Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the scope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad leader, and took the three of them out every day at ungodly hours of the morning for target practice. While other squads did push-ups and obstacle courses, Will's squad was on an almost completely restrictive target practice schedule. The man had short black hair in a buzz cut and a clean shaven beard. He always wore a golden necklace around his neck that meant something very dear to him. The three of his soldiers didn't know what it was, and Thomas doubted they ever would.
Thomas was almost the polar opposite of the Sergeant. The hair on his head was cut down all the way to a quarter inch and his skin was a dark shade of black, his family having heritage in Central Africa. He was taller than most of the men in his troop and kinder a man. He had never wished harm upon another living being in his twenty years, no matter how insignificant. And then he was forced by his parents to join the military. They thought it would make the boy stronger...more prideful... It didn't give him anything more than the rifle in his hands.
"Yessir. Sorry, sir." Thomas replied, standing up and handing the rifle over to the next soldier, for him to give a shot at the watermelons at the other end of the yard.
"Let's see if Ousawa has any better luck." Will spat, standing back against the oak wall of the shooting range where the men spent a lot of there time.
Usui Ousawa smirked as he loaded the chamber. The man was around the same as Thomas, but much shorter. His family had come from Korea or Japan or somewhere when they were very young... From where, Thomas had forgotten. The two had known each other since middle school, growing to be the best of friends. When Thomas had to leave his home to go off to the military, Usui agreed to go with him. He used to have longer black hair, but was forced to shave it when they joined the army. It hung down just to slightly cover one of his piercing blue eyes.
But as Thomas grew taller, Usui grew colder... There were many times when the man would ignore him when he wanted to hang out after school. There was a period of time in their sophomore year of high school where Usui had a demanding girlfriend. They didn't speak to one another a single time in seven months. Thomas hadn't been one to make the easiest of friends. Those months were miserable.
The man behind Usui was perched on the bench relaxed, waiting for his turn on the rifle. It was Gerald Parker, a man only called him by his last name. He was the shortest soldier out of the four of them, with greenish-brown eyes behind a pair of square glasses along with a shaved head of blonde. He was only slightly older than Usui and Thomas, but he would use it as an excuse to belittle the other two.
The blaring echo of the gunshot rang through the shooting range, and Usui gazed back at his brothers, looking for approval. The melon on the post on the other side had a hole in its side the size of a baseball. It was his fourth or fifth shot... Thomas hadn't been counting. He looked to his and scoffed. "How about that, Tom?" He laughed, his mild accent fading for a moment in a mocking sort of way. "I think the gun likes me more than you."
"The gun ain't gonna like anyone if you don't quit chattin' and hand it over, Ousawa." Will jerked the gun away from the soldier and threw it into the arms of the last one sitting on the bench. "Now, let HIM show you how ya shoot a melon."
Parker cracked the edge of his mouth into a smile as he caught the weapon and loaded it with a bullet he had been fiddling with in his fingers. He flicked the toothpick in his mouth into the rosebushes on the other side of the fence and lifted the scope to his eye. He didn't have a moment's hesitation before emptying the round into the last melon. He then, tilted his arms to the side and shot two more into the carcasses of the other melons. He turned to the rest of the troop and placed another toothpick from his pocket between his teeth.
"And that, is how you shoot a gun, freshmen." Parker shook his head arrogantly, putting the gun back into the war-weathered hands of the squad leader.
"Asshole..." Usui muttered under his breath. Although Thomas refrained from using such strong language to define one of his friends, he did agree that Parker was not the nicest man.
The troop of four men had been together only a year, but it felt much longer, almost as if they had been good friends for the majority of their life. They were certainly the best friends Thomas had ever had. He was bullied in his youth for looking funny. His parents were a part of a black equality movement, and insisted on sending him to a school of all white children. Sure, most of the kids were perfectly fine with it, but there were always those odd ones in the group. They talked about their own destinies. They told Thomas he'd never have anything they had. They spoke as if they knew of destiny...
Will took the rifle and slung it around his broad shoulders. He walked in front of Thomas, Parker and Usui and pulled a large serrated knife off the holster on his leg. He held it in the air. The three of them stood at attention, with wide legs and arms behind their backs. "You see this knife?" He called out to the members of his squad in a sort of gravelly voice that always sounded very radh. "Each one of them is a killing machine. You let just one near you, and it can all be over. Just a simple stab can mean your death. And you...all three of you... Despite how much shit you dealt with back home, they haven't got you yet. And the knife here in my hands... This is the only thing keeping you from them. No matter what happens out there. We are not going to die. We are strong. We are survivors. Now get some lunch. We're gonna get more training done later today."
"Yessir!" The three called out in unison as they raised their right arms to their foreheads, saluting their commander.
