Out in the Open

"**Out in the Open**" is the fifth chapter in MrPotassiumK's **Loud House: Infection of the Dead**.

## Synopsis

Lori and David come into conflict as Carol’s drug addiction is revealed. Lori must prove her skills as a leader when a massive herd attacks the group.

## Plot

**Part 1: New State**

In a flashback, Lynn Sr. explains to Lana that everyone has equal worth, despite how different they may be. Lana takes this advice to heart... for now.

In the present day, a traumatized group continue to move away from the tolls. Carol undergoes a panic attack and takes her drugs to calm herself down. Sergei judges her, but as Carol gets more distressed and paranoid, fearing that Lori may kill her and that her parents are dead, he consoles her instead by telling her that he saw the rogues take her parents to Houlton alive.

The group take a break near a lake. Lori is still distraught over killing Madison, but David justifies her actions. Lori is comforted by this. After, Lola asks Lori if they could bathe in the lake. Lori agrees and the group members head to the lake a few people at a time to bathe. When Carol tries to go to the lake, Becky bullies her into not following her and the others. Missy tries to stand up for Carol, but Carol has already relented. Carol then heads to the woods, but not before Lori tries to get her to stay with the group. However, Missy insists on going with Carol. After the two leave, Tad approaches Lori and asks why she harbors so much hate towards Carol. Lori explains that Carol tried to steal Bobby away from her. She's surprised to see that Tad doesn't know, and believes it to be a factor for why Tad and Becky broke up. However, Tad explains they broke up because they were going to go to different schools. Both Tad and Lori don't believe that, but Tad brushes it off to the side and tells Lori that people can change.

Carol pretends to do her business as Missy looks away. While Missy is looking away, Carol snorts some more crushed oxycodone. Missy pities Carol and explains that when she was younger, she did bad things. However, Missy explains, when she met Richard, he didn't judge her. The two grew closer and fell in love. However, this doesn't comfort Carol as she doesn't think she and Missy are the same people.

The teen girls remove their clothes and enter the lake. However, Luna and Sam hesitate, feeling shy about the fact that they'll see each other's breasts. However, Sam comes up with a solution; simply walk into the water without worrying about their shirts getting wet. Sam leads Luna to the lake, much to Luna's joy.

It is Carol and Missy's turn to go on the lake when Carol unexpectedly tries to drown herself. However, her own survival instincts cause her to resurface, causing Missy to worry. Carol then "sees" the horde in the distance, the one the group were avoiding earlier. She runs towards the group while nude before falling unconscious. This causes the group to worry about her, most notably Missy.

In a flashback, Lana and Lola decide to head to Ketcham Park. In the present day, Missy learns of Carol's drug addiction. Missy reveals that she also had a drug addiction problem in the past, but Richard helped her get through it. Carol explains how she got addicted to drugs, delving into a dark and tragic story. She then has Sergei and Missy promise not to tell anyone.

In a flashback, Lana and Lola trick Leni into taking them to the park. There they see Carol attempt to kiss Bobby. And Becky and Dana saw it. In the present day, the group take another break. Becky silently intimidates Carol from flirting with Tad.

The next day, a high Carol enters the RV where Bobby is. She begins to flirt with him and then confesses to him that she has a drug problem (believing that he will help her just as Richard has). Bobby empathizes with Carol, though Carol mistakes this as having feelings for her. She continues to flirt with Bobby, making him uncomfortable. Outside of the RV, Becky is watching.

In a flashback, Lori gets angry at Bobby before Becky directs the blame towards Carol. Carol tries to apologize and leaves, but not before Lori angrily breaks off their friendship. In the present day, Lori confronts Bobby about hugging Carol. The two get into an argument before Lori tells Bobby to not talk to her.

In a flashback, Carol's car fails to start up. Lana offers to help, but Carol rejects her offer, fearing Lori's wrath. Lana walks away, feeling bad.

