The Journey Ahead

"**The Journey Ahead**" is the third chapter in MrPotassiumK's **Loud House: Infection of the Dead**.

## Synopsis

Lori decides to join a mysterious trio on a trek to Houlton where General Black is holding her family hostage. But first, they stop in Ann Arbor in search of a girl, and things go awry.

## Plot

**Part 1: Rise from Hell**

While Donovan Bree works on keeping General Black from bleeding out, Rita tells Lynn Sr. that she saw Lori. Lynn Sr. is relieved.

After General Black is saved by Bree, he tells a story to the hostages about his daughter, Tess. He reveals that Tess died to cancer and that he plans to use the hostages as human experiments to perfect the genes of the next generation. The rogues and the hostages then arrive at Houlton, where Dr. White greets General Black.

Back in Royal Woods, the gunfire seems to have ceased in Ketcham Park. Only the sound of fire could be heard in the park, prompting Lori and Benny to come out of their cover to avoid being burned. They contact Bobby, who is trying to rescue David. He approaches David and tries to find a way out before the two head for a burned log cabin which Bobby uses as a way to find the exit. They kill roamers, who are wearing the uniform of the rogues.

While awaiting the trio's return, Lincoln and the others eat breakfast. Leni and Chaz bond over sharing cereal and Ronnie Anne nervously paces around, not knowing whether her brother is still alive.

Lori grapples with the fact that she killed people, albeit rogues, yet she feels more guilty about getting Flip and the Yates killed. Benny tells Lori to quit blaming herself and direct the blame towards the rogues, since they were the ones who put her in this situation. The two then contact Bobby, who tells them to meet at the treehouse. The two resume their conversation, where Lori suggests that Benny not keep his injury a secret. Benny agrees. The two stop by the house, where Lori and Benny reunite with the group. The group bombard Lori with questions wondering about their loved ones. Lori tells the group that Bobby is at the treehouse where she is to head right now to gather information. She leaves, though Benny stays. Benny then reveals to the group that he got shot. Luna suggests Benny treat his wound with a soda from Chunk's cooler.

While Benny heads out to treat himself, Luan makes her concerns known to him. Benny is frustrated at the thought of Luan acting clingy, though he figures out that Luan thinks he's suicidal. Benny reassures Luan that he is okay. Meanwhile, Rocky believes Lori and Benny are hiding information from them and he wants to get Benny to spill the details to the group.

Lori arrives at the treehouse where she finds out only half of the militia made it back alive. The remaining survivors are angered at David, but he shows them that they have another chance. He reveals to the militia that the rogues are now in Houlton. However, the remaining survivors have lost faith in him and don't think the trip is worth it anyways. They leave, including Reggie Harrison, who hands David's gun back to him. However, David tells Reggie to keep it, as it will help him in his journey to Auburn Hills and then to Houlton. After Reggie leaves, Lori tells David that her group will join him. Though Bobby is hesitant, Lori convinces him why she wants to go: she has to save her parents no matter what. Lori tells David that they should stop by Ann Arbor first to look for Tim Crowley's daughter, Vonda, to see if she has information about the rogues that the tapes don't. David agrees to the plan. At the same time, they test out to see if roamers could hear. The test it out with a nearby roamer, but the roamer seems to not be attracted to noise.

Lori, Bobby, David, Richard, and Missy return to Lori's house. Lori tells the group about the plan to go to Houlton. Although hesitant at first, they soon realize it's the only option they have if they want to see their parents again.

Lincoln draws up a plan to get Carol and Sam's belongings while also scavenging Ketcham Park and to possibly gather any intel on the rogues on any documents that they may have left behind. The group accept this plan.

**Part 2: Before We Fly**

David, Richard, Bobby, Lincoln, and some others walk around Ketcham Park as per Lincoln's plan. Smoke covers the park as the fires went out. The group searches inside tents, abandoned vehicles, and crates. When they search the cabin, they hear a noise and eventually find Chunk, who David confuses for a rogue and gets in a standoff with. However, the situation is cleared up and no bullets are fired. Chunk joins the group.

