Roxy and Zero’s vans sputtered to a stop. Lake Tahoe stretched out before them, its surface a mirror reflecting the early evening sky.

One by one, the members of The Furious Minks and Anarchy’s Child climbed out of their vans.

Tommy, Laila, Jimbo, and Micky were joined by Roxy, Dee, Zero, and Nix.

“Look at this view,” Roxy said. “Isn’t it something?”

Spike climbed down from the back of the Minks’ van, his face pale, and headed over to join the group.

“How’s Kim?” Tommy asked.

“She’s in a bad way, but she hasn’t turned yet. Christ, it reeked in there.”

Dee stretched his legs and rubbed his backside, flashing a grin. “I’ve lost all feeling in my ass sitting for so long.”

Jimbo spread his arms wide as if embracing the landscape. “You know, this would be a stellar location for Zombiepalooza. Can you imagine? A punk festival right here!”

Zero snorted. “Doesn’t surprise me it’s so quiet here. Probably the globalists using the zombie virus to clear out the cities. Ever heard of the Georgia Guide Stones? It’s all there.”

Nix shook his head at Zero. “Always chasing ghosts. Got no time for that crap now. We need to find a safe spot to sleep and figure out how to get supplies.”

Tommy nodded at Nix. “He’s got a point. As fascinating as it would be to talk about Zombiepalooza or globalist agendas, we’ve got immediate issues to handle.”

Laila pursed her lips, her gaze meeting each of theirs in turn. “We’re all tired, we’re all stressed, but we’ve got each other. And right now, that’s what counts.”

Roxy chuckled. “Ah, look at us, getting all sentimental by the lakeside. Who would’ve thought?” She skimmed a stone across the lake’s surface, ripples spreading out in concentric circles, disrupting the stillness.

Laila sidled up to Tommy. “It’s getting dark. We need to find somewhere to stay.”

Tommy consulted the map. “There’s a campsite not too far from here. We can make it before nightfall if we haul ass.”

Tommy turned to check on Micky. He stood slumped against the van, his forehead dripping with sweat. His skin had taken on a greyish pallor that set Tommy’s nerves on edge. “Mick. You good?”

Micky flinched at Tommy’s voice and made a weak smile. “Yeah. Just needed a quick break. I’ll be right behind you.”

Tommy clapped his hand. “Alright, let’s move out, people. We’re almost there.”

The others drifted back towards their vans.

Tommy paused by Micky on his way to the driver’s seat. “You sure you’re good to go, man?”

Micky avoided his eyes. “Yeah. Like I said, right behind you.”

Tommy studied him for another moment, then climbed behind the wheel.

He turned the key in the ignition and the van rumbled to life.

Laila sank onto the passenger seat as Jimbo clambered into the back.

Tommy tapped on the steering wheel as Micky remained standing outside, leaning on the van.

Killing the engine, Tommy hopped out and crossed over to Micky. “Mick. Time to go, brother.”

No response.

He grabbed Micky’s shoulder and gave him a shake. “Micky!”

Micky’s eyes fluttered open, glazed, and unfocused. “Huh? Oh…yeah. I’m coming.”

As Micky fumbled for the door handle, his legs gave out.

Tommy caught him before he face-planted the asphalt. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there.” Sliding Micky’s arm over his shoulder, he supported most of his weight as he guided him to the van.

Laila opened the side door, concern etched on her brow as she helped Micky inside. “What’s wrong with him now?”

“Just the withdrawal. Let’s get moving. We’ll figure this out on the road.”

Laila nodded and slid the door closed once Micky was settled.

Tommy jumped back behind the wheel, his pulse quickening as he calculated the dwindling daylight against the distance remaining.

Foot on the gas pedal, the van rolled out.

Tommy kept his eyes locked on the road while the van tore down the empty highway, the sky darkening.

Beside him, Laila fidgeted with the radio—static cut in and out between bursts of faint classical music.

Tommy’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, his pulse a rapid drumbeat.

The van’s tyres crunched on gravel as Tommy pulled into the lakeside campground, cutting the engine, and letting the sudden silence fill the air.

He swept his gaze across the clearing framed by towering pines and the glassy lake beyond.

No signs of life—nor of death.

So far, so good.

He gestured to Micky, slumped in the back seat. “Let’s get him out first. Careful though, go slow.”

Together, he and Laila eased Micky from the van.

Tommy exchanged a worried look with Laila as they half-carried, half-dragged Micky towards the firepit.

Once they had Micky settled, Laila kept watch over him.

Roxy hopped out of her van, stretching her arms overhead. “How’s it looking?”

