Once everyone was in the vehicles they sped out of there like bats out of hell. It was unfortunate that they had to leave a lot behind and would have to go on another search to find more supplies but that was how it always was. It was how survival worked.<br/><br/>Claireâ€™s mind continued to go back to that monster with those odd mutations. They seemed to be evolving, and it was making everyone nervous. Even if she had wanted to stay and fight, bullets were ineffective against that spiked one. The other two seemed like their infection had not mutated that far but even then it wasnâ€™t worth the risk. Getting out of there was the only option they had. Never before had she seen a mutation that bad, it was almost unbelievable, and the fact that they were working together terrified her. It was better to leave some stuff behind and make it out alive than end up like Johnny and be ripped apart by those things. They could not afford to lose any more people from this point forward. She was glad that they had gotten out of there but pissed that Brady had brought them with him upon his return.<br/><br/>â€œWhatâ€™s wrong with Brady?â€ She asked, nearing Brady to get a closer look. The more she thought about losing their home the more she wanted to toss Bradyâ€™s ass out of the vehicle and leave him to feed the monsters. He wasnâ€™t looking too good, she was sure he might not make it. Damn. Leaving him to the monsters might have been the better choice now that she was thinking about it. He was probably dead weight, in that condition, he was only going to slow them down. She was about to speak up when Brady suddenly started to transform. â€œHeâ€™s been infected!?â€ She growled out, backing away when his skin turned to that hideous color. So not only had he dragged a corpse back with him, he had come while he had been infected? What left her both shocked and puzzled was how fast the transformation seemed to happen.<br/><br/>One moment he was still and the next he went for Tina. The car jerked and she grabbed onto something to steady herself. Ty had reached for Brady but that didnâ€™t seem to be going well, the mutated Brady did not budge. She quickly went for the weapons case, grabbing more ammunition for her pistol; three shots might not be enough to take him out and that was all that she had left. If bullets did nothing to the ones back at the old hideout, who know what it was going to take to kill the man formerly known as Brady, she was only doing the best she could.  At this rate the vehicle was going to roll over, she had to do something before that happened. It was coming dangerously close. At one point she had actually felt one side of the hummer tip up slightly, wheels off the road.<br/><br/>Doing her best to steady herself in a good firing position, Claire aimed for the mutated Brady and fired off a round. As dangerous as it was to fire a gun off in such a closed space she had no choice. It was either shoot, or risk losing two more people and possibly a vehicle tonight. The bullet hit Brady in the back of the shoulder and he hissed, horrible smelling blood oozing from the bullet hole. He turned his attention towards her.<br/><br/>â€œShit, Claire! Watch where you aim that thing, you nearly took an eye out!â€ She heard someone shout, perhaps to get Bradyâ€™s attention. If that was the case then they had been ignored.<br/><br/>The mutated Brady lunged at Claire, leaving Tina and Adira, and pinned her against the side of the vehicle. Claire swore under her breath and shoved the barrel of her pistol into the mutated Bradyâ€™s mouth. Saliva that was thick and more like slime dripped onto her hand, causing her body to tense with disgust, but she did her best to ignore it and focused on Brady. She looked into his eyes to see if there was any sort of recognition in them, to see if she could find any traces of humanity, but found nothing. The infection had spread far too quickly than anyone had been prepared for. Their comrade was gone forever. She didnâ€™t want to admit it to herself but the evidence was right there in front of them. Doing her best to keep those fangs away from her throat, she adjusted to a better position when the vehicle made a sharp turn.<br/><br/>She didnâ€™t want to be the one to do this, to kill off their former comrade, but she saw little choice now, this was one of the reasons she really did not like being the leader. It seemed like she was always bearing weight nobody else wanted to carry. Nevertheless, she did not hesitate when she finally pulled the trigger. Blood splattered against the roof of the vehicle and the mutated Brady went limp. She pushed the corpse off of her and stared down at it, a frown on her face. Brady had been a pretty valuable member of the group. He had experience with firearms and had siblings in the military so he knew a thing or two about military tactics as well. He was definitely going to be missed. It would not be the first time they had lost someone because of those things.<br/><br/>â€œIs everyone alright? Damn, Iâ€™ve never seen someone turn that fast before.â€ She said in a murmur. Her voice was shaky, but who wouldnâ€™t be shaky after killing off one of their comrades. The last time one of them had been infected, the process had taken weeks before it took full effect. What could have caused the mutations to get as bad as this? There was something wrong here, perhaps something they overlooked or something that they were missing. But what? They had a lot of information and yet it seemed to be of no use to them right now. Were they wrong about everything all along or maybe it just so happens that they indeed knew less than they thought they did? She would have to voice her opinions later. â€œIâ€™m not convinced heâ€™s dead. We should pull over, dump the body somewhere, and burn it before we settle into our new place.â€<br/><br/>Would that really solve things? She was not sure, but she wasnâ€™t about to take risks. There have not been any cases of them coming back to life during their outings, but who knows, they might be able to do that now. If things have gotten this bad who knows what else is in store for them.<br/><br/>â€œWhere should we dispose of it? Itâ€™s already starting to stink!â€<br/><br/>â€œFind an alley somewhere.â€ Claire responded, trying to think of the best course of action. Her heart was still racing. That had been too close for comfort. â€œIt will have to be a place where a fire can be managed, without too much risk of spreading.â€ The last thing they needed was the whole city to burn down because of one mistake. If that happened, they would never get to the bottom of this. Hopefully there would be a place to dispose of the corpse in peace. â€œAdira, how much farther until we reach that safe zone?â€ If they were lucky they might be able to wait until they reached a safe zone. Who knows how many more of those things were lurking around; she really didnâ€™t want to find out, it was surprising they havenâ€™t come across any more. Hopefully their luck would allow things to stay that way.