Ch 4 City Slumming

(30min later)

Rick and I had floated on down the highway for a little while before I started seeing more and more signs of the farm country ending and city beginning.

Soon things would get sketchy so I'd rather not have all my shit loaded onto this truck which I'd surely never see again.

"I'm pulling over here."

I spoke while slowing down the truck

Rick turned and looked just as I in a heavily wooded area just beside the highway.

"Why stop now? We're almost in the city." Rick spoke.

"We don't know the situation deeper in the city and we are carrying too many supplies right now."

I spoke while moving to the truck and pulling out the first sack of heavy food.

"What does too many supplies mean?." Rick scoffed with a smile.

"It just means that....Too many supplies, if the truck gets broken down or stopped in the city what would be our options in regards to our things?" I asked Rick rhetorically.

"Alright you're right....it's a lot of supplies to be losing, let me drive next though."

Rick spoke while moving to the bed of the truck and grabbing a pack.

"Sounds good I don't mind relaxing for a while." Was all I said and continued moving our stuff.

Once we were finished we both looked down at the cache for a few long moments before returning to the truck.

I climbed into the passenger seat as the old suspension creaked while I climbed on.

Rick turned the key and soon enough we were driving on down the road slowly with the gentle breeze hitting our faces.

We passed a few rolling hills before getting a good sight on that place.

The city of Atlanta looked entirely desolate from a distance with no flashing lights, planes flying over, or even steam from the various factories nearby.

There was little in terms of noise and was nearly silent except for those few chirps from birds and occasional groan from the nearby walkers.

What gave away the terrible condition of the city was the horrid smell.

The scent must've been a scent reminiscent of the aftermath when a horde of mongols pillaged a city.

The sweetly sick scent from tens maybe hundreds of thousands of corpses already permeated the moist warm air with it's pungent aroma.

We both drove along for a long while into the city when...

*POP

*Sssssssssssss!!!!

"Oh what the fuck." I spoke aloud and turned to look at Rick.

"I didn't see the speed strip..." Rick spoke while turning off the truck.

"It's fine, we'll continue on foot, we just stay quiet." I spoke.

we both Dismounted slowly and left without even shutting the doors so we wouldn't attract any attention from the walkers nearby.

I knelt down and popped open my rifle just as Rick walked up to me.

"What are you doing?" Rick asked at a hushed whisper when he got beside me.

"Using 22 is more quiet." I spoke while pinning the suppressed 22lr upper on my M16 before inserting a mag and dropping the bolt home.

I stood and raised my rifle before walking forward.

There was a small group of walkers in our way and I made my way directly at them.

*SWISH

*SWISH

*SWISH

*THUD

*THUD

*THUD

Instantly the three nearest walkers dropped like a sack of hot shit onto the asphalt.

Rick followed close behind while watching in amazement at the efficiency I was dispatching the walkers with and he nearly couldn't believe it.

Eventually we reached a large brown tank and we both stopped.

"When the hell did you make that?" Rick asked while looking at my rifle in awe.

"Recently...it didn't become useful until I got that suppressor from you though." I responded and patted his shoulder before walking forward with him.

We walked for only two or three blocks and I shot sixty walkers before something made both of us stop in our tracks.

I stopped entirely with Rick and both of us looked up into the sky.

*AMERICAN ROCK MUSIC PLAYING

*WHIRL

*WHIRL

*WHIRL

*WHIRL

Rick and I both looked up to the chopper which was flying slowly about eighty meters high.

"HEY!!! OVER HERE!!!" Rick yelled with his entire might while waving his arms for a split second.

"WE'RE ALI....." Rick yelled out a bit more before my hand latched onto his mouth.

"What the fuck have I been telling you." I spoke coldly in Rick's ear.

I saw the shock in his eyes upon seeing my reaction but I simply let go of his head and gestured down the street.

I saw a look of shock on Rick's face when he saw a nearly neverending swarm of walkers begin to pour out of every building and alley around.

We both looked to our right, and left only to find those streets now swarming with walkers now making their way towards us while the chopper simply flew off into the distance after fucking us over.