**Part 2: Disunited**

The group arrive at a spot in a highway next to an exit and a town. David takes out a roamer. The group learn that the highway that wraps around Buffalo is empty, at least the lane they're taking. They plan to siphon fuel from the cars on the other lane in order to get past Buffalo in one go.

Bobby talks to Lori, explaining what really happened in the RV. Initially upset at him, Lori sticks around and listens when Bobby reveals Carol has a drug addiction. Lori apologizes to Bobby and walks to the RV where Carol is. Lori grabs Carol's bag and allows the contents to fall from it, including her pill bottles. The two get into a heated argument before Carol pulls out a knife, going into a breakdown. She then tosses the knife away in shame and attempts to apologize before Lori punches her, starting their fight. The two fight to kill each other, and it culminates into the two fighting outside of the RV where David and Missy break up the fight. The group then learn about Carol's addiction. An angry David wants to talk about setting up some rules.

The next morning, David announces to the group that if Lori were to break the rules again, then Becky and Dana would get exiled. However, Lori argues that he has no official authority yet and that the group should vote in a leader. Some of the group members quickly take sides. Those supporting David argue that he has more experience and that Lori can't be trusted as leader. Those supporting Lori argue that David's punishment for Lori is unfair and that Lori is someone they can trust more. While it seems the group will easily choose Lori, Bobby then makes a shocking display of support towards David, arguing that Lori shouldn't have to handle the burden of leadership. The group members are now more hesitant about voting for either candidates. Both Lori and David agree to give the group more time to think about their vote.

Lori asks Lincoln to influence his friends to vote for her. However, Lincoln himself doesn't want to vote for Lori either for the same reasons as Bobby. Lynn and Clyde also reveal they are going to vote for David since they don't feel comfortable being on the same side as Francisco. Lori is deeply upset.

While Tad is siphoning fuel, Becky talks to him. Becky wonders why Tad likes Carol. Tad then wonders if Becky has feelings for him, still. Becky denies this, but in the process, makes herself seem unreasonable. Tad then wonders why Lori didn't take them back to Royal Woods to look for their parents. Becky seems to blindly trust Lori, but now is starting to doubt herself and Lori because of Tad's words. Tad insists that Lori would put her family first and this is why he can't support Lori.

Liam, Tabby, and Zach are practicing their Pig Latin when Ronnie Anne comes over and tells them to vote for Lori. She bribes them with cans of meatballs though Rusty is unrelenting. Rusty asks Ronnie Anne if what happened at Ann Arbor was Lori's fault. Unbeknownst to Rusty, Ronnie Anne blames herself for Rocky's death. When Zach reveals that Lincoln is not voting for Lori, Ronnie Anne angrily confronts Lincoln. As Lincoln argues that the burden of leadership would be too heavy for Lori, Ronnie Anne argues that the guilt of not being able to prevent a disaster would hurt Lori even worse.

After Tad finishes siphoning some fuel, he enters the RV to talk to Carol. The two have a friendly conversation. Tad consoles Carol by letting her know that a lot of people support her. He then reveals how he and Becky broke up after Carol asks. However, he suspects Carol may want to break up Lori and Bobby and is frustrated at the fact that Carol has feelings for Bobby.

Outside the RV, the vote starts. Lisa believes that Lori would indeed act out of selfishness and prioritize her family over the rest of the group. However, this only reinforces Lisa's support for Lori as it would mean Darcy would be safe, since Lori is starting to treat her like family. After Lincoln votes for Lori, the vote ends with Lori becoming the new leader. In the end, Becky, Dana, Luan, Benny, Francisco, Leni, Lana, Lola, Lucy, Lisa, Darcy, Liam, Tabby, Zach, Ronnie Anne, and Lincoln voted for Lori while Carol, Tad, Missy, Richard, D, Wavehead, Sergei, Lynn, Clyde, Luna, Sam, Chunk, Rusty, and Vonda voted for David. Carol gets deeply upset as Tad tries to comfort her. Lori then forces Carol to come over to her. Carol fears she will be kicked out, but to her surprise, Lori allows her to stay. However, she must be under supervision at all times. As the group all head back to their vehicles to get ready for sleep, Lori confronts Carol privately. Lori threatens to harm or kill Carol if she ever talks to Bobby again.

