Sugarcane

<<set $soak = true>>"No. We should use the ointment now."\n\n"Okay," Owen says. I unscrew the cap.\n\n"Ready to try this?" I ask him.\n\n"I don't know," he replies. "I hear it's alright for minor burns, but you can't put ointment and stuff on severe burns, or else it traps in the heat and makes it worse."\n\n"That doesn't sound right," Nate says, confused. "Why would they make an ointment that traps in heat? That's stupid."\n\n"Yeah," Owen agrees. "Anyway, do we know if it's major or severe?"\n\nI look at the wound again. It's still a bright red line on the bottom of Owen's forearm, and the blisters are all over it in splotchy patterns. It's roughly two inches wide and about five inches long, nearly reaching from wrist to elbow.\n\n[["Minor." (Use ointment)|d35e]]\n[["Major." (Do not use ointment)|d35r]]

"You're right," I say, putting the ointment back down. <<display 'p33'>>

<<set $oint = true>>"I think it's a severe burn," I conclude.\n\n"Alright," Owen says, a little worried. "<<if $degree eq "first">>I thought you might be a little off when you said it was just a first degree burn. Those are always minor, but this doesn't really feel minor<<endif>><<if $degree eq "second">>Second degree burns are considered severe if they're too big, so you might be right.<<endif>><<if $degree eq "third">>Well, you //did// say that it was a third degree burn. Those are always severe.<<endif>>"\n\n"Right, and this one goes all up your forearm."\n\n"So, no ointment, huh?"\n\n"No ointment. Sorry, Owen."\n\n"It's alright," he sighs. "Better to know before we start spreading stuff all over<<if $beer eq true>>," he glares at Nate, "like the alcohol<<endif>>."\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

<<set $BPq = false>><<set $BPw = false>>The hours pass slowly and the pattering of the rain seems to try to lull me to sleep. I find myself wondering what will happen if we don't find any of the others. If I'm the only adult looking after these two -- a thirteen-year-old and an eight-year-old -- how can I stay up every night to guard them?\n\nFinally, the first streaks of daylight breach the clouds above and the rain slows to a light drizzle. Christa and Nate both stir and sit up. They seem to have rested well. Then Christa's stomach growls.\n\n"Wow," Nate smiles. "You hungry?"\n\n"Yeah," Christa looks to me. "Do we have food?"\n\n"I'm not sure," I say, opening my [[backpack|p04]].

<<set $miss = "none">>As the night wears on, I feel my eyes becoming heavier. Nate is still awake, watching the rain.\n\n"I miss my brother. We never got to finish that chess game." He falls silent.\n\n[["I miss my parents."|d02q]]\n[["I miss everyone."|d02w]]\n[["I miss Roy."|d02e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|d02r]]

__Chapter 1: Rain__\n\nThe three of us sit huddled under a thick blanket in the corner of an empty bar. Nate watches the moonlit window as the relentless rain batters against the glass. Christa stares ahead, eyes swollen with tears. <<if $death eq "sorry">>I've tried to tell her how sorry I am about her father's death, but that isn't helping her deal with his passing.<<endif>><<if $death eq "hero">>I've tried to tell her that her father died a hero, but that isn't helping her deal with his passing.<<endif>><<if $death eq "love">>I've tried to tell her how much her father loved her, but that only seems to add to her sorrow.<<endif>><<if $death eq "silent">>I still can't bring myself to talk to her about her father's death, but maybe that's for the best. I might just add to her sorrow by trying to comfort her.<<endif>>\n\nWithin an hour, Christa has finally fallen asleep. I wish I could join her, but <<if $fault eq true>>my guilt keeps me awake, and<<endif>> somebody has to keep watch.\n\n"What's the plan, Kerry?" Nate whispers. I didn't realize he was awake.\n\n[["We need to stay put."|d01q]]\n[["We should get out of the city."|d01w]]\n[["We need to look for the others."|d01e]]\n

[["Okay, you take point."|a01]]\n[["No, you two follow me."|b01]]\n[["No, you two wait outside."|c01]]

After walking for a short while down the road, we come to an intersection. A small gas station and a convenience store sit on one of the corners.\n\n"That looks like a good place to start looking," Nate says, pointing. He starts to jog over.\n\n[["Let me take the lead."|d06q]]\n[["Wait outside with Christa."|d06w]]\n[["Wait up."|d06e]]

__Chapter 2: Searching for a Bite__\n\nThe sky is covered in a dome of thick grey clouds with only a few gaps allowing for sunlight to reach us. The morning air shows us the white puffs of our breath as a reminder of winter's coming.\n\n"Maybe we should look for gloves, too," Nate says as he looks up and down the street for signs of either corpses or Aaron's men. "No biters, no hunters. Let's go."\n\n"Hunters?" Christa wonders aloud.\n\n"The guys looking for us," Nate says.\n\n"Do they know we made it out of the fire?" Christa asks.\n\n"I don't think so, but if they see us, they'll know who we are."\n\n[["How will they know you?"|d05q]]\n[["Not all of them know our faces."|d05w]]\n[["He's right, Christa."|d05e]]

Inside the backpack, my <<if $BPq eq false>>[[phone|d04q]]<<else>>phone<<endif>> sits on top of some <<if $BPw eq false>>[[extra clothes|d04w]]<<else>>extra clothes<<endif>>. I don't see any food.\n\n[[(Close backpack)|d04e]]

<<set $oint = true>><<set $ointment = "used">>"It might be a minor burn," I conclude uncertain.\n\n"That sounded like a question," Owen says nervously. "<<if $degree eq "first">>You said it was a first degree burn. Those are minor, so if you were right, then it should be okay, right?<<endif>><<if $degree eq "second">>Second degree burns are sometimes minor, so you might be right.<<endif>><<if $degree eq "third">>I thought you said it was a third degree burn. Those are always severe."\n\n"I might've been wrong."\n\n"Oh, man," he sighs. "Fine.<<endif>>" He holds out his arm and I begin spreading the ointment on the wound<<if $beer eq true>>. He glares at Nate, "I guess it can't hurt any more than the alcohol."<<else>>.<<endif>>\n\nOnce I've finished, Owen lifts his arm. "It feels really warm," Owen says, breathing through his teeth as his uncertainty begins to surface again. "But it feels a little better, I think."\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

We rush in through the doors and slam them shut. I see a shelf and a metal pipe beside the door. I can hear the hunters closing in.\n\n[[(Lock door)|d09q]]\n[[(Stick metal pipe between handles)|d09w]]\n[[(Barricade with wooden shelf)|d09e]]\n[[(Hide without barricading)|d09r]]

The clouds have mended their gaps, blocking out the sun and becoming thicker by the minute. Wind howls as it picks up in preparation for a new storm. The three of us hurry away from the store, away from the hunters, but before we've gotten far, we spot another small group down the road in front of us.\n\n"Looks like three more," Nate says. "What do we do?"\n\nChrista grips his hand tight as I look around. The road is obviously out of the question now, with hunters coming from both directions, and the alleys around here are crawling with corpses. Our only hope is the abandoned brick building to our left. Some sort of factory, I think.\n\n"This way," I say, pulling them through the large metal [[door|p09]].

<<set $d3 = true>>"What do you think we should do next?"\n\nNate takes a deep breath as he thinks of an answer. "I want to find my brother," he says. "I know it's dangerous, but he's my family. I can't leave until he's with us, or until I know that he's--" he stops the thought. "You understand, right?"\n\n"Yeah," I sigh. "I do."\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

"Are you okay with this?" I ask. "You didn't really vote."\n\n"I don't know," she says, looking down. <<display 'e51'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "G">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"I was scared."\n\n"Me too," he admits. "That's why I thought we'd have to kill him, you know? He could have seen us -- he probably //should// should have seen us -- but we got lucky. Really, really lucky. It's not like I //want// it to be like this, but at some point, when the luck runs out, we're going to have to deal with the possibility that..." he pauses.\n\n"That what?"\n\n"That it's them or us."\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

"It's wrong to kill, no matter what."\n\n"How could you say that?" Nate asks. "What if he had seen us?"\n\n"He didn't."\n\n"But what of he //had//? He was inches away. He would have killed Christa and you. Probably me first, since I was closer. We got lucky. Really, really lucky. We can't just rely on luck, though. I can't do that. Luck always runs out. At some point, we're going to have to deal with the possibility that..." he pauses.\n\n"That what?"\n\n"That it's them or us."\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>"You did good today."\n\nHe looks up to me. "Really?"\n\n"Yeah. <<if $zombie eq "Ndead">>You took care of a biter by yourself<<if $foundCans eq true>>, you helped to find us some food<<endif>>, and you <<if $nateHunter eq true>>took care of a hunter to keep us safe<<else>>listened to me when I told you not to kill the hunter, even when you wanted to so badly<<endif>><<else>>You followed my directions at the convenience store<<if $foundCans eq true>>, you helped to find us some food<<endif>>, and you <<if $nateHunter eq true>>took care of a hunter to keep us safe<<else>>listened to me when I told you not to kill the hunter, even when you wanted to so badly<<endif>><<endif>>. You're doing better than I'd expect a thirteen-year-old to do.\n\nHe smiles. "Thanks. You're doing alright, too, you know? You're keeping us safe and fed, and you thought on your feet when we were cornered in the factory<<if $zombie eq "trap">>, and the way you used that biter in the store as a trap for the hunters was pretty cool. Really dark, but cool<<endif>>." His face suddenly becomes inquisitive. "Do you have kids of your own?"\n\nMy throat tightens. "No," I say hollowly, and Nate doesn't press any further into the matter.\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

"It wasn't necessary."\n\n"He could have seen us," Nate repeats.\n\n"He didn't."\n\n"He //could// have. He probably //should// have. He was inches away. We got lucky. Really, really lucky. We can't just rely on luck, though, right? Luck always runs out. At some point, we're going to have to deal with the possibility that..." he pauses.\n\n"That what?"\n\n"That it's them or us."\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

"No. You had to do it."\n\n"Yeah," he sighs, sounding somewhat relieved. I can see his hands trembling as he searches for words. "That's, um... I'm glad you think so."\n\n"It was him or us, and we had to make a choice. You did something very hard, and you probably saved us all."\n\nNate doesn't say anything. He's very pale. It's hard to remember that he's only a boy, and the world changed so suddenly less than three weeks ago. I can't imagine what that does to a kid. I give him a gentle pat on the shoulder.\n\n"It's okay," I tell him.\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

"Yes," I say. "I think it was wrong."\n\n"Oh," he sighs. I can see his hands trembling as he searches for words. "I, um... okay."\n\n"I know why you think we had to, but--"\n\n"We did," he mutters, more to himself than to me. I stop and look at him. He's very pale. It's hard to remember that he's only a boy, and the world changed so suddenly less than three weeks ago. I can't imagine what that does to a kid.\n\n"Maybe," is all I can think to say.\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

<<set $d1 = true>><<if $nateHunter eq true>>"About today," I begin, "the guy you killed..."\n\n"Oh," Nate says, swallowing. He huffs in thought then turns to me. "<<if $NateVChrista eq "Nate">>I know you agreed with me... about having to do it, but...<<else>>I felt like you didn't really want me to do it. Maybe I'm mistaken, but...<<endif>> do you think I was wrong to kill him?"\n\n[["Yes. It was wrong."|a08r]]\n[["No. You had to do it."|a08t]]\n[["I let you. It's on me."|a08y]]<<else>>"About today," I begin, "the guy you almost killed."\n\n"Oh," Nate says, swallowing. He huffs in thought then turns to me. "<<if $NateVChrista eq "Nate">>I know you agreed with me... that sometimes we'll have to kill to defend ourselves<<else>>It seemed like you thought I was wrong... when I said that we'd have to kill to defend ourselves... but that man was so close to finding us<<endif>>. Why didn't you let me kill him? \n\n[["It wasn't necessary."|a08u]]\n[["It's wrong to kill, no matter what."|a08i]]\n[["I was scared."|a08o]]<<endif>>

__Chapter 3: The Plan__\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>We walk down the road, back to the bar we've been staying at. It hasn't been found by Aaron's men yet, so it's our safest bet for a secure safehouse.\n\nAs we walk into the dusty room we look around to be sure everything is as we left it. Nate searches through the bar, Christa looks around the area we've been using as our bed, and I check the restroom. <<display 'p15'>>

"I let you do it," I remind him, "It's on me."\n\n"Oh," he sighs. I can see his hands trembling as he searches for words. "So, um... so it was the wrong thing?"\n\n"I don't know," I tell him. "It might've been the only way out of that situation. You did what you thought was right in the moment, and that's all anyone can ask of you."\n\n"Nate doesn't say anything. He's very pale. It's hard to remember that he's only a boy, and the world changed so suddenly less than three weeks ago. I can't imagine what that does to a kid. I give him a gentle pat on the shoulder.\n\n"It's okay," I tell him, "and next time, we'll both be smarter, alright?"\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "P">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Let's start looking for food."\n\n"Aye aye," Nate agrees. He turns to Christa. "<<if $BPw eq false>>You must be starving<<else>>You must still be hungry<<endif>>." She nods. "Well, don't worry. Nate's on the job!"\n\n<<display 'a02'>>

"You're pretty good at this."\n\nHe grins wide with pride. "Now we look for something to eat." He turns to Christa. "<<if $BPw eq false>>You must be starving<<else>>You must still be hungry<<endif>>." She nods. "Well, don't worry. Nate's on the job!"\n\n<<display 'a02'>>

"No, you two wait outside."\n\n"But what if there's something in there?" Nate asks. "We can help."\n\n"I can take care of it," I tell him. "Keep a lookout for biters and hunters, alright?"\n\n"You have to let me help at some point," he sighs, but at least he's satisfied hearing me using his terminology. "I keep watch. Go ahead, and be quick."\n\nI put my hand to the door and carefully push it open, but suddenly a bell rings just above my head. Nate and Christa cringe at the piercing sound.\n\n"Crap," I mutter, moving slowly inside. I don't see any movement among the short aisles or the counter, but there's a scraping sound on the employee restroom door. A biter. It seems to be trapped on the other side.\n\n[[(Kill biter)|c01q]]\n[[(Leave biter and search store)|c01w]]

I start checking the aisles for corpses, but it looks like they're all clear. Now to find some food. I sift through box after box, shelf after shelf, aisle after aisle, but I can't find anything.\n\n"How's the search going, Kerry?" Nate whispers, poking his head in through the door.\n\n[["Give me a few more minutes."|c02q]]\n[["Why don't you guys come in and help?"|c02w]]\n[["Just keep watch."|c02e]]

"We have to go," I whisper, throwing my bag over my shoulde<<if $zombie eq "left">>r. I glance over at the restroom door. I can still hear the scratching of the corpse behind it.\n\n[[(Let biter out)|d07q]]\n[[(Leave biter and exit)|d07w]]<<else>>r and leading them out the [[back|p08]].<<endif>>

"She'll come around," I tell him, "but you might want to quit the cripple jokes."\n\n"Yeah," <<display 'p18'>>

*<<playbgm iHBWZn9re0U 32>> plays the YouTube video starting from 32 seconds in.\n*<<playbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> plays the YouTube video from the beginning, or resumes it if it was paused.\n*<<stopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops the sound track. \n*<<loopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> makes the sound track constantly loop (although it may not quite be seamless).\n*<<unloopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops it from looping.\n*<<pausebgm iHBWZn9re0U>> pauses the sound track.\n*<<stopbgm iHBWZn9re0U>> stops playback and resets its position to the start.

"You think?" I whisper back at him, emphasizing my sarcasm.\n\n"I get it. I'm sorry," <<display 'p18'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "M">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"No shit," I whisper back at him.\n\n"I feel really, really bad now," <<display 'p18'>>

I look at him. He makes a guilty face. "I feel awful now," <<display 'p18'>>

I don't have time for setting traps, let alone one that involves a biter. "Let's go," I say, leading Nate and Christa out the back of the store. <<display 'p08'>>

<<set $zombie = "trap">>I move over to the door and turn the knob, then I push it open just enough for the rotting fingers of the restroom's occupant to start pulling on it.\n\n"Let's go," I say, leading Nate and Christa out the back of the store. <<display 'p08'>>

"No, you two follow me."\n\n"Fine," he groans, letting me step ahead of him. I put my hand to the door and carefully push it open, but suddenly a bell rings just above my head. Nate and Christa cringe at the piercing sound.\n\n"Crap," I mutter, moving slowly inside. I don't see any movement among the short aisles or the counter, but there's a scraping sound on the employee restroom door.\n\n"Biter," Christa whispers, clutching her left shoulder as she and Nate follow me inside.\n\n"I got this," Nate says, pulling a knife from his coat. He grips the onyx-colored handle tight and prepares to open the restroom door.\n\n[["I've got it, Nate."|b01q]]\n[["Be careful."|b01w]]\n[["Leave it."|b01e]]

"Come on, into the office." The three of us head through the office door. The dead body of a security guard is lying opposite us, the back of it's head blown all over the wall behind it, but the gun with which he'd killed himself is nowhere to be seen. We duck behind the only desk in the office just as the hunters start banging on the door. I listen hard to hear they're conversation leaking through a nearby window.\n\n<<display 'p11'>>\n\nI hear one of them coming closer, his footsteps wandering carefully to the door of the office.\n\n"Holy shit," he suddenly yells.\n\n"What is it?" one of the others calls out.\n\n"Nothing," he pants, pulling a scarf over his face. "Damn corpse is in here against the wall, brains all over."\n\n"Well get outta there before you catch it," his friend reminds him.\n\n"Right, right," he says, shutting the door as he leaves. <<display 'p12'>>\n\n"Alright. I'll check the office again."\n\nNate turns to me, wide-eyed. "He's alone. He's coming in here. We can take him out."\n\nChrista shakes her head. "They have guns! You don't want to get shot, do you?"\n\n"I won't," Nate promises, "I'll get him with my knife before he knows what's going on."\n\nThe office door opens and the heavy footsteps of the last hunter start making their way closer, past the corpse. They stop right beside the desk, inches away from being able to see us. Christa covers her mouth with her hand to keep from whimpering. Nate grips the handle of his knife. The man huffs and takes one last step.\n\nNate's eyes become fixed. He's ready to go for it.\n\n[[(Stop him)|a04q]]\n[[(Nod)|a04w]]\n[[(Do nothing)|a04e]]

"Sure."\n\n"It could be hunters. I just want to be sure we're safe."\n\n<<display 'p53'>>

"I think he did what he had to do."\n\n"Yeah?" Owen wonders. "Yeah, Roy's a good guy. It was just... kind of... I don't know."\n\n<<display 'p46'>>

"I don't want to think about it."\n\n"Right," Owen agrees. "Yeah, Roy's a good guy. It was just... kind of... I don't know."\n\n<<display 'p46'>>

"Come on, under the stairs." The three of us head to the tall metal staircase. It leads up to a series of paths along the building's perimeter. The dead body of a security guard is lying sprawled across the lower steps, a snapped noose around his neck, and a gaping knife wound in its skull. We manage to hide amongst some boxes under the stairs just as the hunters start banging on the door. I listen hard to hear they're conversation leaking through a nearby window.\n\n<<display 'p11'>>\n\nI hear one of them coming closer, his footsteps wandering carefully to the stairs.\n\n"Holy shit," his friend by the office yells.\n\n"What is it?" he calls out.\n\n"Nothing," he pants, pulling a scarf over his face. "Damn corpse is in here against the wall, brains all over."\n\n"Well get outta there before you catch it," his friend reminds him.\n\n"Right, right," he says, shutting the door as he leaves. \n\n"There's another corpse on the stairs here," the one closest to us observes, pulling his own scarf over his face as he nervously passes by to search somewhere else. <<display 'p12'>>\n\n"Alright. I'll check around the stairs again."\n\nNate turns to me, wide-eyed. "He's alone. He's coming over here. We can take him out."\n\nChrista shakes her head. "They have guns! You don't want to get shot, do you?"\n\n"I won't," Nate promises, "I'll get him with my knife before he knows what's going on."\n\nThe heavy footsteps of the last hunter start making their way closer, past the corpse on the steps. They stop right beside the boxes we're hiding behind, inches away from being able to see us. Christa covers her mouth with her hand to keep from whimpering. Nate grips the handle of his knife. The man huffs and takes one last step.\n\nNate's eyes become fixed. He's ready to go for it.\n\n[[(Stop him)|b04q]]\n[[(Nod)|b04w]]\n[[(Do nothing)|b04e]]