Will threw the rifle farther up onto his body and trudged away in his military boots, leaving them there to speak. The soldier had been known to give inspiring speeches such as that one. Will, although stern at times, was always kind to his troops. He let them eat wherever they wanted for lunch and was much more relaxed on training than most sergeants. Following under him felt like an honor to Thomas.
When their sergeant was gone, the three of them turned toward each other. Thomas pointed with his pinky out to the parking lot beside the highway after a few moments of awkward silence in which Usui and Parker stared with loathing at one another. "Burger Queen?" He asked them. "I'm feeling Burger Queen."
"Burger Queen's fine." Parker replied, speaking through the toothpick in his mouth.
"Haven't had that in since Will demoted me. God fucking bless his name." Usui commented.
"We all know your demotion were yer own damn fault, Swee." Parker spat. He turned and began to stride arrogantly toward their cars. Usui and Thomas followed suit. "If you hadn't been rootin' around in the medicine cabinet, you'd still be there. But you're too much of a junkie."
"I told you, shitface!" Usui yelled back at the man. "I was in there for aspirin, not drugs."
"Don't matter."
"Why the hell doesn't it matter?"
"Cause you're down here now. Your high and mighty police warden father ain't gonna lift a finger for you here." Parker turned away, flicking his toothpick around, as though he were proud of himself.
"Calm down, guys!" Thomas shouted at them. "We are going to have a quiet lunch and eat some burgers. Anyone who talks bad again isn't getting their meal on the house."
"You're paying for us?" Parker asked him.
"Yeah." He smiled. He had a different way of coping with bullshit. Instead of threats, he offered something. This always made Thomas a likable person within his groups of friends. There were quite a few people who leeched off him often though. He always felt very sorry when they forced him to sever their ties.
Thomas opened the driver's door of his car and Parker and "Swee" hopped in as well. Thomas owned a blue pickup truck, and no matter how many times he said he thought it looked cool, the two of them would make fun of him for overcompensating. Thomas usually just shrugged them off and kept his admiration of the truck to himself.
His keys jingled on their chain as he placed them in the ignition. The truck screamed to a start and a column of black exhaust flew from the rear of the truck. It was cold today, and the smoke was more visible than usual. Of course it was cold. It was the middle of November.
As they drove, Thomas had classic rock on the radio. His favorite type of music, and the only kind he would tolerate in the car. "I've never understood how you stand this, man." Usui said from the driver's seat, watching the hills roll by in the forest.
"Yeah, I stand it." Thomas laughed. "And you will too unless you want to walk the rest of the way."
"...Fine..." He sighed, glancing back at Parker, who was oblivious of the situation. He had headphones placed squarely over his head, so as to block out our voices.
As the truck approached the city of Savannah, Georgia, where the three of them were raised, the music flowing through the stereo system slowed to a halt. Thomas reached out his arm and tapped the mechanism a few times. He tried switching to an FM channel, and that managed just fine. He found himself what was going on with the AM station...
As they pulled through the town, exhaust flowing through the air, we passed a corner of buildings, and the asphalt became brick. This was an older part of town, one Thomas had been many times. I saw the golden letters of the Marsh House hanging promptly on their brick building. He had been there many times as a child. It was a very nice place to stay.
He drove past building by ancient building. They were ones that seemed very welcoming, yet had an air about them...They seemed cold, like anyone who was welcomed there was certain to fall victim to the unpredictable... There was something in the back of Thomas' mind that told him this part of town was a bad place, but he pushed it away.
As the tires hit asphalt again, the rustic style of architecture faded into the background. The more modern ones rolled into their vision and shoved the old town into their midst. Thomas found himself feeling relieved that they were finally here. The air of uneasiness was gone from his mind.
"That's where I was born." Parker lowered the window and pointed to a hospital across the street. It was massive and adorned with neon lights and windows. Thomas had been treated there once before, after a sports injury. "Right here. Savannah, Georgia."
"How do you manage to work something about yourself into ever conversation?" Usui asked him, with a tone of annoyance. "It's like you almost want me to snap back at you."
Parker smiled. "Well, now that would be ridiculous, cupcake."
"Parker! What did I say?" Thomas snapped at him.
"Sorry, sensei." He replied, bowing with his hands pressed together, mocking of asian tradition.
"One. More. Fucking. Time." Usui gripped the armrest hard in his fingers. Thomas glanced down for only a moment before diverting his eyes back to the road. Usui's knuckles were white as snow.
"Parker. Out of the car. Now." Thomas slowed abruptly to a halt on the curb, far enough away to let the traffic pass by. He turned to face the soldier in the back seat and shot him a stern look. He meant business. Thomas did not flash that face very much. He had put up with these two arguing, and he decided this was the final straw.
Parker sneered at Thomas. "What, coach? Can't handle a little disagreement?" When Tom didn't waver in his angry stare, Parker had enough common sense to open the door and exit the vehicle.
Thomas didn't have any time to react before Parker was slammed into by a black SUV from behind.
