Title:           Week26 - GreentextSavant
Author:          AlexanderGrey
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/QsgyPUpz
First Edit:      Saturday 17th of September 2016 09:14:58 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Saturday 17th of September 2016 09:14:58 PM CDT

FriENDship:
 
>Bulk already made his way to the side door, grabbing at the handle.
>”Just slow down!” He pleads.
>April’s mind races, perfectly balanced on the decision of whether or not to risk the lives of everyone else to save one unlikely to survive one.
>But she eases her foot on the gas pedal as she thinks about what decision to make. Everyone watches Bulk fall out onto the asphalt outside.
>Nobody saw him grab one of the nightsticks from somewhere in the vehicle.
>”How much fuel did you put in that thing?” Cadence watches Bulk charge towards the zombies behind.
>”Uh…” Silver strains. “We were trying to get just enough in there to drive the thing off the road and out of sight.”
>”Why are we speeding up?!” Sunset asks.
>”Okay okay okay okay…” April lightens her foot from the gas pedal once again. “But if it’s too late for him, we’re not going back!”
>Bulk notices a fair amount of stiffness in the zombies’ motions. They appear to be struggling to bend their arms and legs.
>The one closes to him is struck down easily, but not killed. Bulk can hear the body hit the road with a crackling splat. He steps towards the next two and dodges out of the way as they try to grab him.
>They’re moving… a little bit slower.
>The strong man beats another one to the road before it gets to bite him, he has to move swiftly without missing, kicking the third one to the ground.
>He’s surprised to see they are struggling to get up to their feet. There’s something giving them difficulty in bending their limbs.
>Except Bulk doesn’t take any chances anyway. He takes more of them to the ground as they come; it’s a good thing they were spread out enough for this to be possible.
>Another one surprises Bulk from behind, jumping onto the man’s back.
>He finds it suspiciously easy snapping the zombie’s arm in response.
>It starts to occur to Bulk that these ones have been dead for long enough for rigor mortis to kick in.
>If Derpy knows how to drive, she’s likely still alive.
>Bulk keeps the zombies squirming around on the road for as long as he can, barely seeing two or three more coming from the distance.
>He takes them all down and makes sure their heads are… no longer functional. His shoes and the asphalt help with that.
>The wind rushes through his hair as he races back in the direction of where the group left Derpy.
>Bulk catches sight of the same field after a minute or two, heavily out of breath. He stops just in case there are any more attackers that need to be taken care of.
>The SUV is nowhere to be seen in the field, but Bulk isn’t sure exactly where the group was at the time of the hasty exit.
>They had driven past too many small hills before Bulk started running back.
>He paces back to what he’s sure is the spot where the SUV had stopped the night before; looks around as he approaches it.
>The movement in the field draws his attention.
>Right there just a few dozen yards away is the obvious shape of the SUV Derpy was last seen in. It skids along the dirt with a flock of zombies desperately following it.
>Bulk feels a sudden rush of energy overcome him and follows it, keeping the nightstick in a ready-to-swing position.
>The sound of a car approaching comes up from behind. “Bulk! We’re here!”
>At once, half of the zombies piling on top of the other SUV are drawn to the noise. The others stay, one of them already halfway through the broken window on the passenger’s side.
>Everyone crammed into the back seat of April’s SUV duck down as much as they can while the officer drives closer to the horde of the undead. They can feel the decaying bodies getting hit and rammed through by the front of the vehicle more than they hear it happening.
>After delivering a few fatal blows to more zombies’ heads, Bulk takes a step back to catch his breath and get ready to plunge into that vehicle.
>From the ground, a hand grabs the man’s ankle followed by two rows of teeth.
>He pulls his leg away and then shoots it back at the face that tried to bite him before any skin is pierced.
>Without a second thought, he catches up to the other SUV and grabs the legs of the zombie dangling out the passenger window. He only has to stand and let the staggering movement of the vehicle pull it away from the zombie in the gym teacher’s strong grasp.
