Trans Canada Highway

[Winters]

The main highway spanning from the most eastern point to the most western point. Following this road will get you from each of the major cities in Canada in the quickest amount of time. For the most part, survivors have went out of their way to make sure the road is cleared off from any vehicles that may have been wrecked, but in some areas it might be a little trickier to manuver around. Generally youll find gas station averaging ever fifteen miles, but you cant be sure theyll have the supplies you looking for. As you near main cities, hotels and resorts litter the sides of the trans Canada, making long travels just that much easier.

[NotAvailable]

[Arc and Anna are driving down the highway]

Anna and Arc had eventually gotten back to the cruiser and for about half an hour, they'd been crossing a series of highways, unsure of just where the hell they were going, hopefully somewhere that'd take them to a border back into the states. Either way, as they'd moved on, Anna had been switching glances between the road and the radio, fiddling with it, attempting to catch a frequency. Letting go of the dial, she'd brought btoh hands onto the steering wheel, gesturing for Arc to give it a try.

"I wish I could get intouch with HQ. I've been out of contact with them since Russia. They prolly think I'm dead now. If they think I'm dead, Chase or Jake will find out and more than likely have told my family already...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but with that b*tch around, I can't even feel like they're safer that way...plus your German problem..." she ranted on, her eyes had seemed stuck on the road but at the same time, blank. She'd tighten her grip on the wheel and slouched in her seat, uncomfortably.

"I'm calling bullsh*t on the zombie apocalypse. We should be worrying about zombies and monsters, hell, other...advanced humans that are antagonistic toward everything. But f*ck that, we're stuck with crazy ass mercenaries, Tricell and scientists." she'd finished.

Sighing, she'd taken her right hand off the wheel again, patting down her breast pocket of her jacket, pulling out a cigarette. She'd stuck it in her mouth and leaned over to pull out the car lighter, lighting her cigarette.

"Still no reception..?" she asked, dryly.

[Winters]

In the matter of a half hour, the sky of sunlight had turned to a dreary rainfall, overcasting clouds covering the brightness of the day. Arc sat in the seat, listening to Anna speak, but not respond to her. He did try the police radio when she asked, but other than that, kept his mouth shut. It was always like him to be quiet, he didnt like talking, mainly cause it always seemed like something negative whenever he did speak. He knew what it was like to not be in contact with the BSAA HQ, but knew that they would give Anna 72 hours before even thinking of an MIA status, but with the number of contacts she had in the first place, it would take well over a week. Arc did, however, think about what it would be like if she went off the radar like him. Two rogue BSAA agents wandering the continent, searching for survivors.

Truth was, Arc was passed all of the zombies and monsters, they werent what scared him. It was people like himself, the ones who did have the power to kill in a matter of seconds. There were others out there like him, stronger, weaker, who knew for sure if they did just mutate into something unidentifiable or not. One thing was for certain, the man who did this to him wasnt tracking him, otherwise he wouldve made a move by now. Maybe it was just all in his head, paranoia. Arc was brainwashed, maybe this was all just part of it, a scare tactic to make sure he didnt get too out of control.

Ignoring her question about whether or not there was any reception, which wouldve meant it was a bust, Arc finally spoke his mind. He couldnt keep it all in any longer, it was obvious that hi friend wanted to hear what was going through his head, even if she didnt ask him directly. "Im not going to let anybody hurt you, or the people you care about. Cause if that happens, than I really dont have anything left to live for. If im going to keep fighting just to stay alive another day, I have to make sure theres something left worth fighting for. They day wont come where youll have to pull the trigger on me, I wont let that happen. If you start to see a change in me, I mean, if you notice it first, you have to let me know. The only reason were having this conversation is because your the only person I have left that I could even remotely call family..."

Arc was just speaking the truth, whether Anna felt the same way or not. However, before he could let her speak, he finished his speech. "...I lose you, I lose any reason to live. Anybody stands in the way of keeping you safe, I obliterate from the face of this earth. Dont worry about anything except the path you and your family want to take, and ill carve it out for you..." Before he could go on, or Anna could say anything after, there had been some noise besides static on the radio. Quickly tuning the dial in hopes that it would come in clearly, Arc could barely make out a females voice. Just the tone, not the words she spoke. It was a distress call, no doubt, and definitly not just a recording, it was being broadcasted live.

[NotAvailable]

Anna listened to Arc's heart felt words and continued to keep her eyes on the road as he spoke. He'd sworn to protect her and the others she cared for. She'd glanced at him momentarily and for a moment, Arc had went from being Arc to the form of her son. She'd frowned and shook her head, brushing her fringes out of her eyes. She knew she cared about her friend but she never really thought about how much he meant to her. Like family. Well a younger brother since he was too old to be a son. Either way, it was almost blood.

