Author's Note: This chapter is a bit more lengthy; I'm planning to write at least two more chapters for the metaphorical "first season" of my fan fiction. Once I'm done with all five chapters, which should be by the end of next week, I have to take a break, do some brainstorming and I also have other projects I'd like to work on during the summer. But rest assured, as I go to work every day, and sit at home playing Binding of Isaac, I'm thinking of this fanfic 24/7 and I have big plans for it Expect a teaser for what's to come after the end of "Season 1".

Chapter 3

Mr. Green's shop was just up ahead. The wheels of the truck kicked up dust from the road and the wind carried the particles away. Stinky had to dodge several pieces of debris, random objects in the road, empty trash bins, shattered glass, corpses.

"Right here's good." Arnold said. Stinky adjusted the wheel and pulled the truck closer to the abandoned shop, getting close enough to not be detected and at the same time be close enough if a getaway was needed. "Kill the engine." Stinky turned the key and pulled it out to put it in his pocket. Then he reached behind the seat and pulled out the shotgun from the chair's backside pocket. One by one, the four piled out of the truck, and approached the front entrance of Green's shop.

"No lights. I don't hear a thing." Arnold said.

"Sure am smelling a thing, gee." Stinky said, holding his lanky nose. Eugene choked a bit.

"Who knows how much produce is rotting in there." Eugene said, "Arnold, are you sure this is a good idea?" Eugene asked.

"I'm positive Eugene. Come on, we'll go in together." Arnold replied.

"Great, you first Arnold." Said Harold. Arnold approached the door, its bottom half still standing and attached to the hinges while the top half was completely smashed in, as if someone broke in from the outside. Carefully, Arnold took it step by step, climbing over the intact part of the door and placing his feet on the green tile floor which was surprisingly dry and absent of any sort of mess or human remains. Arnold slowly rotated completely around, observing his surroundings as the rest of his group entered. The first thing to catch Arnold's attention was a low droning hum, next was the foul odor that circled the room.

"Great, we're here, now what?" Harold said.

"Try the lights." Arnold ordered.

"Arnold, we're livin' in a world where everything is destroyed, what makes you think the lights are gonna work here out of all places?" Stinky questioned. Arnold looked back at him, determined and began to walk toward the front counter. Stinky sighed and walked over back to the door and flicked the light switch. A quiet buzz echoed the room for a second and then ceased. No lights turned on.

"Eugene, come with me, we're gonna check the back. Stinky and Harold, look for anything useful, knives, food." Arnold approached the door to the back storage room, it was still intact and almost looked brand new. Arnold slowly opened it and Eugene followed, leaving Harold to examine Green's family pictures on the walls and Stinky to rummage behind the counter.

The storage room was just as empty, the low droning hum was the only thing Arnold kept hearing. As he brought it to Eugene's attention as well, the two began to seek out the source of the noise. Arnold walked one way and the sound started to get quieter, Eugene walked the other way and it got louder. The hum was at its loudest at a door to the employee restroom, it started to sound like an engine. Eugene called Arnold over. The door was locked. The two backed away and Arnold caught site of an orange wire running from under the crack at the bottom of the door to a busted hole in the wall.

"Wait Eugene, don't try anything yet. I'm gonna try something." Arnold said, he walked away, glancing one last time at Eugene to check his safety, and approached the light switch they had past when they entered the room. Slowly and quietly, Arnold reached out with his hand, pinched the switch with his two big fingers and moved it upward. The lights instantly clicked on, both Eugene and Arnold flinched with pain at the sudden burst of light.

"Turn it off, turn it off!" Eugene whispered loudly. Arnold agreed, knowing any source of light could draw attention from "unwanted guests". After he turned the switch off, he went back over to Eugene at the door with the hum on the other side, "On three?"

"On three." Arnold replied. The two counted to three, and slammed into the door with their shoulders. The impact noise echoed the front room where it caught Stinky's attention. He looked toward the direction that Arnold and Eugene disappeared to but then continued to scavenge.

"Again." Arnold said, the two backed up, and then synchronously slammed into the door, their momentum carrying them into the newly opened room. After regaining their balance, they looked around the utility bathroom, the humming noise blasting from the stall. Arnold looked back down at the floor and found the orange wire again. He followed it to the door and creaked it open. It revealed a small metallic box with pipes running around the exterior. A small green light emitted from the top where the orange wire connected next to a small screw cap. Arnold could smell the gasoline.

"A generator. Still running." Eugene said.

