The Regulator (Complete First Draft)

Chapter 29: Brad - Rage

Night fell and Brad remained on the Platform. He hadn’t moved from his post in nearly twelve hours. The second he did, he’d have to go and talk to Andrew, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He’d been too scared to go and... deal with Zach. How could he look the man who did the deed in the eye and... and what? Apologize? For being to afraid to do it himself? Brad wasn’t sure, but it was eating him up in side, and it wasn’t something he wanted to face now.

He’d let everyone down that night. Zach died, Andrew was nearly catatonic, Monica wouldn’t speak to him about the simplest of matters, Nick saw him as weak, that kid, Ivan, had been an absolute mess since then. It was terrible. Why was he such a s*** leader, he thought. Why couldn’t he just pull it together and keep these people safe? Why did this stuff have to keep happening? Why did it ever have to happen to begin with? Brad didn’t have the answer, but for the sake of his people, he wished he did.

Brad leaned over the edge of the platform and caught sight of a little movement down the road. Sure enough, in the remaining, dying, sunlight, Brad saw a walker move out of the woods and onto the road.

Brad wasn’t sure what it was, but something overcame him. Next thing he knew, he was sliding down the ladder, hitting the pavement hard. He jumped up into a full sprint, running down the road as fast as he could without a second’s thought for what he was doing or his surroundings. As he approached the walker, he drew his knife and then rammed it, at full speed, into the walkers chest. With all his might, Brad picked the walker up by the blade and slammed it onto the ground. Brad heard several snaps and cracks, but they didn’t even phase him. He began to violently and endlessly kick the walker, over and over again. The walker shook it’s head around and was flailing it’s limbs in an attempt to get up.  It grabbed one of Brad’s legs with it’s arm, but Brad stepped on the arm with the other leg as hard as he could, snapping it right off. Brad kicked the walker in the head, twisting it’s neck and hearing a successful snap. The walkers face continued to contort and it’s jaws kept moving, but it’s limbs went limp. Brad spit on it, before pulling his knife out of it’s chest and quickly and violently slamming it down into the side of the walkers head. The walker stopped making any sound, and Brad stood upright, breathing heavily with the conclusion of the ordeal.

Brad walked slowly back to the platform, slowly re-climbed the ladder, and re-took his position watching the street. It was night now. An end to another horribly depressing day for all, Brad thought.