"Shit! Damnit!" Usui exclaimed as he climbed out of the pickup truck. Within an instant, he was on the other side of the vehicle, examining the injured victim.
Thomas opened the driver's side door almost immediately and stared down at the body of Parker. His camo army jacket and pants had been bespattered lightly with his own blood. His glasses were lying shattered on the road behind his face. Pieces of lens were embedded in his left eye. He was knocked unconscious, but with the gaping wound in his shoulder, Thomas knew he wouldn't live much longer under the circumstances.
The man in the SUV takes no time in hurrying out to see what he had done. There were tears welling up in the man's giant brown eyes. From what Thomas could see, he was in his late 20s and had brown hair pulled into a low ponytail in the back. "I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, bending down to Parker on the ground. "I didn't mean to! He came out of nowhere! I'm so sorry!"
"Is he alive?" Usui and the man both chimed at once.
Thomas bent down and checked Parker's pulse on his neck. It was still beating, but slower than it had before. Parker was still alive. "Yes, he is." He told them. "But we need the hospital." He turned to see them, both staring blankly at the situation. "Now!"
Usui pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket and began dialing 911 immediately. "Hello? I'd like to report an emergency. It's at 48th and King's Lane..."
"He's got to be okay!" The man in the SUV shouted, turning to see people from nearby vehicles rushing over to the scene to find out what had happened. "Fuck! I can't go to jail! My wife... I can't go to jail! I didn't fucking mean it hit him!"
Thomas looked up and grabbed the man by the shoulder. He looked deep into his panicked eyes. "I believe you." He told him. "Now calm down and keep those people away."
He did as Thomas asked and stood up immediately, starting to usher people taking pictures away from the scene of the accident. When Thomas reached down to check Parker's pulse again, he heard a staticky noise roar from below and jumped back, confused. He gazed down to found a radio latched onto Parker's belt that hadn't been crushed by the fall or by the collision. Thomas grabbed it off the ground and pressed the button on the side. "Hello?" He called into the machine.
"Jesus, Garter, what do you think you're doing on this line? What are you doing with Parker's radio?" It was Will, their sergeant. The reason the call had been placed, Thomas had no idea.
"Parker had an accident, sir... He's injured..." Thomas pretended as though he wasn't concerned.
"Well, all the same..." Thomas heard the sound of the rapid gunfire of a machine gun in the background of the static. "I need you here! Right now! Get Ousawa and yourself back to the base right now! There's an issue!"
After more machine gun fire, Thomas found the strength to reply. "Why? What's happening?"
"That's classified!" Will grunted with a roar. "Just get your asses down here, soldier! That's an order!"
"But what about Parker?" Thomas protested. "He'll die if we don't help him! He's bleeding out his veins as we speak!"
Will leaned in so close to the radio, Thomas could hear his breathing. "Tom? Are you a servant of the United States? Are you a patriot?"
"Yessir." Thomas replied without hesitation.
"Well then, it's time to be a hero." Will yelled at him. "People are going to die. Your country needs you now, Garter."
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
Well it's kinda early, but Grace and Ashley both seem that kind of characters that I will grow to like very much. I didn't yet kinda get a grasp of Thomas, Usui seems kinda annoying XD, and well Parker is okay, not sure yet if I like him or not and same goes for Will.
Well it's kinda early, but Grace and Ashley both seem that kind of characters that I will grow to like very much. I didn't yet kinda get a g… morerasp of Thomas, Usui seems kinda annoying XD, and well Parker is okay, not sure yet if I like him or not and same goes for Will.
Yeah, it's probably just the fact that it has been just that one part and it was more about everything that happened around him. Of course we did get the backround and some of his thoughts. It came clear that he is a nice guy, but you know, not sure yet what to think of him. And that's probably how it should be since his story just began.
Yeah, it's probably just the fact that it has been just that one part and it was more about everything that happened around him. Of course w… moree did get the backround and some of his thoughts. It came clear that he is a nice guy, but you know, not sure yet what to think of him. And that's probably how it should be since his story just began.
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
Fuc* off... ok let me say it is early to judge them, characters presentation seems to be nice, I like part where you improve thinks and so far kind like Thomas
Well it's kinda early, but Grace and Ashley both seem that kind of characters that I will grow to like very much. I didn't yet kinda get a g… morerasp of Thomas, Usui seems kinda annoying XD, and well Parker is okay, not sure yet if I like him or not and same goes for Will.
Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy, pal. I wasn't judging anything. I love the way TeamKennyW00T writes and I think I will also bond to many of these characters. I was just saying that Thomas didn't yet make me feel much anything towards him. But I'm sure I'll grow to love him or hate him (not that he would be bad written, you just always hate some characters ).