"Right now?"\n\n"It could be hunters."\n\n"Okay."\n\n<<display 'p53'>>

"I don't know. Let's check it out together."\n\n"Yeah, okay."\n\nI slowly climb the stairs to the second floor with Owen right behind me. One of the hallway doors is ajar. I move closer and peek inside. There's a man tied to a chair, beaten almost senseless. I recognize his clothes, though. He's one of the hunters from the convenience store. The bodies downstairs must be his friends. In front of him is another man, bloody-knuckled and covered in soot. His eye catches me at the door.\n\n"Kerry?" the bloody-knuckled man gasps.\n\nI step inside, unsure what to think. "Roy?"\n\n"Where's Christa?" he asks when he sees I'm alone.\n\n[["She's back with Hannah."|b3q]]\n[["What the hell are you doing?"|b3w]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "K">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Stay here," I tell him. "I'm going to check it out."\n\n"Are you sure?"\n\n"Just stay, alright?"\n\n"Yeah, okay. I'll, uh... I'll check the bodies for supplies I guess."\n\n"Be careful."\n\n"You too."\n\nAs Owen moves to loot the bodies, I slowly climb the stairs to the second floor. One of the hallway doors is ajar. I move closer and peek inside. There's a man tied to a chair, beaten almost senseless. I recognize his clothes, though. He's one of the hunters from the convenience store. The bodies downstairs must be his friends. In front of him is another man, bloody-knuckled and covered in soot. His eye catches me at the door.\n\n"Kerry?" the bloody-knuckled man gasps.\n\nI step inside, unsure what to think. "Roy?"\n\n"Where's Christa?" he asks when he sees I'm alone.\n\n[["She's back with Hannah."|b3q]]\n[["What the hell are you doing?"|b3w]]

I can't think of anything to say, so I just keep quiet.\n\n<<display 'p52'>>

"Come on, under the conveyor belt." The three of us head to one of the big metal conveyor belts. Several dead bodies lie sprawled across the motionless machinery with scattered bullet holes peppering their bodies. We crawl underneath and huddle out of sight just as the hunters start banging on the door. I listen hard to hear they're conversation leaking through a nearby window.\n\n<<display 'p11'>>\n\nI hear one of them coming closer, his footsteps wandering carefully to the conveyor belt.\n\n"Holy shit," his friend by the office suddenly yells.\n\n"What is it?" the one checking the stairs calls out.\n\n"Nothing," he pants, pulling a scarf over his face. "Damn corpse is in here against the wall, brains all over."\n\n"Well get outta there before you catch it," his friend reminds him.\n\n"Right, right," he says, shutting the door as he leaves. \n\n"There's another corpse on the stairs here," the one by the stairs observes, pulling his own scarf over his face as he nervously passes by to search somewhere else.\n\n"They're everywhere," the one closest to us exclaims, pulling up his scarf as he examines the multitude of dead bodies lining the machinery. He starts moving farther, continuing to search elsewhere. <<display 'p12'>>\n\n"Alright. I'll check around the conveyor belt again."\n\nNate turns to me, wide-eyed. "He's alone. He's coming over here. We can take him out."\n\nChrista shakes her head. "They have guns! You don't want to get shot, do you?"\n\n"I won't," Nate promises, "I'll get him with my knife before he knows what's going on."\n\nThe heavy footsteps of the last hunter start making their way closer. He uses something he's picked up from the ground to clear the corpses from the conveyer belt. He crouches and looks around the exterior, inches away from being able to see us. Christa covers her mouth with her hand to keep from whimpering. Nate grips the handle of his knife. The man huffs and comes just a bit closer.\n\nNate's eyes become fixed. He's ready to go for it.\n\n[[(Stop him)|c04q]]\n[[(Nod)|c04w]]\n[[(Do nothing)|c04e]]

"In the rain?"\n\n"It could be hunters."\n\n"Okay."\n\n<<display 'p53'>>

"I think he went too far."\n\n"Maybe," Owen says. "I think Roy's a good guy, though. It was just... kind of... I don't know."\n\n<<display 'p46'>>

"You'll have us. You won't be alone."\n\n"Thank you," she says with a weak smile.\n\n<<display 'p52'>>

"You'll be okay. You'll have each other."\n\n"Right," she says with a weak smile.\n\n<<display 'p52'>>

[img[http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/248/2/1/ep3__lying_by_thegouldenway-d7y3yl1.jpg]]

"Did the hunters find us?"\n\nChrista gasps as the thought.\n\n"I don't know," Nate says. "I thought the ones that were after us went back to their camp because of the storm."\n\nThat's true, according to what we overheard from our earlier pursuers, but that was definitely a human knock.\n\n<<display 'p22'>>

"It could be a biter."\n\n"Do you think so?" Christa asks.\n\n"I don't know," Nate says. "That was definitely a knock. Like, a people-knock." He has a point. Biters don't knock.\n\n<<display 'p22'>>

"Let me take the lead."\n\n"I can do it," Nate argues as we reach the door.\n\n<<display 'p07'>>

"It's sounds like a person."\n\n"Are you sure?" Christa asks.\n\n"No," I admit, "but biters don't knock."\n\n<<display 'p22'>>

"Will you listen to yourself?" Hannah shouts. "You're not even using reason anymore."\n\n"I'm just saying that the chances of something bad happening to my parents are the same as hers, so we shouldn't give up on mine."\n\n"But that's not true," Owen says. "They don't both have an equal chance. I'm sorry Emmett, but your parents were most likely in the midst of it all when it started, and her parents probably weren't. Besides, didn't <<print $saved>> say--"\n\n"Fuck you, kid!" Emmett yells. Owen steps back and bumps into me as Emmett looks frantically to the rest of us. "So that's it? We just give up because their chances are low?"\n\n[["We're not giving up. We're choosing."|d49q]]\n[["If that's how you want to put it."|d49w]]\n[["I'm sorry, Emmett."|d49e]]

"No way," I tell him. "You're not going alone, again."\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

Maybe he was taking some of that anger out on the men we found in that building. They looked like Aaron's men, right?"\n\n"Yeah, they did."\n\n"It's probably best that they're dead, then<<if $nateHunter eq true>>, like the hunter Nate killed<<endif>>."\n\nI turn to him.\n\n[["That's pretty cold."|d47q]]\n[["Right."|d47w]]\n<<if $nateHunter eq true>>[["He told you about that?"|d47e]]<<endif>>

"It was a little scary."\n\n"Yeah. Scary." He pauses. "I know I already said it, but he was really worried about you guys."\n\n[["He was?"|d46q]]\n[["We were worried about you guys, too."|d46w]]\n[["He seemed worried about Christa, at least."|d46e]]

"What?"\n\n"Nothing," he says coyly<<if $miss eq "Roy">>. "It's just that Nate told me that you said you missed Roy when we got separated<<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>, and you were really eager to look for him first when I found you guys<<endif>>, so I kind of put two and two together."<<else>>.<<endif>>\n\n"You're a real troll," I smile, "you know that?"\n\nHe just keeps grinning his stupid grin, but then a thought enters his head and his face becomes serious.\n\n"Kerry?" he says. "When we found Roy in that office today, there were a lot of dead people. Do you think he...?"\n\n"Killed all of them?"\n\n"Yeah."\n\n[["I think he did what he had to."|d45q]]\n[["I don't want to think about it."|d45w]]\n[["I think he went too far."|d45e]]

"<<if $miss eq "parents">>Nate said you missed them, but I didn't know he meant they could be alive. D<<else>>D<<endif>>o you really think they're okay after all this?"\n\n"They were always into disaster preparation. I doubt they're going down easily. They've probably made a fort out of our house."\n\n"Do you know how to get there?"\n\n"No," I admit. "It's up north, somewhere, but I haven't been home in a long time."\n\n"Why?"\n\n"I ran away when I was in my teens, thinking I'd take the world by storm with the love of my life." I shake my head at the absurdity of my younger self. "We were going to start a family and show everyone that we could make it on our own."\n\nOwen smiles. "And what happened to the 'love of your life'?"\n\n"He left."\n\nThe mood quickly sobers.\n\n"Left?"\n\n"I... wasn't able to give him what he wanted, so he left."\n\nOwen pauses for a moment and considers the comment. I was vague on purpose -- he shouldn't have to worry about that kind of stuff -- but after a long silence, I see him staring at the floor in deep, unhappy realization, and I can tell that he's figured it out.\n\n"So," he carefully starts, "why didn't you go back home after he was gone?"\n\n"I said such horrible things to my parents," I admit, "and I know how stupid I was, now, but back then, I couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams that they'd take me back."\n\n"That's... I'm sorry, Kerry. Leaving you alone without even your parents to help... that guy sounds like a real piece of work."\n\n"He was."\n\n"Nothing like Roy."\n\n[["No, nothing like Roy."|d44q]]\n[["What does he have to do with this?"|d44w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|d44e]]

We can hear the others discussing something in the other room.\n\n"If you don't mind me asking," Owen continues, "what happened to your parents?"\n\n[["I got a text."|d43q]]\n[["They're alive, I think."|d43w]]\n[["Who knows?"|d43e]]

He walks over and sits next to me. "Rough couple days, huh?" he says.\n\n"Yeah."\n\n"Thanks for letting me and my brother join your group, even if we did steal your medicine. And thanks for keeping Nate safe after the fire. He's all I've got left after my mom passed away, and my dad... got bit."\n\n"Right."\n\n"And I know Hannah didn't say it, but she's grateful that you helped Christa. I can tell." He pauses. "I feel bad about Christa's dad. He seemed like a really nice guy. I know what it's like to lose parents, but for some reason, I feel like it's wrong to tell her that I know what she's going though. Is it wrong?"\n\n[["It's impolite."|d42q]]\n[["It's the truth."|d42w]]\n[["It depends."|d42e]]

Either way, I think I should leave her be for a while. I stand up and move to another room inside the building. The rain is still beating against the windows. I sit under one of them and listen to the rhythmic pattering.\n\nOwen slowly appears at the entrance of the room.\n\n"Hey," he says quietly.\n\n[["What do you want?"|d41q]]\n[["You should stay with the others."|d41w]]\n[["Here to blame me for something?"|d41e]]

"He died," she thinks aloud, "helping you get your phone?"\n\n<<if $fault eq true>><<display 'd40q'>><<else>><<display 'd40w'>><<endif>>

__Chapter 8: Lying__\n\n"Listen," Emmett says as the rain soaks through every inch of my clothing again. We've walked quite a ways away from the safehouse by now, and I'm starting to feel a bit of hail mixed with the drops, stinging as they bounce off my skin. "What happened in there -- choosing to go after either my parents or yours -- that's... It's not easy."\n\n"No," I mutter, "it's not."\n\n"<<if $fault eq true>>And it seems like you've got just about everyone on your side, wanting to go to this 'fort' of yours. All we have left to do is to wait for Roy, then the decision will be made<<else>>And it seems like we'll have Roy as the tie-breaker<<endif>>."\n\n[["He'll probably agree with me."|d53q]]\n[["He'll want to protect Christa."|d53w]]\n[["Who knows what he'll do?"|d53e]]

"I won't be able to."\n\nHe looks at me, wide-eyed, speechless.\n\n"You can barely hold it. If I take it, I'll drop it. I'm sure of it. You can't take that risk."\n\n"<<if $saved eq "Eric">>Kerry's right<<else>>Princess up there ain't joking<<endif>>, Emmett," I hear the injured <<print $saved>> say from farther inside the rubble. "My leg... I think my leg is caught on something, anyway. I can't get out of here."\n\n"No. <<print $saved>>, you're the only one I've got left."\n\n"No, I'm not. You've... you've got the others now. Please, don't throw your life away. You can't save me, okay? Just... just keep the others--"\n\n"No!" Emmett yells. "No, I can do this. Kerry, please, just get over here!"\n\n[["Alright."|c4v]]\n<<if $saved eq "Eric">>[["Listen to your brother!"|c4b]]<<else>>[["Listen to Robert!|c4n]]<<endif>>

"I've still got it. Everything's--"\n\nBut suddenly there's another crack. Owen and Nate rush over to help me hold the beam, but it's too heavy, even for all three of us. It's starting to slide.\n\n"It doesn't sound like you've 'got it', <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Kerry<<else>>Princess<<endif>>," <<print $saved>> pants. "Listen, Emmett, get out of here before we're both buried alive. I promise when I get to the other side, I'll tell <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Mom and Dad<<else>>your brother and your parents<<endif>> that you say 'hi', okay?"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. "Mom and Dad are fine! You'll get out of here and we'll find them together, you'll see! Kerry, keep it--"\n\nBut one last echoing crack rings out as something within the rubble caves in. Emmett yells in pain and pulls himself out of the wreckage, his right arm twisted and bloody, then I hear <<print $saved>> scream shortly before being cut off by a sickening crushing sound.\n\n"No!" Emmett screams, running to the wreck to try in vain to dig the body out with his one good arm. "No, <<print $saved>>, damn it!"\n\n<<set $EmmettInjured = true>><<display 'c5'>>

"It was nothing. Everything's--"\n\nBut suddenly there's another crack. Owen and Nate rush over to help me hold the beam, but it's too heavy, even for all three of us. It's starting to slide.\n\n"That isn't 'nothing', <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Kerry<<else>>Princess<<endif>>," <<print $saved>> pants. "Listen, Emmett, get out of here before we're both buried alive. I promise when I get to the other side, I'll tell <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Mom and Dad<<else>>your brother and your parents<<endif>> that you say 'hi', okay?"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. "Mom and Dad are fine! You'll get out of here and we'll find them together, you'll see! Kerry, keep it--"\n\nBut one last echoing crack rings out as something within the rubble caves in. Emmett yells in pain and pulls himself out of the wreckage, his right arm twisted and bloody, then I hear <<print $saved>> scream shortly before being cut off by a sickening crushing sound.\n\n"No!" Emmett screams, running to the wreck to try in vain to dig the body out with his one good arm. "No, <<print $saved>>, damn it!"\n\n<<set $EmmettInjured = true>><<display 'c5'>>

"Alright, I'll try," I say, grabbing hold of the beam. Yup, that's about as heavy as it looked. I can already feel myself losing my grip. "Hurry," I manage to tell him.\n\n"Right, right," he says, ducking down and crawling underneath. "It's alright, <<print $saved>>," I hear from inside the debris. "I've got you. I've got you. You okay?"\n\n"I... I think so," the trapped man answers.\n\n"Okay, I'm gonna try to pull you out, okay?" Emmett pants. "Ready?"\n\nI hear some struggling. I can feel my grip becoming weaker by the second. Suddenly there's a sharp yell.\n\n"What is it?" Emmett asks in panic. "What happened?"\n\n"My leg," <<print $saved>> pants. "My leg is... I think it's caught on something. I can't feel it."\n\n"Can you pull it loose?"\n\nAnother struggle. Another cry of pain.\n\n"No, no, I can't," <<print $saved>> says. "I can't."\n\nThere's a cracking sound and I feel a short vibration go through the beam as the other end starts moving through the debris. Something's collapsing. The beam shifts, but I manage to just barely keep hold of the end.\n\n"Kerry?" Emmett calls up, "Kerry what happened?"\n\n[["Nothing!"|c4z]]\n[["I've still got it!"|c4x]]\n[["Something moved. Get out!"|c4c]]

"Listen to your brother! Let him go. There's no sense in losing both of you."\n\n"Just go, Emmett," Eric calls. "When I get to the other side, I'll tell Mom and Dad you say 'hi', alright?"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. "Mom and Dad are fine! You'll get out of here and we'll find them together, you'll see! Owen, Nate, help me--"\n\nThere's a loud cracking sound as something within the rubble caves in. Emmett's grip on the beam is failing fast, and as it slides out of his hands and further into the wreckage, I hear a short scream that's cut off by a sickening crushing sound.\n\n"No!" he screams, running to the wreck to try in vain to dig the body out. "No, Eric, damn it!"\n\n<<set $EmmettInjured = false>><<display 'c5'>>

"Something moved. Get out of there, Emmett!"\n\n"No, I--"\n\nBut suddenly there's another crack. Owen and Nate rush over to help me hold the beam, but it's too heavy, even for all three of us. It's starting to slide.\n\n"Listen to <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Kerry<<else>>Princess<<endif>>, Emmett," <<print $saved>> pants. "Get out of here before we're both buried alive. I promise when I get to the other side, I'll tell <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Mom and Dad<<else>>your brother and your parents<<endif>> that you say 'hi', okay?"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. "Mom and Dad are fine! You'll get out of here and we'll find them together, you'll see! Kerry, keep it--"\n\nBut one last echoing crack rings out as something within the rubble caves in. Emmett yells in pain and pulls himself out of the wreckage, his right arm twisted and bloody, then I hear <<print $saved>> scream shortly before being cut off by a sickening crushing sound.\n\n"No!" Emmett screams, running to the wreck to try in vain to dig the body out with his one good arm. "No, <<print $saved>>, damn it!"\n\n<<set $EmmettInjured = true>><<display 'c5'>>

"Listen to Robert! Let him go. There's no sense in losing both of you."\n\n"Just go, Emmett," Robert calls. "When I get to the other side, I'll tell your brother and your parents you say 'hi', alright?"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. "My parents are fine. We'll get you out, and we'll find them, you'll see. Owen, Nate, help me--"\n\nThere's a loud cracking sound as something within the rubble caves in. Emmett's grip on the beam is failing fast, and as it slides out of his hands and further into the wreckage, I hear a short scream that's cut off by a sickening crushing sound.\n\n"No!" he screams, running to the wreck to try in vain to dig the body out. "No, Robert, damn it!"\n\n<<set $EmmettInjured = false>><<display 'c5'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "F">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "F">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Roy has a point," I say, turning to Owen.\n\n"Yeah," he sighs. "I... I know, but I wanted to help."\n\n"You know," Nate speaks up, becoming defensive, "Owen's the only reason we found out you guys were okay after the fire."\n\n"What?" Roy looks from Nate to Owen to me. "You mean he tracked you guys down?"\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

__Episode Two__\n\nTwo weeks later, while on a supply run, Kerry and Roy run into Aaron and Gordan, two men who invite them to consider joining their group of survivors near the city's exit. Kerry and Roy say they'll think about it, and Aaron and Gordan continue on their own way.\n\nKerry and Roy come across a trailer labeled "Quarantined". Inside they find Mark and Hannah and their one-armed eight-year-old daughter, Christa. Mark explains that he cut off her arm to save her from a corpse-bite, and Roy offers to let the family into the apartment so that he can properly treat the wound.\n\nEmmett voices his disapproval when he sees that Kerry and Roy brought more people back, remembering what happened with Stanley. A gunshot is heard outside, but Christa takes a turn for the worse, and the medicine appears to be missing. Kerry decides to <<if $first eq "medicine">>find the medicine first. She, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett discover two boys, Nate and Owen, who had stolen the supplies. <<print $saved>> allows them to join the group, much to Emmett's dismay, and then the three set off to find the shooter outside. They find an injured survivor and help them into the apartment, but the survivor kills themself, referring to the apartment as the "Dead House"<<else>>find the shooter first. She, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett search outside, finding an injured survivor and helping them into the apartments, but the survivor kills themself, referring to the apartment as the "Dead House". Kerry, <<print $saved>>, and Emmett then search for the medicine, which was stolen by two boys, Nate and Owen, who ask to join the group. <<print $saved>> allows them in, much to Emmett's dismay<<endif>>.\n\nLater, Kerry realizes that her phone is missing. Mark offers to help her find it and the two descend into the alley beside the apartment building where they find Aaron. He gives Kerry her phone, then Gordan appears from behind, kills Mark, and grabs Kerry. Aaron expresses his surprise that Kerry and Roy, who he thought were good people, had been living in the "Dead House" all along. He beats Kerry into unconsciousness, then he has his men set fire to the apartments with Kerry's friends still inside, believing that the high concentration of the dead inside the building is spreading the infection, and that her friends have already been in contact for too long.\n\nKerry wakes up in a puddle of gasoline and, unable to enter the blazing apartments to help her friends, she stands helplessly outside. She <<if $fault eq true>>knows that Aaron's attack and Mark's death were her fault<<else>>knows that Aaron's attack and Mark's death weren't her fault, but she can't help feeling partly responsible, anyway<<endif>>. Then, Nate and Christa appear beside her, somehow having escaped the fire. The three of them set off to find shelter from the dead... and the living.\n\n__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A young business woman and player-character.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead; lost in the fire.\n<<if $saved eq "Eric">>''Eric'': Strong leader; trying to deal with loss of friends<<else>>''Robert'': Gun-expert; doing his best to earn the life he was given when Kerry saved him instead of Eric<<endif>>; lost in the fire.\n''Emmett'': Eric's younger brother; has a photographic memory; is still optomistic of his parents' survival; lost in the fire.\n''Christa'': A little girl who survived a bite when her father cut off her infected arm; escaped with Kerry.\n''Mark'': Christa's father; scarred by having to kill one daughter and mutilate the other; killed by Gordan in the alley.\n''Hannah'': Christa's mother; kind and motherly; lost in the fire.\n''Nate'': A young boy who managed to survive with his brother after losing their father to the dead; rash and witty; escaped with Kerry.\n''Owen'': Nate's brother; calm and smart; lost in the fire.\n''Aaron'': The leader of a radical group of survivalists; set fire to the apartment building and left Kerry to die.\n''Gordan'': Aaron's accomplice; killed Mark.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]