Alex was like that too...she died protecting her so she could get home to Richard and Aryn. So she'd live for this very reason, to protect everyone she loved. Anna spent a nice chunk of the outbreak trying to forget that, knowing that if she kept allowing herself these emotional attatchments like Richard, Aryn, Arc, Alex, Chase, and others, it was going to kill her.

Before she could respond to him, the radio picked up frequency of what sounded like a feminine voice. Her words were inaudible but there was no doubt it was a woman sending a distress signal.

"Where do you think it's coming from?" she wondered, squinting her eyes to try and see over the horizon before pulling over on the highway. She'd turned the ignition off and got out of the vehicle, moving toward the stone railing, pulling her hood over her head to protect herself from the rain.

She'd scanned that side of the bridge, gesturing for Arc to look on the other side.

"Look for the nearest radio tower. Gotta be where it's coming from if it's trying to work," she explained.

[Winters]

As the car came to a stop, the both of them had gotten out to check their surroundings. The rain was patting down on them, not heavy enough to prevent them from getting soaked, but just enough to notice. The overcast was only thing, so looking far off into the distance, they were able to make out everything perfectly. They were at a fairly elevated section of Canada, Arc could tell by the air pressure around them, so a radio tower would definitly have to be around them somewhere. The highway was even higher than the treeline, so it was just a matter of scanning the entire horizon.

After a few minutes, he picked up a tower off into the distance, but it seemed away from the highway a bit. Tracing it back, the dirt road was only about a quarter mile long, wouldnt be too far out of their way had they really wanted to go investigating. "Anna, look. Theres a tower not far from the highway, though I wouldnt take the police cruiser. Theyre not offroad, probably need a truck to get out there, unless we just walk. Not too far away, its up to you..."

[NotAvailable]

Anna glanced over in the direction Arc had pointed out. She squinted her eyes and could barely make out the tip of the radio tower in the distance. Arc mentioned leaving the police cruiser behind to get through the backroads to trek to the tower, course he also mentioned that investiagtin was completely optional. She'd gripped the railing of the highway tighter and clenched her teeth together sharply.

Every single time she was out somewhere other than the Checkpoint it always ended with the same goal. Reaching a radio tower to get charted out of the hellhole she was in at the time. All those times, her partner would end up dying.

"Like a never ending cycle..." she muttered to herself. It was completely optional, like he said, but they needed a lift to the U.S. so she could reach Richard and Aryn quicker. Beat Crowley to them, which felt near impossible since the b*tch had almost an entire day of a head start. Then there was the distress signals. Most of the time, those "distress signals" were traps, but she ahd no other choice but to know exactly what it was she was stepping into before jumping in head first.

"Well, unless you know how to hotwire a vehicle, then I suggest we drive off the highway and then start hiking."

[Winters]

With that, Arc nodded, and then walked towards the police cruiser. "I can get us as close as we can, we can contact the BSAA at the radio tower, and you can tell them your mission is done..." As soon as the both of them got back inside the car, the engine started up, and drove off the highway until hitting the dirt road. It wasnt as bad as he thought, but to just be on the safe side, Arc took it a little slower across the bumps and ditches. The rainwater over the last few years mustve taken a large toll on the road itself, and with nobody to repair it, thing were going to be getting any better they further they went on. But as the far made its way further and further down the path, Arc stopped the car, looking ahead to see a broken down bridge crossing a fair deep brook, forcing them to hike through it.

As they crossed through the stream, Arc noticed that Anna had been looking a little worried. She had every reason to be, especially with the way things unfolded, he was a little worried too. Coming out with only wet pants below their knees, Arc spoke out in a much more calm voice to Anna. "Speak your mind, dont keep everything inside, its not doing any good in there..." Knowing Anna, she wasnt going to open her mouth, it wasnt like her. It was one thing they were going to possibly rescue survivors, another if they were going into a trap, but whatever the situation was they needed to have a plan of action ready. Regardless, the radio tower was their best chance for anything right now, and being not too far from the highway, this wasnt even close to a catch twenty two.

With the tower now just about fifteen yards away through the light brush of overgrown grass, Arc kept low, making sure he was hidden from sight. After making sure Anna did the same thing, he used his keen senses to scout the surrounding around, as well as the tower. "Eight survivors, but I smell the infection inside that place. Somebody is bleeding, maybe two, or even three of them are infected. Ill stay hidden while you make contact, present yourself as a BSAA Agent. When you make contact with them, get closer, but wont show myself unless things turn sour, or I sense any of those Walkers nearby. Trust me, this was is safer..." Anna could use her common sense and figure out this plan had been great, Arc could come to her aid if she needed it at anytime without the other being aware. But in reality, he wanted to stay as far away from the survivors who were wounded, some part of him knows that it would trigger himself into a frenzy, ending killing them all whether they mean harm or not.