"Fuck, Follow me." I spoke then began jogging down the street.

Rick only saw me take a few steps before rushing behind me down the street as we stepped strategically to avoid the hundreds of corpses and tons of debris.

We both sprinted down the Atlanta street with zombies seemingly apperating out of nowhere from the path we were taking.

Before long we began having to shove and slash at the ever massing wave of walkers but still we pressed onward.

"Rick!!!To The Tank!!!" I yelled out while shoving an old walker grandma into the side of a van with all my strength.

Just as we reached the tank I heard a panicked yell from Rick.

"AGHHHHHH!!!" He yelled out which immediately made me turn to him.

Two walkers grabbed hold of his clothes and he'd just drawn his revolver.

*BANG

*BANG

*REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

After shooting two rounds Rick slipped on the blood below and rolled under the tank completely out of sight.

since plot armor would take care of him I jumped onto the hood of the tank.....away from the grasping hands of those disgusting walkers.

Immediately a walker charged at me from the side since it had climbed onto the tank but I kicked it's chest hard.

*THUD

*CRACK

Immediately the walker went flying into the crowd like a ragdoll.

I next moved onto the turret for a way to get into the commander's hatch.

With a quick twist and tug the hatch was open and I was shoving myself inside the narrow opening.

Before long I had entered completely and shut the hatch behind me to keep the other walkers away.

I took a quick moment while I inspected the inside of this war machine.

In the corner of the fighting area was a dead soldiers corpse leaning completely still against the tank.

*BANG

*BANG

*BANG

*BANG

Four muffled but still loud gunshots Resounded from underneath me which brought a smile to my face.

That's when the half cracked ground hatch was flung open and Rick flew into the compartment and slammed onto the floor while panting heavily and rolling around in a daze.

His pants and sleeves were a bit torn from the gnashing teeth and grasping clawed hands from the walkers outside but he wasn't bitten.

Rick looked around in shock that he was still alive then he looked to the zombie sitting still beside him before dismissing it entirely once he saw it didn't move.

"Thought that might be the last time I ever saw you alive."

I spoke softly while setting my stuff down and leaning against the shell racks.

*Heavy Breathing

"D...Damn right....oh.....They had me....I was going to...I was going to."

Rick began to speak while hyperventilating when the zombie beside him reached over and grabbed his Sheriff's vest while pulling Rick's face toward it's nasty spoiled looking teeth.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!FUCK!!!!" Rick yelled out in a panic while trying to fend off the Soldier.

Rick managed to unsheathe his revolver and pulled the trigger while pointing at the walker's brain but only got a crisp *CLICK instead of the ear rupturing *BANG he was looking for.

I stared at the amusing sight of Rick losing a grappling match with a zombie for only a few long moments before having to step in.

I pointed my suppressed M16 at its brain and flipped the safety before pulling the trigger.

*SWISH

*SQUELCH

*THUD

Instantly the walker which was about to tear off Rick's face went completely limp on to of him.

I heard some faint cries for help from Rick so I reached over and pulled off the big dead soldier off him.

"I expected more from a Sheriff." I spoke with a smile.

"I....I was...Out of rounds you asshole haha" Rick laughed nervously while I passed him a water bottle I had found in the tank.

"There's a few more bottles for our stay here without having to dig into our supply." I spoke and leaned back against my pack.

After a long moment Rick finished his water.

"How long do we stay?"

He asked while rubbing his face in frustration but something made him stop in his tracks.

Through a radio which was set down nearby a distinct clear voice was heard.

{"HEY YOU TWO-----TACTICAL KEN DOLL AND SKINNY COWBOY----"}

Rick and I immediately turned to the sounds with light in our eyes.

{"--YOU TWO IN THE TANK---YOU COZY IN THERE----}" the transmission continued.

"Check it." Rick spoke excitedly

I slid myself over and grabbed the radio before bringing it up to my lips.

{"Hello there, not every day I get call's on this number."} I spoke into the transponder.

{"Had me wondering if you were still alive, who is this? The one with the cowboy hat or the tall one?}" Glen spoke

{"This is the tall one, can you oversee us right now? do you see any way out? I'd be willing to pay for the assistance."}

I spoke into the radio.