>A moist ripping sound against the shards of glass can be heard, and the zombie’s darkened entrails start to spill onto the grass below. If it were feeling any pain, Bulk would have put the zombie out of its misery with a swift thrust of the nightstick’s front end into the eye.
>Bulk notices a lot of blood dripping out of the zombie’s mouth. “Derpy!” He bolts towards the girl’s screaming SUV and pulls at the door to pry it open.
>A single gunshot sounds behind Bulk, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.
>”Keep going! You’re good!” April’s voice sounds in the direction of her parked SUV.
>She fires a couple more times as bulk gets the door to swing open and nearly come off the hinges.
>The keys are indeed in the ignition, and Derpy grips onto the steering wheel with blood all over one of her hands and tears streaming down her face.
>”It’s okay, we’re here! Stop the car!” Bulk climbs onto the passenger seat.
>Silver and April watch the other SUV jolt to a stop. Derpy’s screaming is the only thing they can hear over their own heartbeats for the next dozen seconds.
>They both trot over as Bulk backs out from the passenger’s side with Derpy in his grasp.
>April deftly raises her gun. “Is that blood hers?!”
>Bulk freezes in place.
>”Is that blood hers?” April repeats.
>After letting derpy back to her feet, Bulk turns to the girl, slightly distancing himself from the path of the gun’s barrel. “Derpy…”
>It’s clear that skin had been broken on her hand, but there’s no telling what had done so.
>”Step away from her, Bulk.” Silver draws his gun as well after seeing Derpy’s hand.
>”I-I’m okay! They only got my fingers!” Derpy realizes the situation.
>Bulk’s heart sinks, April’s finger is hesitant to pull the trigger.
>”Wait! Maybe she bled it out or something!” Sunset calls from the window.
>April peers over her shoulder with a confused frown. “WHAT?!”
>”Like, uh… if it’s drool or something was pushed out by the blood!”
>Silver and April looks at eachother.
>”What do you think?” Silver starts to lower his gun.
>April only shakes her head, letting the corners of her mouth twist into a contorted frown. “No… I can’t trust that. I can’t take any chances.”
>”Can’t we like… you know… cut her hand off instead?” Silver tries to suggest as lightly as he can in the heat of the moment.
>”It’s too late for that.” April denies.
>”How do you know?!”
>”We can’t save this girl! We can’t save her, Silver!”
>Derpy falls to her knees, covering her face with her hand that isn’t covered in blood. “I’m not turning into one!” She meekly protests.
>April tries to think of a way to explain to derpy that it doesn’t matter without saying anything at all. She only takes a cautious step forward.
>”I’M NOT TURNING INTO ONE!”
>”April, come on! There’s no way we can be sure this early!” Silver nudges April on the shoulder, half expecting her to spin around and start yelling at him explaining why it’s too late. “This is still someone’s life! Still the same girl, god damn it!”
>With a few heavy blinks, April takes a few short but deep breaths. “I…” She keeps the potential consequences in mind. “D-Derpy! Are you sure it was one of them that bit you?”
>From a little ways behind Derpy, a staggering male figure limps towards all the commotion. April can physically feel her decision process being rushed.
>”Derpy, answer me!” Her hands begin to tremble.
>”Snow! We got another one at one o’clock!” Silver announces.
>”I see him. I see him.”
>”Well I got him.” Silver raises his gun and starts to pace forward before April yells over to him.
>”Silver, go around her!”
>He complies and stays a safe distance from a weeping Derpy. Bulk Biceps keeps his eyes glued to the girl, doing everything he can to convince her that she’s going to be alright.
>”I’m not turning!” She repeats. “Please!”
>April’s breathing increases by a heavy amount, and she flinches when she hear’s Silver fire his gun after getting close enough to the other zombie.
>She watches the other officer turn around and widen his eyes. As some commotion from the packed SUV starts up as well, Silver points straight at April. “Snow, watch out!”