Fuc* off... ok let me say it is early to judge them, characters presentation seems to be nice, I like part where you improve thinks and so far kind like Thomas
Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy, pal. I wasn't judging anything. I love the way TeamKennyW00T writes and I think I will also bond to many of the… morese characters. I was just saying that Thomas didn't yet make me feel much anything towards him. But I'm sure I'll grow to love him or hate him (not that he would be bad written, you just always hate some characters ).
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
[A. Stay with Parker.]
Great chapter! Your writing is amazing
I like these soldiers, a military PoV in the beginning of the apocalypse is quite interesting!
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the … morescope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad lead… [view original content]
I'm enjoying it quite well.
Though it's a little early to pick favorites... I'm liking Tomas a lot! But don't think I don't like the other characters, so far love most of them!
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a direct order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a number very swiftly, as though he had typed it thousands of times before. "Damnit!" He shouted at nothing, after a few seconds of the phone ringing. He lowered it from his face and redialed the number. The more times the reciever of the call didn't answer, the more anxious the man grew.
"Okay! The ambulance is coming!" Usui said, placing his own cellphone back into his pocket. He knelt down to the dying man in the street and turned to Thomas. He noticed the sense of guilt in the man's eye and placed his hand on his shoulder. "He's gonna be okay, Tom. This wasn't your fault, man."
"Like hell it wasn't..." Thomas find the courage to look Usui in the eye.
"Parker was being an ass. You stood up for me." His friend replied, sitting down on the pavement while they waited for the ambulance to arrive from the very same hospital Parker was born. "Thanks by the way...for that..."
"You're thanking me for killing Parker?" Thomas clenched his fist so hard, he felt his own fingernail piercing the skin on his palm. Staring at the red, sticky liquid caking the man's chest made Thomas feel sick to his stomach. "
"Not at all." Usui shook his head. "I'm thanking you for sticking up for your friend. It doesn't matter it got Parker killed, it only-"
"Shut the fuck up..." Thomas spat. He felt dirty speaking such a word, but he didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He only wanted to sit on the side of the road, stare down at Parker and blame himself. He fought back the trickle of condensation in his eye, but only managed it for thirty seconds. The tear slid down his left cheek and he immediately wiped it away with the brush of his hand. Parker couldn't die... This couldn't be happening...
Usui sat beside the road with his knees between his arms. Although he seemed rather distressed about Thomas' outburst, he realized he had spoken at the wrong time. Their friendship had undergone much harder trauma.
As the ambulance pulled up on the side of the road, two men rushed out with a stretcher on hand. They lifted Parker off the ground by his hands and feet and laid him on the stretcher. While his pulse was still beating, there was still hope. He could recover from his injuries, and that was the factor Thomas was counting on.
"Ashley, hey!" Gary spoke into his phone, sounding panicked. "I don't know why you're not responding to my calls, but I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble. I may not be able to make our lunch. Ashley... I love you..."
The constant blaring of the sirens on the ambulance faded into the background after leaving with Parker under their wing, taking him back to the hospital... This was an emergency... Thomas was unfamiliar with the word... He'd never thought he'd be the one in the news that everyone prays for. It was always someone else...
He felt the same sort of feeling in the back of his head he felt before. He didn't know what it was or where it came from, but it told him one sentence, and one sentence alone.
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a dire… morect order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his ce… [view original content]
HONLY FUC* you are NEXT GOD OF FANFIC 'may god bless you today and always'
I just have premonition about this.. but you are really smart-ass aren't you? god I will love enjoying reading.
That that was an amazing chapter! It really portrayed the way each of them were dealing with Parker...very human-like and very intriguing. I'm very excited for what's coming next!
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a dire… morect order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his ce… [view original content]
God damn O.O
That that was an amazing chapter! It really portrayed the way each of them were dealing with Parker...very human-like and very intriguing. I'm very excited for what's coming next!
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a dire… morect order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his ce… [view original content]
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a dire… morect order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his ce… [view original content]
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a dire… morect order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his ce… [view original content]
Mm, I've watched a lets play, the story was pretty good but I don't think I'll buy it myself. And with original stuff you probably mean the comics? I guess it could be worth a try. Can you read them somewhere in internet? Oh what the hell no need to answer, I'll google it
Comments
That it will... xD Wonder when that's going to happen...
Sorry for the late update, but here it is.
Chapter 1: We are Survivors
Thomas Garter
Thomas never thought he'd be staring down the scope of a rifle. Never once did he think he would be the type of person to lay his finger on that trigger with intent to kill. He hadn't needed to yet, but being a rifleman in the armed forces took a toll out of him in itself. He had not yet seen death, but he had not seen life either.
Thomas tightened his squeeze on the trigger and the fruit over a hundred feet away exploded in vast tears of red juice. He celebrated his victory with a valiant fist-shaking, having taken over thirty shots at the false enemy head.
"Nice shot, soldier." Spoke Sergeant Will Manning, patting the young man under his wing on the shoulder. "Just next time, try to kill the enemy before you empty three fucking magazines at him. I guarantee you'll be dead before you shoot off even your first one."