{"Wasnt looking for payment, what are you offering though?"} Glen asked curiously

{"I've got a hustler magazine in my bag, New in the cling film wrapper as well...."} I spoke and immediately the glen pressed his transponder too send a response.

{"W....WHAT VOLUME?"} Glen asked with excitement in his voice.

{"I'm not sure but it has Eden Armor on the cover."} I responded and it only took a split second before his response.

{"Right now there are hundreds of those geeks wandering around the tank so there's no escaping for now... But wait an hour and we can talk again."} Glen responded excitedly.

{"Sounds good to me, I have to clean my rifle and load mags while we wait. Thank you."} I spoke and set down the radio nearby.

"You trust him?" Rick asked cautiously.

"No other choice at the moment, not even I can reload fast enough to kill kill all of them..... especially seeing how they've climbed on the turret already." I spoke with a sigh while moving over to one of the viewing ports.

I slid the steel flap downward and looked through the mirrored viewing port.

The vision was extremely narrow through the small port but what was readily apparent were the hundreds of zombie heads I could see outside.

"How bad is it?" Rick asked while seeing the concern on my face.

"It's bad, but we'll bide our time and get ready...." I spoke while sitting down and pulling out a rag, brush, solvent and oil bottle.

Immediately my M16 was field stripped and I began scrubbing and wiping away at every nook and cranny to make any shadow of carbon buildup.

Ten minutes later I had a brick of 22lr and several mags being loaded as Rick searched for anything useful.

"Score!" Rick spoke excitedly while looking through a pouch.

He shuffled to me and pulled out a small hand grenade from the pouch.

"as thanks for saving my life." Rick spoke and I patted his shoulder before taking the grenade.

"This'll come in useful someday thanks." I muttered while placing the grenade in a pouch.

After that we both sat side by side and made final preparations to our kit while snacking on some trail mix when the radio blared awake.

{"HEY BOTH OF YOU---ITS TIME----}"

Glens voice came through and immediately Rick and I took one final sip of our water bottles before standing up.

I picked up the radio and spoke.

{"Alright radioman, what's the plan?"} I asked

{"Right now the front, left, and rear is entirely swarmed and there are three geeks on the top but the right hand side is mostly clear."} Glen spoke while Rick and I listened intently.

{"Good, what about after we cross those few zombies do you have a route planned?" I asked into the handpiece.

{"Yes, I'm waiting in an alley nearby, just run down the street four blocks and you'll find me.....there are about forty geeks between me and the tank though."} Glen spoke a bit embarrassed.

{"Forty is fine, thanks for your help we'll be there soon."} I spoke into the radio before setting it down.

"Ready?" I asked Rick and he just gritted his teeth before grimacing his face and nodding, the stress of everything was beginning to wear on him.

"Let's go then." I spoke while turning the latch of the cupola and pushing it outward.

Immediately my rifle went out first, directly into the face of a walker.

*SWISH

*SQUELCH

One walker dropped and I rocketed out of the hatch like a bat out of hell.

By the time I turned to Rick he was halfway out of the hatch with two walkers already grasping onto him.

I shot twice and pulled him up by his coat before pointing us in the right direction.

I jumped off and landed hard into a scattered group of walkers.

My rifle flew effortlessly through the air and fired consecutive rounds just as Rick was jumping off the tank.

*SWISH x25

*SQUELCH x25

Rick landed hard and rolled on the ground just as I picked him up onto his feet and began sprinting up the street.

"Come on!!! Only a few blocks away!!!" I spoke while pulling Rick along into a run before letting him go to engage the group of unruly and undead Atlantians before us.

By that time I had changed mags and began blasting away at the huge numbers of zombies ahead of us but every passing moment another few would drop dead.

Those in the small group were nothing compared to the hundreds upon hundreds of walkers behind us though.

"RAHGGHGGGGGG!!!!"

Rick and I both heard the ravenous grunts from the walkers behind us which made us sprint even faster. .. . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .

(I want to write the lemons already but there's only Rick nearby, should mc stick it in a zombie? Write your vote below.)