__Episode One__\n\nKerry, a young business woman, wakes up to a city overrun by the dead. Her office's security guard, Stanley, gets bitten by one of the shambling corpses while trying to help Kerry out of the building. With the help of a passing paramedic, Roy, Kerry and Stanley make their way through the chaotic streets to her apartment building.\n\nOn the fourth floor of the apartments, the three meet four other survivors. Eric, the leader of the new group, informs them that all the floors above them are crawling with corpses. He invites Kerry, Stanley, and Roy to stay with them, and <<if $trustCrew eq false>>although the three are slow to trust the new faces, they eventually<<else>>they<<endif>> agree.\n\nWhen Eric, Roy, and Kerry go on a supply run to the nearby grocery store, they meet a large dark man by the name of Aaron who informs them that the bitten get sick and die, becoming walking corpses. Kerry and Roy realize that they've left the bitten Stanley with the rest of Eric's crew at the apartments, and hurry to return. When they arrive, one of Eric's friends turns and attacks him, while another of his friends, Robert, is being attacked by the dead Stanley. Kerry saves <<print $saved>>, leaving <<if $saved eq "Eric">>Robert<<else>>Eric<<endif>> to die.\n\nWhen relative peace finally sets in, Kerry tries to sleep, but she hears her phone buzz with a text from the parents she hadn't spoken to in years. "We love you, Kerry. Please stay safe. Home is okay." Before she could respond, her phone died, and she was left alone with her thoughts.\n\n__CHARACTERS:__\n''Kerry'': A young business woman and player-character.\n''Stanley'': An old Italian security guard; dies of a corpse-bite.\n''Roy'': A paramedic who lost his family to the hordes of the dead.\n''Eric'': A well-meaning leader of the apartment survivors<<if $saved eq "Robert">>; dies of a corpse-bite<<endif>>.\n''Emmett'': Eric's younger brother; has a photographic memory.\n''Alexia'': One of Eric's friends; dies of a corpse-bite.\n''Robert'': Former military man; gun-expert<<if $saved eq "Eric">>; dies of a corpse-bite<<endif>>.\n\n[[Back|Begin]]\n

"He found us," I explain.\n\n"Found you?" Roy repeats. "He tracked you guys down?"\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

"He lead us here," I explain.\n\n"Lead you here?" Roy repeats. "Wait a second. He tracked you guys down?"\n\n<<display 'a6'>>

<<set $nateHunter = true>>Nate jumps out from behind the boxes and drives the knife into the man's stomach before he can shoot, before he can curse, before he can blink. He bends over in pain as Nate pulls the knife out and sends it into his throat, then he sputters and chokes on his own blood as he collapses to the floor. Nate takes the knife and drives it into the man's skull for good measure. He smiles back at us and gives a thumbs up. Christa looks absolutely horrified.\n\n<<if $zombie eq "Kdead" or $zombie eq "Ndead">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the boxes with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they ask the new arrivals.\n\n"The corpse at the gas station was dead," one of them replies. "It was recent, too. Someone just went through there."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. There's nothing here."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "left">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the boxes with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they asks the new arrivals.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "Did you guys see anyone?"\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "trap">>Suddenly, three out of the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the boxes with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "When we went in to check, Lou got bit."\n\n"Lou?" one of the others asks. "How is that--?"\n\n"They let the corpse from the restroom out. It was a trap."\n\nThere's a long pause before either of them speak again.\n\n"Whoever did that," one of them starts, "they're gonna pay."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here," another mentions, "but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>>\n\n"Well, the weather's about to go crazy, so we probably won't find them today. We'll report back to camp and see if we can send more people tomorrow. Whoever it was, they were hiding from us, which means they can't be friendly."\n\n"Where's Wally?" one of them suddenly wonders aloud. That must be the one Nate just killed.\n\n"Probably on his way to storage to meet us. Let's go around back to get him before the storm hits."\n\n<<display 'p13'>>

<<set $NateVChrista = "Christa">>"Nate, Christa is right. We have to try to keep our humanity, even if everyone else is losing theirs."\n\n"What good is humanity if you're--" then Nate catching himself and takes a breath. "I'm sorry, Christa. I just don't want us to get hurt, alright?"\n\nShe nods. "I know." They both turn to me.\n\n"Well," Nate says, "we should probably find somewhere safe before the storm hits, huh?"\n\n"Yeah," I nod, "I guess we should."\n\nA low rumble echoes in the clouds above, ushering the three of us to hurry [[outside|p14]].

<<set $understand = true>>"It depends, I suppose."\n\n"That sounds like a cop-out answer, but I guess you're right. If I tell her the right way, maybe I can help her deal with it a little easier."\n\n<<display 'p43'>>

I nod. <<display 'a04e'>>

<<set $nateHunter = false>>I reach out to grab his arm before he attacks. He turns to see me shaking my head. He tightens his lips, then his eyes drop and his grip on the knife loosens.\n\n<<if $zombie eq "Kdead" or $zombie eq "Ndead">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory, and the hunter beside us hurries to meet them with his two partners. We haven't been seen.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"The corpse at the gas station was dead," one of them replies. "It was recent, too. Someone just went through there."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. There's nothing here."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "left">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory, and the hunter beside us hurries to meet them with his two partners. We haven't been seen.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "Did you guys see anyone?"\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "trap">>Suddenly, three out of the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory, and the hunter beside us hurries to meet them with his two partners. We haven't been seen.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "When we went in to check, Lou got bit."\n\n"Lou?" one of the others asks. "How is that--?"\n\n"They let the corpse from the restroom out. It was a trap."\n\nThere's a long pause before either of them speak again.\n\n"Whoever did that," one of them starts, "they're gonna pay."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here," another mentions, "but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>>\n\n"Well, the weather's about to go crazy, so we probably won't find them today. We'll report back to camp and see if we can send more people tomorrow. Whoever it was, they were hiding from us, which means they can't be friendly."\n\n<<display 'p13'>>

<<set $NateVChrista = "neutral">>"Stop it, both of you."\n\n"But who's right?" Christa asks.\n\n"It doesn't matter," I tell her. "We need to find somewhere safe before the storm hits."\n\nNate and Christa eye each other, then they both look to me. A low rumble echoes in the clouds above, ushering the three of us to hurry [[outside|p14]].

<<set $understand = false>>"It's impolite, I suppose."\n\n"That's what I thought. I guess I'll keep it to myself, then."\n\n<<display 'p43'>>

<<set $understand = true>>"It's the truth, I suppose."\n\n"Right. I guess if she knows I understand, she might be able to deal with her loss a little easier."\n\n<<display 'p43'>>

<<set $NateVChrista = "Nate">>"Christa, Nate is right. They're going to come after us, and there's not always an easy way out, just like with the biters."\n\nShe eyes Nate harshly, then she sighs. "I know. I just..."\n\n"It's not an easy choice, Christa," Nate explains. "If it were easy for us to do, we'd be the bad guys."\n\nShe nods. "Alright." Nate pats her on the shoulder.\n\n"I'm sorry for scaring you," he says. She gives him a smile, then she turns to me.\n\n"We should probably find somewhere safe before the storm comes, huh?"\n\n"Yeah," I agree, "we should." A low rumble echoes in the clouds above, ushering the three of us to hurry [[outside|p14]].

"Who knows what he'll do?"\n\n"Well, I think he's going to want to stay with Christa. It's like he thinks of her as family<<if $fault eq false>>."\n\n"So he'll vote to go with you."\n\n"Unless you change his mind."\n\n"What?"\n\n"He cares about you //and// the girl. I'm sure he'll find a way to sweet-talk Hannah into coming with you to your parents<<endif>>."\n\n<<display 'p54'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "A">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Hunters!" Emmett yells. I realize what he's doing, and before I see the gun emerging from his back, I've already drawn the one Nate gave to me. We both fire at the same time, his bullet tearing through my shoulder, and mine going straight through his chest. We both drop to the ground, each clutching our wounds. I scream at the pain as the hole in my shoulder throbs with each beat of my heart. I hear Emmett gasping. I manage to see him holding his chest. I got him in the heart. I got him.\n\n<<display 'p56'>>

<<set $foundCans = false>>"Just keep watch."\n\nHe shuts the door and returns to watching the road with Christa. I keep looking through the whole store, but I can't find even the smallest missed morsel left behind. Scavengers have gotten thorough.\n\nSuddenly Christa and Nate run into the store and duck under the window.\n\n"Kerry," Christa chokes in fear as a gunfire sounds from outside. "Hunters!" I rush over to the window. Two men and two women in similar coats are walking down the street toward the convenience store. They're all holding guns, something we've been lacking since the fire.\n\n"What do we do?" Nate asks. I look at the backpack in my hand. I wasn't able to find any food, but there's no time to worry about that now.\n\n<<display 'c03'>>

"Go hide in the back room," I tell them. <<display 'p23'>>

I turn to run back to the safehouse, but as I do I hear Emmett yell from behind.\n\n"Hunters!"\n\nHe's lying. I know what he's doing, now. Then I hear a gunshot and a bullet tears through my shoulder. I fall to the ground and scream, grabbing the wound as it throbs with every beat of my heart. He's moving closer to finish me off, but as he steps beside me, I see that the slide of his gun is locked back. He's out of ammo. This is my chance. I pull out Nate's <<if $nateHunter eq true>>gun and [[fire at Emmett's head|a30]]<<else>>knife and [[drive it into Emmett's leg|b30]]<<endif>>.

"Get behind the bar counter," I tell them. <<display 'p23'>>

"He said he'd be back soon."\n\n<<display 'p39'>>

I stand still, unsure what to do as Emmett pulls the gun from his back.\n\n"Hunters!" he suddenly yells, staring right into my eyes. I realize what he's doing just as he raises his gun and fires into my shoulder. I fall to the ground and scream, grabbing the wound as it throbs with every beat of my heart. He's moving closer to finish me off, but as he steps beside me, I see that the slide of his gun is locked back. He's out of ammo. This is my chance. I pull out Nate's <<if $nateHunter eq true>>gun and [[fire at Emmett's head|a30]]<<else>>knife and [[drive it into Emmett's leg|b30]]<<endif>>.

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "L">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $foundCans = true>>"Why don't you guys come in and help?"\n\nNate's face beams and he quickly gathers Christa and brings her inside. The two of them join me in searching through the whole store.\n\n"I found some!" Christa shouts excitedly. Nate and I turn to her as she struggles to lift a twelve-pack of canned string beans from beneath the counter. It's a wonder she was able to fit under there.\n\n"Awesome," Nate smiles as he picks it up for her. "Where have these bean all my life?"\n\nChrista laughs at the quip and Nate smiles at his own cleverness. But the celebration is short lived as a gunshot sounds from outside. Nate and Christa duck and I rush over to the window. Two men and two women in similar coats are walking down the street toward the convenience store. They're all holding guns, something we've been lacking since the fire.\n\n"Hunters? What do we do?" Nate asks. I hurry over to him and begin stuffing the cans into my backpack, wrapping them in the extra clothes to muffle their sound.\n\n<<display 'c03'>>

"Stay here," I tell them. <<display 'p23'>>

"He had something to do."\n\n<<display 'p39'>>

"Hunters!" Emmett yells. I realize what he's doing, and before I see the gun emerging from his back, I've already drawn the knife Nate gave to me. I run up and drive it into his stomach and he yells, then he presses the gun to my chest and fires. The bullet tears through my shoulder. I fall to the ground and scream, grabbing the wound as it throbs with every beat of my heart. He missed it. He missed my heart but the wound still burns like nothing I've felt before.\n\nI manage to catch a glimpse of him stumbling toward me. His gun's slide is locked back. It's out of ammo. He grabs the handle of the knife embedded in his stomach and blood pours from the wound as he pulls the blade out. He doesn't seem to care. He can barely walk, but he reaches me and kneels by my head.\n\n"Go to hell, you bitch," he grunts, raising the knife. My only chance. I wedge my hand into the [[wound|c30]] in his stomach.

"He was looking for something."\n\n<<display 'p39'>>

<<set $foundCans = false>>"Give me a few more minutes."\n\n"No problem," he says, shutting the door and returning to watching the road with Christa. I keep looking through the whole store, but I can't find even the smallest missed morsel left behind. Scavengers have gotten thorough.\n\nSuddenly Christa and Nate run into the store and duck under the window.\n\n"Kerry," Christa chokes in fear as a gunfire sounds from outside. "Hunters!" I rush over to the window. Two men and two women in similar coats are walking down the street toward the convenience store. They're all holding guns, something we've been lacking since the fire.\n\n"What do we do?" Nate asks. I look at the backpack in my hand. I wasn't able to find any food, but there's no time to worry about that now.\n\n<<display 'c03'>>

<<set $degree = "third">>"It might actually be a third degree burn," I tell him.\n\n"Isn't that the one where you can see all black on the inside?" Owen asked, still twitching at the pain in his arm.\n\n"Yeah, I think."\n\nOwen shudders nervously.\n\n<<display 'p32'>>

<<set $degree = "first">>"It's probably a first degree burn," I tell him.\n\n"Is that the worst?" Owen asks.\n\n"No," Nate answers. "It's the best."\n\n"Great," Owen says, rolling his eyes. "I have the //best// burn."\n\n<<display 'p32'>>

<<set $degree = "second">>"I'd say it's a second degree burn," I tell him. I feel pretty confident about that.\n\n"That's bad, right?" Owen asks.\n\n"It's not the worst," Nate answers.\n\nOwen turns to his brother, "That's your way of saying it's bad."\n\n<<display 'p32'>>

<<set $sitWith = "Nate">>"Hey," Nate mumbles, noticing me walking over.\n\n"Hey," I reply. I sit on the floor beside him.\n\n<<display 'a09'>>

<<if $d1 eq false>><<if $nateHunter eq true>>[["About today, the guy you killed."|a08q]]<<else>>[["About today, the guy you almost killed."|a08q]]<<endif>><<endif>>\n<<if $d2 eq false>>[["You did good today."|a08w]]<<endif>>\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["What do you think we should do next?"|a08e]]<<endif>>\n[[(Just eat)|a10]]

He ducks behind one of the aisles and I hear him tearing through the pillaged shelves for even the smallest missed morsel. Christa and I do the same. There's enough empty boxes here to fuel a fire for hours, but I can't find any food.\n\n"There has to be //something//," Nate groans, throwing another empty box across the store. As it hits the employee restroom door, we hear scraping on the other side. We all freeze. It's stuck behind the door.\n\n"Biter," Christa whispers, clutching her left shoulder.\n\n"I got this," Nate says, taking his knife in hand once more.\n\n[["I've got it, Nate."|a02q]]\n[["Be careful."|a02w]]\n[["Leave it."|a02e]]

<<set $foundCans = true>>"I found some!" Christa shouts excitedly. Nate and I turn to her as she struggles to lift a twelve-pack of canned string beans from beneath the counter. It's a wonder she was able to fit under there.\n\n"Awesome," Nate smiles as he picks it up for her. "Where have these //bean// all my life?"\n\nChrista laughs at the quip and Nate smiles at his own cleverness. But the celebration is short lived as a gunshot sounds from outside. Nate and Christa duck and I rush over to the window. Two men and two women in similar coats are walking down the street toward the convenience store. They're all holding guns, something we've been lacking since the fire.\n\n"Hunters? What do we do?" Nate asks. I hurry over to him and begin stuffing the cans into my backpack, wrapping them in the extra clothes to muffle their sound.\n\n"We have to go," I whisper, throwing my bag over my shoulde<<if $zombie eq "left">>r. I glance over at the restroom door. I can still hear the scratching of the corpse behind it.\n\n[[(Let biter out)|d07q]]\n[[(Leave biter and exit)|d07w]]<<else>>r and leading them out the [[back|p08]].<<endif>>

"Okay, you take point, then."\n\nHe smiles and pulls a knife from his coat. He grips the onyx-colored handle tight and places his other hand on the glass door, pushing it open carefully. He looks up and watches as the door softly taps the bell, then he stands on his toes and stretches out his arm to catch the bell with his knife before it shakes and rings, maintaining the near-silence that we had walked into. He holds the door for me and then for Christa, then he carefully shuts it behind us and starts leading the search through the short aisles, ensuring we won't be caught off gaurd by any biters.\n\n"Clear," he says as he passes the last aisle.\n\n[["You're pretty good at this."|a01q]]\n[["Let's start looking for food."|a01w]]\n[[(Double check)|a01e]]

<<if $d1 eq false>>Above the stove are a few [[cabinets|a06q]] covered in cobwebs<<else>>The cabinets above the stove are empty<<endif>>, <<if $d2 eq false>>beside the oven is a [[mini-fridge|a06w]]<<else>>the mini-fridge is empty<<endif>>, <<if $d3 eq false>>and the [[pantry|a06e]] in the corner is unopened<<else>>and the pantry in the corner has nothing else inside<<endif>>.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d3 eq true>>[[(Return to bar)|a07]]<<endif>>

Christa, Nate, and I all climb onto stools. Nate opens and hands out the spoons and Christa takes one of the cans and tries to properly set the can-opener on the top. It's quite the task for a one-handed little girl.\n\n[[(Offer to help)|a07q]]\n[[(Let her do it)|a07w]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<endsilently>>The three of us enter the back room of the bar. It's a small living space with a kitchen and a broken cot. <<display 'a06'>>

<<if $soak eq false>>[[(Look for a way to soak the wound)|p33]]<<endif>>\n<<if $oint eq false>>[[(Use ointment)|p35]]<<endif>>\n[[(Use gauze)|p36]]

As my fingers pry into the cavities of unknown organs Emmett screams and writhes in agonized spasms. I can feel my throat tighten and I start vomiting up what little food I've had today. Emmett grabs my hand and wrenches it out of his wound but the blood is gushing out too profusely now. He tries to stand and back away, but his feet no longer obey him and he drops to the asphault panting and wailing.\n\n<<display 'p56'>>

''Just Short of the Dead: Episode Three'' by Tom Gould

"Sorry, Christa, I don't have anything," I admit as I fasten the backpack shut.\n\n"That's alright," she says, smiling in an effort to hide the growls of her stomach. Nate stands up and starts folding the blanket, then he stuffs it into his bag. I'm surprised he made it fit.\n\n"I guess food is our first errand of the day," I say, getting to my feet and pulling on my coat and backpack. Christa and Nate follow suit, and the three of us [[exit the bar|p05]].