Tommy hesitated. “Not great. Micky’s really out of it.”

Roxy glanced over at Laila, who was crouched next to Micky’s inert form. “Is it…you know?”Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Withdrawal.”

“Damn. You’ve got to keep an eye on him. Could get bad quick. Bassist in our old band got into plez…let’s just say it didn’t end well.”

Tommy swallowed hard and nodded. Shadows stretched long across the ground. “And what about your current one?”

Roxy glanced towards the van and shrugged. “Not checked since we last stopped.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, man. We’re getting like Spinal Tap with drummers.”

Tommy laughed despite himself.

He spun at the sound of boots crunching on gravel behind him.

Jimbo ambled over, guitar case slung across his back. “Who wants to go for a swim?”

A half-smile almost formed on Tommy’s face, but his gaze involuntarily shifted back to Micky. Jimbo followed the line of sight, his own smile dimming.

“He’s not doing so hot, huh?”

“No.” Tommy exhaled.

Setting his guitar aside, Jimbo placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “He’ll get through this. We’ll make sure of it.”

For a long moment, they stood together in silence, the dying rays of the setting sun casting its glow through the trees.

“Alright, enough moping. We need to lighten the atmosphere around here.” Jimbo cupped his hands around his mouth. “Who wants to help me set up the first annual Zombiepalooza?”

Laila let out a laugh. Tommy found himself chuckling too.

“I’m in!” Dee called out, springing to his feet from his spot by the water’s edge.

Laila rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Both of you.”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!” Jimbo swung his guitar back over his shoulder. “We’ve got an entire lakefront stage here. I’m envisioning pyrotechnics, perhaps some hydraulic lifts…screw punk rock, man. We can be like KISS!”

Tommy shook his head, a quiet laugh escaping his lips.

Even Zero managed a rare grin.

As the sun dipped below the trees, Tommy turned to the others. “Let’s get a fire started. Nix, can you take first watch?”

“Sure thing.”

As Jimbo and Zero dragged logs over to the fire pit, Laila scrounged up some kindling.

The ensuing crackle and warmth of the flames loosened the tension knotting Tommy’s shoulders.

They passed around cans of lukewarm beans, eating without conversation.

After they finished, Tommy took over the watch, keeping his bat close at hand.

One by one, the others’ breaths transitioned from wakefulness to sleep as they nestled into their sleeping bags near the fire.

Tommy’s eyes remained fixed on the dark outline of the forest, his ears straining for any telltale sounds.

A distant howl sliced through the silence, jolting him upright, his hands gripping his bat.

He strained his eyes, trying to pierce the inky blackness that enveloped their makeshift camp.

The howl echoed again, this time from a different direction. Were they wolves? Coyotes? Or something far worse?

He debated waking the others. But they needed their rest, and raising a false alarm could only serve to deplete and demoralise them further.

He paced the perimeter of their camp, scrutinising the darkness for any signs of movement.

A twig snapped in the trees to his left, and he whirled around.

A minute stretched out in tense silence.

A groan reverberated from the woods.

No animal produced a sound like that.

“Guys, up, now!”

Micky sprang to life, scrambling to his feet, while the others roused, bleary and disoriented.

“We’ve got company.”

Zero nodded, marching off with his rifle at the ready. “I told you we couldn’t trust those pigs.”

Tommy took his position, facing the narrow path that led up to their camp.

Quiet descended upon them. Even the nocturnal choir of crickets and frogs had ceased their noise.

The sound of shifting debris came through the trees.

Steeling himself, Tommy tightened his grip on the bat, ready to swing at the first hint of movement.

His muscles coiled, ready to strike as a zombie staggered from the trees. Its eyes, milky and vacant, locked onto him. It emitted a guttural moan as it shambled forward.

With a surge of adrenaline, Tommy swung his bat, the impact resonating with a sickening crack against the zombie’s skull.

It crumpled to the ground, lifeless once more.

Two more burst from the trees.

“Zombies!” Tommy’s call echoed around him, his nerves tingling with adrenaline. He swung again, catching another undead square in the face, sending it careening into a bush.

His comrades were on their feet now, hastily arming themselves.

Laila, wielding a tyre iron, joined Tommy in the fray, each swing a brutal dance.

Behind them, Dee wielded a tree branch like a makeshift spear, dispatching a zombie with precision strikes to the eye or neck.

“Tommy, your left!”

Tommy swivelled at Laila’s warning, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of another assailant.

A swift, brutal strike to its knees brought it down, allowing Laila to deliver the coup de grâce to its skull.