In the meantime, the children ask about their parents' fate. However, no one has answers. Suddenly, a gunshot alerts the group to a nearby shack. There stands Sergei, ready to shoot at David and Richard. This time, Lincoln de-escalates the situation, letting Sergei know that David and Richard are not rogues. After Lincoln explains how he and the others survived in the Detroit bombing, Sergei opts to join the group in rescuing the hostages in Houlton.

Carol and Sam head to their houses to grab their belongings. Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Francisco join them. They separate into two subgroups with Lynn and Francisco following Carol, and Luna and Luan following Sam. Carol intends to grab her pictures and her medicine, which unbeknownst to the group, are actually illegal recreational drugs that include LSD and oxycodone. When Francisco asks why Carol isn't taking her family pictures, Carol says that she plans on returning to her house after she rescues her parents. In Sam's house, Sam gets distracted by the pictures of her family and gets hit by grief. She then admits to Luna that she likes her back and doesn't want to lose her. Luna consoles her and Luan packs Sam's clothes up. Sam then grabs her guitar and her CDs.

Leni asks Lori where they should go after they rescue their parents. Lori doesn't want to return to Royal Woods, but some of the others like Lucy do. Lori likes the idea of going to the Bahamas, but Lucy fears that there is nowhere in the world that is safe. Chaz then brings up the topic of leadership, which Lori is hesitant to talk about. Lori thinks she could be a co-leader along with David, but Chaz doesn't think it could work.

Lincoln finds a logbook filled with the names of the adults that were held hostage in Ketcham Park. However, he doesn't disclose it, though Ronnie Anne secretly caught him. Instead, he gives hope to his friends, framing this journey as a road trip that they will enjoy.

The survivors all regroup in Lori's house. They put their supplies in four different vehicles: Vanzilla, David's RV, Chunk's van, and Chaz's car. Before they head out, Lori has Carol snap a picture of the whole group in front of Lori's house. Then, they head to the vehicles, getting accustomed to their seats. Chunk turns on some music and the group head to Ann Arbor while listening to more of Tim's tapes.

**Part 3: First Bump in the Road**

The group solemnly watch Royal Woods as they leave the town. After a few hours, the group arrive at Ann Arbor. Lori explains that some of her friends went to the University of Michigan on a college trip, including Becky, Dana, and Tad. She suggests the group stop at Palmer Field, a campus field with tennis courts. It is also close to a medical center. Once the group parks, Lori makes a plan: she and a few others will head to a golf course nearby to search for Vonda while the rest of the group stays at the field. Bobby, Lynn, Francisco, and David join Lori and they leave. Almost immediately after, Richard prepares to head to the medical center, disregarding Lori's plan. Missy, Lisa, and Carol join Richard, with Carol explaining that she wants to become a doctor. To pass the time, Lincoln and his friends decide to play a mixture of tennis and badminton in the tennis courts nearby.

In the meantime, Lori's group and Richard's group find roamers and fight their way to their destination. The groups prove to be efficient... that is until the groups run into too much trouble. The traffic in Ann Arbor proves to be dangerous with roamers popping up from under the cars, leading Lori's group to almost abandoning their mission. However, Lynn and Francisco come to the rescue with a lone grenade and the group make it to the golf course. With Richard's group, the medical center is filled with roamers, who force the group down to the basement. The lack of electricity proves to be their biggest obstacle, though they manage to reach the area with all the medical supplies they need. Lisa then calls for backup.

Frustrated, Lori sends Luna, Sam, and Chunk to the medical center so that they can rescue Richard's group. Unbeknownst to the group, Lori and her group are playing a game of golf.

Meanwhile, in the medical center, Carol sneaks some bottles of oxycodone into her personal bag and passes by a freezer filled with blood bags. Then, they leave the basement and head back upstairs where Luna, Sam, and Chunk draw the roamers out into the parking lot. There, they take care of the roamers while Richard's group takes care of the rest.