"Hannah, please. You know Georgia's the more dangerous option. You don't want anything to happen to Christa, do you?"\n\nShe gives me a hard look then turns away.\n\n"So, if Nate and Owen are with you," Emmett continues, "that means it's three-and-three."\n\n<<display 'e50'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "L">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

miss: parents, Roy, none \n\nzombie: left, Kdead, Ndead, trap\n\nfoundCans: true, false\n\nnateHunter: true, false\n\nburn (treating Owen): true, false\n degree: first, second, third\n beer: true, false\n soak: true, false\n water: none, warm, rain\n ointment: used, unused\n\nLookFor: Roy, EH\n\nEmmettInjured: true (try to help), false (didn't help)\n\nunderstand: true, false\n\nburnRight (took care of it right): true, false

I look around. There aren't too many options.\n\n[[(Hide in office)|d10q]]\n[[(Hide under staircase)|d10w]]\n[[(Hide behind conveyor belt)|d10e]]

"...got out, what's to keep others?" one of them is saying.\n\n"So you think it was people who went in here and not corpses?" another asks. <<if $barricade eq "none">>The door creaks open without any trouble and the voice continues, "See? A living person would've barricaded the door, or at least locked it." The three hunters make their way inside.\n\n"Yeah, well, you know Aaron. Better to check, especially if he thinks some of the Dead House people are hanging around."<<endif>><<if $barricade eq "lock">>There's another bang against the large front doors.\n\n"What kind of corpse locks a door behind it, huh?" a third voice remarks. They start smashing one of the tall windows to form a new entrance and the three of them make their way inside. "I'm telling you, those people are in here."<<endif>><<if $barricade eq "pipe">>There's another bang against the large front doors.\n\n"What kind of corpse sticks a pipe in the door, huh?" a third voice remarks. Then one of the hunters pushes the doors open just enough to stick his fingers through, then he begins walking them along the pipe, inching it through the handles until it falls to the floor with an echoing clank. The door finally opens and the three of them make their way inside. "I'm telling you, those people are in here."<<endif>><<if $barricade eq "wood">>There's another bang against the large front doors.\n\n"What kind of corpse barricades a door, huh?" a third voice remarks. "Gimme a hand." They push the doors until the shelf finally gives way and loudly skids across the floor, then the three of them start making their way inside. "I'm telling you, those people are in here."<<endif>>

That's the first time their flawed understanding of the disease has worked in our favor. Aaron's men assume that whatever's causing the corpses is somehow airborne. Maybe it was, at some point. I don't know exactly how it works, but I know that even after spending two weeks in an apartment filled with them, we were fine. At least we can take advantage of the hunters' paranoia for now.\n\n"They wouldn't be crazy enough to hide around corpses, would they?" one of the hunters wonders aloud.\n\n"If they are, we won't have to worry about them for long," another replies. "Doesn't it kill you if you stay close for too long?"\n\n"I don't know. I've only seen the bites. It's--"\n\n"Where'd Sam run off to?" The two of them pause and look around for a moment.\n\n"He's probably checking some of the storage garages."\n\n"Alone? That idiot. I'm gonna find him. Do one more sweep in here then come find us."

<<set $BPw = true>>I look at the extra clothes. After Aaron's men dowsed me with gasoline and left me for dead, I had to wash up and change. I decided it would be best for us all to have a change of clothes in case any of us got covered in something undesirable again. It'll save us the trouble of hunting more stuff down too frequently. As I reach in to better pack in the clothing, I hear something plastic underneath. I sift through several pockets to find a very small, unopened granola bar. I pull it out.\n\n"Hey, Christa, it's your lucky day."\n\n"You found a granola bar?" Nate says as Christa takes it from my hand.\n\n"It was in one of my clothes pockets," I tell him. "I didn't realize it was there."\n\n"I can split it with you guys," Christa offers, ripping open the wrapper. Nate smells it, but he pulls his mouth shut tight.\n\n"Nah," he says. "It's all yours." He stands up and starts folding the blanket, stuffing it into his bag as Christa devours her meager treat.\n\n"I guess food is our first errand of the day," I say, getting to my feet and pulling on my coat and backpack. Christa and Nate follow suit, and the three of us [[exit the bar|p05]].

__Chapter 3: The Talk__\n\nWe walk down the road, back to the bar we've been staying at. It hasn't been found by Aaron's men yet, so it's our safest bet for a secure safehouse. As we walk into the dusty room, we look around to be sure everything is as we left it.\n\n<<display 'p16'>>

<<set $BPq = true>>I look at the cracked screen of my phone. It broke during the confrontation with Aaron in the alley. Even if I was able to charge it in this powerless city, I doubt I'd be able to read my parents' text with the screen in such a state.\n\n<<display 'p04'>>

"Everything seems fine," Nate reports.\n\n<<if $foundCans eq true>>"Can we please eat, now?" Christa asks, climbing onto one of the stools.\n\n"Sure," I say, pulling the cans out of my backpack and lining them up on the bar.\n\n"We don't have a can-opener, do we?" Nate says.\n\n"Can we use your knife?" Christa asks.\n\n"I don't think so," he says. "It's not very clean."\n\n"We need spoons to eat with, too," I say.\n\nNate hops up. "There has to be something around here we can use. Let's [[look|a05]]."<<else>>"We didn't find anything to eat, did we?" Christa asks, climbing onto one of the stools.\n\n"No," I say.\n\nNate hops up. "There's got to be something in here. Let's [[look|b05]].<<endif>>

"Impressive," I say. "I don't think I could've done that."\n\n"Yeah," Nate agrees. "If I had to open <<if $foundCans eq true>>a can<<else>>a cereal box<<endif>> with one arm, I'd be pretty //stumped//."\n\nIt takes Christa a second to realize that Nate made a pun off of her lack of an arm. When she finally gets it, she becomes very quiet, <<if $foundCans eq true>>places the can opener on the counter, and picks up her opened can<<else>>pours herself some cereal, and picks up her bowl<<endif>> and a plastic spoon. Then she hops off her stool and walks over to sit alone at a booth in a far corner of the bar. I turn to Nate.\n\n"I think I upset her," he mutters.\n\n[["No shit."|d17q]]\n[["You think?"|d17w]]\n[["She'll come around."|d17e]]\n[[(Remain silent)|d17r]]

he says, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe I said that. Owen was always the one with a better filter." He looks over to Christa. "Now I have to come up with an apology."\n\nHe takes the <<if $foundCans eq true>>can-opener and opens his own can of green beans<<else>>cereal box and pours his own bowl<<endif>>, then he grabs a spoon and wanders over to the opposite side of the bar to sit alone on the floor.\n\n<<display 'p19'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $d1 = false>>\n<<set $d2 = false>>\n<<set $d3 = false>>\n<<set $d4 = false>>\n<<set $d5 = false>>\n<<set $d6 = false>>\n<<set $d7 = false>>\n<<set $promise = false>>\n<<endsilently>>I get myself some food and stand up. To my right is Christa, sitting alone in her booth. She looks pretty upset. Maybe she wants to be left alone, or maybe she needs someone to talk to. Maybe she just needs someone to sit down with her without saying anything.\n\nTo my left is Nate, sitting in the secluded corner we've been using as our bed. Our run-in with the hunters today seems to have him troubled. He might need someone to talk to about where to draw the line when it comes to killing.\n\nI should take the chance to sit with one of them while everything's quiet.\n\n[[(Sit by Christa)|b08]]\n[[(Sit by Nate)|a08]]

"Georgia?" Hannah says, surprised. "That's way too far out of the way. We could die getting there."\n\n"We could die getting anywhere," Emmett snaps. He looks to Christa. "Christa, when you were separated from your mom, didn't you want to do everything you could to get back to her?"\n\nChrista hesitates but then nods.\n\n"See?" Emmett says excitedly. "Hannah, please."\n\n"Emmett," Hannah says quietly. "Emmett, did you see what happened to the hospital here?"\n\n"What do you mean?"\n\n"It's the first place everyone went when this started, and when the dead came back, it's the first place that panic and riots broke out. You saw the fires, right?"\n\nEmmett becomes silent for a moment. "What are you saying?"\n\n"You know what I'm saying. It's too far out of the way for such a huge risk."\n\n"Well, how do we know Kerry's parents aren't dead?" Emmett argues.\n\n[["I got a text."|d48q]]\n[["They're preppers."|d48w]]\n[["They're far away from cities."|d48e]]

<<if $Episode1 eq "None">>Please select a letter for "Episode One" first.<<else>><<if $Episode2 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode Two"?\n\n[[A|A1]] . . . [[B|B1]] . . . [[C|C1]] . . . [[D|D1]] . . . [[E|E1]] . . . [[F|F1]] . . . [[G|G1]] . . . [[H|H1]] . . . [[I|I1]] . . . [[J|J1]] . . . [[K|K1]] . . . [[L|L1]] . . . [[M|M1]] . . . [[N|N1]] . . . [[O|O1]] . . . [[P|P1]]<<else>>Episode Two: <<print $Episode2>>\n[[See Recap for "Episode Two"|RE2]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB2]]<<endif>><<endif>>

"I'm not her mother, though," I tell her. "She's going to need you, now more than ever."\n\n"Of course." <<display 'p51'>>

<<if $Episode1 eq "None">>Which letter did you get at the end of "Episode One"?\n\n[[A]] . . . [[B]] . . . [[C]] . . . [[D]] . . . [[E]] . . . [[F]] . . . [[G]] . . . [[H]] . . . [[I]] . . . [[J]] . . . [[K]] . . . [[L]] . . . [[M]] . . . [[N]] . . . [[O]] . . . [[P]]<<else>>Episode One: <<print $Episode1>> \n[[See Recap for "Episode One"|RE1]]\n[[Choose another letter|GB1]]<<endif>>

"You're welcome."\n\n<<display 'p51'>>

<<set $promise = true>>"We'll look for her. I promise."\n\nShe's quiet for a moment. "Thanks," she says. "I wonder if she even knows... what happened to him," Christa adds with a shiver.\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"We were worried about you guys, too."\n\n"I'll bet. Nate probably didn't show it very much, but he's kind of a worry-wart when it comes to me. He's the protective big-brother type, even though he's a bit of an idiot most of the time. Roy reminded me a little of him. When we lost you guys, he went tearing through the building, even when it was still on fire, and he was really mad when he couldn't find you. <<display 'p47'>>

"What the hell are you doing, Roy?" I ask, glancing over at the groaning hunter in the chair. His face is horribly disfigured by bruises.\n\n"I'm trying to save us," Roy says, eyeing me harshly. "Was Christa with you or not?"\n\n"She's with Hannah," I tell him. "I'm glad I didn't bring her with me to see this."\n\nRoy looks at the hunter with a bit of surprise, then he looks back to me for confirmation. "She's with her mom? That's... that's great. Thank you, Kerry." <<display 'b4'>>

"She's back with Hannah," I tell him, glancing over at the groaning hunter in the chair. His face is horribly disfigured by bruises.\n\n"With her mom?" Roy smiles. "That's... that's great. Thank you, Kerry." <<display 'b4'>>

<<set $d5 = true>>"Today was scary, huh?"\n\n<<if $promise eq true>>"Yeah," she mutters, "it was."<<else>>She doesn't say anything, but I hear her groan to herself. It wasn't my favorite day, either.<<endif>>\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"I did what I could, but I know it can't make up for what happened to Mark."\n\n"It wasn't... It wasn't your fault. I can't put that all on you." <<display 'p51'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>"Do you think he's alright?"\n\n"Huh?" Christa glances over at him, then she looks to me. "What do you mean?"\n\n"After what happened today with the hunters," I say. "Do you think he's still doing okay?"\n\n"He kind of scared me," she admits, "but I think he's fine. I don't know. Why?"\n\n"Nevermind," I say, trying not to worry her. "Forget it."\n\n<<display 'b099'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>"The joke was an accident."\n\n"I know," she mutters. "I... kind of miss my other arm, though."\n\n"I'm sorry."\n\n<<display 'b099'>>

I don't know what to say to her. I'm kind of surprised that an eight-year-old has thought about this so hard, especially when it was such a traumatizing event. She really is a tough kid.\n\n"I wonder if she even knows... what happened to him," Christa adds with a shiver.\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"About Nate," I begin. Christa looks up.\n\n<<display 'b099'>>

<<set $d4 = true>>"I'm sorry about your father," I say. "I don't know how to--"\n\n"I know," she says. "<<if $death eq "sorry">>You said you were sorry that night of the fire, and you've said it every night after<<endif>><<if $death eq "hero">>You said he died a hero that night of the fire, and I remember that every night. I go to sleep dreaming about him saving the day, like always. Except that now, when I wake up, he's not there with me anymore<<endif>><<if $death eq "love">>That night of the fire, you said he loved me. Every night now, I cry myself to sleep, thinking about how I didn't show that I loved him back<<endif>><<if $death eq "silent">>You didn't have to say it. I could see it in your eyes the night of the fire<<endif>>." She clutches her left shoulder. Her voice begins to waver, her eyes glistening with tears. "I hated him for some of the things he did, and now all I want is to go back in time and give him just one last hug." She sniffles and falls silent for a minute, then she clears her throat. "I wish my mom was here."\n\n[["We may have to leave the city before we find her."|b08u]]\n[["She might already be dead."|b08i]]\n[["We'll look for her. I promise."|b08o]]\n[[(Remain Silent)|b08p]]

<<set $d2 = true>><<if $nateHunter eq true>>"You know why he killed that hunter?"<<else>>"You know why he wanted to kill that hunter?"<<endif>>\n\n"Because he thought he was protecting us," Christa answers.\n\n"Right. So try not to hold it against him, okay? He was trying to do the right thing."\n\nShe nods slowly. I can tell that she doesn't quite understand, but she's trying to.\n\n<<display 'b099'>>

"We may have to leave the city before we find her."\n\n"But..." Christa begins, but she doesn't continue. She's quiet for a moment. "I wonder if she even knows... what happened to him," she says with a shiver.\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"How did you find us?"\n\nOwen grins. "You guys aren't as stealthy as you think, especially since you're hiding in the only building on the block that has boarded up windows and a functioning door."\n\n"But why are you alone?" Christa asks, becoming worried. "Is my mom okay? And Roy?\n\n"They're fine," Owen says. "<<print $saved>> is the only one unaccounted for after the fire. Hannah, Emmett, Roy, and I found a safe place near the wreckage. Roy told us to try and stay put for a while, and then headed out. I thought he was going to look for you guys. I didn't believe for a second that you were dead, so when Emmett and Hannah went to search the apartment wreckage for any sign of <<print $saved>>, I snuck away to look for Roy, figuring I'd help him find you. I managed to track him closer to the city exit, but I lost his trail." He smiles. "Luckily, I found yours not long after the rain hit."\n\n"That's impressive," I say.\n\n"That's my little brother," Nate laughs, giving Owen a playful punch in the arm. He winces and pulls away. "Oh, right. The burn. Sorry. How'd you get that, by the way?"\n\n"How do you think? I was caught in the apartment when it was on fire. I got stuck under some burning debris and thought I was gonna die, but then Roy ran in, lifted the stuff like it was nothing, threw me over his shoulder, and found a way out."\n\n<<display 'p27'>>

"How bad is the burn?"\n\n"I don't really know. I can't see my bones or anything, but it hurts a lot."\n\n"How'd you get it?" Nate asks.\n\n"How do you think?" Owen says. "I was caught in the apartment when it was on fire. I got stuck under some burning debris and thought I was gonna die, but then Roy ran in, lifted the stuff like it was nothing, threw me over his shoulder, and found a way out."\n\n"What about my mom?" Christa asks him. "Is she okay?"\n\n"Yeah. Hannah's fine. Emmett's fine." He looks to me, "But, we weren't able to find <<print $saved>>."\n\n"Oh, no."\n\n"Yeah. Emmett's not happy. He and Hannah have been searching the wreck for him, but it's dangerous, and they haven't had any luck, yet."\n\n"Is Roy helping them?" Nate asks.\n\n"No. He went off to... I don't really know what. He found us a safe place, told us to try and stay put for a while, and then headed out. I thought he was going to look for you guys. I didn't believe for a second that you were dead, so when Emmett and Hannah went to search the apartment wreckage, I snuck away to look for Roy, figuring I'd help him find you. I managed to track him closer to the city exit, but I lost his trail." He smiles. "Then I found yours."\n\n"Ours?"\n\n"You guys aren't as stealthy as you think," he says, amused at our surprise. "And, of course, when I found this building with boarded up windows and a functioning door, I knew it had to be where you were hiding."\n\n"That's impressive," I say.\n\n"That's my little brother," Nate laughs, patting Owen on the head with pride.\n\n<<display 'p27'>>

"Where is everyone?"\n\nOwen thinks for a moment. "Hannah and Emmett are close to the apartment wreckage. <<print $saved>> was the only one who didn't make it out of the fire, so they wanted to keep looking for him. As for Roy, he found us a safe place, told us to try and stay put, then went off to... I'm not sure what. I thought he was going to look for you guys. I didn't believe for a second that you were dead, so when Emmett and Hannah went to search the apartment wreckage again, I snuck away to look for Roy, figuring I'd help him find you. I managed to track him closer to the city exit, but I lost his trail." He smiles. "Then I found yours."\n\n"Ours?"\n\n"You guys aren't as stealthy as you think," he says, amused at our surprise. "And, of course, when I found this building with boarded up windows and a functioning door, I knew it had to be where you were hiding."\n\n"That's impressive," I say.\n\n"That's my little brother," Nate laughs, giving Owen a playful punch in the arm. He winces and pulls away. "Oh, right. The burn. Sorry. How'd you get that, by the way?"\n\n"How do you think? I was caught in the apartment when it was on fire. I got stuck under some burning debris and thought I was gonna die, but then Roy ran in, lifted the stuff like it was nothing, threw me over his shoulder, and found a way out."\n\n<<display 'p27'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "E">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

As my fingers pry into the cavities of unknown organs Emmett screams and writhes and the knife drops out of his hand as it twitches in agonized spasms. I can feel my throat tighten and I start vomiting up what little food I've had today. Emmett grabs my hand and wrenches it out of his wound, but the blood is gushing out too profusely now. He tries to stand and back away, but his feet no longer obey him and he drops to the asphault panting and wailing.\n\n<<display 'p56'>>

Thank you for playing\n''JUST SHORT OF THE DEAD | EPISODE THREE:\nLooking Back'' by Tom Gould\n\n__SOME OF YOUR CHOICES:__\n<<if $zombie eq "Kdead">>''The Adult'': You killed the biter in the bathroom<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "Ndead">>''The Fun One'': You let Nate kill the biter in the bathroom<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "left">>''The Careful One'': You left the biter in the bathroom<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "trap">>''The Crazy One'': You let the biter in the bathroom out to kill one of the hunters<<endif>>.\n<<if $foundCans eq true>>''Can-Do'': You brought Nate and Christa into the convenience store where they found canned food.\n<<if $nateHunter eq true>>''Self-Defense'': You<<else>>''Spared'': You did not<<endif>> let Nate kill the hunter in the factory<<else>><<if $nateHunter eq true>>''Self-Defense'': You<<else>>''Spared'': You did not<<endif>> let Nate kill the hunter in the factory.\n''Cereal-Killer'': You managed to find some cereal for Nate and Christa at the bar<<endif>>.\n<<if $burn eq true>><<if $burnRight>>''Dr. Kerry'': You treated Owen's burn properly<<else>>''Quack'': You treated Owen's burn improperly<<endif>><<else>>''Negligent'': You chose not to treat Owen's burn<<endif>>.\n<<if $EmmettInjured eq true>>''I Think I Can'': You tried to help save <<print $saved>> but you overestimated your strength and let Emmett get injured<<else>>''Realist'': You knew that <<print $saved>> was beyond saving and refused to put Emmett in danger<<endif>>.\n<<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>''Confidant'': Only you and Owen know the truth of Emmett's death<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "all">>''What I Had to Do'': Everyone knows the truth behind Emmett's death<<endif>><<if $owenTruth eq "none">>''What a Big Nose You Have'': Only Kerry knows the truth behind Emmett's death<<endif>>.\n\nIf you'd like to see more "Just Short of the Dead", let me know at ''thegouldenway.deviantart.com''. Thanks to the quantity of players asking for this third part over the past few months, I was motivated to finish it despite my crazy life constantly trying to get in the way. I'm hoping that the fourth installation will take less time, but how much time I set aside for this depends on player feedback, so keep it coming!\n\nIn order to properly carry over progress to the next installation, you'll need to keep your letters for all previous episodes, so be sure to remember the letters you get at the end of each episode.\n\nBased on how you played, these are the letters you will input into "Episode Four" to carry over your choices from the previous three episodes: \n\n''Episode One'': <<print $Episode1>>\n''Episode Two'': <<print $Episode2>>\n''Episode Three'': <<display 'result'>><<print $Episode3>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "G">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $water = "warm">>"We'll take our chances with the warm water. At least we know that's clean."\n\nNate hands me the bottle and I unsrew the cap. We pour the water slowly, trying to keep the wound consistently wet for a little while. Once the water's out, I place the bottle down and turn to Owen.\n\n"Does it feel okay?" I ask, drying the wound gently with a paper towel.\n\n"Yeah," he nods. "Yeah, it feels okay." I smile and look back to the supplies.\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

As the knife digs into his leg I hear the crackling of his shin against the blade. Emmett screams in pain and falls to his knee, then I pull the knife out and drive the knife into his stomach. He grits his teeth in pain and swats my hand away from the knife, then he pulls it out of his stomach himself. He crawls beside me and raises the knife. My last chance. I stick my fingers into the [[wound|c30]] in his stomach.

