Animals We've Become/Dead Money

**Dead Money** is the fourth episode in Animals We've Become.

## Plot

"Hey, who THE FUCK are you?" Ethan asked, angrily as he stared down the black man, as if he wanted to rip out his throat with his teeth.

“C-c-c-calm down E-E-E-Ethan. I’m sure our A-A-A-African-American friend will help us. Right?” AJ stuttered. His stuttering could get annoying but he meant well.

"Eat shit, Miller!" Ethan spit on the floor.

“Leave AJ alone.” I roared, my fists clenched as the sweat dripped down them.

"Or what?!" Ethan asked, getting all up my face.

"Stop this bullshit, man!" said the black man.

“I’m sorry! Things just get hard for me sometimes!!” Ethan says looking at Sarah.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, suspicious of his possible romantic interests in her.

“Enough of this bullshit.” T-Dog ordered.

“Sorry, who are you?” I asked.

“I’m Theodore Jamal Douglas, T-Dog for short.” T-Dog revealed. "I'm a hardworking, Christian man who helps out the elderly people on his spare time. This van here is my babe, I call it The Van."

“I’m A-A-A-AJ-J-J-J Miller.” AJ said.

“I’m Glenn Richardson.” I said.

“I’m Sarah Fox.” Sarah said.

“I’m Ethan Walker!!” Ethan said.

“Okay.” T-Dog. "I'm T-Dog."

“Alright so that’s everyone. Let’s go!” T-Dog said looking around.

“Alright!” I yell.

We hop in the back of The Van, it was littered in bibles, blue jeans and comic books, as well as a lot of candy wrappers and some books, including my favorite book of all time, Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. I was really happy that this random black man I just met shared the same love for the King of Horror as I do. I also noticed that Ethan sat on top of a pile of geriatric diapers, which probably belonged to the elderly T-Dog helped, but Ethan didn't notice it. I didn't say anything, fuck Ethan.

“Is that an issue of Boo-oo-oo-ooster Gold?” AJ asked, pointing to the comics.

“Sure is, my favorite hero.” T-Dog said.

"S-s-s-sweet! M-m-mine too!" AJ screamed.

“So where you folks heading?” T-Dog ask.

“The bank!” All four of us shouted.

“Don’t need to yell.” T-Dog mumbled to himself as he started the van.

"Don't tell me what to do!!" Ethan said, angrily

“C-c-c-an you help find m-m-m-m-m-my aunt????” AJ asked the black man.

“Is she at the bank? Then sure.” T-Dog says.

“H-H-H-H-HOORAY” AJ cheered.

“Lets ride” replied T.

We rode down the road in the van for what seemed like hours. I watched as zombies devoured people around us. It was crazy, it was like we were all going crazy. It didn't help that during the trip, Ethan called for Sarah and made her sit on his lap while the two of them caressed each other's cheeks and laughed, while sitting right next to me. I never before wanted to punch someone in the face so hard as I wanted to punch Ethan, but that was not the time for that, and not the place, either. What would T-Dog think of me if I just attacked a member of my own group?

“So, how’d you guys end up at that house?” T-Dog asked attempting to make conversation.

“AJ and I were in the janitor’s closet at school eating with the janitor when zombies attacked. I bashed Jason’s head in when he was bitten and we escaped. We escaped to AJ’s mom’s house and the zombies attacked. We escaped but AJ’s mom died. We couldn’t save her.” I explained.

“I’m sorry.” T-Dog said. "I lost my moms too, two days ago. And my pa, and my big bro, and all the elders I dedicated my entire life to help. Things are fucked up, man. Sometimes I think God just hates us all, why would he do shit like this? Pisses me off."

“Don-t-t-t-t be.” AJ responded. “Sh-sh-sh-she knew the risks of helping us-s-s-s-s-s.”

We hit a bump on the rode.

“What was that?” Sarah asked, shocked as she held on tightly to Ethan.

“It was a bump on the road.” T-Dog said.

We finally made it to the bank, the bank of America, the local bank we had here.

“Well we’re here.” T-Dog said. “Get out.”

“Thanks for the ride, T.” I said, fist bumping him.

“T? I like the sound of that.” T-Dog said. "I think I'mma start callin' myself that now, man."

"I think it sounds stupid!!" Ethan said, under his breath. No one but Sarah and I heard that, and while I wanted to deck him right then and there for making fun of my new friend, she just faked a laugh to make him happy. That's why I love my Sarah, she's too good for an asshole like Ethan, even when someone obviously doesn't deserve it, she goes out of her way to be nice to them.

“Where will-will-will-will-will you go-go?” AJ asked while he struggled to get of the van.

“Atlanta, I have a friend named Morales who called me to invite me to stay down there with him.”

“Sounds good.” Sarah said.

“Yeah.” T-Dog said. “See ya.”

We start to exit the van.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEE” I heard a seductive sounding voice scream. I knew who it was right away. Amber Rose, AJ’s sexy aunt we had to save her I had to save her…

“IM COMING AMBER!” I screamed as I grabbed the axe. But I felt AJ’s grabber on my shoulder, pulling me back inside.

“W-w-w-ait! Glenn! T-t-t-t-t-theres z-z-z-ombies out there!” He said holding onto me tightly.

“We gotta save her!” I yelled.

“For one, I agree with Bitchardson!” Ethan yelled.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I yelled "YOU'RE JUST LIKE THAT ASSHOLE JASON!"