**Part 3: Out of Time**

The next morning arrives. Now having enough fuel to get them past Buffalo without stopping, the group prepare to drive onwards. However, the radiator of the RV breaks down. Lana could fix it with tape, but it may not hold for long. She wants sealant and a new radiator hose. These items could be found in an auto shop in the town next to them, but they're on a timer as the horde could make their way to the vehicles any time now. David wants to clear out a building before looking for an auto shop, but Lori believes that is time-consuming. Since she is the leader, she rejects David's suggestion and goes with her own; send Sergei miles behind the group on a car and have him warn the group once he spots the horde. Only then will the group clear out a building and hole up in as they let the horde pass by. Although riskier, Lori doesn't want to lose the opportunity the empty highway has provided the group. She gathers some people and heads to the town. David goes with Sergei.

There are now three groups. The group looking for the auto shop consists of Lori, Richard, Missy, Wavehead, D, Luna, Sam, Becky, Tad, Benny. The group on the lookout for the horde consists of just Sergei and David. The group remaining by the vehicles consists of the rest of the group.

To conserve fuel, only Vanzilla has its AC on. Carol, knowing she can't enter Vanzilla without Lori's permission, heads out to the trees on the left to get some shade. Dana keeps watch on her from the top of the RV. Carol then slips into a light sleep before Lisa wakes her up and provides her with an oxycodone pill. She then sees the children in the shade too. Francisco then approaches Carol in an attempt to befriend her. He feels the two can relate to each other because they're outcasts. Carol continues to say that she's actually a cruel person and that the only way for Francisco to avoid becoming like her is if he is honest with Lynn. In the distance, a crow pecks at the dead roamer that David killed two days earlier.

Lori's group walk around, killing roamers. Lori inspects one of the killed roamers for a bite, but only finds a bullet wound on it. She warns the group to be careful. D then finds a mechanic shop for the group.

While Lana is fixing some other issues with the RV engine, Lola tells her that they should go to Niagara Falls. Lana tells Lola that Lori may not agree to that since it would waste fuel to get there.

While looting the mechanic shop, Sam reminisces about her family. Sam then hugs Luna, thanking her for saving her. The group now have sealant and a radiator hose. They head back to the highway.

Back in the highway, the children decide to head to Vanzilla to get some AC. Liam wants to stay outside and Tabby stays with him. However, Liam feels bad for Tabby and decides to head to Vanzilla with her. Dana tells the children to head back to the vehicles as Lori tells the group to be on high alert. Lincoln calls out to Carol and Francisco and tells them to return. More crows fly over the deceased roamer by the highway, attracting the horde on the other side of the trees. The horde then makes itself apparent as they cross through the trees and into the highway, finding the group members by the vehicles. However, Carol is the only who notices the horde, though she believes she is hallucinating again. She asks Dana if the horde she's looking at is real. The group then descends into a state of panic as they run over to the right, in the direction of the town. Some of the group members head inside the RV to grab their weapons while others are already headed for the highway exit. Before they know it, this group split into three different subgroups: one with Bobby, Chunk, Vonda, Liam, Tabby, Zach, Rusty, Lucy, and Darcy, another with Dana, Lola, Lana, and Lisa, and the third with Luan, Lily, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Clyde, Francisco, Lynn, and Carol. Leni is left behind in Vanzilla. The horde splits into three, one headed for Bobby's group by the middle part of town, one headed for Dana's group by the southern part of town, and one headed for Lincoln's group further southwards along the highway.