<<set $water = "rain">>"We'll take our chances with the rainwater."\n\nWe open the door and check outside for biters. It's clear, so Owen holds out his arm and lets the rain soak it. After a few minutes, I bring him back in and sit him down.\n\n"Does it feel okay?" I ask, drying the wound gently with a paper towel.\n\n"Yeah," he nods. "Yeah, it feels good." I smile and look back to the supplies.\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

"They're preppers. They would've known how to handle whatever happened, or they would've at least been prepared to improvise."\n\n"Yeah?" Emmett says. "Well, that might've made them bigger targets for looters, or whatever, and a lot can happen in two weeks."\n\n<<display 'p49'>>

He seems to know what he's doing, but he's still a kid. I can't take any chances. I peek through the aisles to double-check.\n\n"You don't trust me," Nate observes, sighing.\n\n"They're clear," I confirm.\n\n"Now can we look for something to eat?" he asks. He turns to Christa. "<<if $BPw eq false>>You must be starving<<else>>You must still be hungry<<endif>>." She nods. "Well, don't worry. Nate's on the job!"\n\n<<display 'a02'>>

"We shouldn't risk either. We might only be doing damage to it."\n\n"Alright," Owen agrees. "So what now?" I look back to the supplies.\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

"Emmett!" I shout. "Hannah!" Even with both of us yelling, there is no response.\n\n<<display 'c4'>>

"Christa, stop it," I hiss. "You're going to attract biters."\n\n"But, I..." she starts, but she knows I'm right.\n\n<<display 'c4'>>

"Don't hurt her."\n\n"I don't want to," the hunter replies, "<<display 'a4'>>

"Let her go."\n\n"I can't do that," the hunter replies. "I don't want to hurt her, <<display 'a4'>>

<<set $nateHunter = true>>Nate jumps out from behind the desk and drives the knife into the man's stomach before he can shoot, before he can curse, before he can blink. He bends over in pain as Nate pulls the knife out and sends it into his throat, then he sputters and chokes on his own blood as he collapses to the floor. Nate takes the knife and drives it into the man's skull for good measure. He smiles back at us and gives a thumbs up. Christa looks absolutely horrified.\n\n<<if $zombie eq "Kdead" or $zombie eq "Ndead">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the desk with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they ask the new arrivals.\n\n"The corpse at the gas station was dead," one of them replies. "It was recent, too. Someone just went through there."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. There's nothing here."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "left">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the desk with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they asks the new arrivals.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "Did you guys see anyone?"\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "trap">>Suddenly, three out of the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back behind the desk with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "When we went in to check, Lou got bit."\n\n"Lou?" one of the others asks. "How is that--?"\n\n"They let the corpse from the restroom out. It was a trap."\n\nThere's a long pause before either of them speak again.\n\n"Whoever did that," one of them starts, "they're gonna pay."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here," another mentions, "but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>>\n\n"Well, the weather's about to go crazy, so we probably won't find them today. We'll report back to camp and see if we can send more people tomorrow. Whoever it was, they were hiding from us, which means they can't be friendly."\n\n"Where's Wally?" one of them suddenly wonders aloud. That must be the one Nate just killed.\n\n"Probably on his way to storage to meet us. Let's go around back to get him before the storm hits."\n\n<<display 'p13'>>

[img[http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/248/a/a/ep3__title_by_thegouldenway-d7y1x5r.jpg]]\n\n''Just Short of the Dead\nEpisode Three | Looking Back''\n------------------------------\nWritten by Tom Gould\n------------------------------\n------------------------------\n<<set $Episode1 = "None">><<set $Episode2 = "None">>[[Begin]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "K">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I nod. <<display 'a04e'>>

"What do you want?"\n\n"Want? Same as anybody else," the hunter replies. "I just want to get out of here alive. I don't want to hurt the kid, <<display 'a4'>>

"Killing a little girl won't solve anything," I tell him.\n\nHe looks down at the girl, lowering his gun for just a moment.\n\n"I have to try--"\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

"I got a text from them saying they were safe, just before my phone died two weeks ago."\n\n"Oh, I'll bet you did," Emmett says, his voice laced with doubt. "Well, a lot can change in two weeks, you know."\n\n<<display 'p49'>>

"They're far away from cities, so they would've avoided the worst of it when it hit."\n\n"What if they were shopping when it all started? Or what if they got in a car crash? And even if they were alive at first, a lot can happen in two weeks."\n\n<<display 'p49'>>

"Just let us leave, please," I plead.\n\nHe looks down at the girl, lowering his gun for just a moment.\n\n"I can't do that before--"\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

"What asshole?" I ask him.\n\nHe pulls the gun away from Christa's head for a moment to motion toward the bodies Nate and Owen are standing over.\n\n"Are you blind? The guy who did that shit to my--"\n\n<<display 'a5'>>

She turns to be sure her mother isn't listening, then looks to me and lowers her voice. "Your home sounds safe, and I think Emmett's parents are in a city, so they're probably not okay. They might have bad people like the ones who killed Daddy." She pauses. "But I don't think my mom wants to do what you say anymore, and I can't leave my mom. Not again."\n\n[["I understand."|e51q]]\n[["You should speak up."|e51w]]\n[["Maybe you could change her mind."|e51e]]

"I guess Roy will be the swing-vote," Owen says, "whenever he gets back."\n\nEmmett looks to the door. "I guess so." He stands up and takes the map. "I'm going to take a minute to plan a route. Tell me when Roy gets back." He grabs the map and moves into another room of the building.\n\nWhile Hannah sits silently by the wall, Christa gets up and moves over to me. "I'm sorry you're getting blamed for so much, today."\n\n[["It's not your fault."|e50q]]\n[["Where do you really want to go?"|e50w]]\n[["Are you okay with this?"|e50e]]

As she moves back over to sit with her mom, I see Nate nudging Owen.\n\n"How's that burn doing, by the way?"\n\nOwen looks at his arm. "<<if $burn eq true and $water neq "none" and $ointment eq "unused">><<set $burnRight = true>>It actually feels okay. A bit itchy, but I think the water and bandages helped a lot. I guess the ointment would've been a bad idea, after all<<else>><<set $burnRight = false>><<if $burn eq false>>It feels itchy and gross, but I guess it can't be helped<<else>>I'm glad Kerry took care of it, but it does feel kind of warm and gross, so I don't know if we did it right<<endif>><<endif>>."\n\n<<if $beer eq true>>"Did the beer help?" Nate smiles.\n\n"No, Nate," Owen sighs. "The beer did not help."\n\n"<<else>>"<<endif>>Why didn't you have Roy look at it earlier?"\n\n"He was too focused on finding you guys. It didn't seem like the right time to be selfish and make him sit down to take care of me."\n\n"That's not selfish, Owen," Nate sighs. "You could get infected if you leave a wound like that untreated."\n\n"Yeah, I know." He looks over at Christa. "Hey, I'm going to talk to her for a minute."\n\n"About what?"\n\n"<<if $understand eq true>>About her dad. You should come. We both have some idea of what she's going through. I want to be sure she's okay."\n\n"Alright," Nate says, and the two of them walk over to Christa to comfort her<<else>>I don't know. I want to take her mind off her dad for now. The raining makes the day feel sad enough as it is. You should come. Tell her one of your stupid jokes."\n\n"I guess I'll try, although my jokes might not be her cup of tea, anymore," Nate says, but the two of them walk over to Christa to do their best to comfort her<<endif>>.\n\nJust then, Emmett walks back into the room. "Kerry," he says. "I think I just heard something outside. Will you come check with me?"\n\n[["Sure."|e52q]]\n[["Right now?"|e52w]]\n[["In the rain?"|e52e]]

"If that's how you want to put it, then go ahead. We're just trying to pick the best out of a crappy set of choices, okay?"\n\nHe shakes his head. "Yeah. It must be real painful for you." <<display 'p50'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "B">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I cross my arms to try to keep the cold at bay. "So," I continue, "<<if $fault eq true>>what are you trying to say<<else>>you're afraid that the vote will still go in my favor<<endif>>?"\n\nHe puts his [[back]] to me, looks up to the clouds, and lets out a sigh. "I just want to see my family again, Kerry."\n\n[["I'm sure you do."|d54q]]\n[["I want to see mine, too."|d54w]]\n[["They're probably dead."|d54e]]\n[["Alright. We'll go to Georgia."|d54r]]

burn : true, false\nbeer : true, false\ndegree : first, second, third\nsoak : true, false\noint : true, false\n\nwater : warm, rain, none\nointment: used, unused

"You fucking... I just.. wanted..." His huffing worsens as he tries to speak between his cries. "I... should've know... you'd end up killing me, too." \n\nAnd with each whimper, he becomes quieter and quieter, overtaken by the sound of the sweeping rain and the clattering hail.\n\n<<display 'Lying'>>\n\n"Kerry!" I hear. I turn my head to see Owen running out to me. "Kerry, where are they?"\n\n"Owen, get back here!" Hannah yells from the safehouse, barely audible through the storm. She continues calling out to him, but he isn't listening. He's just trying to help me up.\n\n"Come on," he says. "Were there hunters? Did they leave?"\n\n[["There were no hunters."|d56q]]\n[["Yes. They got Emmett."|d56w]]

Then he storms off into the other room.\n\n"Let him be," Hannah says. "He needs to accept it, and we're not helping that happen."\n\nNate moves over to Owen. "How's that burn doing, by the way?"\n\nOwen looks at his arm. "<<if $burn eq true and $water neq "none" and $ointment eq "unused">><<set $burnRight = true>>It actually feels okay. A bit itchy, but I think the water and bandages helped a lot. I guess the ointment would've been a bad idea, after all<<else>><<set $burnRight = false>><<if $burn eq false>>It feels itchy and gross, but I guess it can't be helped<<else>>I'm glad Kerry took care of it, but it does feel kind of warm and gross, so I don't know if we did it right<<endif>><<endif>>."\n\n<<if $beer eq true>>"Did the beer help?" Nate smiles.\n\n"No, Nate," Owen sighs. "The beer did not help."\n\n"<<else>>"<<endif>>Why didn't you have Roy look at it earlier?"\n\n"He was too focused on finding you guys. It didn't seem like the right time to be selfish and make him sit down to take care of me."\n\n"That's not selfish, Owen," Nate sighs. "You could get infected if you leave a wound like that untreated."\n\n"Yeah, I know." He looks over at Christa. "Hey, I'm going to talk to her for a minute."\n\n"About what?"\n\n"<<if $understand eq true>>About her dad. You should come. We both have some idea of what she's going through. I want to be sure she's okay."\n\n"Alright," Nate says, and the two of them walk over to Christa to comfort her<<else>>I don't know. I want to take her mind off her dad for now. The raining makes the day feel sad enough as it is. You should come. Tell her one of your stupid jokes."\n\n"I guess I'll try, although my jokes might not be her cup of tea, anymore," Nate says, but the two of them walk over to Christa to do their best to comfort her<<endif>>.\n\nHannah watches them start talking, then she stands herself up, avoiding putting too much weight on her bad leg, and approaches me.\n\n"I don't think I've thanked you for what you did for my daughter, keeping her safe after the fire. Thank you. You probably did a better job than I could have in this city."\n\n[["You're welcome."|d50q]]\n[["She needs you."|d50w]]\n[["It doesn't make up for Mark."|d50e]]

She wipes a tear from her eye. "I just don't know how I'm going to do this without him."\n\n[["You'll have us."|d51q]]\n[["You'll be okay."|d51w]]\n[[(Remain silent)|d51e]]

Just then, Emmett walks back into the room. "Kerry," he says. "I think I heard something outside. Will you come check with me?"\n\n[["Sure."|d52q]]\n[["Right now?"|d52w]]\n[["In the rain?"|d52e]]

Emmett walks to the door of the store. Before I follow him, Nate comes up to me and holds something out. <<if $nateHunter eq true>>It's the gun from the hunter he'd killed<<else>>It's his hunting knife<<endif>>.\n\n"Take this," he says. "Just in case."\n\nI nod and accept the weapon, then I follow Emmett [[outside|p533]].

<<set $zombie = "Ndead">>"Be careful."\n\n"I will," he says, pressing against the restroom door. He shoves it open, knocking over the corpse inside, and drives the knife into its head. It stops moving and falls to the floor, and he pulls out the knife and stabs it again for good measure. He wipes the blade on the thing's shirt and puts it back into the sheath in his coat. "See?" he says with a smile.\n\n<<display 'b02'>>

<<set $zombie = "Kdead">>"I've got it, Nate."\n\nHe sighs again and backs away from the door. "You have to let me help at some point," he says.\n\nI press against the door and turn the knob, then I push it hard. As the door swings inward, it knocks the corpse off its feet. It stumbles backward, and I take the opportunity to stab it in the head. It drops to the ground in a motionless heap.\n\n"Clear," I hear from behind. I turn to see Nate moving through the small aisles, checking for biters. He seems to have already finished.\n\n<<display 'b02'>>\n

<<set $zombie = "left">>"Leave it."\n\n"What?" Nate looks to me. "But it's--"\n\n"It's stuck. It can't do anything to us. There's no need to risk getting bit if we don't have to."\n\nHe turns to the door, then back to me. "Alright, good point." He jogs over to the aisles and begins checking for biters. "Clear," he says as he passes the last one.\n\n<<display 'b02'>>

<<silently>>\n\n<<if $owenTruth eq "owen">>\n <<if $nateHunter eq true>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "A">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "B">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "C">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "D">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "E">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "F">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "G">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "H">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n<<endif>>\n\n<<if $owenTruth eq "all">>\n <<if $nateHunter eq true>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "I">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "J">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "K">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "L">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "M">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "N">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "O">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "P">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n<<endif>>\n\n<<if $owenTruth eq "none">>\n <<if $nateHunter eq true>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "Q">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "R">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "S">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "T">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $LookFor eq "Roy">>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "U">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "V">>\n <<endif>>\n <<else>>\n <<if $burnRight eq true>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "W">>\n <<else>>\n <<set $Episode3 = "X">>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n <<endif>>\n<<endif>>\n\n<<endsilently>>

"I'm sure you do."\n\n"And yet," he says, his eyes swelling as he faces me again, "I know that you'd still deny me the chance to find them."\n\n"It's not like that."\n\n"No," he mutters, reaching his hand behind his back. "It won't be."\n\n<<display 'p55'>>

"Alright," I say. "We'll go to Georgia."\n\nEmmett turns to face me, his eyes swelling. "What?"\n\n"I haven't seen my parents for years, and yours are doctors. It's the better option, right?"\n\nEmmett thinks for a second, but then he shakes his head. "You... you're lying, aren't you? All you've done since I met you is ruin everything -- bringing that bitten security guard into the apartment to kill my friends, bringing Aaron to our doorstep to get Mark and <<print $saved>> killed -- it's all been you. Why would you suddenly want to help me?"\n\n[["Because I want to do better."|r54q]]\n[["Because I know how you feel."|r54w]]\n[["You've lost enough."|r54e]]

"I want to see mine, too. I know how you feel."\n\n"But to see yours," he says, his eyes swelling as he faces me again, "you're willing to deny me the chance to find mine?"\n\n"It's not like that."\n\n"No," he mutters, reaching his hand behind his back. "It won't be."\n\n<<display 'p55'>>

As the gunshot rings out around us Emmett clutches his stomach and drops to one knee, gritting his teeth before crawling to my side and wrestling the gun from my grasp. He raises his fists to start beating me. My last chance. I stick my fingers into the [[wound|d30]] in his stomach.

<<set $zombie = "Kdead">>I press against the door and turn the knob, then I push it hard. As the door swings inward, it knocks the corpse off its feet. It stumbles backward, and I take the opportunity to stab it in the head. It drops to the ground in a motionless heap. That takes care of that. Now I [[check the aisles|c02]].

"They're probably dead. You heard <<print $saved>>."\n\n"You really would like that," he says, his eyes swelling as he faces me again, "wouldn't you?"\n\n"It's not like that."\n\n"No," he mutters, reaching his hand behind his back. "It won't be."\n\n<<display 'p55'>>

<<set $zombie = "left">>There's no point in killing a biter that's already trapped. <<display 'c02'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "M">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "D">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"He's right, Christa," I tell her. "We have to keep out of sight, just in case."\n\n"Alright."\n\n<<display 'p06'>>

"Not all of them know our faces," I say.\n\n"Yeah," he replies, "but on the off chance one of them //has//, we'll be out of luck. It's a safer bet to just avoid them all, don't you think?"\n\n<<display 'p06'>>

"How will they know //you//?" I ask Nate.\n\n"What do you mean?"\n\n"They saw me in the alley," I say, "and they saw Christa when they locked her family in that trailer, but when did they see you?"\n\n"Does it matter?" Nate says.\n\n<<display 'p06'>>

[[(Stand still)|d55q]]\n<<if $nateHunter eq true>>[[(Shoot him)|d55w]]<<else>>[[(Stab him)|d55e]]<<endif>>\n[[(Run back to safehouse)|d55r]]

__Chapter 6: Cleared__\n\nThe rain continues its merciless torrent as Owen guides us through the streets. Abandoned cars litter the streets, either too damaged to move or stripped of their parts. Owen hasn't said anything the whole way back.\n\nNervously, Christa catches up to him. "Owen?"\n\nHe looks at her like he's just been brought out of a trance. "Oh, yeah?"\n\n"You said my mom is at the apartment building?"\n\n"Yeah," Owen says. "Or at least, she was when I snuck away."\n\n"Where is this safehouse you've been talking about?" Nate asks.\n\n"It's a lonely little shop that looks like it was abandoned long before the biters showed up. It doesn't even have a sign. I wouldn't have thought to even look inside, but Roy noticed that it was really secluded and easy to miss, so it's kind of perfect to keep from being attacked again, at least until we decide where to go."\n\n[["Where to go?"|c2q]]\n[["Sounds perfect."|c2w]]\n[["Sounds vulnerable."|c2e]]

"Seems like we're pretty efficient."\n\nHe grins wide with pride. "Now we look for something to eat." He turns to Christa. "<<if $BPw eq false>>You must be starving<<else>>You must still be hungry<<endif>>." She nods. "Well, don't worry. Nate's on the job!"\n\n<<display 'b03'>>

He seems to know what he's doing, but he's still a kid. I can't take any chances. I take a look for myself.\n\n"You don't trust me," Nate observes, sighing as I check his work.\n\n"Seems like you did alright," I confirm.\n\n"Now can we look for something to eat?" he asks. He turns to Christa. "<<if $BPw eq false>>You must be starving<<else>>You must still be hungry<<endif>>." She nods. "Well, don't worry. Nate's on the job!"\n\n<<display 'b03'>>

I stand back from him. He looks to his sleeves, covered in blood. "Oh, hell," he mutters. "I'm sorry you had to see this, but--"\n\nSuddenly his eyes dart over to the door.\n\n<<display 'b5'>>

I hug him. Despite the blood-stains and the soot, I'm glad he's alive. I'm not sure where the group would be without him. But he lets me go after a few seconds, and I see him glaring at the door.\n\n<<display 'b5'>>

I look at him, speechless in disbelief. "Just... give it here." <<display 'p29'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "H">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Who knows? They might actually be alive."\n\n"Really?" Owen says. <<display 'p44'>>

"Are you serious? We trusted you."\n\n"And you were right to do so," Nate says. "It ended up being the smart thing to do."\n\n"Just because something works out later doesn't mean it was smart to begin with, Nate," Owen points out. "You're still an idiot."\n\n"Well, I'm the idiot with the medicine, so suck it." <<display 'p29'>>

I hold my hand out. "Good thinking. Give it here." <<display 'p29'>>

"He'll probably want to protect Christa."\n\n"Right. That's what I was thinking<<if $fault eq false>>."\n\n"Which means he'll vote to go with you."\n\n"Unless you change his mind."\n\n"What?"\n\n"He cares about you //and// the girl. I'm sure he'll find a way to sweet-talk Hannah into coming with you to your parents<<endif>>."\n\n<<display 'p54'>>

"He'll probably agree to go to my parents' up north."\n\n"<<if $fault eq true>>Yeah. Yeah, he probably will<<else>>I thought that, at first, but then I remembered how worried he was about Christa, and now I'm not so sure."\n\nMy stomach turns. I hadn't thought of that. He really did seem to think of her as his responsibility now.\n\n"Then again, he cares about you, too. He might sweet-talk Hannah into reconsidering and going for your parents instead<<endif>>."\n\n<<display 'p54'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "J">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

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Nate seems disappointed but, looking at Christa shivering beside him, he knows that he's been given an important job in staying with her.\n\nI move forward alone and carefully [[open the door|p26]].