Gunshots cracked from high in a tree as Zero took out a dozen zombies with his rifle.

They stood, waiting, but only silence came.

Tommy’s breaths came thick and fast, his chest heaving. “Is that all of them?”

Laila scanned the darkness. “I don’t know.”

Zero let off another gunshot and the forest fell silent again. “We’re clear!”

After several minutes of tense vigilance, it appeared they had weathered the onslaught. T

hey had survived.

But remaining in this vulnerable position was out of the question.

“We should get moving,” Laila said. “No telling if more are coming, so let’s get as far away from here as possible.”

“Agreed,” Tommy said. “Let’s grab what we can and get going. Any suggestions on where we head next?”

“Let’s just pick a direction and keep going,” Dee said. “We’ll find something, surely?”

“Dee’s right,” Tommy said. “We head east, along the highway. We keep our eyes peeled for shelter and supplies. We’ll get through this, one day at a time.”

Nods and muted agreements followed his statement.

As they prepared to move, Tommy locked eyes with Roxy, who offered a weak smile.

Bat slung over his shoulder, Tommy cast a final glance at the scattered dead they were leaving behind.

Then it came—a low, mournful groan.

Everyone froze, their eyes meeting in shared alarm.

The groan sounded again, undeniably closer.

Grabbing a torch, Tommy gestured for Zero to accompany him.

With a grunt of irritation, Zero followed as Tommy moved along a game trail.

Sweeping the torch beam from side to side, Tommy sought the origin of the noise.

A glint in the distance caught his attention.

His body tensed, ready for flight.

Torchlight shone into a pair of eyes.

For a long moment, Tommy stared at those glowing eyes in frozen silence.

“Just Bambi having a freakout,” Zero said, his voice tinged with nervous relief as the animal bolted through the trees.

Whatever had alarmed that deer was still potentially lurking in the shadows.

“Let’s head back.”

Tommy met Zero’s eyes. “You sure it’s clear?”

“Pigs said it was clear, right? So it must be clear.”

Tommy held up his hands. “What else did we have to go on? For all we know he could have been telling the truth.”

“More likely leading us into a trap.”

“Not everything’s a conspiracy.”

Zero sniffed. “No. You’re right. We should do exactly what the man tells us all the time.”

“That’s not what I said—”

“Nah, it’s fine. You’re one of the sheeple. I get that. Takes a while to undo globalist programming. You need to take the red pill, man.”

Tommy sighed. “What? Because this reality’s so amazing? Did you even watch the Matrix?”

“Yeah. I watched it. Predictive programming. That’s why we fight. That’s why we have to resist every single goddamn day.”

Tommy swept his torch beam through the trees. “Maybe you’re right. But we need to get back to the others. Just need to make sure it’s clear of those things.”

“Yeah. It’s clear.” Zero stomped off ahead. “We’re good.”

As they returned to the campsite, all eyes turned towards them.

“What was it?” Laila asked.

“Just a freaked-out deer,” Tommy said. “Nothing to worry about.”

“You sure about that, Tommy?” Roxy said. “Looks like you two saw a ghost out there.”

“Honestly?” Tommy shrugged. “I think that deer was running from something. Don’t know what it was, but…” His voice trailed off.

Silence enveloped the group, the weight of his words settling in.

“So what’s the plan then?” Micky asked. “We can’t just sit here waiting for whatever’s out there to find us.”

“You’re right.” Tommy took a deep breath and turned to the others. “Alright everyone, listen up. We need to move, now. It’s not safe here anymore.”

Murmurs of assent rippled through the group.

“Let’s gather our things quickly and quietly. We’ll head east on the highway like we planned, see if we can find shelter in one of the small towns on the way.”

The campsite erupted into motion as everyone packed up their belongings. Sleeping bags were rolled, scattered cans collected, and bags stuffed into the vans.

All the while, Tommy kept his baseball bat gripped tightly, his eyes and ears strained for signs of another attack.

Within a few minutes, they had loaded the last of their supplies.

Tommy did a final sweep of the darkened trees surrounding them before gesturing to the group. “Alright, let’s move out.”

He climbed into the driver’s seat, his fingers tapping on the cracking vinyl steering wheel as the others filed in.

Laila took the passenger seat next to him and squeezed his arm.

Tommy turned the key in the ignition and the van rumbled to life.

Headlights glowed in the side mirror as the other vehicles lined up behind Tommy. He took one last deep breath, then pulled the van onto the deserted rural highway, the velvet blackness of the woods enveloping them on both sides.

An air of uneasy anticipation settled over the van as they drove onward into the unknown night.