Survival or Struggle?

Andy, Jake, Jinxx, and CC went over to where they wouldn’t be seen, bringing Ashley with them. They needed to discuss a plan before doing anything. They ended up going into the back room of the store, which was better than nothing. Jinxx put Ashley up against the wall gently, not wanting to make the bruising on his back any worse. It may not be fatal, but they couldn't take any chances.

"All right, what's the plan?" Jinxx asked, after he made sure Ashley was in a safe position to stay the way he was. The others shrugged, looking from one to the other. They were all worried, and they needed to get something worked out, and quick. Jinxx sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in agitation and worry.

"We can't leave Ashley alone, and we all know it." Jake said. There was an implication there, easy to pick out.

"We have to split up again, don't we?" the dark haired drummer asked, looking more worried than ever. Jake nodded, sighing.

"It's the only way to get Ashley to where he needs to be safely." Jake said gently, Jinxx nodded in agreement. CC sighed and looked around, finding a map in one of the drawers of the tattoo shop. He laid it on a table near them, there were several routes to take. But none of them, CC noticed, had a chance of them all being together. CC wanted to hold onto a thread of hope that they might find another way. No go, so they needed to figure who was going with Ashley and who was staying behind to distract as many zombies as possible.

"Who's going with Ashley and who's staying?" Jinxx said, echoing CC's thoughts. Everyone looks at one another before Jake speaks up.

"I'll stay behind." Jake said, volunteering. It wasn't an eager, although, no one would be eager to go out in something like this.

"I'll stay too." Jinxx said softly.

"That just leaves you and me CC." Andy said, going towards Ashley.

"What route is the quickest? We need to get there as soon as possible. Less time to get there, the less time it takes for you two to play around with those zombies." the blue eyed singer said, picking Ashley up in another fireman's carry.

"There is no quickest way. Not unless you want to take any alleyways. Which I think is how Ashley ended up like that in the first place." Jake said, readying his weapons. CC was making sure that the map was safely with them, then made sure that his scythe and sawed off shotgun were at the ready. CC winced at the memory of how he found Ashley, shaking his head. No, no alleyways. They would have to do this the hard way. Andy shifted under Ashley's weight slightly.

"I guess that's our cue." Jinxx said, going to the front of the store, Jake close behind. They looked back at Andy and CC, smiling a little. Trying to be encouraging, more than likely.

"We'll see you guys soon." Jinxx said.

"Yeah, count to five and then leave." said the lead guitarist before waving and fully exiting the shop, Jinxx following him close by. Andy and CC looked at each other and counted to five before leaving the store as well. As soon as they stepped out of the shop, it was the world was on pause when they had been inside the shop, and now had resumed playing. Hearing the growls and shrieks of the things only feet from them, Andy and CC looked at each other and started going as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

Whether they liked it or not, they would have to take at least one alleyway to risk getting to a medical clinic of some sort. Andy just didn't have the heart to tell CC, not until he had to. They rushed down a couple of streets, Ashley needed them, there were no excuses. CC made sure to back Andy up, seeing as he was the one with Ashley over his shoulder. Finally, after trying to go down as many as open streets as they could, Andy came to a stop at an alleyway. CC looked at him, a little irked.

"I thought we had agreed to no alleyways." the drummer said.

"We either do this, or we lose a lot of time that could help Ashley." the lead singer said, looking calmly back at the drummer. But inside, Andy was pretty freaked out. He needed to stay calm, for CC, as well as Ashley. CC sighed and nodded.

"For Ashley." CC muttered. Andy nodded and they began their trek down the alleyway that would shorten their trip to the medical clinic. He hoped Jinxx and Jake were okay, he hated that they had to split up again, but it was the only way. Andy had to shift Ashley's weight again, CC looked at Andy and stopped.

"Andy, give him here. Let me take him for a bit." CC said softly. Andy rose a brow, but said nothing. He stopped and dropped Ashley gently onto the ground, hefting him onto CC was a likely cause to hurt him by shifting Ashley onto him. CC gently took Ashley and hefted him onto his shoulder, Andy backing the drummer up as they began their trek once more. It was quiet, but the quiet never lasted long.

The quiet was interrupted by a shriek and a rumble that nearly took them each off the ground. CC had to hold onto Andy with one arm while hanging onto Ashley with the other. Once the rumbling stopped, they looked at each other, but not before Andy caught something out of the corner of his eye and shoved CC out of the way. CC yelled in shock and surprise as he fell, Ashley falling somewhere near him. CC got up shakily and looked around to see where Ashley landed. He found Ashley had landed a couple hundred feet from him. CC scurried towards their bassist, starting to get Ashley back over his shoulder.

"CC, look out!" Andy shouted somewhere near him. CC turned to find a zombie, with razor sharp teeth and claws, barring down on him. CC shouted in fear and took the nearest thing and hit the zombie with it: a brick. CC groaned when the zombie was only sent a few feet away. His scythe must have come off of him, as well as his sawed off shotgun. He had literally nothing but piles of bricks and wood to defend himself with. CC tried to back up without hurting Ashley anymore than he already was. The zombie was barring down on him once again, Andy got off a shot. He didn't want to hit near CC or Ashley, in fear of hurting or killing them.

That shot got into the zombie's shoulder, the zombie changed course, shrieking at Andy in anger and pain. Andy tried to get another shot off, but the gum jammed. Andy looked down at the gun as he tried to get the gun to work again. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, but not from Andy's gun. The shot that hit the zombie this time was a kill shot: straight at the head. The zombie dropped like a stone. CC and Andy both looked at each other and than at whoever shot the zombie. The result shocked them both.

"Ashley!" the lead singer and drummer said in unison.

Notes