Will was their squad leader, and took the three of them out every day at ungodly hours of the morning for target practice. While other squads did push-ups and obstacle courses, Will's squad was on an almost completely restrictive target practice schedule. The man had short black hair in a buzz cut and a clean shaven beard. He always wore a golden necklace around his neck that meant something very dear to him. The three of his soldiers didn't know what it was, and Thomas doubted they ever would.
Thomas was almost the polar opposite of the Sergeant. The hair on his head was cut down all the way to a quarter inch and his skin was a dark shade of black, his family having heritage in Central Africa. He was taller than most of the men in his troop and kinder a man. He had never wished harm upon another living being in his twenty years, no matter how insignificant. And then he was forced by his parents to join the military. They thought it would make the boy stronger...more prideful... It didn't give him anything more than the rifle in his hands.
"Yessir. Sorry, sir." Thomas replied, standing up and handing the rifle over to the next soldier, for him to give a shot at the watermelons at the other end of the yard.
"Let's see if Ousawa has any better luck." Will spat, standing back against the oak wall of the shooting range where the men spent a lot of there time.
Usui Ousawa smirked as he loaded the chamber. The man was around the same as Thomas, but much shorter. His family had come from Korea or Japan or somewhere when they were very young... From where, Thomas had forgotten. The two had known each other since middle school, growing to be the best of friends. When Thomas had to leave his home to go off to the military, Usui agreed to go with him. He used to have longer black hair, but was forced to shave it when they joined the army. It hung down just to slightly cover one of his piercing blue eyes.
But as Thomas grew taller, Usui grew colder... There were many times when the man would ignore him when he wanted to hang out after school. There was a period of time in their sophomore year of high school where Usui had a demanding girlfriend. They didn't speak to one another a single time in seven months. Thomas hadn't been one to make the easiest of friends. Those months were miserable.
The man behind Usui was perched on the bench relaxed, waiting for his turn on the rifle. It was Gerald Parker, a man only called him by his last name. He was the shortest soldier out of the four of them, with greenish-brown eyes behind a pair of square glasses along with a shaved head of blonde. He was only slightly older than Usui and Thomas, but he would use it as an excuse to belittle the other two.
The blaring echo of the gunshot rang through the shooting range, and Usui gazed back at his brothers, looking for approval. The melon on the post on the other side had a hole in its side the size of a baseball. It was his fourth or fifth shot... Thomas hadn't been counting. He looked to his and scoffed. "How about that, Tom?" He laughed, his mild accent fading for a moment in a mocking sort of way. "I think the gun likes me more than you."
"The gun ain't gonna like anyone if you don't quit chattin' and hand it over, Ousawa." Will jerked the gun away from the soldier and threw it into the arms of the last one sitting on the bench. "Now, let HIM show you how ya shoot a melon."
Parker cracked the edge of his mouth into a smile as he caught the weapon and loaded it with a bullet he had been fiddling with in his fingers. He flicked the toothpick in his mouth into the rosebushes on the other side of the fence and lifted the scope to his eye. He didn't have a moment's hesitation before emptying the round into the last melon. He then, tilted his arms to the side and shot two more into the carcasses of the other melons. He turned to the rest of the troop and placed another toothpick from his pocket between his teeth.
"And that, is how you shoot a gun, freshmen." Parker shook his head arrogantly, putting the gun back into the war-weathered hands of the squad leader.
"Asshole..." Usui muttered under his breath. Although Thomas refrained from using such strong language to define one of his friends, he did agree that Parker was not the nicest man.
The troop of four men had been together only a year, but it felt much longer, almost as if they had been good friends for the majority of their life. They were certainly the best friends Thomas had ever had. He was bullied in his youth for looking funny. His parents were a part of a black equality movement, and insisted on sending him to a school of all white children. Sure, most of the kids were perfectly fine with it, but there were always those odd ones in the group. They talked about their own destinies. They told Thomas he'd never have anything they had. They spoke as if they knew of destiny...
Will took the rifle and slung it around his broad shoulders. He walked in front of Thomas, Parker and Usui and pulled a large serrated knife off the holster on his leg. He held it in the air. The three of them stood at attention, with wide legs and arms behind their backs. "You see this knife?" He called out to the members of his squad in a sort of gravelly voice that always sounded very radh. "Each one of them is a killing machine. You let just one near you, and it can all be over. Just a simple stab can mean your death. And you...all three of you... Despite how much shit you dealt with back home, they haven't got you yet. And the knife here in my hands... This is the only thing keeping you from them. No matter what happens out there. We are not going to die. We are strong. We are survivors. Now get some lunch. We're gonna get more training done later today."
"Yessir!" The three called out in unison as they raised their right arms to their foreheads, saluting their commander.