>A gargling grunt barely makes itself apparent over Silver’s shouting. In an instinctive jolt, April spins around and aims at a snarling face within arm’s length from where the barrel of her gun points.
>The trigger is pulled only to emit a click from the gun.
>April’s hands make their way to the zombie’s neck as the thing tries to push her to the ground. She overpowers its stiff legs and thrust the zombie in the opposite direction before picking her gun up off the ground.
>”Ammo!” She yells right before two gunshots sound from Silver’s gun.
>”I got him.” The officer keeps his firearm focused on the very hole he just put into the zombie’s head.
>Derpy knows that April is going to have a bullet in her gun the next time she points it at her.
>”Please don’t shoot me!” Derpy blurts. “You can chop my hand off! I don’t wanna die!”
>But April is already going back to her SUV, looking for the supplies compartment.
>”Snow, wait!”
>There’s a short pause as April reaches past the laps of the others in the group before opening a hatch and fishing out another magazine. Bulk is standing in front of Derpy as April returns.
>”I’m sorry!” April clumsily starts to reload her gun. “We can’t take any chances!”
>”We got two more over there!” Silver point back at the road where the remains of two college frat boys make their way over to the group.
>These two run as though they were more recently turned.
>”Shit!” Silver gets ready to shoot as accurately as possible. “Snow!”
>”On it!” April slaps the magazine into the gun and runs over.
>Bulk holds Derpy close to himself as two more shots are fired, followed by a third for good measure.
>”I’m not turning!” Derpy repeats yet again. “I’m… I’m not…”
>”I know you’re not.” Bulk assures her.
>Silver and April re-approach the two; April keeping her newly loaded gun drawn.
>”We gotta go. Now.” Silver urges between breaths. “There’s at least five more heading our way. They’re gonna be coming in packs.”
>”We have to take Derpy with us.” Bulk pleads.
>”In that cramped car? Not a chance.” April rejects. “She’d be a heartbeat away from biting someone if she turns.”
>Silver can see the cluster of much faster zombies already charging at their target. His mind races.
>”I got an idea!” He takes his handcuffs off of his belt and throws it in Bulk’s direction before facing the oncoming attackers.
>The two officers don’t even have to wait for the zombies to get close enough for more accurate shots. They take them out one at a time, April scoring head shots more easily. She takes out the last of them after Silver’s gun runs out of bullets this time.
>”Bulk!” Silver turns around to already find the gym teacher doing what he was about to ask him to do.
>The handcuffs click around Derpy’s wrists behind her back.
>”Oh…” Silver turns to April. “How’s this for just in case?”
>April stares at the handcuffed girl. “It’s not good enough.” She looks back at her SUV, walking towards it. “But I’ll fix it. Come on.”
>The other three follow.
>…
>Rarity has been stroking Sweetie Belles’ hair for the past fifteen minutes to keep her from crying again. Because of that, the car is mostly silent now aside the continuous hum of the motor.
>Derpy sits next to Bulk Biceps in the back heat up against Cadence on the other side of her. She leans her head back with duct tape from April’s glove compartment over her mouth, breathing steadily.
>Cadence would have asked if Derpy was in danger of turning, but now wouldn’t be the most comfortable time for that question, surprisingly enough. Maybe once April stops somewhere less out in the open… or when there’s no gas left.
>”So let me get this straight.” Silver looks back at Sunset. “Your friend Applejack lives with people who have a lot of guns?”
>”And she’s still alive too. We were texting eachother when there was still service. Is it possible to go back to the police station and see if the thing there still works?”
>Silver shakes his head. “I doubt it. If they got the power to go off, then there’s pretty much no signal.”
>”I still don’t like the idea of going back INTO town.” April brings up.
>”She doesn’t live in town. She’s a little bit outside of it where not as many people live.”
