and points it in the direction of the two guests.

"Are ya infected?" he demands, taking a step back.

Joel raises his palms up in a pacifying gesture. "No, of course not, I would've told you if we were."

Harry is concerned by Ellie's expression. She looks worried, which isn't a good omen. Either it's just her being nervous because of Bill's gun, or she's hiding a bite somewhere. Harry moves backwards, putting more distance between himself and the two guests. If a fight breaks out, he wants to be ready.

"Do you think I was born yesterday? Prove it," Bill spits out. "Take your clothes off. Show me arms, legs, neck - all the spots where you could be hiding a bite. I won't help you until I'm sure you're healthy!"

Joel steps forward, opening his mouth to protest, but Bill isn't having any of it.

"Now!" the man roars.

Joel starts pulling his sleeves up to show his arms. "We're not infected," he says. "Bill, none of us are gonna turn."

He opens his collar to show his unmarred skin, and then pulls up the legs of his trousers. There is not bite to be seen.

"See?" says Joel. "I'm fine."

Bill doesn't listen. Still wary, he turns his gun to Ellie.

"The girl next," he orders, his tone a bit more mellow.

"Now, Bill, she ain't gonna become an Infected," says Joel, sounding a bit worried.

Bill hears the change in Joel's tone clearly, and his eyes narrow in suspicion. "I said: The girl next. Either she proves she hasn't got a bite, or I'll shoot her right now."

"Listen, she's fine," Joel insists.

Ellie still hasn't moved, frozen in place. Bill's eyes narrow dangerously, and his second hand comes up to grip his gun two-handedly. It's more of an intimidation gesture than anything else, as Bill has no trouble shooting with only one hand.

"Five seconds," says Bill.

Ellie takes a step back. That behaviour betrays her. It has now become obvious that she has been infected by the Cordyceps virus, which is why she hasn't exposed her limbs or neck for Bill to verify.

"Four," continues Bill.

Harry keeps an eye on Joel, in case the man does anything stupid. While Harry loathes the idea of killing an innocent girl, he knows that in this world it is best to kill anyone that has been bitten so that they don't become an Infected. Death is preferable compared to what the Cordyceps fungi turns people into.

Bill has told him several times that if someone is bitten, they are expected to either commit suicide, or someone else must kill them before they become an Infected. If not, then they'll turn into a zombie, which will only help the Cordyceps infection spread even more across the land.

Joel is obviously protective of Ellie. While she isn't his daughter, he still cares for her just as much. It's entirely possible that his love for her might overwhelm his common sense and that he'd try to keep her alive even though she's been infected. So Harry keeps an eye on the man, ready to stop him if he intervenes. It pains Harry to do so, but he knows that leaving Ellie to turn into an Infected would be worse than killing her outright.

"Thr—"

"She's immune!" shouts Joel.

That stops Bill in his tracks. He looks at Joel, his gun lowering unconsciously.

"What did you say?" the man breathes.

Harry just tenses up, knowing this is most likely a ploy to distract Bill so that Ellie can run away. He keeps his eyes on the girl, ready to act if she tries anything.

"The Fireflies asked me to take her to one of their facilities so they can use her to make a vaccine. She's immune to Cordyceps, Bill. She was bitten three weeks ago and still hasn't turned."

Bill purses his lips. "Nobody's immune to that fuckin' infection," he insists.

Joel steps forward, looking earnest. "She's the first case anyone has ever heard about. She could be the key to getting rid of Cordyceps. For good. You know I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, Bill. If she wasn't immune, I wouldn't be protecting her like this." He looks over at Ellie. "Ellie, show him your arm. Show him how old the bite is."

The girl nods, and pulls up her sleeve. Just as expected, there is a bite there. However, it looks old. It has red-looking scars with a bit of pus coming out, but there is no fresh blood nor does it have any dried blood. It's an old wound.

Considering it usually takes two days at the longest for a bitten person to turn, Ellie's wound is old enough to support Joel's claims.

"You're not shitting me, are you? Please promise this isn't some cruel joke." Bill's voice is full of hope and his expression has lost most of its agressivity. "Joel, you better promise me this isn't a lie or I might never forgive you." In fact, there is a suspicious shine to Bill's eyes. It looks like he's about to cry.

Harry is flabbergasted. It's the first time he's seen Bill like that. Usually, the man is gruff, strong and tough. He doesn't get very emotional.