"Turn it off and check inside, maybe we can siphon the gas out and use it for the truck." Arnold said as he left the room, leaving Eugene to examine the generator. Arnold went back out front to where Stinky and Harold were. Stinky had a makeshift container in his hand with a few cans and a bottle with something in it. Harold had found a leather pouch with a couple kitchen knives in it. "We found a generator, it's still running but the gas could be useful."

Just as Arnold left the back room, a shadowy figure snuck past the entry door and entered the bathroom. Eugene had crouched down to examine the generator closer and started to unscrew the gas cap. As soon as he had it cracked open, two grimy hands gripped Eugene by the shoulder. The figure growled and tossed him out of the stall, slamming him against the tiled wall. The impact caught the trio's attention in front and they dashed back to the employee restroom. Stinky grabbed his shotgun off the counter and followed suit.

Accidentally Stinky tripped, sending the shotgun flying further into the storage room. They piled at the bathroom door to see the overweight figure towering over an incapacitated Eugene, a long metallic object in his hand, almost about to strike Eugene down. It noticed Arnold at the door and began to charge him. The three dashed out of the way, dodging the hefty character as it came charging out swinging its club around. Stinky regained his balance with the shotgun and took aim, trying to adjust to avoid hitting anybody else besides the shadowy clad figure.

Just as the figure entered the dim lights of the storage room, Arnold could see the freckly glasses clad face of Marty Green.

"Mr. Green stop!" Arnold called. As he began to calm Marty down, Stinky and Harold began to notice it was Marty Green as well, uninfected and face full of terror. "Mr. Green! It's ok, it's us!" Green started to slow down his swinging, and his gritted teeth started to loosen, his cries of fear getting calmer and calmer. "Mr. Green, it's Harold, Stinky, Arnold, and Eugene. We're not infected, we're here in the flesh."

"Take it easy, Marty." Harold chimed in. Marty started to squint, dashing his eyes between the three teenagers before him.

"Ar-Arnold?" Marty said in his raspy voice.

"Yes Mr. Green. It's us. Put the crowbar down." Arnold said with a smile. Marty let the metal bar droop to the floor in his hand

"My god. Never thought I'd see you boys again. Not after all the hell these last few weeks." Marty said with a cough to the floor. When he raised his head again, Stinky could notice spittle drops of red in the spot where Marty coughed.

"Have you been here all by yourself?" Harold asked.

"Willie was here for about the first week, but being locked up in here didn't sit so well for him." Marty coughed again, this time internally, "You know how the 'jolly olly man' is." Marty said sarcastically.

"I'm sure he's doing alright." Arnold said.

"Yeah, probably cutting off heads left and right whether they're human or not. How'd you get in here?" Marty asked.

"The front door was bashed in. We heard the humming of your generator so we came back here to check it out."

"Yeah that damn thing's been keepin me alive for some time now."

"How much gas does it have?" Stinky asked.

"The tank's maybe half full, and I've got something with about five more gallons in it over in that corner over there." Marty responded.

"We can siphon the gas out of there and use it for our truck. You can come with us, we're about to head out of town." Arnold suggested.

"I would Arnold, but I don't know if I'd be able to leave. I mean I'm big, you guys are small, I'd burden you too much." Marty replied. As he spoke, Stinky started to notice Marty's hands, the hand not holding the crowbar had a faded colored bandage wrapped around the pinky, or at least where Marty's pinky should be, "Besides, I love my shop, feel like I was born to live and die with this place in my hands, heh." Marty ended, he started to walk back towards the front room, "Sorry about Eugene by the way. Is he okay?" He said.

Just as Marty spoke, Eugene came stumbling out, his hand clutching his shoulder, "I'm okay." Eugene droned.

"Come on Mr. Green, this may seem like the end, but we've got so much more to live for. Helga, Sid, Gerald…all of the kids love you and your shop. Do you realize how much it would mean if they saw you still alive?" Arnold said.

"I can't Arnold. In fact, no that you mention it, your friends came through here just a few days ago." Marty said.

Arnold stopped, his head started to spin, thoughts started to pour out, thoughts of hope, dread, fear, "Was it Gerald and Sid that you saw?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah…yeah in fact it was them two, they came in and asked if I'd seen you. How'd you know?" Marty asked.

"I…I don't know. Gerald and I have always been best friends, I figured I'd ask." Arnold responded. The rest of his group looked at him dumbfoundedly.