As they head back to the highway, Becky asks Lori if she had seen her younger brother, Tucker Carmichael, in the bunker. Lori hasn't seen him, but she states it was a big bunker. When Becky prepares to ask everyone else, Dana calls out for help through a walkie-talkie, stating that the horde arrived at the highway. David awakes, hearing the warning over the walkie-talkie. Sergei and David then realize that the horde is coming from Route 20, a road to the left of the highway that was covered up by the trees. The two make a plan. They return to the highway and honk the horn, attracting the attention of the back half of the horde. However, Dana's walkie-talkie is attracting some of the roamers back to her, causing her to turn off the walkie-talkie. She then turns around and stumbles down a hill where she gets impaled by a spike from a dented car. She drops the walkie-talkie and her machete. Lincoln's group witness this in the distance and turn around to help. Lisa picks up the machete and struggles to move Dana away from the hill where roamers begin to stumble down on. They find a mini-market nearby. Lisa tries dragging her there before Lincoln's group comes to help. Lisa disinfects Dana's wound and wraps it up with a handkerchief. Both Carol and Ronnie Anne help move Dana over to the Washington Mini-Market while the rest of the group fight off the roamers. The three enter, along with Francisco, Lynn, Clyde, Lisa, Luan, and Lily. Lincoln, Lola, and Lana find themselves surrounded by roamers.

**Part 4: Fight or Flight**

Lori's group arrive at the highway. The horde are still coming out from the trees and going in the direction of the town.

Meanwhile, Lynn fires her arrows, creating an opening for Lincoln, Lana, and Lola. Lola runs ahead but is grabbed by a roamer. She is bit in the shoulder. Lincoln kills the roamer and drags Lola inside the mini-market while Francisco locks the doors shut. Lisa attempts to disinfect the wound and tape it up with napkins and duct tape. Francisco finds some antibiotics, but Lisa believes it won't work. She gives it to Lola anyways. However, it doesn't make the pain go away, so Carol suggests giving her oxycodone pills. However, she then remembers she doesn't have them and that Lisa left hers on Vanzilla. Dana is left to struggle with the pain on her own, though for the meantime, it appears her bleeding stopped. However, Lisa states that she has to get a blood transfusion soon. Once Lincoln finds out that the building is two stories tall, he suggests the group move to higher ground.

Bobby's group enter a dentist's office. The horde of roamers surround the building. Lucy closes the curtains in the hopes that the roamers will leave on their own.

Lori's group find roamers surrounding the Washington Mini-Market. They discuss what to do. Lori must decide whether to lead the horde south where they risk running into David's horde or lead the horde north where they shut off the highway to Buffalo. Lori then thinks of another plan: go even further and lead the horde to Canada. However, this would mean the vehicle would run out of fuel and get stranded. She then finds even more flaws in the plan, such as the crows being able to call the horde back to the town whenever they want. Lori decides that the best course of action is to return to the mechanic shop and wait until David returns. However, there are flaws even in that plan. Lori then exclaims that she has no idea what to do.

The roamers break into the mini-market. Lynn and Francisco lift Dana and take her upstairs to an attic. The rest of the group go as well, except for Lincoln and Clyde, who protect the group from the roamers. However, the roamers pinch the group in the stairwell and Clyde gets bit in his lower left calf. As soon as Clyde gets to the attic, Francisco pushes a bookshelf down the stairs, trapping the roamers and preventing them from coming up. With no antibiotics left, Lisa suggests to amputate Clyde's lower leg. Lisa sprays Dana's machete with her antiseptic spray and then hands it over to Lynn. Lynn then amputates Clyde's leg off, much to everyone's horror. Lisa wraps Clyde's leg with napkins. She doesn't know whether the procedure worked.

Lori tries to contact the other groups with her walkie-talkie. However, David is out of range and Dana's walkie-talkie is in the ground back at the hill next to the highway.

Liam proclaims that the horde of roamers are moving like a "herd of sheep." Rusty's pessimism upsets the group members inside the dentist's office, causing Vonda to threaten to kill him. Rusty quiets down and Bobby consoles Darcy.