In a nearby graveyard, Lucy and Rocky are burying the corpses that they found. Lucy asks Rocky why he joined her, in which Rocky admits he likes Lucy and wants to make sure he has her back. Ronnie Anne then catches them and scolds them for sneaking away from the group. Rocky gives a heartfelt justification, explaining that he wants to make sure all the bodies are laid to rest like his mother. Ronnie Anne feels pity for Rocky and promises not to snitch on him and Lucy. After they promise to be back by dinnertime, she leaves them alone.

Hours pass by and the game of golf has finished with one result: Lori is the winner. In the distance, Becky watches Lori and her small group.

**Part 4: Graveyard**

Sunset comes around and the group are all gathered in Palmer Field, with the exception of Rocky and Lucy. Richard shows the group how he makes fires. Sergei announces that dinner is ready. Ronnie Anne uses the walkie-talkie to tell Rocky and Lucy that dinner is ready. The group then eat their dinner as Luna strums her guitar to the tune of "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay and sings a song.

Still in the graveyard, Lucy and Rocky wonder why no one has contacted them yet. They decide to head back, but before they do Lucy wants to finish one last tombstone. Rocky takes out one of the roamers before finding a herd of roamers headed for Palmer Field.

The group members are discussing where they should sleep when Lincoln and Rusty bring up the fact that they can't find Rocky and Lucy. The group members look around before David declares them missing. David suggests looking for them tomorrow in the daytime, though Lori doesn't want to wait that long. Lincoln and Rusty start pointing fingers at each other though Lori quickly makes finding Lucy and Rocky the priority. Ronnie Anne still refuses to snitch, though she does suggest to look in the cemetery, in an effort to keep herself out of trouble. Lori orders the rest of the group to stay in the field while she, Bobby, Richard, and Missy head to the graveyard to look for Lucy and Rocky.

While Lucy and Rocky prepare to head out of the graveyard, Lucy notices that Rocky's shouts are attracting a nearby roamer. Lucy then realizes that the roamers can in fact hear and that Luna's music attracted the herd near the medical center. After minutes of stumbling around in the dark graveyard, Lori's group find Lucy and Rocky. Lori scolds the two of them, but then stops when Rocky warns her of the herd headed for the field. Lori orders Richard and Missy to run back to the field to warn the others through walkie-talkie. Lori, Bobby, Lucy, and Rocky head back on the field on their own. Some of the roamers nearby ambush them, and one of them nearly bites Lucy before Rocky protects her by taking the bite. Lucy wants Lori and Bobby to bring Rocky to safety, but moving around is causing Rocky too much pain. Lucy then realizes that Rocky is quickly dying. Bobby sets Rocky down and his body quickly becomes lifeless. The roamers force Lori, Bobby, and Lucy to leave Rocky behind.

Richard and Missy return to the field warning of the incoming herd. The group members grab weapons from Chunk's van while Carol runs away to warn Chaz and Leni, both whom are waiting on the outskirts of the field, about the herd. Suddenly, a herd comes from the city, in the opposite direction of the graveyard. The group members fire at them. Luna struggles to fire her gun, though Benny quickly teaches her. However, Luna retains very little of the information and starts to panic like many of the other group members. Chaz, Leni, and Carol race back to the rest of the group, but the herd cuts them off. Luna slows her breathing and begins to take out the roamers, being careful not to hit the three of them. However, even with her incredibly precise shots, she can't save the three of them. Chaz tells Carol to grab Leni and to drag her away. He then makes a sacrifice by tackling a large group of roamers, creating an opening for Carol and Leni. The roamers tear apart Chaz and Carol drags Leni away as she weeps. The rest of the group finish off the remaining roamers in the field. Richard then shoots Chaz in the head in an act of mercy.

