Outbreak

Heidi looked down at her small semi-automatic pistol and frowned.

"Mine's ugly... if I had to name it, I would give it a villain name like Ursula or Medusa. I'm gonna put in a petition for fancy pistols for women. Something pink with diamonds."

"It may be ugly but it's efficient" Hunter said "Now are we ready to go."

"Yeah." James as Seraphina got in.

"Ah, like an ex-boyfriend," Heidi said wondering and smiled hopping in.

"Something like that" Hunter nodded

Seraphina looked at herself in a dirty compact mirror and adjusted her bangs, just for the comfort of feeling normal.

James started the Humvee and they headed off.

Empty homes and shops lined the street and Heidi lent against the door looking out. Her prior hope that the world could return to its former beauty was diminishing, there wasn't much left of the beautiful world she once knew.

James kept driving, eyeing the buildings incase zombies or worse marauders were lurking within.

Hunter scanned the area carefully

James looked around as he drove.

Johnny and his men were driving along still tracking James.

At the Marauders camp, Trigger found herself at the center of unwanted attention, after Johnny took her brother with him into the township.

"Not everyday we get a pretty little thing like you dropping in. We know you're here to save ya brother and go home to happy families but perhaps for now you can play happy families with us."

She shot the ground sending up dust, "The next shot will be one of you, and I won't miss."

A group of seven or eight wanderers stood in the humvee's path.
"Stop the car!" Seraphina shouted. "We should give these people some directions or food."

James stopped the Humvee a good distance away from the people giving Hunter plenty of room to use the .50caliber machine gun if needed.

Seraphina got out of the humvee, walking toward them with a pre-N-Day map in one hand and her sledgehammer on her back. "Hello!" She shouted from about ten feet away. As she neared, she noticed most of them were wearing filthy black or white robes. "Hello." She said again when she reached them.

The man obviously in charge put his hands in the air and tilted his head back. "We thank the Gods for this sign of good hope. What is her name?" His hands were shaking as he asked.

Seraphina swallowed nervously. "Seraphina." She answered for the 'Gods'.

"Seraphina! Fiery one! Like a torch brings hope to a tunnel, we bless you and thank the Gods for blessing us with your presence!" He shouted to the sky, eyes still closed.

Seraphina looked at the group of them. All of them had their eyes closed and seemed to be praying. She tiptoed back to humvee and leaned in the window when she reached it. "They're a bunch of religious nuts." She half whispered. "I think they started some freaky Post-Apocalyptic religion."

"No, really?" James said looking at them, watching them carefully.

"What do I do? They're praying for me right now. I should probably get back." Seraphina said.

"I'm coming with ya." James said getting out with his rifle, he'd seen enough religious nut cases after the Zombie infections and the nukes going off. "Cover us Hunter."

"What are they doing now?" Seraphina murmured as she noticed a commotion in the group ahead as they walked toward them.

"As our numbers grow and you Gods continue to send us signs of righteousness, we do not forget your needs." The head priest said, putting his palm on one of the group member's, who was being restrained by two others, forehead. "Take this sacrifice as thanks for the sign of the Fiery One!" He shouted.

Seraphina looked at James and began to run. "They're psychos!" When she reached them, she stopped and skidded in the dirt. "Stop! What are you doing."

"Ah, the Fiery One has returned in time to see our sacrifice for you." The head priest said, pulling a knife out of his sleeve.

Seraphina covered her eyes in fear of what he was about to do. She turned around and looked at James through her hands cupped around her face. "Stop them!" She said, peeking at the struggle behind her.

James took aim and fired at the Priest hitting the knife and knocking it from his grip.

The priest hit the ground, clenching the bullet hole through his hand. He screamed as the others scattered. Seraphina turned back around and watched them as they ran. If James wanted to take them out, she knew he could, especially since the land was so desolate that trees couldn't even grow for them to hide behind.

She looked on the ground for the one who would have been sacrificed only to find that he had fled also. She frowned and looked at James. "We did the right thing." She shrugged and said over the priest's screams.

James sighed. "Yeah I guess." He said backing up to the Humvee.

"Some world we live in where shooting a guy in the hand is the right thing." Seraphina sighed and returned to the humvee as well.

"Not very different from how the world was before." James said getting in and driving off.

"In a sense." She said getting in. "I'm starting to lose my faith in humanity."