"Well regardless, they were asking about you and the boarding house. Apparently there were too many of those things to get to your house. They said they were gonna keep heading east toward 118." Marty said.

"Come on Arnold, let's go. Maybe Gerald's got a safe house set up at the school." Harold suggested.

"No, Marty, I am not leaving you here to die. You deserve better than that." Arnold said sternly. Marty was shocked that Arnold had called an adult by their first name for the first time in his life.

"Arnold. You're a good kid. Always have been a pusher, not for the bad, but for the good of everyone in Hillwood. You have no idea how good you are." Marty said, coughing again, leaning against the doorway to the front lobby.

"I do what I can." Arnold said, still stern.

"And that's why you're bringing this place back to life one day. You and your friends are like a gift to me. Every time I saw you come in. Harold I still remember how much of a pest you were wanting to work for me, every day." Harold smiled at his remark, "And Stinky, I still recall the meat feast your family put on for Thanksgiving. That was my record sale for my shop. Thank you for that Stinky." Arnold could see a tear glistening in Marty's eye.

"Mr. Green.. Why are you telling us all this?" Arnold asked solemnly.

"Can't tell you Arnold. But I can tell you, you need to get out of here and quick. I don't know how much time I've got left." Marty responded.

"Why's that…"

"I think I know Arnold. Show us the pinky Mr. Green." Stinky said. Marty realized he had been discovered. He started to approach the boys, unwrapping the bandages on his pinky. As he peeled the last of it off, the four revolted in disgust to see Marty's pinky completely hacked off, and green pus pulsing from the open veins. Arnold began to recall his dream, how Harold had the same injury, the exact same hand, same color of pus…

Arnold began to realize what his dream was telling him, "Mr. Green… How long ago had this been?"

"Three days ago in fact, one of them crashed through that door back there. I got him but only before the bastard nicked my hand. Cutting off the wound as close to the body as possible seems to slow it down but I can tell I don't have much longer. Seriously, Arnold you guys need to get out of here and quick. Find your friends and start anew."

Arnold sulked his head, realizing what was about to happen.

"I know how it must feel, getting your life back, and having it taken away from you. Your parents actually bought from me one time. They're beautiful people, and they raised a beautiful son."

Arnold continued to remain silent. Eugene started to approach him to convince him to leave, "Ten years ain't enough time to catch up with your life son. I still remember the day you returned. You had your parents by your side, I'll forget how glowing you were…I could tell you were finally happy. Understand this Arnold, go out there. Go out there and get your life back. And if you ever see that Richtofen prick, tell that bastard Marty Green sent you and pop him one for me…will ya do that for me Arnold?" Marty said.

Arnold slowly raised his head and looked Marty directly in the eyes, "I swear it."

Marty returned Arnold's answer with a jolly smile.

"Come on Arnold," Eugene said, "If Gerald and Sid are out there looking for us like he said, they can't be far away." Arnold nodded; he turned and started to follow everybody else out. Arnold looked back one more time to see Marty Green.

"Take care Arnold. Tell Helga and your parents I said hey." Marty said with a wink and a smile.

Arnold choked on a single sob and a tear dripped down his cheek.

"Wait," Marty called, "Stinky, come here with that shotgun." Stinky looked at the group and went back to Marty. Arnold, Eugene, and Harold went back out, and approached the truck.

Marty walked over to one of the shelves, clutching his finger in pain, "Wasn't a good idea to open that bandage. At least it'll be over soon. Stinky you know what to do."

"I do, Mr. Green." Stinky responded. Marty started to grunt with pain, his freckled face started to matte with sweat.

"Don't waste a single second now." Marty said. Stinky nodded. They waited in silence for a few more seconds. Then Marty said, "What about your family Stinky?"

"Dad's gone. My mom was evacuated, couldn't get home in time to join her." Stinky said sullenly.

"You're gonna find her Stinky. I'll make sure of it when I see the man upstairs." Marty said. He began to grunt again, louder this time. Stinky knew it was getting closer and he backed away.

As Marty took in his final breath, he said, "At least we took care of those damn potholes." Marty grunted with a smile. He exhaled all the breath he had left, and before it was, he was gone. Stinky cocked the shotgun and aimed it at Marty's body.

Outside, Eugene and Harold were sitting on the edge of the truck bed and Arnold rested against the driver's door, his head in his elbow.

Next thing they heard was a loud screech, and soon after, a loud gunshot that seemed to echo for hours…..

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To be continued in Chapter 4