[NotAvailable]

Anna nodded at Arc as he spoke of his plan. She couldn't help but feel like a walking target and that wouldn't sit well with her. Of course maybe God had taken the consideration of not sh*ttin' on her this time around. Maybe they were actual people in need of aid. Dependable people that wouldn't shove a shotgun in her face or drive a knife through her back. No emo intended, just pure paranoia and experience. As for the bleeders or the potential infected...she'd just have to be careful and attempt to not shoot them where they stand.

"Alright, I know what to do," she told the man, moving through the grass and toward the radio tower. Around them there'd been an old, broken down Jeep. It smelled strongly of gasoline and the area had been completely silent. The rain hadn't touched the trees or grass here, it was completely dry which was worrisome for her. One shot let off or a cigarette and they'd be up in flames, which only made her feel more wary of answering the signal.

She'd sighed and got upto the door where she could hear uncontrollable sobbing. There'd been two men's voices and one child's. They seemed to have been discussing someone being bitten.

Knocking on the door, Anna kept her head low and sighed, reaching for her sidearm with one hand and her badge with the other.

"Anyone in there...? My name's Agent Anna McGraw of the B.S.A.A. Are you hurt?"

The door began to unlock. When it creaked open, a woman had stood there. She seemed meek and pale. Aged and hungry as well.

"Oh thank goodness...you must've heard my signal, thank you so much! she cried, joyfully, opening the door wider to expose a group of people. Some were injured, tired and the child seemed ill, in a makeshift cot.

Their faces were dirty, pleading. The agent felt her heart drop into her stomach when she's seen the bandages on the child's arm. She averted her eyes back at the woman, so not to cause suspiscion.

"How long have you all been in here..?" she asked the woman.

The older woman frowned, glancing back at the survivors then at Anna. "For a few days. We ran out of food two days ago...d-do you have any, by chance?" she asked, hopeful. Anna shook her head slowly and quietly.

"No...I'm sorry, I don't..."

[Winters]

Some of them had been working on distress calls, but once the woman showed up, they all showed their support and gave their thanks. 'I hoped somebody would hear them, looks like lady luck is on our side.' He wasnt speaking to the BSAA Agent herself, but it was clearly ment for everybody to hear, more specifcially the little boy. After all the hardships, he was the one that stayed most level headed, even more so than the rest of them.

But the little boy knew that things werent going to be any different knowing the BSAA was here, they couldnt stop the infection, and he knew it. 'Anna cant help your son once hes bitten, theres no going back. Please, miss, I know you can tell them, they wont listen to me.' The little boy, only about fifteens years old, spoke out in the brutal truth. The kid was bitten, and had less than an hour if he hadnt turned already. Itll put everyone here at risk, and the boy didnt want to stay here when that happens. He didnt care much for these people anyways, they were all too selfish, always rambling about someone from an old book, like he was some kind of superhero. 'Im sure if he was here, we would tell you the same thing...'

[NotAvailable]

Anna looked over at the boy and and then at the bickering adults. They began to argue with him and the louder their voices got, the more irritated Anna had become. Before long, she'd cleared her throat, obnoxiously loud.

"Alright! Alright! Shut it!" she yelled. The group of survivors had simmered down, all staring at the agent once more. She'd wandered a little closer to the infected teen but not close enough where she was within arms reach. Better safe than sorry.

She'd smiled faintly at the child and looked down at his bandaged arm.

"How long ago were you bitten? she asked. He didn't look very sick which only made her more wary of her surroundings or maybe he was just...

'No...' she thought. ' No, that can't be it. That's too rare...'

[Winters]

"You get away from my son!" The woman moved forward, pushing Anna away, and then standing in the way. She didnt want anybody to get close to her son, for the simple fact that she was too weak to accept that there wasnt anything they could do for him. The three of men in the room was on the mothers side, no matter how bad it was, they couldnt just kill the kid. The tension in the room had been thick, but the boy was unable to speak out, he was completely out of it at this point. Jack, however, than took a out his 9mm handgun, and spoke up over the voices. "I was better off on my own, you people all just give me a headache!" The boy than run out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He ignored the calls from the older men in the room, but he knew what he was doing.

Hearing the loud voices coming from the tower, Arc remained hidden from sight, but thats when the boy ran outside. He was coming straight for his direction, there wasnt any other choice but to show himself and stop him from running off and getting himself killed. At the last second, Arc stood up from his place, grabbed onto the kid, taking the gun from him. He was never good with kids, but this one was only a young teenager, he couldnt possibly understand what was going on. "Calm down, kid, running away from your problems wont get you anywhere. Whats going on inside?" The boy was a little scared, but eventually got away from the man, and answered his question. "That ladys son is bit, hes going to turn, and theyre too stupid to let me shoot him." Arc was very shocked to hear those words come from a kid his age, but it didnt change the problem. Should he take action? Or let Anna handle it? "My partner will handle it, just sit tight here with me, okay?"

