1. Take the alley back to main street, continue heading north.
"Let's get back on track, head north to the ammo," you say, examining the shotgun in your hands. "I don't think this is going to be enough, though it helps. Can you show me how to load and use this?"
Jesse takes the weapon and examines it. "Give me a shell," she says.
You dutifully remove one from the box jammed in your pocket and hand it to her.
Jesse flips the shell over in her hand, and holds out the shotgun so you can see. "Like this," she says, loading the shell. "Safety is here. It's pump action. You've got to pump it between shots."
You nod, watching.
Jesse raises the gun up to her shoulder. "Brace it against your shoulder, like this. Otherwise it'll spin you. You can fire from the hip, though. Don't have to be too accurate with a shotgun. Guns don't usually work well without sighting, but shotguns are the exception. Just point and fire. Even if you miss, you'll still hit because the shot spreads."
"Does it have a lot of kick?"
"Yeah," Jesse says. "It'll bruise your shoulder pretty good. I remember the first time I fired a 12 gauge like this. My dad took me out into the woods. Heh, we drove for so long, he was so worried about getting in trouble. I didn't have any idea where we were going, he wanted it to be a surprise. I was fourteen, I think. I remember thinking that the shotgun would break me in half. He insisted I learn how, though. Even set up a little course for me. Probably on his friend's advice. That was my dad, never an idea of his own. I remember him crying when I went to my first day of school..."
Jesse trails off, a far off look in her eye. Suddenly she shakes herself. "Sorry. Got a little off track there," she says.
"It's alright," you say, watching her. She glances at you, almost nervously, and hands back the shotgun.
"Here. That's the basics. Just keep the safety on until you want to fire. Don't point it at me, or Max, for that matter. We need to get you some kind of holster for it if you're going to be carrying it around for long," Jesse says.
You smile and nod. "You were close to your dad, weren't you?"
Jesse looks at you, and slowly nods. "Yeah. We were."
Max whines and brushes against your leg. He seems nervous, glancing back and forth up and down the alley.
"Max is probably right," you say. "We should keep moving."
The three of you begin the walk down the alley back toward Main Street. You pass another dumpster, giving it a wide berth, but this one is open and empty.
You come out of the alley back onto the street. Fog all around you. A few cars parked along the sides, a newer white Ford pickup abandoned in the center of the street, the driver's side mirror and windshield cracked. No Faceless or other creeps, as far as you can see.
"What happened to those eight or so Faceless from before?" Jesse asks softly. Max stands at your side, sniffing the ground.
"I don't... shit."
You point south, back toward the car you abandoned. Out of the mist figures are appearing, slowly advancing, vines sluggishly cutting tiny swathes through the mist.
"Are those the same ones?" Jesse asks. Max cocks his head at them, but makes no move or sound.
You squint, recognizing a bald man with a ripped T-shirt and pajama bottoms. "Looks like it. Come on, there may be more."
The two of you turn away and head north, Max following along quietly.
The buildings on either side of you begin to lower in height. Up ahead, a sedan has crashed into a storefront on the right. A minivan lays overturned beside it.
As you draw closer, a figure emerges from behind the minivan, then two more out of the mist behind it. They're spread out evenly along the street. One of the ones in the back is missing an arm at the elbow. The front Faceless, a tall, thin man wearing a robe, screams at you.
Max growls in return and bristles.
"Max, no. Stay close to me," you say.
Jesse shakes her head. "This road is just crawling with these fuckers."
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1. Take shelter in a nearby knick knack store.
2. Try to move past them.
3. Use your shotgun on one, blowing a hole for you to move through.
4. Kill them all.
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Poll
4 (66.7%)
Author
Topic: The Ends (Read 59160 times)