"Wait," Nate whispers. "Take the gun and stand farther back. I can open the door for you. That way you'll have the advantage on whoever comes through."\n\n[["Okay. Give me the gun and open the door."|d24q]]\n[["No. Give me the gun and stay with Christa."|d24w]]\n[["No. Keep the gun and stay with Christa."|d24e]]

<<set $burn = false>>"So, my mom," Christa cuts in, "she's with Emmett at the old apartments?"\n\nHe nods. "She's okay. Don't worry. If you want, I could take you there. They might still be searching the wreck for <<print $saved>>. If not, they're at our new safehouse."\n\n"And Roy?" Nate wonders.\n\nOwen shrugs. "I don't know. He headed toward the city exit. I could probably find his trail again if we searched around where I lost it."\n\n"Cool," Nate smiles, looking to me. "What do you wanna do?" Christa seems worried for her mother, but I wonder why Roy's headed to the city exit.\n\n[[(Take care of Owen's burn first)|p28]]\n[[(Start looking for Roy)|a1]]\n[[(Meet with Hannah and Emmett)|c1]]

A boy in a dirty winter coat stands in the rain outside, absolutely drenched. He lifts one arm in a stiff, awkward wave and smiles.\n\n"Owen?" I say, astounded.\n\n"Can I come in?" he asks -- or sputters -- through the water pouring down his face. "It's kind of cold." I nod and welcome him into our little shelter.\n\n"Holy crap, you're alive!" Nate calls, rushing over and lifting his brother into the air, causing Owen to grunt in pain.\n\n"Ow!" he says. "Put me down. I'm burned!" Nate drops him abruptly and the boy stumbles for a moment. Then he gently taps the sleeve covering his right forearm. "Right here."\n\n"Oh, psh," Nate says, waving away the complaint. "I wasn't even touching you there."\n\n[["How bad is the burn?"|d26q]]\n[["Where is everyone?"|d26w]]\n[["How did you find us?"|d26e]]\n

__Chapter 4: Treating__\n\nSuddenly, there's a knock on the door of the bar. A simple, almost polite-sounding knock.\n\n"Who the heck...?" Nate wonders aloud.\n\n[["It's a person."|d21q]]\n[["It's a biter."|d21w]]\n[["It's a hunter."|d21e]]

"What is it?" Nate asks.\n\n"Just..." she starts. "I understand why you <<if $nateHunter eq true>>killed<<else>>wanted to kill<<endif>> the hunter... or... I think I do. You wanted to protect us, right?"\n\nNate nods.\n\n"My dad," she continues, "he had to kill my sister. She was a... a biter, and so he killed her. Then he saw my arm was bitten, and he cut it off. I hated him for it. I was scared of him. Days later I wouldn't even give him a hug, even when I knew he needed one just as much as me." She sniffles, wipes her nose with her sleeve, then looks at Nate and tries her best to smile. "But now I know he was always just trying to keep me and mom safe, so... we're good. Okay?"\n\nNate nods again, and while Christa struggles to keep smiling, he suddenly reaches over and, to her surprise, he pulls her into a hug.\n\n"Thanks," he tells her.\n\nI look out as the sky finally releases its next rainstorm. While outside roars with the heavy sheets of rain pummeling the streets and buildngs, inside, we sit together, silent and peaceful, and enjoy a moment's [[rest|p21]].

"Both of you." I stand up and walk toward the door.\n\n<<if $nateHunter eq true>><<display 'p24'>><<else>><<display 'p25'>><<endif>>

"What do we do?" Christa asks.\n\n[["Get behind the bar counter."|d22q]]\n[["Hide in the back room."|d22w]]\n[["Stay here."|d22e]]

Nate hands me the supplies and I set them on bar. Owen climbs onto one of the stools.\n\n"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"\n\n[["Yup."|d29q]]\n[["Nope."|d29w]]\n[["Just relax."|d29e]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $burn = true>>\n<<set $water = "none">>\n<<set $beer = false>>\n<<set $soak = false>>\n<<set $oint = false>>\n<<set $ointment = "unused">>\n<<endsilently>>"The first thing we ought to do is take care of that burn."\n\n"What, this?" Owen says, raising his arm. "This is nothing. I'll be fine." His arm twitches in pain as he puts it back down.\n\n"Oh!" Nate jumps up and retrieves his backpack. "I'm glad I got these when I had the chance."\n\n"Got what?" Christa wonders.\n\n"These!" Nate produces a roll of gauze and some ointment from his backpack. "I kept a bit of the medicine from when we stole Roy's bag, just in case."\n\n[["Are you serious?"|d28q]]\n[["Good thinking."|d28w]]\n[["Just... give them to me."|d28e]]

"What do you mean 'until we decide where to go'?"\n\n"Roy said that the city isn't safe while Aaron's people are out there," Owen says. "Hannah said she wasn't going to leave without Christa, obviously, but Roy convinced her that we'd find you guys and then find a way out."\n\n<<display 'c3'>>

"Sounds perfect. Something small and inconspicuous would be great while we make a plan to get out of the city."\n\n"Roy was working on a plan already," Owen says, "but Hannah obviously wasn't leaving until she had Christa back. Roy promised that he'd find her, and you guys, and that we'd leave once we were together."\n\n<<display 'c3'>>

"Sure."\n\n"It could be hunters. I just want to be sure we're safe."\n\n<<display 'p53'>>

"Sounds vulnerable. If we don't already have a plan to get out of the city, then we could be here for a while. If the safehouse is already run-down like you say, it might be a bad idea to stay there for too long."\n\n"Well, Roy was working on a plan already," Owen says, "but Hannah obviously wasn't leaving until she had Christa back. Roy promised that he'd find her, and you guys, and that we'd leave once we were together."\n\n<<display 'c3'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "C">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "P">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $Episode2 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $Episode1 = "None">><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>I don't remember seeing the tile wall cracked like that. It's like someone took a hammer to it, or even their fist. Most of the broken pieces are on the floor, but a large chunk seems to be missing. I must not have noticed it before. I can't imagine why someone would bother stealing that.\n\n<<display 'p15'>>

<<if $d1 eq false>>[["The joke was an accident."|b08r]]<<endif>>\n<<if $d2 eq false>><<if $nateHunter eq true>>[["You know why he killed that hunter?"|b08t]]<<else>>[["You know why he wanted to kill that hunter?"|b08t]]<<endif>><<endif>>\n<<if $d3 eq false>>[["Do you think he's alright?"|b08y]]<<endif>>\n[[(Back)|b09]]

"We need to look for the others."\n\n"What if we can't find them?"\n\n[["Then we leave the city."|e01q]]\n[["Then we find somewhere new."|e01w]]\n[["Then we keep looking."|e01e]]

<<set $d1 = true>>The dry blood has been there since we found this place. I'm guessing someone was either injured or killed in here, judging by the amount of blood caked onto the walls, but we didn't find the body.\n\n<<display 'p15'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>My gas-soaked clothes are still on the floor in here. I didn't bother tossing them anywhere else. It's not like they'll be picked up anyway. I could have sworn they were farther toward the corner last I checked, but they're more strewn about now. I wonder if we have rats. It'd probably be best not to tell Christa. She'd flip out.\n\n<<display 'p15'>>

"We need to stay put for now."\n\n"Why?"\n\n[["Because of the weather."|q01q]]\n[["To hide from Aaron's men."|q01w]]\n[["So that survivors can find us."|q01e]]

"There's more to it than that, Hannah," I say. I know Mark's death wasn't my fault, but it's obvious that that's how it seems to the others. "I couldn't stop what happened."\n\nChrista looks to me, a little surprised by how defensive I've become, but I can't let them all think of me as the one who got Mark killed. How will they trust me after that? The group needs to stick together, and without trust, we won't be able to.\n\n"She..." Christa starts, "she didn't want Daddy to die." She looks to me. "Right?"\n\n"Of course not."\n\n"She kept us fed and safe from hunters after we escaped the fire," Nate speaks up. "That has to count for something."\n\nHannah stares into my eyes for a few seconds, then she hugs Christa close and looks away. Nate's appeal doesn't seem to have swayed her in my favor very much. <<display 'p41'>>

"We should get out of the city."\n\n"What if someone else made it out of the fire?"\n\n[["You said you couldn't find anyone."|w01q]]\n[["Then they'll be trying to get out, too."|w01w]]\n[["I don't know."|w01e]]\n

"Yes," I say, trembling. The guilt is all coming back. "Yes, he did. I'm so sorry, Hannah."\n\nI can feel her eyes burning into me, but I don't have the stomach to face her after what I let happen.\n\nChrista looks up to her. "Mommy," she says. "She... she didn't want Daddy to die. She <<if $death eq "sorry">>tried to tell me how sorry she was<<endif>><<if $death eq "hero">>tried to tell me how he was a hero<<endif>><<if $death eq "love">>tried to tell me how much he loved us<<endif>><<if $death eq "silent">>couldn't even talk about him after he died. She was sad, too<<endif>>. I didn't listen at first, because I thought it was her fault, but it wasn't. It was that man's. Please don't be mad at her."\n\nHannah looks down at her begging daughter.\n\n"She kept me and Nate safe, Mommy. She fed us and protected us from the hunters. She's not bad. I know it."\n\nI finally raise my eyes to meet Hannah's. She stares into mine for a few seconds, then she hugs Christa close and looks away. "I know, sweetie," she says quietly. "I know."\n\nI doubt that Christa's plea has mended her opinion of me completely, but it seems to have helped. <<display 'p41'>>

[img[http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/248/9/6/ep3__sitting_by_thegouldenway-d7y1x5a.jpg]]

<<set $d1 = true>>I open the cabinets and look inside. A can-opener stares right back at me.\n\n"I guess that couldn't hurt to have," Nate says, taking it and putting it into his backpack. "Not that we can really use it now."\n\n"What's that?" Christa asks, pointing. I look back to see a cereal box on the upper shelf of the cabinet. I pull it down and shake it. It's full, and it's unopened. "Perfect!" Christa says as I hand her the box. <<if $d3 eq true>>"Now we can go eat."<<else>>"Now all we need are some bowls."<<endif>>\n\n<<display 'b06'>>

<<set $d2 = true>>I open the door of the fridge. It's empty.\n\n"Yikes," Nate says, taking a look into the powerless fridge. "Imagine if there were still milk in there. It'd probably smell worse than the biters."\n\n<<display 'b06'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "C">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>I open the pantry. There's a stack of plastic bowls and some eating utensils inside. They don't look like they've been used at all.\n\n"Nice," Nate says as I hand them to him. <<if $d1 eq true>>"Now we can go eat."<<else>>"Now all we need is something to eat."<<endif>>\n\n<<display 'b06'>>

"He was killed by hunters."\n\n[[END]]

<<set $owenTruth = "all">>"I had to kill him."\n\n[[END]]

"That's pretty cold."\n\n"So's the world, but I guess you're right. We shouldn't let ourselves get sucked into all the bad that's going on. If we do that, then the apocalypse knows it's won."\n\n<<display 'p48'>>

"Where do you really want to go?" I ask. "You didn't vote."\n\n"I don't know," she says, looking down. <<display 'e51'>>

"Right."\n\n"I suppose I shouldn't say stuff like that, though. The world is cold enough as it is."\n\n<<display 'p48'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "N">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"That's a good idea," Nate says. "I've had enough of being hunted."\n\nFinally the wreckage of the scorched apartment building comes into view through the thick mist kicked up by the rain. It's on the other side of a chain-link fence. We can't see anyone moving around the building.\n\n"Mommy?" Christa shouts, but the rain is far to loud to hear any response. "MOMMY?"\n\n[["Stop, Christa!"|c3q]]\n[["EMMETT? HANNAH?"|c3w]]

__Chapter 5: Cleared__\n\nThe rain becomes heavier as Owen guides us through the streets. Abandoned cars litter the streets, either too damaged to move or stripped of their parts.\n\n"You said my mom is at the apartment building?" Christa asks Owen as she marches beside him.\n\n"Yeah," Owen says. "Or at least, she was when I snuck away. She might've gone back to the safehouse."\n\n"Where is this safehouse you've been talking about?" Nate asks.\n\n"It's a lonely little shop that looks like it was abandoned long before the biters showed up. It doesn't even have a sign. I wouldn't have thought to even look inside, but Roy noticed that it was really secluded and easy to miss, so it's kind of perfect to keep from being attacked again, at least until we decide where to go."\n\n[["Where to go?"|c2q]]\n[["Sounds perfect."|c2w]]\n[["Sounds vulnerable."|c2e]]

<<set $LookFor = "EH">>"We should meet up with Hannah and Emmett," I decide. "Christa deserves to see her mom, and maybe we can help them look for <<print $saved>>."\n\n"Good idea," Owen says. "Alright. Get your stuff and [[follow me|c2]]."

Promise

"He told you about that?"\n\n"He's my brother. He tells me everything. We look out for each other."\n\n<<display 'p48'>>

Minutes pass. The rain doesn't let up. Hannah holds Christa close. Owen and Nate back away from the scene. Emmett digs and digs well after he's too tired to continue. Eventually he collapses, crying, hitting the piles of broken walls.\n\n<<if $LookFor eq "EH">><<display 'c5a'>><<else>><<display 'c5b'>><<endif>>

"Come on," Owen says, waving us forward. "We can get closer this way."\n\nWe work our way around the fence and toward the wreckage. Suddenly we hear something behind us. A loud crash. It came from around the other corner. We hurry over to see Emmett struggling to lift some debris. Hannah is beside him on the ground, holding her leg.\n\n"Emmett, please, stop!" she's saying. "It's too heavy. You'll hurt yourself!"\n\n"Mommy!" Christa shouts, overcome with relief at the sight of her mother.\n\nHannah looks up, "Christa? Christa, you're back!"\n\n"Are you okay?" Christa yells, running over and giving her mother a hug.\n\n"I'm fine, honey," Hannah says, hugging her back before turning to me. "Kerry, you have to help him before he hurts himself."\n\nI look at Emmett. "He's under there," he says. "<<print $saved>> is under there! Hold this!" He tries to have me take hold of the end of a large beam.\n\n"What are you going to do?" I ask.\n\n"I'm going under to get him. Now take it!" The beam looks insanely heavy. He can barely talk while he's holding it.\n\n[["I'll try."|c4a]]\n[["I won't be able to."|c4s]]

"Georgia?" Nate says, surprised. "Isn't that a little far out of the way? We could die getting there."\n\n"We could die getting anywhere," Emmett snaps.\n\n"If we go to Georgia, we're staying," Hannah says sternly. "I'm not taking Christa from one state to another."\n\n"Thank you, Hannah," Emmett sighs, relieved.\n\n"Wait, but you said that your parents were doctors," Nate recalls. "If they were working at a hospital when this started, don't you think they'd be--"\n\n"They were probably higher priority during evacuation," Emmett says, avoiding Nate's more negative but obvious conclusion.\n\n"I'm not so sure," Nate mumbles.\n\n"Well, how do we know Kerry's parents aren't dead?" Emmett argues.\n\n[["I got a text."|e48q]]\n[["They're preppers."|e48w]]\n[["They're far away from cities."|e48e]]

"Oh, come on," Nate yells. "Now you're just saying whatever you can to make the obvious seem less true."\n\n"There's nothing obvious about it. The chances of something bad happening to my parents are the same as hers, so we shouldn't give up on mine."\n\n"But that's not true," Owen says. "They don't both have an equal chance. I'm sorry Emmett, but your parents were most likely in the midst of it all when it started, and her parents probably weren't. Besides, didn't <<print $saved>> say--"\n\n"Shut up!" Emmett yells. Owen steps back and bumps into me as Emmett looks frantically to the rest of us. "Hannah and Christa have voted with me," he says.\n\n[["Christa didn't vote."|e49q]]\n[["Hannah, please."|e49w]]\n[["Nate and Owen are with me."|e49e]]

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<<set $foundCans = true>>He ducks behind one of the aisles and I hear him tearing through the pillaged shelves for even the smallest missed morsel. Christa and I do the same. There's enough empty boxes here to fuel a fire for hours, but I can't find any food.\n\n"There has to be //something//," Nate groans, throwing another empty box across the store.\n\n"I found some!" Christa shouts excitedly as she struggles to lift a twelve-pack of canned string beans from beneath the counter. It's a wonder she was able to fit under there.\n\n"Awesome," Nate smiles as he picks it up for her. "Where have these //bean// all my life?"\n\nChrista laughs at the quip and Nate smiles at his own cleverness. But the celebration is short lived as a gunshot sounds from outside. Nate and Christa duck and I rush over to the window. Two men and two women in similar coats are walking down the street toward the convenience store. They're all holding guns, something we've been lacking since the fire.\n\n"Hunters? What do we do?" Nate asks. I hurry over to him and begin stuffing the cans into my backpack, wrapping them in the extra clothes to muffle their sound.\n\n"We have to go," I whisper, throwing my bag over my shoulde<<if $zombie eq "left">>r. I glance over at the restroom door. I can still hear the scratching of the corpse behind it.\n\n[[(Let biter out)|d07q]]\n[[(Leave biter and exit)|d07w]]<<else>>r and leading them out the [[back|p08]].<<endif>>\n

[["Seems like we're pretty efficient."|b02q]]\n[["Let's start looking for food."|b02w]]\n[[(Double check)|b02e]]

Christa, Nate, and I all climb onto stools. Nate sets up the bowls and spoons and Christa takes the box of cereal and tries to get it open. It's quite the task for a one-handed little girl.\n\n[[(Offer to help)|b07q]]\n[[(Let her do it)|b07w]]

<<if $d1 eq false>>Above the stove are a few [[cabinets|b06q]] covered in cobwebs<<else>>The cabinets above the stove are empty<<endif>>, <<if $d2 eq false>>beside the oven is a [[mini-fridge|b06w]]<<else>>the mini-fridge is empty<<endif>>, <<if $d3 eq false>>and the [[pantry|b06e]] in the corner is unopened<<else>>and the pantry in the corner has nothing else inside<<endif>>.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d3 eq true>>[[(Return to bar)|b07]]<<endif>>

<<if $d1 eq false or $d2 eq false or $d3 eq false>>[["About Nate..."|b08q]]<<endif>>\n<<if $d4 eq false>>[["I'm sorry about your father."|b08w]]<<endif>>\n<<if $d5 eq false>>[["Today was scary, huh?"|b08e]]<<endif>>\n[[(Just eat)|b10]]