>”And according to the sign for the next exit, Canterlot is one mile away. So if we’re not going into town, do I take the exit that says Canterlot or not because I really don’t feel like going back through that hellhole to get to your friend’s house.”
>”I thought you agreed against that plan.” Trixie joins in. “Applejack and her family are all held up in their farm waiting for everyone else to die out. Isn’t that what Rainbow Dash said?”
>”She did ask if I was alone. So it’s not like she’s completely against the idea of letting other people in.”
>”But there’s a lot of us.” Trixie complains. “We should find somewhere far away from where any houses or buildings are so there are less dead people are around. Then we can wait for the zombies to finish decaying and die off.”
>”While I like that idea, it might not do much good for us if there are still new people getting… you know…” April half-admits. “I’d rather go somewhere with more walls and protection. Just… not in town or anything. And based on what Sunset’s telling me, Applejack’s place is our best bet. We still need food, you know.”
>April draws her eyes back to the road, making sure not to hit any of the stray cars that come up every few seconds. Some of them are still burning.
>”Oh, and there’s the exit.” April notices the green sign. “Turn or no?”
>”I don’t think this road leads too close to town.” Sunset recalls.
>April takes the exit and heads down the road before reaching a few distant houses across a parking lot and a small field. There haven’t been any more zombies so far.
>The sulking feeling of even being close to the town that everyone once knew stays. Celestia and Luna turn away from the windows, while Sunset stares right through the glass. Examining the broken landscape.
>Abandoned cars scatter the roads and places alongside the road. Some overturned or burnt to black while others look as thought they simply parked there.
>Large dark reddish-brownish smudges along the sections of grass, sidewalk and street can only mean one thing. It’s where people had been ripped apart. The even darker clumps in the middle of the smudges are something least desired to be imagined.
>The screams of pain and horror can still be heard drifting through the wind.
>”How’s Derpy doing?” April asks before slowly making a turn onto another street that Sunset pointed to.
>”She’s sleeping.” Cadence answers.
>April pauses, even slowing down a little bit in grim hesitation. She looks back at the girl through the mirror.
>”Are you SURE?”
>”She’s still breathing! Just asleep.” Cadence explains. “Probably passed out. Wouldn’t be that much of a surprise.”
>”Alright. That makes sense.” April concedes as she speeds up again.
>She has to slow back down to maneuver around an overturned minivan.
>The minivan had obviously caught fire, and April can make out more than just mangled seats resting on the upside down ceiling flat against the asphalt.
>No one in the SUV likes to imagine which death would be worse; being torn limb from limb or burning to death.
>”Just tell me when you recognize something else.” April says to Sunset. “So… anything?”
>Sunset point ahead slightly to the right. “I think that church looks familiar.”
>”Wait… I’ve seen that too.” Rarity adds. “This is the same side of town that’s closer to Applejack’s house, is it?”
>”Yeah, I remember this being close to where she lives.”
>The SUV gradually pulls to a stop at an intersection; the church is on the far right corner.
>”So which way?” April asks.
>”I think… left?” Sunset tries to remember.
>”It’s left.” Rarity confirms. “Right goes into downtown eventually. And I remember Applejack’s house being to the left from where we’re facing anyway.”
>April steps on the gas and turns the wheel.
>There are no zombies to be seen on this next street either. Nothing.
>”Do you know all the roads to your friends house?” April asks Rarity.
>”I have most of it memorized, yes.”
>”Where do I turn after this?”
>”Go right after two more blocks.” Rarity tells the officer.
>April nods and keeps an eye out for the next block.
>”Wait… Bulk…” Cadence gasps. “Is she still breathing?”
>The SUV stops more abruptly this time.
>”What?” April furrows her brow and promptly turns around to lock her eyes onto Derpy.
>The whole car falls silent enough for everyone to still hear the echo from the screeching brakes still bouncing off of nearby surfaces. Sweetie Belle covers her eyes.
>”She’s… she doesn’t look like she’s breathing.” Cadence comments with a frown as Bulk puts his hand under Derpy’s nose.