Will threw the rifle farther up onto his body and trudged away in his military boots, leaving them there to speak. The soldier had been known to give inspiring speeches such as that one. Will, although stern at times, was always kind to his troops. He let them eat wherever they wanted for lunch and was much more relaxed on training than most sergeants. Following under him felt like an honor to Thomas.
When their sergeant was gone, the three of them turned toward each other. Thomas pointed with his pinky out to the parking lot beside the highway after a few moments of awkward silence in which Usui and Parker stared with loathing at one another. "Burger Queen?" He asked them. "I'm feeling Burger Queen."
"Burger Queen's fine." Parker replied, speaking through the toothpick in his mouth.
"Haven't had that in since Will demoted me. God fucking bless his name." Usui commented.
"We all know your demotion were yer own damn fault, Swee." Parker spat. He turned and began to stride arrogantly toward their cars. Usui and Thomas followed suit. "If you hadn't been rootin' around in the medicine cabinet, you'd still be there. But you're too much of a junkie."
"I told you, shitface!" Usui yelled back at the man. "I was in there for aspirin, not drugs."
"Don't matter."
"Why the hell doesn't it matter?"
"Cause you're down here now. Your high and mighty police warden father ain't gonna lift a finger for you here." Parker turned away, flicking his toothpick around, as though he were proud of himself.
"Calm down, guys!" Thomas shouted at them. "We are going to have a quiet lunch and eat some burgers. Anyone who talks bad again isn't getting their meal on the house."
"You're paying for us?" Parker asked him.
"Yeah." He smiled. He had a different way of coping with bullshit. Instead of threats, he offered something. This always made Thomas a likable person within his groups of friends. There were quite a few people who leeched off him often though. He always felt very sorry when they forced him to sever their ties.
Thomas opened the driver's door of his car and Parker and "Swee" hopped in as well. Thomas owned a blue pickup truck, and no matter how many times he said he thought it looked cool, the two of them would make fun of him for overcompensating. Thomas usually just shrugged them off and kept his admiration of the truck to himself.
His keys jingled on their chain as he placed them in the ignition. The truck screamed to a start and a column of black exhaust flew from the rear of the truck. It was cold today, and the smoke was more visible than usual. Of course it was cold. It was the middle of November.
As they drove, Thomas had classic rock on the radio. His favorite type of music, and the only kind he would tolerate in the car. "I've never understood how you stand this, man." Usui said from the driver's seat, watching the hills roll by in the forest.
"Yeah, I stand it." Thomas laughed. "And you will too unless you want to walk the rest of the way."
"...Fine..." He sighed, glancing back at Parker, who was oblivious of the situation. He had headphones placed squarely over his head, so as to block out our voices.
As the truck approached the city of Savannah, Georgia, where the three of them were raised, the music flowing through the stereo system slowed to a halt. Thomas reached out his arm and tapped the mechanism a few times. He tried switching to an FM channel, and that managed just fine. He found himself what was going on with the AM station...
As they pulled through the town, exhaust flowing through the air, we passed a corner of buildings, and the asphalt became brick. This was an older part of town, one Thomas had been many times. I saw the golden letters of the Marsh House hanging promptly on their brick building. He had been there many times as a child. It was a very nice place to stay.
He drove past building by ancient building. They were ones that seemed very welcoming, yet had an air about them...They seemed cold, like anyone who was welcomed there was certain to fall victim to the unpredictable... There was something in the back of Thomas' mind that told him this part of town was a bad place, but he pushed it away.
As the tires hit asphalt again, the rustic style of architecture faded into the background. The more modern ones rolled into their vision and shoved the old town into their midst. Thomas found himself feeling relieved that they were finally here. The air of uneasiness was gone from his mind.
"That's where I was born." Parker lowered the window and pointed to a hospital across the street. It was massive and adorned with neon lights and windows. Thomas had been treated there once before, after a sports injury. "Right here. Savannah, Georgia."
"How do you manage to work something about yourself into ever conversation?" Usui asked him, with a tone of annoyance. "It's like you almost want me to snap back at you."
Parker smiled. "Well, now that would be ridiculous, cupcake."
"Parker! What did I say?" Thomas snapped at him.
"Sorry, sensei." He replied, bowing with his hands pressed together, mocking of asian tradition.
"One. More. Fucking. Time." Usui gripped the armrest hard in his fingers. Thomas glanced down for only a moment before diverting his eyes back to the road. Usui's knuckles were white as snow.
"Parker. Out of the car. Now." Thomas slowed abruptly to a halt on the curb, far enough away to let the traffic pass by. He turned to face the soldier in the back seat and shot him a stern look. He meant business. Thomas did not flash that face very much. He had put up with these two arguing, and he decided this was the final straw.
Parker sneered at Thomas. "What, coach? Can't handle a little disagreement?" When Tom didn't waver in his angry stare, Parker had enough common sense to open the door and exit the vehicle.