I felt Ethan’s hands grip my collar. “Alright, listen here motherfucker! Don't talk shit about my dead friend, ok? And don’t you fucking forget!!” his grip tightened. “IT WAS YOU who fucking killed him! Don’t think I won’t fucking eat your fucking heart for what you did!! I eat LOSERS like you for breakfast!!"

"Jason got what was coming for him. I made him apologize for all the bad things he did to everyone." I said, pushing Ethan away. "Even if he was a piece of shit, he was still better than you, because he could see what he was doing was FUCKING PUTRID!!!!"

“HEEEEEELP PLEEEEEEEEEASE ZOOOOOOOOOMBIES!” The sexy voice yelled again.

“She's close” I said with cheer and jive. “We’re running out of time!” I yelled as I jumped out of the van, slashing and smashing zombies with the axe.

“I-G-G-GOT YOUR BACK-K” AJ yelled as he attempted to jump out the van only to fall flat on his face.

“FUCK YEAH! LET’S DO THIS!!” Ethan screams rushing out the van grabbing the nearest zombie and began smashing the zombie’s face with his fists. Sarah climbed out with them.

I imagined all the zombies I kill as my school bullies.

I plunge the axe into one's skull. Fuck you DaQuan! I chop off the top of one's head. Fuck you Alejandro! I stomp on the head of one that was lying on the floor. Fuck you Tyler! I slice one’s face off. Fuck you Chandler! I slice one in half. Fuck you Devin! I slice one zombie’s guts open. “FUCK YOU ETHAN!” I accidentally yelled.

Ethan glared at me, a burning rage in his eyes. He pulls out a knife. “Fuck you too, loser!” He would have gone for me too, if T-Dog hadn’t put his hand on his shoulder.

“No son…” my friend T-Dog said. “This isn’t God’s plan…”

I turned away from Ethan, grab the axe and walked into the bank. The others follow me in, all besides T-Dog who drives off to Atlanta. I sure hope he finds his place and is able to survive the walking dead.

As we walk into the bank I see a man struggling with a zombie.

“Oh shit!” Ethan yelled.

Without a word I approach the man and slam the axe’s blade into the zombie’s arms cutting them clean off.

“Thanks kid!” The man says pulling out a gun and shooting the armless zombie.

Just as the zombie’s body falls to the ground a man appears from behind the counter.

“Thanks, my name’s Mark. I’m a police detective.”

“Oh, hi Mark!.” I responded.

“A-a-and who are you?” AJ asks the reeking man behind the counter.

“My name is Winston Hopper,” the homeless man said. He climbed over the counter. “But you can call me Sonnie.”

“Hello Sonnie.” Sarah says with a fake smile.

“Have yo-yo-you seen my Aunt?” AJ asks.

Sonnie stared at him, stroking his beard. It was kinda greasy, and I think I could see one or two bugs flying off. “Are you related to Amber Rose? I can see the family resemblance.” I laughed out loud.

I looked at AJ and thought of his Aunt Amber… I don’t see it.Amber was a very sexy woman, and AJ was just… AJ.

"Dude, you smell like shit!" Ethan told Sonnie, rudely. "When was the last time you took a shower, 1995?"

“I’m homeless, I can’t take a shower.” Sonnie replied sadly, as the flies circled around him.

"Seriously, you fucking stink, dude." Ethan said. "Stay the fuck away from me, my girlfriend and my jacket!"

Suddenly there was a loud screeching sound like an intercom. “IM IN THE BANK VAULT” Amber’s distinctive voice called through the speaker “Get. Me. Out.”

I looked at the lock for the vault. Broken… of course. I kicked the door “DAMN IT! I’ll get you Amber!”

“Let me deal with this, kid” Sonnie said. He pushed past me, got down on one knee and opened up the control panel for the vault. He started to pull out wires and link other ones together, press different buttons and flick switches.

“Just hurry up please…” Amber said with a bit of a bitchy tone. Now I did love her and all, but at the end of the day she was just a woman like all of them.

“The fuck are you doing, dude?!” Ethan yelled.

“I was a hacker in the army. Served two towrs in Iraq stopping the al-qaeda from destroying YOUR stupid ass life. Caught PTSD to protect your dumb ass....” Sonnie replied without turning around. “I know what I’m doing, kid...” He held two wires together and the door swung open. “Alright, I’m in.”

Ethan frowned. “...Nerd!”

There she was it almost seemed as if she had a heavenly glow around her. “God, she’s beautiful.” I whispered. “If there is a God out there he must be fucking proud of you.”

“Y-Yeah.” AJ whispers back.

“Don’t I know it,” she said with a wink as she stepped out of vault. Her high heels clicked and clacked against the ground. “Where to next boys?”

“I don’t know, damn it. The boys back at the station are probably dead now so I guess I could tag along with you guys.” Mark, the detective, said.

“Re-re-re-remember back at my-my ho-house. I said we should head to the grocery store-store.” AJ stutters, as always.

“Sounds like a plan.” I said while studying Amber’s body. “Let’s get to work.”

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, Bitchardson." Ethan whispered. Unbeknownst to him, I heard that.

I heard a crash. And suddenly… Ethan was on the floor. AJ stood behind him, holding one crutch like an axe. “A-a-a-alright.” he said. “Let’s get out of here…”