>Bulk holds still, waiting and praying to feel a breath of air to come out of the girl.
>April is already reaching for her gun.
>”Relax, Snow. We don’t need bullets fired in here with everyone in the back.” Silver suggests. “She even has tape over her mouth like you wanted. She can’t even bite anyone!”
>”I’m not shooting her in here.” April glances at a gas station/convenience store parking lot a few dozen feet away from the SUV.
>”W-wait…” Sunset tries to convince April as Trixie tries to crawl over her to make it to the door. “She’s still our friend! We’ve already lost enough people close to us! We just need to relax and keep her in here until-”
>”SHE’S NOT EVEN DERPY ANYMORE!” April shouts, startling an already perturbed Sweetie Belle. “There is NOTHING we can do. Nothing!”
>”Well what are you even going to do?” Silver asks.
>”I’m tossing her outside away from everyone in here and finishing this.”
>”No!” Sunset begins to tear up. “There has to be a way to bring her back if it happens! You can’t just kill her without finding out!”
>”Well she can’t stay with us, that’s for damn sure.”
>”Just use some of the ropes we have in the back to tie her up to somewhere until we can come back later after the rest of us find a place to stay.” Silver tells April. “The other can stay at that farm house Sunset mentioned.”
>”Yes! That can work! This doesn’t have to be the end of her life!” Sunset agrees. “Just tie her up inside the store over there so she’s safe. The other zombies won’t be after her if she’s one of them, they want us!”
>”You do NOT have any proof of that!” April disagrees. “For all I know those fuckers could be hiding out there waiting for one of us to step out for a long enough while. You’ve seen how smart they get!”
>”Maybe they won’t notice if we move fast and quick enough.” Sunset grasps at every straw she can to save Derpy’s life.
>”But is it worth the risk?” Silver asks.
>”NO!” April blares. “She’s going out there, I’m taking her out and coming back in because I REALLY don’t feel like dying today. Let alone getting ripped apart out there! Now open the damn door!” April feels like she needs to be careful to keep her finger away from the trigger, despite the safety still being on.
>”But officer Snow…” Rarity joins in.
>”No. Open the door.”
>Bulk Biceps does nothing to stop any of this other than trying to get Derpy to wake back up. Trixie reaches past a trembling Fluttershy and pulls the handle, then pulls at Derpy’s leg. Cadence begins to stutter at the girl.
>”W-wait… maybe she’s-”
>Cadence is cut off by a sharp grunt from the girl next to her. Derpy jolts forward, shooting her eyes open to reveal that her pupils and irises are gone.
>Her very movements feel so unnaturally beast-like.
>An eruption of screams pours out of the SUV.
>Everyone in the back seat panics uncontrollably as Derpy flails herself around, trying to bite whomever her face is closest to. Her kicking legs almost whack Sweetie in the face.
>Sunset grabs onto Derpy and hauls her out of the car with Trixie helping her. April steps out the driver’s door to find Derpy landing on the asphalt with a thud. Sunset lands right on top of her, and hears a lot more noises surrounding her than the screams from the car.
>Emerging from behind dumpsters, signs, hedges, half-walls, pretty much anything that can be hid behind… flocks of zombies charge in the direction of the car. April was right.
>And April herself jumps back into the driver’s seat with a swift slam of the door; she didn’t get a clear shot of Derpy.
>”Pull her back in!” Cadence begs, to which Sunset does not obey.
>Everyone is back in the SUV with the doors closed as April already pulls away. Derpy is outside, on her feet now and running after the others but falling behind.
>Sunset gets a brief glimpse of the crowd tackling the undead girl, still mistaking her for being among the living. There has never been a stronger compulsion to look away.
>April speeds down the road with as many evading turns as possible. Everyone inside has to hold on until the few zombies in pursuit are out of sight. Most of them stayed behind.