Thomas didn't have any time to react before Parker was slammed into by a black SUV from behind.
"Shit! Damnit!" Usui exclaimed as he climbed out of the pickup truck. Within an instant, he was on the other side of the vehicle, examining the injured victim.
Thomas opened the driver's side door almost immediately and stared down at the body of Parker. His camo army jacket and pants had been bespattered lightly with his own blood. His glasses were lying shattered on the road behind his face. Pieces of lens were embedded in his left eye. He was knocked unconscious, but with the gaping wound in his shoulder, Thomas knew he wouldn't live much longer under the circumstances.
The man in the SUV takes no time in hurrying out to see what he had done. There were tears welling up in the man's giant brown eyes. From what Thomas could see, he was in his late 20s and had brown hair pulled into a low ponytail in the back. "I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, bending down to Parker on the ground. "I didn't mean to! He came out of nowhere! I'm so sorry!"
"Is he alive?" Usui and the man both chimed at once.
Thomas bent down and checked Parker's pulse on his neck. It was still beating, but slower than it had before. Parker was still alive. "Yes, he is." He told them. "But we need the hospital." He turned to see them, both staring blankly at the situation. "Now!"
Usui pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket and began dialing 911 immediately. "Hello? I'd like to report an emergency. It's at 48th and King's Lane..."
"He's got to be okay!" The man in the SUV shouted, turning to see people from nearby vehicles rushing over to the scene to find out what had happened. "Fuck! I can't go to jail! My wife... I can't go to jail! I didn't fucking mean it hit him!"
Thomas looked up and grabbed the man by the shoulder. He looked deep into his panicked eyes. "I believe you." He told him. "Now calm down and keep those people away."
He did as Thomas asked and stood up immediately, starting to usher people taking pictures away from the scene of the accident. When Thomas reached down to check Parker's pulse again, he heard a staticky noise roar from below and jumped back, confused. He gazed down to found a radio latched onto Parker's belt that hadn't been crushed by the fall or by the collision. Thomas grabbed it off the ground and pressed the button on the side. "Hello?" He called into the machine.
"Jesus, Garter, what do you think you're doing on this line? What are you doing with Parker's radio?" It was Will, their sergeant. The reason the call had been placed, Thomas had no idea.
"Parker had an accident, sir... He's injured..." Thomas pretended as though he wasn't concerned.
"Well, all the same..." Thomas heard the sound of the rapid gunfire of a machine gun in the background of the static. "I need you here! Right now! Get Ousawa and yourself back to the base right now! There's an issue!"
After more machine gun fire, Thomas found the strength to reply. "Why? What's happening?"
"That's classified!" Will grunted with a roar. "Just get your asses down here, soldier! That's an order!"
"But what about Parker?" Thomas protested. "He'll die if we don't help him! He's bleeding out his veins as we speak!"
Will leaned in so close to the radio, Thomas could hear his breathing. "Tom? Are you a servant of the United States? Are you a patriot?"
"Yessir." Thomas replied without hesitation.
"Well then, it's time to be a hero." Will yelled at him. "People are going to die. Your country needs you now, Garter."
[A. Stay with Parker.]
[B. Go back to base.]
[B. Go back to base]
Great chapter!
[Go back to base.]
Wow, this is a cool part, from the military's POV. We've never really seen a story about the military. Cool B]
Good work again!
[A. Stay with Parker.] Aah... Hard decision... But I think Parker is fucked up if we leave him now...
Any thoughts on the characters thus far?
Yeah. At least not in the walking dead haha.
Well it's kinda early, but Grace and Ashley both seem that kind of characters that I will grow to like very much. I didn't yet kinda get a grasp of Thomas, Usui seems kinda annoying XD, and well Parker is okay, not sure yet if I like him or not and same goes for Will.
Interesting. I'll try to give more thomas in the back half of chapter 1.
Yeah, it's probably just the fact that it has been just that one part and it was more about everything that happened around him. Of course we did get the backround and some of his thoughts. It came clear that he is a nice guy, but you know, not sure yet what to think of him. And that's probably how it should be since his story just began.
True. This chapter was more fun to write than the first one since shit actually happened :P
[A. Stay with Parker.]
[A. Stay with Parker.]
Great chapter! Your writing is amazing
I like these soldiers, a military PoV in the beginning of the apocalypse is quite interesting!
Fuc* off... ok let me say it is early to judge them, characters presentation seems to be nice, I like part where you improve thinks and so far kind like Thomas
I think you're doing a great job of showing the characterization of the people so far.
Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy, pal. I wasn't judging anything. I love the way TeamKennyW00T writes and I think I will also bond to many of these characters. I was just saying that Thomas didn't yet make me feel much anything towards him. But I'm sure I'll grow to love him or hate him (not that he would be bad written, you just always hate some characters
).
BEGONE ANNOYING RAT behhh, Just joking, sorry I look so mean, I am just evil.
