An Interactive Fic: THE FINAL /Ch.4A

THE FINAL
An interactive Walking Dead experience.
Rated T.  Warning: Explicit language.
Pairings: Felix & Marzia, Red & Russ. May be hints of slash.

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Chapter 4, A:  Drown out the rain

The ambition that fueled the group on during the day slowly began to wear off with every step as the sky turned. Quiet footsteps on wood and gravel that drummed rhythmically dragged on into the late afternoon, where it was drowned out by the muffled thunder of a dark cloud that gloomed over the southern skies. Soon, the crew found themselves devoured by the sudden thunderstorm.

Russ and Red, who led ahead, turned to the others with hands over their wet hair in a futile effort to keep dry. "Maybe we should find shelter?" Red shouted over the deafening noise of the pelting rain.

"I agree." Cry yelled back, attempting to shake the moisture off his hair with no luck. He looked back at Pewdie and Marzia, who struggled to keep up.

Red saw concern in Cry's blue eyes. "You should go help him." She nudged.

He would if he could. Every offer to assist the man was coldly rejected. Cry watched helplessly as Pewdie carried Marzia on his back, and walked each heavy step with a heavier heart. Marzia tried to refuse the help she so needed, but to no avail.

"He'll be fine." Cry forced the words out with difficulty, and turned away. "He's got it."

"We can't continue in this weather." Russ took off the glasses that burdened him more than helped him in this situation, and stared ahead. The tracks they followed seemed to go on to no end. "But there is no shelter in sight either."

They looked around. Russ was right, the lone train track they'd followed for the past eight hours was completely isolated between a thin row of woods, to the left, bordering a small lake. Ken nodded towards it. "Maybe we'll find a something there?"

"Better than nothing, I suppose." Red shrugged.

Pewdie caught up to the team. Heavy breathed with shaky legs, he placed Marzia down on the rail uneasily and stretched. "What's happening?" He asked.

"We were gonna go see if that lake up there has anything to offer." Ken briefed him. Patting Pewdie's back as he hacked and coughed. "If you want, you can stay here with Marzia."

"If we find a place to stay, we'll come right back to get you guys." Cry agreed, his eyes met Pewdie's impenetrable blue eyes, and for a moment, Pewdie was defeated by the pained look on Cry's face through the thick rain that veiled them both. "Rest up, will you?"

He didn't want to give in. He promised to carry Marzia for the rest of the way, and though his aching feet and blistered heel screamed otherwise, he continued with ignorance. "We can follow."

"Felix..." Marzia tugged on his trousers as he stood up, he fell, legs giving in easily. "Let's stay. Okay?"

The Swedish man stayed quiet. A final, reluctant yes.

Cry smiled at them, and turned to follow Russ, Red and Minx who'd already began to make their way into the forest. Ken patted the man assuringly and flashed a smile at Marzia before he did the same. She smiled back weakly.

As the figures disappeared into the forest, Pewdie got up once more.

"Felix?"

He shrugged off his jacket, and threw it over Marzia's damp hair. She peeked out from under the heavy coat.

Pewdie stood in the rain, the water made the blue T-shirt stick to his slender body. It dripped down from his dirty blond hair and lingered around his stubble, eyes looking terrifyingly blue against the grey sky. He sat down again, fiddling with his wet jeans.

Marzia smiled. Pewdie turned, and narrowed his eyes inquisitively. "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm so lucky to have you." She fawned.

He snorted, looking away. "Stop saying that."

"Look, everything will be okay. Hmm?" Marzia threw her hands around his neck, and comforted him. Pewdie resisted weakly, but hugged back eventually.

"Hm."

"How are your legs?" She asked, massaging his calfs gently.

He stared back. "You're the one to ask."

Marzia began to giggle. "It's fine, the pain has numbed."

Pewdie frowned.

"No really. It's my least worry." She coughed, a hand on her stomach. "But my stomach isn't so good."

"Marzia..."

A sudden wave of nausea came over her, and she struggled to get up like a shot deer. Pewdie immediately helped her to her feet, and she limped away with him to the edge of the tracks, where she'd thrown up.

~*~*~*~

The others had found their way around the lake, and just within walk distance, they came across an abandoned camp site where three collapsed tents lay deserted about an extinguished camp fire.

Red picked up the tent, and studied the model. "You think this'll work?"

Another thunder sounded in the distance, Russ looked around - no walkers, no bodies, nothing but hard rain pelting down on them. "It'll have to." He shouted back.

Minx shook the water off a dirty red tent, and picked up the poles that stuck out the ends in a mess. "It's a British model." She studied the labels. "I know this."

"Good." Russ smiled, Cry looked back towards the rails impatiently. Russ knew that look. "Will you and Ken stay here to set this up while we go back for Pewdiepie and Marzia?"

Ken looked up in alarm. "What?"

"Can't Red stay?" Minx asked.