[NotAvailable]

When Anna was shoved, she'd glared and grasped at the woman's wrist, twisting her arm sharply behind back and kicking her knees out. Holding her into her grasp, she'd glanced at the other men whom were reaching for various melee weapons they wielded. The teen had up and ran off and as much as she hated to just leave the infected child alone, she'd scoffed.

"You're not worth it," she told the woman, shoving her forward, releasing her from her grip. She'd walked toward the door, opening it and stopping halfway through.

"That child doesn't deserve to suffer like this... she told them before leaving. She'd checked her watch and sighed, moving back where Arc had gone but kept an eye out for the runaway teen.

"Arc?" she called, looking around. "Arc, those people are nuts, we're better off finding another radio tower ASAP." she said, still looking around for her friend and the kid.

[Winters]

When Jack seen the red headed woman leave the building, he come into plain sight, making his position know. Where was something about the pair, they seemed like good people, anybody who would answer a distress call like that would have to be a good person. Finally, he spoke out. "Anna... Your partner isnt here, he went back inside... How did you not see him?"

Suddenly, there had been a loud scream coming from the tower, followed by a series of yelling. But within ten seconds, there was silence, and then a figure appeared standing outside of the top floor. Jack knew that it was Annas partner, but what did he do inside to those people? A pair of red eyes glow, Jack never seen anything like, and turned to Anna for questions. "Your friend is infected, isnt he?"

[NotAvailable]

Anna lowered her head and sighed, patting her pocket for her cigarettes, pulling the carton out, she'd seen it was empty and tossed it over her shoulder. Really would have been nice to have at thie time. The screaming from inside had tipped her off that Arc had taken care of the survivors. She'd clenched her fists and grimaced when the boy asked if he was infected.

"I wouldn't say that. He's not a zombie, he's different." she told him, turning on her heel and going back to the tower. They were probably dead now so she could still use the tower to radio back home, but, damn she felt like this was all wrong.

"He didn't have to kill them. They did no wrong. Shoulda left them to their fates with the boy....dammit Arc..." she grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. She could've just gone to another station, killing innocents was a big no-no.

She'd glanced back at the teen that followed.

"Another orphan of the oubtreak, eh?" she asked.

[Winters]

Looking at the woman, Jack knew that she was right, otherwise they wouldve have been making their way inside the tower. The people inside werent good people, but he wasnt quite sure if killing them was justice. If this man wasnt infected, if he was different, and he loved thought it was interesting how she put emphesis on the word different, then maybe he as just like him. "Out of all of the memories I have, none of them had ever been anywhere besides the apartment we lived in. He took me outside every now and then, but I didnt like it, it was the outside world that scared me the most. Dont even really know how old I am, the doctors said I was at least fifteen. I cant do the math, but they told me I was born into it, and that my father had kept me safe, raised me during the entire thing..."

The entire time, Jack and Anna making their way inside the tower, and they were just coming up the stairs when he continued from the pause. "...But he ran away when the outbreak had ended, close enough to it. There was a couple of weeks where I was alone, walking around the outside world. He taught me how to survive on my own, thats what kept me alive. The BSAA picked up, and brought me to Las Vegas after outbreak was over. Ive spent the majority of my life living in a nightmare, ive gotten used to it. Id rather the world like this, because it means im free to be myself. Are you good? Or are you evil?" He finally asked, seeing the glowing redness in his eyes.

When Anna and Jack got inside the tower, he ignored the bodies on the floor, it wasnt anything knew. The man Arc had been standing there, trying to operate the radio. Jack knew that Anna was probably going to give him an earful, so he wanted to clear the air before hand. But he never even got to open his mouth. Almost as if his mind was read, Arc spoke out, tuning into one of the BSAA frequencies, hoping it would be in range considering they were in another country. "Me too, little man. I grew up in South America, and as a child of war, I seen more than I shouldve. It was just killing after killing, I grew up into it, raised to survive it for myself. When the outbreak happened, it was more like a reliefe for me. At least the zombies and monsters dont shoot back at you with AK47s."

Maybe it was a little inappropriate, but he didnt care. Arc knew that Anna was upset about how he handled the situation, bit they needed a radio, and they needed it fast. He wasnt trying to just ignore what happened, he blood was on his hands, and he knew that just as well as she did. The problem was that he didnt care, because he was born with his skin tainted in blood. His body count, both before and after the outbreak, had been in the thousands by now. Hes kill so many people that keeping track would be impossible. "Am I evil? Am I good? Im done asking those questions, because I dont have the answers. But then again... Does anyone, really?"