Thank you
One offscreen vote for [B. Go back to base.]
Thanks. The military falls fairly early though.
[A. Stay with Parker.]
Awesome Chapter!!!
I'm enjoying it quite well.
Though it's a little early to pick favorites... I'm liking Tomas a lot! But don't think I don't like the other characters, so far love most of them!
Nice to hear you like it.
57.1% of readers chose to [A. Stay with Parker.]
Thomas hesitantly pushed the call end button on the radio. He had never disobeyed a direct order before, but the man's place was here. He was the reason why Parker was injured. He couldn't leave the scene of the accident now to leave his friend of two years to die on the side of the road. The four men on Will's squad of riflemen had been together for a long time. No matter how much vulgarity Parker spat at everyone, Thomas still couldnt find the strength in him to leave him for dead.
"My name is Gary." The man who had hit Parker said, returning from his keeping the onlookers away from the scene of the accident. Thomas set the radio back onto the ground.
Thomas swatted his hand away in annoyance. "I said I believe you, not I forgive you."
Gary seemed hurt, yet understood where Thomas was coming from. He stood up and brushed off his pants, walking away from the scene. He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a number very swiftly, as though he had typed it thousands of times before. "Damnit!" He shouted at nothing, after a few seconds of the phone ringing. He lowered it from his face and redialed the number. The more times the reciever of the call didn't answer, the more anxious the man grew.
"Okay! The ambulance is coming!" Usui said, placing his own cellphone back into his pocket. He knelt down to the dying man in the street and turned to Thomas. He noticed the sense of guilt in the man's eye and placed his hand on his shoulder. "He's gonna be okay, Tom. This wasn't your fault, man."
"Like hell it wasn't..." Thomas find the courage to look Usui in the eye.
"Parker was being an ass. You stood up for me." His friend replied, sitting down on the pavement while they waited for the ambulance to arrive from the very same hospital Parker was born. "Thanks by the way...for that..."
"You're thanking me for killing Parker?" Thomas clenched his fist so hard, he felt his own fingernail piercing the skin on his palm. Staring at the red, sticky liquid caking the man's chest made Thomas feel sick to his stomach. "
"Not at all." Usui shook his head. "I'm thanking you for sticking up for your friend. It doesn't matter it got Parker killed, it only-"
"Shut the fuck up..." Thomas spat. He felt dirty speaking such a word, but he didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He only wanted to sit on the side of the road, stare down at Parker and blame himself. He fought back the trickle of condensation in his eye, but only managed it for thirty seconds. The tear slid down his left cheek and he immediately wiped it away with the brush of his hand. Parker couldn't die... This couldn't be happening...
Usui sat beside the road with his knees between his arms. Although he seemed rather distressed about Thomas' outburst, he realized he had spoken at the wrong time. Their friendship had undergone much harder trauma.
As the ambulance pulled up on the side of the road, two men rushed out with a stretcher on hand. They lifted Parker off the ground by his hands and feet and laid him on the stretcher. While his pulse was still beating, there was still hope. He could recover from his injuries, and that was the factor Thomas was counting on.
"Ashley, hey!" Gary spoke into his phone, sounding panicked. "I don't know why you're not responding to my calls, but I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble. I may not be able to make our lunch. Ashley... I love you..."
The constant blaring of the sirens on the ambulance faded into the background after leaving with Parker under their wing, taking him back to the hospital... This was an emergency... Thomas was unfamiliar with the word... He'd never thought he'd be the one in the news that everyone prays for. It was always someone else...
He felt the same sort of feeling in the back of his head he felt before. He didn't know what it was or where it came from, but it told him one sentence, and one sentence alone.
They were survivors.
End of Chapter 1
So i just submitted a character
HONLY FUC* you are NEXT GOD OF FANFIC 'may god bless you today and always'
I just have premonition about this.. but you are really smart-ass aren't you? god I will love enjoying reading.
Lol much appreciated
God damn O.O
That that was an amazing chapter! It really portrayed the way each of them were dealing with Parker...very human-like and very intriguing. I'm very excited for what's coming next!
Next one's from the last point of view in part 1.
Awesome
we'll get to Grace? Or Thomas again?
Ur stories are gewd stuf
Thx m8
Yeah, The prologue and first two chapters are just to set up three of the characters. The last two points of view come later in the series.
Have to agree with everyone, this is gr8 stuff!
Looks like I'm hooked on TWD fanfic even if I really don't care about TWD itself XD
Great chaprer! This story is already very good and I cant wait to see how it developes from here.
Awesome Writing here!!!
Thanks
Lol you should check out the original stuff. The video game is gold.
Thank you.
Mm, I've watched a lets play, the story was pretty good but I don't think I'll buy it myself. And with original stuff you probably mean the comics? I guess it could be worth a try. Can you read them somewhere in internet? Oh what the hell no need to answer, I'll google it