>It had not become clear to April had entered downtown until she started to see three story buildings of brick lined up against eachother.
>But the escape is cut short by what looks like a barricade spanning the entire width of the road. Wrecked cars, furniture, nothing but heavy items stand as a wall blocking the SUV from continuing. There’s no telling how long it’s been there, or why it is even there at all.
>There's a tiny gap between an overturned pickup truck and the side of a brick building.
>April isn't sure if her SUV can fit through, already imagining getting stuck.
>"Turn back!" Silver exclaims. "We can't get out this way!"
>Several zombies are already starting to catch up.
>April knows not to take any risky chances. She spins the wheels and soon feels the bodies of the oncoming zombies hitting the side of the SUV.
>The space between the pickup truck and the brick building starts to look a lot more feasible as April heads away from it. But the officer knows that the option she chose was the better one anyway. These are not the kinds of times for those types of risks.
>”What was that?” Rarity looks up to the ceiling.
>Everyone starts to scream as they hear the same banging from the roof that startled Rarity.
>Oh right, these things can jump.
>During the next three random turns or so, April makes the movements sharp enough to hopefully get the attacker to slide off. The cost of speed from the maneuvering allows the other zombies to catch up and latch onto the back bumper.
>Bombarding fists from the outside inflict countless cracks in the glass in the rear window. It’s a good thing this car doesn’t have a sunroof at least.
>”Shoot them!” April screams to Silver right before the rear window is shattered. “NOW! EVERYBODY DUCK!”
>”Everyone get down!” Silver aims for the first head he sees outside the SUV.
>It takes too long for comfort for Silver to get a clear shot. Especially with there being too many people in the back seats to scrunch low enough as a group.
>”I’m going straight, it’s now or never, Silver!” April’s knuckles are white as snow as she clutches the steering wheel.
>Everyone in the back shifts to the opposite side of Silver, trying to get as far away from the path of the bullet as possible.
>Fluttershy feels a sudden hand clamp onto her hair and start to pull her upwards over the seat. Her screams are absolutely bloodcurdling, and it sends a shock through Silver’s spine strong enough to get him to force a perfectly aimed shot straight into a hungry, lifeless eye.
>Another turn slides the motionless zombie out… slowing the SUV enough for two more zombies to jump on.
>Silver keeps his gun pointed at the zombies trying to crawl in Fluttershy’s direction.
>The girl lurches forward in attempt to escape their reach; one of them manages to grab her by the arm and try to bite.
>All it bites is a bullet from Silver’s gun.
>The SUV stays on a straight path down one of the streets as Silver aims for the next zombie, sweating more bullets than he’s shooting.
>”I got him, don’t worry!” He calls out with his arms as study as he can make them.
>Everyone in the group trying to scrunch together towards the floor can literally feel the bullets screaming past them as they are fired out of Silver’s gun.
>Silver urges them all to stay as low as they are right before his finger pulls the trigger once more.
>A miss.
>But Silver hastily adjusts his aim and fires again into the zombie’s head. He goes directly from eliminating the target to scanning the street directly behind the SUV for anything else he needs to defend the people in the car from.
>Even though she’s relatively safe for the moment, Fluttershy still tries to cram her way into the group of people clustered together to avoid the bullets.
>”It’s okay, I got him!” Silver lowers his gun into its holster.
>Everyone returns to a semi-normal sitting position as April speeds up to lose the other half dozen zombies still following the car.
>Silver doesn’t bother shooting them, thinking about how many bullets he might need when there isn’t a way to outrun these monsters that used to be human beings.
>”You sure that was all of them?” April asks.
>Silver silently nods before the banging on the roof resumes.
>”Oh god DAMN IT!” April curses with her foot bearing down on the gas pedal.
>Silver tries to figure out a way to reach out the window and shoot upward to hit wherever that thing is holding on; there’s no way any bullets are getting through that roof AND getting that crucial headshot.
>Everyone’s ears must still be ringing from those last few shots.