Lori, Bobby, and Lucy come out of the graveyard, locking the herd from the medical center inside the graveyard using an iron gate. Rusty realizes what happened to his little brother and breaks down as Ronnie Anne is ravaged by guilt. The group head to their vehicles and leave Palmer Field.

The group arrive in the medical field where they set up for the night. Lori and Bobby have trouble sleeping, as well as Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. The latter two head out of their tents and walk to the vehicles where Ronnie Anne asks Lincoln what he found in the logbook. Lincoln reveals that it holds the names of the hostages. Ronnie Anne asks whether her family is there, to which Lincoln says no. Ronnie Anne then asks if Rocky's family is in there. Lincoln reveals Rocky's father is one of the hostages. Ronnie Anne then reveals that she had a chance to save Rocky. She tearfully declares Lincoln and herself bad people for not telling the group about their secrets. She then heads back to her tent.

The next morning, Richard, Missy, and Rusty head to the graveyard where they find Rocky, who has reanimated into a roamer. Richard puts the zombified Rocky down. The group members bury Chaz and Rocky in Palmer Field before they head out. When Carol tries to use the walkie-talkie that Lucy had, it is revealed that the batteries are dead.

The group now knows that the roamers are attracted to noise. The group head to the golf course where Lori was the day before and set up base there. Lori tells the group that they don't have to continue the mission if they don't want to. However, Rusty wants to see the mission through and reunite with his father. As the group members debate whether Vonda is still even present in the city, Becky reveals herself. With her is Dana, Tad, and Vonda. Although Lori is happy to see them, the mood quickly becomes depressing as Lori's friends find out that Chaz died the night before. To make the mood worse, Carol is present, irking Becky.

When Becky's group members introduce themselves, Lori is surprised to see that Vonda is with them. Vonda quickly learns what happened to her father and is saddened but not surprised.

Tad grabs his ninjato sword while Vonda grabs another bow from her house. They head to the vehicles and leave Ann Arbor as Vonda explains that there is a person a lot more significant than her: Bill Brooker. Bill happens to live in Medway, a town 50 miles west of Houlton. The group now plan to stop by Medway on their way to Houlton.

As they leave Ann Arbor, the engravings on the tombstones for Chaz and Rocky are revealed.

## Deaths

* Rocky Spokes
* Chaz

## Trivia

* First appearance of Houlton, Maine.
* First appearance of Donovan Bree.
* First appearance of Pines.
* First appearance of Oliver Jett.
* First appearance of Steven White.
* First appearance of Reggie Harrison.
* First appearance of Becky Rhonda.
* First appearance of Tad.
* First appearance of Dana.
* First appearance of Vonda Crowley.
* Last appearance of Rocky Spokes.
* Last appearance of Chaz. *(Alive)*
* First mention of Catherine Ash.
* First mention of Bill Brooker.
* The end credits song is *Cinnamon* by Jome.
* The title of the chapter, **"The Journey Ahead"**, refers to the journey to Houlton that awaits the group.
	+ It also comes from David stating "We don't know what *the journey ahead* will bring. But *the journey ahead* always moves forward."
	+ It is also the quote marked on Rocky's grave, stating "The ones who do not make it will watch and guide those who will, in *the journey ahead*."
* The title of Part 1, **"Rise from Hell"**, refers to a quote from *Dawn of the Dead* where it states, “When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.” In this case, the people that were killed in the Battle of Ketcham Park are now rising as roamers.
	+ It also refers to the fiery atmosphere of the aftermath of the battle, and the fact that fighters such as Lori and Benny have survived it.
* The title of Part 2, **"Before We Fly"**, refers to the fact that the group are preparing to leave Royal Woods.
* The title of Part 3, **"First Bump in the Road"**, refers to the metaphorical bump in the road that the group face in trying to get medicine from the medical center in Ann Arbor.
* The title of Part 4, **"Graveyard"**, refers to the cemetery next to Palmer Field, where the group are camping at. It is also where Rocky is killed.