"I swear," says Joel solemnly.

It takes a few seconds for Bill to get a hold of himself. The news that it might be possible to create a vaccine against Cordyceps has shocked him. Harry knows how deep the man's hatred of Infected runs. That is why Bill is so staggered at the thought of a vaccine. The man has always believed the infection to be unstoppable.

Finally, Bill straightens his spine, expression gruff once more.

"You said you need a car. It's to bring that brat to the Fireflies, right?"

Joel nods. "Walking isn't an option. It's too far away. We need some form of transportation."

"As I said before, we don't have any working cars in town. But we do have parts that work. You just have to bring the parts together to get something that runs."

Sudden worry grips Harry's heart. He's heard Bill rave about the only car battery in town, an battery from a military vehicle that crossed Lincoln not long ago. The vehicle was attacked by Infected, who killed everyone there. There's a very good reason why Bill never had the courage to retrieve that car battery. "Bill, the only car battery that works is at the high school," he remarks, tone urgent.

Bill doesn't seem to care. His eyes are bright at the idea of a vaccine and his mind is already sent on helping Joel and Ellie. "Yeah, that's where we'll go."

There is a large amount of Infected at the high school and it is, by far, the most dangerous place in Lincoln. Bill has always spoken of that car battery longingly, often mentioning his desire to drive a car again. However, he has never been brave enough (or foolish enough, depending on how you perceive it) to risk his life for a battery.

Harry wants to tell Bill it's too risky, but after all the stunts he pulled at Hogwarts, he knows it would be the height of hypocrisy if he berated Bill about not taking his safety seriously. Additionally, there's the fact that Bill is a stubborn man. If Harry tries to change Bill's mind, then no matter how logical the arguments are, Bill won't be swayed. He's a very contrary man and Harry has learnt through-out the weeks living in Lincoln that the best thing to do is distract the man.

"We should go see Frank first and ask him to come with us." And before Bill can get offended and rant about how strong and independent he is, Harry adds: "After all, if Ellie can help save the world thanks to her immunity, then we need to have as many people helping as possible to protect her so she doesn't die."

That cuts through any protests Bill might make.

Ellie's expression darkens and she takes a step forward, chin jutted out. "Hey asshole! I can protect myself just f—"

"Shut up," Joel hisses, keeping his hand firmly on Ellie's mouth. "Don't start making enemies outta the ones who agreed to help us."

Ellie growls something in response, the words muffled by Joel's hand.

"You must have the patience of a saint," says Bill as he stares at Joel and Ellie. "If I was stuck babysitting that brat, she'd be dead within a day."

Ellie glares, pushing Joel's hand away. "If I was stuck with you," she snaps, "your fat ass would be—"

Joel slaps his hand back on Ellie's mouth with a defeated sigh. Harry refrains from laughing, guessing it would offend Ellie. The father-daughter dynamic between them is amusing and yet it also makes Harry feel oddly wistful. He wonders how his relationship with his parents would be, were they still alive.

Bill starts moving to the other side of the room, gesturing for the others to follow him. "If we're goin' out, then we'll need some weapons."

The basement of the church, or as Bill calls it, "my weapons cellar", is very wide and full of firearms, bullets and anything else needed to kill Infected. Bill spends a lot of time there, making deadly traps or reading magazines. It's the man's favourite place to be.

Bill stops near a table with a few weapons on it and picks up a firearm.

"Here," he says, tossing it to Joel. "Shotgun. Cleaned it last night, so it should be fine to use."

Harry looks at the gun curiously. He is still not used to seeing firearms. As a child, maybe he saw a handgun or two in movies, and there was his uncle's firearm, but such weapons had not been a common sight. The United States, both in Harry's world and in this magic-less world before Cordyceps appeared, allow firearms, while in Europe laws are much more strict, meaning only law enforcement and the military tend to have firearms. Ordinary citizens don't have guns, and before coming to this strange world devoid of magic, Harry had rarely seen firearms. While living in Lincoln, Harry has been given a handgun by Bill but he never used it. He isn't confident he can aim accurately with it and doesn't want to waste the few bullets available learning how to shot properly. Bullets don't come in an infinite supply, while the arrows he uses with his bow he can make himself, although they aren't as good as professionally-made arrows. They do the trick, and if he needs something more, he uses his magic. Guns never seemed to be anything vital or particularly needed.