<<set $sitWith = "Christa">>Christa doesn't notice me until I sit down on the chair opposite her in the booth. I can see her scowl weighing down the mood as she chews.\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"I don't know."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"Then they'll be trying to get out, too."\n\n"How do we know they'll find us?"\n\n"We don't, but waiting for them is too risky. Aaron's people are everywhere."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"You said you couldn't find anyone."\n\n"I couldn't. That medic guy helped get us out, but he went back in for the others. That was the last I saw of them, but that doesn't mean they're all gone."\n\n"Maybe."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"I think they're still alive."\n\n"No way!" Owen says. <<display 'p44'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "I">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Do you think Roy followed them?"\n\n"Maybe," Owen nods, "<<display 'a3'>>

"Do you think they followed Roy?"\n\n"That could be," Owen nods, "<<display 'a3'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "I">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Christa didn't vote," I point out. "You're just assuming that she's agreeing with her mother."\n\n"Am I wrong?" Emmett asks, looking to the girl. She keeps her mouth shut. She must be afraid of defying Hannah. She looks to me, helplessly locked into a choice not her own.\n\n"Good," Emmett continues. "And I suppose Nate and Owen are with you." The boys look to each other and nod. "That makes it a tie."\n\n<<display 'e50'>>

"Do you think Roy was with them?"\n\n"I doubt it," Owen says, shaking his head.\n\n"He wouldn't abandon us, would he?" Nate wonders.\n\n"No," Owen says with absolute certainty. "He pulled me out of a fire and found us a safehouse, and he was really angry at himself when he wasn't able to find you. He wouldn't just leave after all that. <<display 'a3'>>

I know she likes to figure these things out by herself, so I sit back and observe as she begins expertly employing the use of her chin and the stub of her left arm to steady the can and the opener, then she starts twisting the small crank. A click and a pop signal her success and her face lights up.\n\n<<display 'p17'>>

"Let me help, Christa," I say, reaching for the can.\n\n"No, no, I got it. Just..." she begins frantically employing the use of her chin and the stub of her left arm to steady the can and the opener, then she starts twisting the small crank. A click and a pop signal her success and her face lights up.\n\n<<display 'p17'>>

"I got a text from them when this all started."\n\n"No way!" Owen says. <<display 'p44'>>\n

"We're not giving up, Emmett. We're choosing between two options, and we're trying to pick the best one. You have to understand that."\n\nHe shakes his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I understand." <<display 'p50'>>

"I'm sorry, Emmett. I really am."\n\nHe shakes his head. "I'll bet." <<display 'p50'>>

The group leaves quickly. They have no idea how close they were to finding us.\n\n"That could have been way worse," Nate says as we crawl out from our hiding place. <<if $nateHunter eq true>>He pries the handgun from the fingers of the hunter he'd killed and gives it to me. "Good thing you let me help, huh?"\n\nChrista cringes as we pass the bleeding body of the hunter, Wally. "Please don't say that," Christa quietly pleads. "That was wrong. You're... you're just like--"<<else>>"You should have let me take that guy out. He could have seen us."\n\n"Don't say that! Killing is wrong," Christa says. "That's what the hunters do. You don't want to be like them, do you?"<<endif>>\n\nNate gives her a cold look. "I'm nothing like them," he argues. "//I// do it for self-defense. When there are bad people around, sometimes you have to do that. Don't be naïve."\n\n"I'm not naïve, I'm trying to be good."\n\n[["Stop it, both of you."|d13q]]\n[["Christa, Nate is right."|d13w]]\n[["Nate, Christa is right."|d13e]]

There's <<if $d1 eq false>>[[dried blood|d15q]]<<else>>some familiar dried blood<<endif>> smeared all over the walls, <<if $d2 eq false>>a [[pile of clothes|d15w]]<<else>>my old gas-soaked clothes<<endif>> on the floor, and a <<if $d3 eq false>>chunk of the [[tile wall|d15e]] is broken<<else>>broken chunk of the tile wall<<endif>>.\n\n<<if $d1 eq true and $d2 eq true and $d3 eq true>>[[(Exit)|p16]]<<endif>>

<<display 'Sitting'>>\n\n"No, nothing like Roy."\n\nOwen grins.\n\n<<display 'p45'>>

<<display 'Sitting'>>\n\n"What does Roy have to do with this?"\n\nOwen grins.\n\n<<display 'p45'>>

"Just relax."\n\n"That doesn't answer my question," he says. "Now I'm even less relaxed."\n\n<<display 'p30'>>

"In the rain?"\n\n"It could be hunters."\n\n"Go ahead," Hannah says. <<display 'p53'>>

"He found us," I explain.\n\n"Found you?" Roy repeats. "He tracked you guys down?"\n\n<<display 'b6'>>

"He lead us here," I explain.\n\n"Lead you here?" Roy repeats. "Wait a second. He tracked you guys down?"\n\n<<display 'b6'>>

<<display 'Sitting'>>\n\nI don't say anything, but I see Owen start grinning.\n\n<<display 'p45'>>

"And Nate and Owen have voted with me," I say.\n\n<<display 'e50'>>

"Right now?"\n\n"It could be hunters."\n\n"Go ahead," Hannah says. <<display 'p53'>>

"Nope."\n\nHe looks at me, a little surprised by my honesty, then he sighs. "We don't really have another choice, do we?"\n\n"Nope."\n\n<<display 'p30'>>

"Yup."\n\nHe squints at me. He doesn't buy it. "You're a bad liar."\n\n"Yup."\n\n<<display 'p30'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "O">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "love">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"They know he's here, Roy."\n\n"They do?"\n\n<<display 'b6'>>

"Then we keep looking."\n\n"And if we still can't find them?"\n\n"Let's just hope we do."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"Then we leave the city."\n\n"Leave? Where will we go?"\n\n"We'll find somewhere safe. Somewhere without people like Aaron."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"Then we find somewhere new."\n\n"Another building? Won't Aaron be able to find us again?"\n\n"Maybe, but I don't know where else to go."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

<<display 'p03'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "D">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = false>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"Why isn't it the same?"\n\n"Because you've destroyed two families, already."\n\n<<display 'back2'>>

"Yes, it is."\n\n"No," he growls. "It's not. You've destroyed two families already. You shouldn't get to destroy mine any more than you have."\n\n<<display 'back2'>>

"Did you really hear anything out here?"\n\n"Don't change the subject."\n\n<<display 'back2'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "B">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I grab Nate's arm before he can tip the can he's holding. Owen turns and, seeing what Nate was about to pour on his arm, he nearly topples off the stool trying to pull his arm out of range.\n\n"What the heck is wrong with you?" he yells.\n\n"What?"\n\n<<display 'p34'>>

<<set $beer = true>>Nate tips the can he's holding and its contents spill on Owen's arm. A split second after the liquid hits the wound, Owen has pulls his arm away and nearly toppled off the stool.\n\n"Holy crap!" he yells, clutching his arm in pain. "What the-- Nate!"\n\n"What?"\n\n<<display 'p34'>>

Suddenly, Nate appears by the door. "Guys," he says, "we're talking about where we should go when Roy gets back. You might want to join."\n\nOwen stands up and dusts himself off. "Alright," he calls after his brother before turning to me. "Don't get too mad at Roy for what he did to the hunters, okay?" He smiles, then we both head out to where the other are still seated. Roy still isn't back, but Hannah and Emmett have a map between them.\n\n"The coast might be good," Hannah suggests. "We could take a boat."\n\n"A boat to where?" Emmett asks. "You think whatever's going on just ends at the water? I wouldn't bet on that."\n\n"And what do //you// suggest?" Hannah retorts. "Do you want us to just find another city with another apartment to hold out it until another psychopath tries to kill us?"\n\n"Guys," Owen cuts in. "What about Kerry's house?"\n\nThey all suddenly look to me.\n\n"Kerry's house?" Emmett repeats.\n\n"Yeah," Owen says, "she says her parents were real doomsday-prepper-types. They've probably stocked up and built a fort."\n\n"Where do they live?" Hannah asks.\n\n"North, right?" Owen asks me.\n\n"North?" Emmett ponders. "Wait. Can you point to where they are on the map."\n\n"I think it's about here," I say, tapping my finger the supposed location.\n\n"Holy crap," Emmett mutters. "That's near my old college. I know that area. I bet I could--" But then he goes quiet in thought. "Hold on a minute. Why don't we find //my// parents?" He starts smiling at the thought. "They're doctors at a hospital in Georgia, so they probably got priority in whatever evacuations went on. We could pick them up and then head up to Kerry's family!"\n\n<<if $fault eq true>><<display 'd48'>><<else>><<display 'e48'>><<endif>>

I look at his back and see the gun tucked into his pants.\n\nHe turns to face me again. "I know you probably want to see your family, too, but it's not the same."\n\n[["Why not?"|back1q]]\n[["Yes, it is."|back1w]]\n[["Did you really hear anything out here?"|back1e]]

He opens his arms for a hug.\n\n[[(Accept)|b4q]]\n[[(Decline)|b4w]]

"Owen?" he says.\n\nI turn to see the boy entering the room nervously. "H-hey, Roy."\n\n"Damn it, Owen, I thought I left you at the safehouse with Emmett and Hannah."\n\n"Y-you did, b-but..." Owen stutters, but he finds himself at a loss for words.\n\n[["He found us."|b5q]]\n[["He helped us find you."|b5w]]\n[["They know he's here, Roy."|b5e]]

<<set $zombie = "Ndead">>>>"Be careful."\n\n"I will," he says, pressing against the restroom door. He shoves it open, knocking over the corpse inside, and drives the knife into its head. It stops moving and falls to the floor, and he pulls out the knife and stabs it again for good measure. He wipes the blade on the thing's shirt and puts it back into the sheath in his coat. "See?" he says with a smile.\n\n<<display 'a03'>>

"I have to. Kerry, I need you to make sure he gets back to the safehouse. He can't go on his own."\n\n"We could go with you," Owen suggests.\n\n"Owen, I'm serious. I appreciate you finding these guys, but you've done enough. Now go."\n\nThere's no arguing with him. He watches us until we've left the building and walked down the street in the direction of the [[safehouse|p38]].

__Chapter 6: Scarred__\n\nThe rain continues its merciless torrent Owen and I trudge through muddy yards and broken fences. We must be getting close. We've been walking for nearly an hour.\n\n"There are a lot of tracks up here," Owen points out. "They look fresh. Someone, or a lot of someones, came this way in a hurry. They're all headed toward that office building."\n\n[["Do you think Roy followed them?"|b1q]]\n[["Do you think they followed Roy?"|b1w]]\n[["Do you think Roy was with them?"|b1e]]

I say we keep following the prints. One of the sets has to be Roy's. Let's just be careful not to run into whoever the others belong to."\n\nWe don't really have anything else to go on if we want to find Roy, so the two of us continue to follow the tracks, which end at the street in front of an abandoned two-story office builidng. The doors are broken off their hinges.\n\n"I guess Roy and whoever else we're following went through there," Owen says, pointing at the building. "Come on."\n\nWe walk through the dripping entrance, stepping over splintered wood and shattered glass from the broken doors. It takes a moment us to notice the dead bodies strewn about the rooms with fresh splatters of blood all over the walls.\n\nOwen gasps at the sight, then he composes himself and cautiously approaches one of the bodies, giving it a light tap with his foot. It doesn't move. "They seem dead -- like, //for real// dead. And they have..."\n\nHe stops, then he slowly turns, dropping his voice to a whisper.\n\n"Kerry, they have holes in their heads. Biters didn't do this."\n\nThen we hear a loud thud from upstairs.\n\n"What was that?"\n\n[["Stay here while I check."|b2q]]\n[["Let's check together."|b2w]]

"What is it?"\n\n"It's just a quick errand. I'll be okay."\n\n"You're going alone again?" Owen asks.\n\n<<display 'b7'>>

"Wait up."\n\n"I can take point," Nate says as we reach the door.\n\n<<display 'p07'>>

"What is it?"\n\n"It's just a quick errand. I'll be okay."\n\n"You're going alone again?" Owen asks.\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

"Alright," I say. "You're sure you'll be okay by yourself?"\n\n<<display 'a7'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "O">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

__Chapter 7: Safehouse__\n\nWe wait in the darkness inside the small building, away from the windows and doors. No one has said a word since we arrived.\n\n"Where is Roy?" Hannah asks us, breaking the silence.\n\n[["He had something to do."|d38q]]\n[["He was looking for something."|d38w]]\n[["He said he'd be back soon."|d38e]]

"Maybe he's looking for Mark," Hannah guesses. "He's the only one unaccounted for." Christa, Nate, and I all look at her. She doesn't know.\n\n"Mom..." Christa starts. "Daddy's... Daddy's gone."\n\n"Gone?" Hannah asks. "What do you--?" She gasps. "What happened?"\n\n"I don't know," Christa mutters. "Kerry saw him last. I'm sorry, Mommy." She buries her head into her mother's side. Hannah turns to me.\n\n"He went into that alley with you," Hannah recalls, "to look for your phone. What happened to my husband?"\n\n[["Aaron had him killed."|d39q]]\n[["I got him killed."|d39w]]\n[["He was shot."|d39e]]

"Wait outside with Christa."\n\n"We'd be safer inside, out of sight," Nate argues as we reach the door. "I can take point."\n\n<<display 'p07'>>

"So, what first?" Nate asks. I look to our supplies.\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

<<set $soak = true>>"We need to find something to soak the wound. It might hurt a little, but it'll do you some good."\n\n"That's a good idea," Nate nods. "I think there's still some bottled water around here." He hops up and runs behind the bar to look around.\n\nChrista walks over to get a better look at Owen's arm.\n\n"It's not that big of a deal," he tells her.\n\n"It looks bad, though. Why didn't Roy help you when you were with him?"\n\n"Well," Owen says, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a nervous grin, "I might not've exactly //told// him."\n\nChrista looks at him, almost scoldingly. "Why?"\n\n"He had a lot on his mind. We all did. He saved me from a burning building. I didn't want to trouble him any further. I've been enough of a burden."\n\n"But it could get infected, like mine," she says. "Then you'd be a bigger burden."\n\n"I... I hadn't thought of that."\n\nJust then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice Nate emerge from behind the bar. He reaches over the counter while Owen and Christa are occupied with their conversation. He has something in his hand. Something he's about to pour on Owen's arm while he's distracted.\n\n[[(Let him)|d33q]]\n[[(Stop him)|d33w]]

[[(Roll up his sleeve)|p31]]

I carefully roll the charred sleeve over the wound.\n\n"First thing's first," Nate says, leaning over to see the damage. "What kind of burn is it?" He has a point: before we treat it, we should know how extreme it is. Owen turns his arm over to show us the burned underside. The skin is bright red and splotchy, and there are blisters beginning to develop around it.\n\n"Ouch," Christa says, staring. "Does it hurt?"\n\n"Not too much," Owen smiles, trying to seem tough I guess, but Nate gives him a skeptical glare. "Okay, fine," Owen groans. "Yeah, it hurts. It's like a... a steady, throbbing pain. Okay?"\n\n[["First degree."|d31q]]\n[["Second Degree."|d31w]]\n[["Third Degree."|d31e]]

I pick up the gauze.\n\n<<if $soak eq false>>"Were we gonna put anything on the wound, before wrapping it up?"\n\n[["I guess we should." (Back to supplies)|d36q]]\n[["We should just wrap it." (Wrap it now)|d36w]]<<else>>"Alright. Let's finish this up."\n\nOwen nods and holds out his arm. I wrap the gauze around it, ensuring that it's not too tight.\n\n"There," I say as I tie off the end. "We're all set."\n\n"Thanks, Kerry," Owen smiles. "It actually feels a lot better, now that's it's covered with something."\n\n<<display 'p37'>><<endif>>

Nate chimes in, "Well, now that that's taken care of, where do we go?"\n\n"Like I said before," Owen begins, "Hannah and Emmett are either still searching the wreckage for <<print $saved>>, or they've gone back to the safehouse. The wreckage is on the way to the safehouse, so it'll be easy to check one and then the other. As for Roy, he went in the other direction, toward the city exit. I'm sure I could track him down again for you. Which do you want to do first?"\n\n[["Let's look for Roy."|a1]]\n[["Let's meet with Hannah and Emmett."|c1]]

"That's not water, you idiot!"\n\n"I know," Nate says. I look. He's holding a beer can. "I figured alcohol would disinfect the wound."\n\n"There's not enough alcohol in beer to disinfect a burn, Nate!"\n\n"Then we'll have to find more."\n\n"No," Owen yells. "You stay back before you give me gangrene or something."\n\n"Oh, please," Nate groans. "You're not going to get gangrene from a little beer." He looks to me. "What's gangrene?"\n\n"You're unbelievable," Owen growls. "Did you even find water?"\n\n"Yeah," Nate says, matter-of-factly. He lifts up his other hand, which holds a bottle of fresh water. "Right here."\n\n"You--" Owen starts, his face turning red, but he takes a moment and exhales, trying to remain sensible. "Is it cold?"\n\n"Nope. It's nice and warm."\n\n"It needs to be cold, or at least cool. It won't do much good to soak the wound in warm water."\n\n"How do we cool it?" Christa asks. "The fridge in back isn't working."\n\n"What about the rain?" Nate suggests. "It's pretty cool."\n\n"Is rainwater clean enough?" Christa asks.\n\n[[(Use rainwater)|d34q]]\n[[(Use bottled water)|d34w]]\n[[(Don't soak it)|d34e]]

I pick up the tube of what appears to be burn ointment.\n\n<<if $soak eq false>>"Shouldn't we soak the wound first?" Owen asks.\n\n[["Yes." (Put ointment down)|d35q]]\n[["No." (Use ointment now)|d35q]]<<else>>"Ready to try this?" I ask Owen.\n\n"I don't know," he replies. "I hear it's alright for minor burns, but you can't put ointment and stuff on severe burns, or else it traps in the heat and makes it worse."\n\n"That doesn't sound right," Nate says, confused. "Why would they make an ointment that traps in heat? That's stupid."\n\n"Yeah," Owen agrees. "Anyway, do we know if it's major or severe?"\n\nI look at the wound again. It's still a bright red line on the bottom of Owen's forearm, and the blisters are all over it in splotchy patterns. It's roughly two inches wide and about five inches long, nearly reaching from wrist to elbow.\n\n[["Minor." (Use ointment)|d35e]]\n[["Major." (Do not use ointment)|d35r]]<<endif>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "H">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "silent">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

<<set $miss = "Roy">>"I miss Roy."\n\n"Yeah, you guys seemed pretty close. He's the only reason Christa and I made it out of the fire."\n\n"Yeah, that sounds like him."\n\n<<display 'p03'>>

<<playbgm mufk6se5oVs>> Play MOON 07

<<set $owenTruth = "owen">>"There were no hunters, Owen," I say as I get to my feet. He tries to support me, but I start forward on my own.\n\n"But, we heard Emmett--"\n\n"He was lying. He was going to kill me and blame it on the hunters."\n\n"Why?"\n\n"Because he was afraid that we'd decide not to look for his parents."\n\nOwen looks worried for a moment. "Is that what you're going to tell them?"\n\nI look at him questioningly.\n\n"I believe you," he says in a low voice, "but will the others? Or will they think that you killed him for the same reason he was going to kill you?"\n\nHe might be right. Only the two of us know right now. No one else has to.\n\nAs we approach the doors of the safehouse, Hannah sees the bullet wound in my shoulder and gasps, then she looks behind me.\n\n"Where's Emmett?" she asks.\n\n[["The hunters killed him."|d57q]]\n[["I had to kill him."|d57w]]

<<set $owenTruth = "none">>"Yes," I lie as I get to my feet. "They killed Emmett."\n\nHe becomes silent, looking from my face to the ground in front of us as we trudge back toward the safehouse. When we reach the doors, Hannah sees the bullet wound in my shoulder and gasps, then she looks behind me.\n\n"Where's Emmett?" she asks.\n\n"He's dead," Owen tells her. "The hunters got him."\n\n[[END]]

"I have to. Kerry, I need you to make sure they get back to the safehouse. They can't go on their own."\n\n"We could all go with you," Owen suggests.\n\n"Owen, I'm serious. I appreciate you finding these guys, but you've done enough." He kneels down by Christa. "You go see your mom, okay? I'll be back soon." He stands up and looks to me. "Now go."\n\nThere's no arguing with him. He watches us until we've left the building and followed Owen down the street in the direction of the [[apartment building|d1]].