Red brushed a stray strand of wet purple highlight away from Michelle's face. "More of us go, means faster we get Marzia here." She smiled. "You can do it. I trust you."

Minx reluctantly nodded, and watched them jog away.

Ken and Minx worked in silence, efficiently set up all three tents with enough time to spare. Ken continued to work on patching up a small hole in one of the tents, eyes glancing towards Michelle from time to time, finding her sitting alone at the entrance of that dirty red tent, staring into the darkening sky.

He stopped his pointless working, and turned to walk towards her. It was time to confront this.

"Hey." He smiled, standing in the naked rain, looking down at her in her shelter. Minx looked away from the scenery and focused on his dark eyes.

Ken awkwardly scratched his hair as they 'conversed' in silence.

"You wanna catch a cold?"

"Sorry?" Ken blinked.

Minx shuffled to the side, and offered him a seat in the dry tent. Ken denied politely, not wanting to dirty the tent with wet clothes.

"Then take your shirt off, and sit on the very edge." Annoyance tinged in her voice. "You're going to catch a fucking cold."

"But--"

"I'm a lesbian, not an androphobe."

Ken accepted defeat, and shrugged off his wet top, he carefully squeezed in beside her and wrung out the water in his drenched T-shirt. They sat rigid beside one another, watching the wrath of the sudden storm as it pounded away at the lake before them, and waited.

"I'm sorry about Deaf." Ken began, confronting Michelle, motionless as she listened. "I know how horrible it must be.."

"You know?" she raised her voice. "You know what it's like to lose everything you ever had in your world in days?"

Silence, then a short, steady answer. "Yes."

Minx stopped, her aggressiveness was suddenly extinguished as she watched him move his eyes away from her pained face and stared melancholically ahead. The rain drummed in the background, bringing out painful memories.

"I have a brother and a sister." His words were so fragile against the storm. He looked down with a poignant smile. "They used to annoy the hell outta me but, ahh... You know how siblings are."

Michelle stayed silent.

"When this whole thing happened, we ran out of the house and tried to get away. Heather tripped at our driveway and..." His voice trailed off. Ken pursed his lips and came back once more with a the same, uneasy smile. ".. My um... brother went back for her. But..."

"It's okay," Minx interrupted just in time. "I ... I get it."

Sound of squealing car wheels echoed in the back of Ken's mind, and it burnt through the cold, unforgiving rain. "I felt like a coward, even if he told me to drive away." Nostalgia lingered on the scars where the memories burnt. "Yeah... they were great siblings."

Minx repeated quietly. "Were..."

The silhouette of five figures appeared against the curtains of heavy rain. Ken got up, and rushed over to help them as Minx walked over to the green tent opposite, and opened the flaps to welcome Marzia. The cold loneness in the air was suddenly banished by the crew's voices, but was never really gone.

They set Marzia down in the tent, letting her have some rest. Pewdie sat at the entrance, one concerned hand stroking her poor belly.

"What's happened?" Ken questioned, bending down to see a pale, sickly Marzia limp in the tent.

"She threw up." Pewdie sighed. "Don't think she's feeling well. We should give her something to eat later."

Red knelt down beside Pewdie on the entrance. "We'll find something to eat tomorrow. Promise."

Cry looked at the tents. "How should we sleep?"

"I'll sleep with Marzia in this tent." Pewdie said. "I want to keep an eye on her."

Russ disliked the idea. He spoke with a careful, hushed voice. "Remember what happened to Snake and Scott?"

Red snapped. "Russ!!"

"But he's got a point." Ken agreed unwillingly.

"Snake was badly bitten. She's still okay." Pewdie insisted. "Look at her! She'll need me close!!"

"I'll sleep with Minx." Red smiled at Michelle, she smiled back shyly. "And you three boys can sleep in the big tent."

Cry laughed as he saw Russ' eyes widen with disagreement. "But Red--"

"Can three men really fit in that?" Ken questioned, examining the dull blue tent opposite that seemed no bigger than the other two.

Red stared at Russ, and kept her voice low as she murmured to him. "Minx needs someone to take care of her mentally right now, and I can do that. Stop being childish."

"Buh... Wha..." Sounds escaped from Russ' mouth with each sigh, he argued.

Pewdie turned towards Cry. "What do you think, Bro?"

You're playing as Cry / ChaoticMonki for this Chapter. Your decision will decide what happens and who you'll meet in the next chapter.

Choose your opinion:
(Each bracket represents a tent. choose how you'd assign the tents.)

a) (Marzia) (Red,Russ,Minx) (Pewds,Ken,Cry)
b) (Russ,Red) (Ken,Cry,Minx) (Pewds,Marzia)
c) (Red,Minx) (Pewds,Marzia) (Ken,Cry,Russ)
d) (Red,Minx) (Marzia) (Ken,Cry,Pewds,Russ) Unable to fit, one person (taking turns) has to stay outside the tent in the rain.

To be continued...