Lincoln's group are dehydrated. Dana's blood pressure could drop any moment now. Upon hearing this, Dana apologizes to Carol for antagonizing her. She then falls unconscious, scaring Carol. Lisa states that Dana is alive, which leads to Carol hoping to apologize again when Dana awakes. Suddenly, Lana is performing chest compressions on Lola. Lisa takes over before stopping quickly, realizing that Lola is in the process of turning. She declares Lola dead. Lola then moves again, but as a zombified creature. She attacks Lana, though Ronnie Anne quickly moves Roamer Lola away from Lana. With Lisa's permission, Ronnie Anne kills Roamer Lola.

David returns and contacts Lori. Lori tells David to sound the horn and lead the rest of the horde away. Sergei sounds the horn, waking the sleeping group members. The roamers follow the direction of the honking. Bobby's group are happy to get out of this without casualties. However, in the mini-market, Lily is crying, causing some of the roamers to come back to the mini-market. Lisa comes up with a desperate solution; have Luan breastfeed Lily to keep her quiet. It works for the most part, but now someone has to clear the mini-market of the roamers. Ronnie Anne insists on doing it alone. Lisa protests, though Lynn goes ahead and joins her. Lynn breaks apart the wooden shelf and takes out the roamers in a fit of anger while Ronnie Anne assists her. They then head outside and take out the roamers near the mini-market. There, they find Bobby's group. Ronnie Anne hugs Bobby and breaks down into tears, as well as Lynn.

Lori's group return to the vehicles. They take out a few roamers that were trying to get inside Vanzilla. Lori then finds Leni inside, who is suffering from dehydration and hunger. Leni also vomited after swallowing the oxycodone pills, believing it would make her less hungry. The group find out that the battery died and that Leni was being slowly cooked inside the van. Missy performs a check on Leni and determines that she will be all right. The group then prepare to go to the town before Bobby and Lincoln's groups come out of the bushes. Lori's group are happy at first, but then they see an injured Dana, an amputated Clyde, and a deceased Lola. Lori breaks into tears as Carol tells her what happened back in the town. Lana goes on to fix the RV while the group members protect her. Rusty's short-lived optimism dies out.

The next morning, Carol is going through withdrawal. She proclaims she gave her drugs away for Lisa to use on Dana. She then states she could drive the car while Sergei sleeps. Carol then sees Lana repairing her car. Lana wants to make sure Chaz's car doesn't break down like the RV. Although no one faults Lana, Carol states, Lana still blames herself. Meanwhile, Lori asks David if they can go to Niagara Falls to bury Lola. David states that Lori is the leader and that she doesn't have to ask. Lori hands over her leadership to David, proclaiming that as long as she has too much to lose, she could not be the leader.

## Trivia

* Clyde gets his leg amputated after being scratched by a roamer.
* The last appearance of Lola Loud. (*Alive*)
* The end credits song is *Fear the Fever* by Digital Daggers.
* The title of the chapter, **"Out in the Open"**, refers to the group being caught out in the open when the herd attacks them.
	+ It also refers to Carol's drug addiction being exposed to the group.
	+ Multiple people quote this, with Carol stating, "Well, the secret is *out in the open*, guys," David stating "Fuel, medicine, clothes... if they're lying *out in the open* with no group claiming them, then as far as we know, it doesn't belong to anyone," and Lynn stating, "We're *out in the open* where every roamer and survivor could see us for miles on both sides of the highway."
* The title of Part 1, **"New State"**, refers to the group now being in a new state, New York.
	+ It also refers to the group members being in a state of trauma after the incident with Kevin and Madison.
* The title of Part 2, **"Disunited"**, refers to the group being divided over who to pick as their leader.
* The title of Part 3, **"Out of Time"**, refers to the group running out of time to fix the RV before the herd arrives.
	+ Lori also says, "But who even knows if this town has an auto shop? Might take us the whole day just to find it. We'll run *out of time* by then."
* The title of Part 4, **"Fight or Flight"**, refers to different group members choosing either to fight off the roamers in the herd or run away to safety.
	+ It also refers to some of the group members making difficult decisions instead of running away from them.