"I understand."\n\n"I'm sorry, Kerry."\n\n<<display 'e52'>>

"He was shot," I say, unable to look her in the eyes.\n\n"Shot?" she mutters. "Shot by who?"\n\n"Aaron's man," I tell her, "Gordan."\n\n<<display 'p40'>>

"You should speak up."\n\n"I can't. I'm sorry, Kerry."\n\n<<display 'e52'>>

"She might already be--"\n\n"Dead?" Christa guesses, clutching her left shoulder again. "Yeah, I know. Thanks a lot." She goes quiet for a second. "I wonder if she even knows... what happened to him," she adds with a shiver.\n\n\n<<display 'b09'>>

"Aaron had him killed," I say, unable to look her in the eyes.\n\n"Killed?" she mutters. "But, why?"\n\n"Aaron found us," I tell her, "over the body of the kid Emmett, <<print $saved>>, and I let die in the alley, and he had his man, Gordan, shoot Mark."\n\n<<display 'p40'>>

"Maybe you could change her mind."\n\n"Not when she's this mad. I'm sorry, Kerry."\n\n<<display 'e52'>>

"I got him killed," I say, unable to look her in the eyes.\n\n"You..." she mutters. "How?"\n\n"Aaron found us," I tell her, "over the body of the kid Emmett, <<print $saved>>, and I let die in the alley, and he had his man, Gordan, shoot Mark."\n\n<<display 'p40'>>

"Because I want to do better."\n\n<<display 'r55'>>

"Because I know how you feel."\n\n<<display 'r55'>>

"So that survivors can find us."\n\n"Survivors from the fire? You think they're still out there?"\n\n"I hope so."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

I shake my head. "Stay back with Christa. Be sure she's safe."\n\nNate looks disappointed but, looking at Christa shivering beside him, he knows that he's been given an important job.\n\nI move forward alone and carefully [[open the door|p26]].

"We should just wrap it. Come on. Let's finish this up."\n\nOwen nods and holds out his arm. I wrap the gauze around it, ensuring that it's not too tight.\n\n"There," I say as I tie off the end. "We're all set."\n\n"Thanks, Kerry," Owen smiles. "It //does// feel a little better, now that's it's covered with something."\n\n<<display 'p37'>>

"I guess we should," I say, putting the gauze back by the other supplies.\n\n<<display 'Supplies'>>

"You've lost enough."\n\n<<display 'r55'>>

I accept the gun but shake my head. "Stay back with Christa. Be sure she's safe."\n\nNate looks disappointed but, looking at Christa shivering beside him, he knows that he's been given an important job.\n\nI move forward with the gun in one hand. With the other hand, I carefully [[open the door|p26]].

"To hide from Aaron's men."\n\n"We can't hide forever."\n\n"I know."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"Because of the weather."\n\n"What about after the weather?"\n\n"I don't know."\n\n<<display 'p02'>>

"Alright then," I say, accepting the gun. "Go ahead, and be sure to stay behind the door as you open it."\n\n"You got it." Nate grabs the handle and slowly pulls open the door. I [[aim|p26]] at the outside.

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "J">>\n<<set $saved = "Robert">>\n<<set $distract = "Stanley">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

I nod. <<display 'c04e'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "N">>\n<<set $first = "shooter">>\n<<set $fault = false>>\n<<set $death = "hero">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

"He was?"\n\n"Yeah. I mean, we were all worried, but he was the one who went tearing through the apartments while they were still on fire, and he's the one who got really mad when he found out you guys were lost. <<display 'p47'>>

<<set $nateHunter = true>>Nate jumps out from under the conveyor belt and drives the knife into the man's stomach before he can shoot, before he can curse, before he can blink. He bends over in pain as Nate pulls the knife out and sends it into his throat, then he sputters and chokes on his own blood as he collapses to the floor. Nate takes the knife and drives it into the man's skull for good measure. He smiles back at us and gives a thumbs up. Christa looks absolutely horrified.\n\n<<if $zombie eq "Kdead" or $zombie eq "Ndead">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back under the conveyor belt with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they ask the new arrivals.\n\n"The corpse at the gas station was dead," one of them replies. "It was recent, too. Someone just went through there."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. There's nothing here."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "left">>Suddenly, the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back under the conveyor belt with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" they asks the new arrivals.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "Did you guys see anyone?"\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here, but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>><<if $zombie eq "trap">>Suddenly, three out of the four hunters from the convenience store run into the factory. Nate dives back under the conveyor belt with us as the two hunters searching storage hurry to meet them.\n\n"What's going on?" he asks them.\n\n"We thought we saw someone in the gas station," one of them replies. "When we went in to check, Lou got bit."\n\n"Lou?" one of the others asks. "How is that--?"\n\n"They let the corpse from the restroom out. It was a trap."\n\nThere's a long pause before either of them speak again.\n\n"Whoever did that," one of them starts, "they're gonna pay."\n\n"We thought we saw someone come in here," another mentions, "but we've combed through every inch of the place. We can't find anything."<<endif>>\n\n"Well, the weather's about to go crazy, so we probably won't find them today. We'll report back to camp and see if we can send more people tomorrow. Whoever it was, they were hiding from us, which means they can't be friendly."\n\n"Where's Wally?" one of them suddenly wonders aloud. That must be the one Nate just killed.\n\n"Probably on his way to storage to meet us. Let's go around back to get him before the storm hits."\n\n<<display 'p13'>>

Emmett becomes very still, deep in thought. He's confused, I can tell, but soon, he looks into my eyes. He's made his decision.\n\n"Emmett, please--"\n\n"I'm sorry, Kerry," he says, "but you let <<print $saved>> die, and that was the last... there's no way around this." He reaches his hand behind his back.\n\n<<display 'p55'>>

"Yeah. We brought Christa back to Hannah, left Nate, and came after you."\n\nRoy shakes his head. He looks back to the hunter. "I was trying to get information out of this guy... find out if he'd seen you or the kids. He didn't talk much, as you can probably tell by the beating I had to give him." He pulls a small map from his pocket. "At least he gave me something."\n\n"What is it?" Owen asks.\n\n"It's something I have to check out," Roy says shortly. "You two head back to Emmett and Hannah, and stay with them this time." He gives Owen a harsh glare. "I mean it, Owen. No running off, especially now that we've got almost everyone back. I'll meet you in a bit."\n\n[["Alright."|b6q]]\n[["What is it?"|b6w]]\n[["No way."|b6e]]

As the downpour continues to roar, constant and unrelenting, I catch Hannah looking at me.\n\n"We should go to the safehouse," she says, motioning for me to help her to stand. "My leg was cut on the junk here. If you could..."\n\nI move over to her and help her up, offering myself as support. Emmett turns, sees that the rest of us are waiting, and slowly stands up, taking one last look at the wreck. Then we all start toward the [[safehouse|p38]].

As the downpour continues to roar, constant and unrelenting, Owen pulls on my sleeve. I look down at him.\n\n"We... we should probably go find Roy, now."\n\nI look to Hannah. "Owen," she says, "when you find him, meet us at the safehouse, okay?"\n\n"Yes."\n\n"Nate," she asks, motioning for him to help her to stand. "My leg was cut on the junk here. If you could..."\n\n"No problem," Nate says, grabbing her arm and pulling her up, offering himself as support. "Be careful, Owen. We'll see you when it's over."\n\n"Of course," the boy says, and the two of us head [[down the street|b1]].

"Emmett, what are we really out here for?"\n\n"You don't deserve to see your family any more than me, Kerry," he says, his eyes swelling. "You just don't." He reaches his hand behind his back.\n\n<<display 'p55'>>

<<set $d3 = true>>I open the pantry. There's a stack of plastic eating utensils inside. They don't look like they've been used at all.\n\n"Nice," Nate says as I hand them to him. <<if $d1 eq true>>"Now we can go eat."<<else>>"Now all we need is a can-opener."<<endif>>\n\n<<display 'a06'>>

<<set $d1 = true>>I open the cabinets and look inside. A can-opener stares right back at me.\n\n"Perfect!" Christa says as I hand it to her. <<if $d3 eq true>>"Now we can go eat!"<<else>>"Now all we need are some spoons."<<endif>>\n\n<<display 'a06'>>

<<display 'Episode 1'>>\n\n<<display 'Episode 2'>>\n\n<<if $Episode1 neq "None" and $Episode2 neq "None">>[[Start "Episode 3"|p01]]<<endif>>

"He seemed worried about Christa, at least."\n\n"Hmm. Maybe he lost somebody like a sister or something, and he doesn't want it to happen again."\n\n"Maybe."\n\n"He was worried about all of you. You should've seen him when he thought we'd lost you in the fire. He was so mad. <<display 'p47'>>

<<set $barricade = "none">>"Shouldn't we block the door with something?" Nate asks.\n\n"We don't have time," I tell him. We move away just before a figure passes by one of the foggy windows. That was close. "We need somewhere to hide."\n\n<<display 'p10'>>

ttsROtdoaDE Noah: In the Beginning There was Nothing\n9EpR_59y_jI Rain 01\n1pSyYhRYeIM Rain 02\n\nCURRENTLY IN USE:\n1. Relaxation Music - 1 Hour Gentle Rain Meditation\n User: TheHonestGuys\n Site: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSZVonXN-VA\n2. Creepy Ambient Horror Suspense Music (Instrumental Scary \n Music)\n User: MusicLoverOriginals\n Site: www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPtO4EaEXU\n3. Clint Mansell - The Last Man\n User: Giantrock0\n Site: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUgC6215Gko\n Comp: Clint Mansell\n\nPROBABLY IN USE:\n1. The Road (Soundtrack) - 08 Memory\n User: UGGO87\n Site: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrHQqkoA-Ko\n Comp: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis\n2. Unravelling - q9MZUeeg2Ug

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode2 = "A">>\n<<set $first = "medicine">>\n<<set $fault = true>>\n<<set $death = "sorry">>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

It's probably best to leave any more talking for later. I begin taking small bites of my first meal in at least a day. After a while, I see Christa glance over at Nate, who's still sitting quietly in his corner. When she turns to look back out the boarded-up window beside her booth, I turn to Nate and, making eye contact with him, I nod my head toward Christa. Nate reluctantly nods to me, then he stands up and walks over to the booth.\n\n"Hey," Nate says, announcing his presence to Christa as he sits beside her. "So, about what I said earlier -- about you're arm -- I'm sorry."\n\n"It's okay," she mumbles back, but I have a feeling something else is on her mind.\n\n<<display 'p20'>>

"I miss everyone."\n\n"Right."\n\n<<display 'p03'>>

"Alright," I say. "You're sure you'll be okay by yourself?"\n\n<<display 'b7'>>

<<silently>>\n<<set $Episode1 = "E">>\n<<set $saved = "Eric">>\n<<set $distract = "Us">>\n<<set $trustCrew = true>>\n<<endsilently>><<display 'Begin'>>

There's no need to talk anymore right now. I begin taking small bites of my first meal in at least a day. After a while, I see Christa glance over at us, then back out the boarded-up window beside her booth. I nudge Nate. He looks at me as I nod my head toward Christa, then nods to me and stands up. I stand beside him and we walk over to the booth together.\n\n"Hey," Nate says, announcing our presence to Christa as he sits beside her. I sit across from them. "So, about what I said earlier -- about you're arm -- I'm sorry."\n\n"It's okay," she mumbles back, but I have a feeling something else is on her mind.\n\n<<display 'p20'>>

<<set $miss = "parents">>"I miss my parents."\n\n"Your parents? They weren't with us in the apartment, were they?"\n\n"No. No, they weren't."\n\n<<display 'p03'>>

"Here to blame me for something?"\n\n"No. I just wanted to talk," he says. I sigh, but I motion to the floor beside me. <<display 'p42'>>

<<set $LookFor = "Roy">>"We should look for Roy," I decide. "If he's going around by himself, he could be in trouble.<<if $promise eq true>>"\n\n"But," Christa starts, "I thought you promised that we could look for my mom."\n\n"But we know she's safe with Emmett," I explain. "We don't know where Roy is. We'll go to her right after, okay?"\n\nShe looks disappointed.<<else>>"<<endif>>\n\n"She has a point," Owen says. "Alright. Get your stuff and [[follow me|a2]]."

I say we keep following the prints. One of the sets has to be Roy's. Let's just be careful not to run into whoever the others belong to."\n\nWe don't really have anything else to go on if we want to find Roy, so the four of us continue to follow the tracks, which end at the street in front of an abandoned two-story office builidng. The doors are broken off their hinges.\n\n"I guess Roy and whoever else we're following went through there," Owen says, pointing at the building. "Come on."\n\nWe walk through the dripping entrance, stepping over splintered wood and shattered glass from the broken doors. It takes a moment us to notice the dead bodies strewn about the rooms with fresh splatters of blood all over the walls.\n\n"Holy crap," Nate gasps, standing in front of Christa to keep her from seeing the dead. "Are any of them biters?"\n\nOwen carefully approaches one of the bodies and taps it with his foot. It doesn't move. "They seem dead -- like, //for real// dead."\n\nNate pulls Christa into the a room without bodies and blood. "Just wait here, okay?" he says. She nods, and Nate returns to help Owen check the dead.\n\nThen Owen sees the bloody hole through one of the corpse's skulls. He freezes. "Guys... biters didn't do this. We have to--"\n\nA short yelp from Christa makes us all turn to see that someone is holding her by the back of the neck. It's one of the hunters from the convenience store. He looks panicked, and he's holding a gun to Christa's head.\n\n[["Don't hurt her."|a3q]]\n[["Let her go."|a3w]]\n[["What do you want?"|a3e]]

__Chapter 5: Scarred__\n\nThe rain becomes heavier as we follow Owen through muddy yards and broken fences. We must be getting close. We've been walking for nearly an hour, and we're all just about soaked through.\n\n"Do you think we'll find Roy soon?" Christa asks Owen as she marches beside him.\n\n"Yeah," Owen says, looking intently at the ground in front of him as he tries to deduce which tracks are Roy's. "Yeah, it looks like the tracks are a lot fresher here. Of course, the stupid rain isn't helping."\n\n"That's a lot of tracks," Nate observes, looking at the torn-up grass ahead. "It looks like someone had a fight."\n\nOwen looks at them, but he seems to see something else in the mess of footprints. "They definitely look like someone, or a lot of someones, were in a hurry, but a fight would have a lot more chaos in the prints. These are all still facing ahead. I think there was a group that came through here."\n\n[["Do you think Roy followed them?"|a2q]]\n[["Do you think they followed Roy?"|a2w]]\n[["Do you think Roy was with them?"|a2e]]

Suddenly the man's head is grabbed from behind and twisted violently. His whole body goes limb and tumbles to the floor. Christa stands and stares in fear at the body, behind which stands blood-soaked Roy, drenched in rain and blood and covered in ash and small burns and bruises.\n\n"Christa?" he says when he sees the girl. He kneels down in front of her and grips her by the shoulders. "Are you okay, Christa?" Christa, shaking from what just happened, nods slowly, and Roy gives her a hug. "Thank God. I... Your mom... We were all worried sick." He lets Christa go, then he turns to me and the two boys. "Kerry. Nate, too. This is incredible. Wait. Is <<print $saved>> with you?"\n\n"No," I tell him. "I take it you haven't seen him yet, either?"\n\n"We haven't. He must've gone off on his own if he made it out of the apartment during the fire." Roy gives Owen a look. "Owen, I thought I told you to stick with Emmett and Hannah."\n\n"You did, but--"\n\n"Do they know you left?"\n\n"No, but--"\n\n"Damn it, kid. They have enough to worry about without you going missing on them!"\n\n[["He found us."|a5q]]\n[["He helped us find you."|a5w]]\n[["Roy has a point, Owen."|a5e]]

but if I it's what I have to do to get this crazy son-of-a-bitch to let me leave here alive, then I'll do it."\n\nHe drives the gun harder into the side of her head as if to emphasize his desperation.\n\n"What crazy son-of-a-bitch?" Nate asks. "Just let the girl go, man. The door's right there."\n\n"You want me to give him a clear shot?" the hunter asks, looking to the left and right as if he's expecting something to pop out of the walls. "I don't think so. I want this asshole to come out right now."\n\n[["What asshole?"|a4q]]\n[["Just let us leave."|a4w]]\n[["Killing her won't solve anything."|a4e]]

"No way," I tell him. "You're not going alone, again."\n\n<<display 'b7'>>

"Yeah," Owen says, smiling. "I'm sorry about sneaking away, but we'll go back to the safehouse after this. We had to make sure you were okay."\n\nRoy shakes his head, then his expression turns serious as he bends down over the body of the hunter with the broken neck and pulls out a knife. He looks up to Christa. "Look away." She does, but she still shudders when she hears the squelch of the knife entering the dead man's head. Roy proceeds to check the man's pockets. He's obviously looking for something specific. Finally, he pulls a small folded map out of the man's coat. He opens it up. I can see some ink from a permanent marker seeping through to the backside of the paper. Roy looks at the markings for a while, then he stands up and places the map into his own pocket.\n\n"What is it?" Nate asks.\n\n"It's something I have to check out," Roy says shortly. "You guys head back to Emmett and Hannah, and stay with them this time." He gives Owen a harsh glare. "I mean it, Owen. No running off, especially now that we've got almost everyone back. I'll meet you in a bit."\n\n[["Alright."|a6q]]\n[["What is it?"|a6w]]\n[["No way."|a6e]]

"You should stay with the others."\n\n"I just wanted to talk, if that's okay," he says. I sigh, but I motion to the floor beside me. <<display 'p42'>>

"It's not your fault."\n\n"I know," she say, looking down. <<display 'e51'>>

"What do you want?"\n\n"I just wanted to talk," he says. <<display 'p42'>>

"Do you think Roy was with them?"\n\n"No," Owen says with absolute certainty. "He's with us. He wouldn't leave with another group. He pulled me out of a fire and found us a safehouse, and he was really angry at himself when he wasn't able to find you. He wouldn't just leave after all that."\n\n"I wasn't saying that he would. Don't worry."\n\n"Right... I know. Anyway, <<display 'b2'>>

<<set $barricade = "wood">>I pull a wooden shelf until it tips over in front of the doors. I push it up against them.\n\n"Is that going to hold?" Nate asks.\n\n"It'll buy us some time," I tell him. Then I see a figure move past one of the tall windows on the wall. The glass is pretty foggy, so hopefully he didn't see us. "We need somewhere to hide."\n\n<<display 'p10'>>

"Let me help, Christa," I say, reaching for the box.\n\n"No, no, I got it. Just..." she begins frantically employing the use of her thighs to steady the box as she peels open the tab with her fingers, then she pulls out the bag and tears at it with her hand and teeth. A loud rip signals her success and her face lights up.\n\n<<display 'p17'>>

I know she likes to figure these things out by herself, so I sit back and observe as she begins expertly employing the use of her thighs to steady the box as she peels open the tab with her fingers, then she pulls out the bag and tears at it with her hand and teeth. A loud rip signals her success and her face lights up.\n\n<<display 'p17'>>

"Do you think they followed Roy?"\n\n"That could be," Owen nods, "<<display 'b2'>>

<<set $barricade = "lock">>I turn the lock on the door. A loud click resounds through the metal.\n\n"Is locking it gonna be enough?" Nate asks.\n\n"We don't have time to do much else," I tell him. Then I see a figure move past one of the tall windows on the wall. The glass is pretty foggy, so hopefully he didn't see us. "We need somewhere to hide."\n\n<<display 'p10'>>

<<set $barricade = "pipe">>I stick a metal pipe between the handles of the doors.\n\n"Is that going to hold?" Nate asks.\n\n"It'll buy us some time," I tell him. Then I see a figure move past one of the tall windows on the wall. The glass is pretty foggy, so hopefully he didn't see us. "We need somewhere to hide."\n\n<<display 'p10'>>

"Do you think Roy followed them?"\n\n"Maybe," Owen nods, "<<display 'b2'>>