"Can I get a gun?" asks Ellie, an excited expression on her face.

Joel crosses his arms. "Hell no."

Displeasure evident, Ellie stomps on the ground. "Oh come on! Joel, I need something to protect myself with!"

Joel shakes his head, unfazed by her pleas. "I'm not giving you a firearm. End of story."

Ellie looks a step away from throwing a tantrum. Harry feels a little sorry for her, and entertains the thought of lending her his bow and arrows. Unfortunately, that would only leave him with his magic as means of protection, and he doesn't trust these people enough to reveal his magical abilities. He was already uncomfortable telling Bill and Frank—he doesn't want more people to know unless he has no choice.

So he says nothing, and waits for them to finish arming and preparing themselves.

Bill walks a bit further and stops in front of another table. This table doesn't have numerous weapons on it. Instead there's a metal can with nails and blades poking through it. Next to it are several more nails, lying in a small pile.

"This is a new invention of mine," he announces. "It's a nail bomb." He picks up a handful of nails and pours them into the can. He closes it and hands it over to Joel. "They're easy to make. You just need to…" He carefully explains how to make the bomb, giving a few tips on how to use it for maximum impact. Harry listens with half an ear, not really interested in knowing how to make a bomb when he can use spells like Bombarda instead.

Once Joel seems to have a sufficiently good grasp on how to create a nail bomb, Bill brings everyone out of the room and up a set of stairs. The group emerges in the main room of the church—the nave. It is a place full of overturned pews where the faithful once sat and there is a chapel at the end of the room. Light is pouring into the room through the coloured glass of the windows. It feels peaceful and the thick walls give an impression of security.

"Never took you for the religious type," Joel comments, looking around curiously.

Bill snorts. "That's 'cause I'm not. I don't spend my time praying for someone else to solve my problems for me. I just use this place 'cause it's convenient."

Bill walks across the length of the nave and opens up a square window made of orange-yellow glass that's in the wall behind the altar. He swings his legs over the wall and through the window and drops down on a ledge sticking out of the outside wall. Joel and Ellie follow him out and Harry is the last to exit the church. He takes great care to shut the window after himself. The ledge he stands on is narrow, but the entire group manages to stand on it without problem.

"See that?" asks Bill, pointing at a building in the distance. It is grey and has a round face as well as the words 'Lincoln High School' inscribed on it. "That's where the car battery is."

"Which we'll go to after we get Frank to join us," adds Harry, knowing that if he does not say anything, Bill will never go see the man. Bill always tends to be unwilling to see Frank for some reason Harry has yet to understand. Harry only ever saw Frank once and that way the day he met Bill. The following weeks have been spent with Bill and Harry hasn't seen Frank at all.

"Yeah, after we get Frank," agrees Bill, not entirely happy. "Let's go."

He kneels down and jumps off the ledge. It's a short drop down to the grassy graveyard of the church. Harry and the two others follow Bill down.

The graveyard is full of overgrown weeds and surrounded by stone walls. The church is behind Harry and a few feet in front of him is a metal gate leading out of the graveyard. On Harry's left is a dead end full of graves. On the right Harry can see a big, grassy clearing with fewer graves, some broken lampposts and a large pile of something Harry doesn't immediately recognize.

It's only when they walk closer to it that Harry realizes it's a pile of corpses.

"That's nasty," whispers Ellie, staring at the pile.

Joel holds his arm up, trying to hide the gory sight. "Don't look at that."

Bill ignores them, looking around warily. "Past this bit, the rest isn't a part of town I ever go see. The place is completely wild, and I don't patrol it. We'll be seeing some Clickers soon."

Despite observing the place carefully, Harry cannot see anything threatening. There are no Infected right here. While the pile of corpses is unsettling, the clearing is pretty empty. There are some graves covered in moss, and some overgrown, half-dead grass. Otherwise, there is not much to see. It's hard to imagine there might be Clickers nearby.

Bill walks closer to the pile and everyone follows. As Harry approaches, he notices that the corpses are nearly all Clickers, recognizable due to the fact that the Cordyceps has formed in hard fungous protusions. To the left is a metal gate, the metal looking cared-for and devoid of rust. Bill opens it carefully and gestures for the others to go through.

There are stone stairs leading downwards to another part of the cemetery. Harry goes down first, walking