Bill could not hear himself. He couldn't even hear anything that wasn't four feet away.
I just had to ask what 'dubstep' was... Bill grumbled silently. At this rate, I'll be senile by the morning...
"Hey!" a tiny voice called out from somewhere near him. "Hey mister!" He looked to his right to see three children, all around the age of 12 and 13. Bill approached the trio of girls.
"Yeah, what is it, kid?" Bill asked over the volume of the electronic-bullshit music.
"Is it true that you saved miss Fluttershy?" Asked the yellow filly.
"Yeah, is it true?" Asked the orange-hued child next to the ivory-coloured unicorn child.
"Yeah, that was me. Sure as hell took it's toll on my knee, though." At that moment, Bill felt a small pain in his 'shrap-kneel', a rather lame joke conceived by Pinkie Pie.
"How?" Asked the unicorn.
"There are bits of metal lodged in my knee from a long time ago, and today I carried miss Fluttershy to the hospital and that made it worse."
"Oh," The three girls said synchronously.
"Ah, I gotta get the hell outta here..." Bill decided that it was time to leave the party for a bit and have a smoke.
Bill walked toward the entrance of the library, and exited. He noticed park benches not too far, and decided to take a seat on one. He sat on the bench nearest to the pond, and farthest away from the party at the library. Bill sighed and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Placing one in his mouth and lighting it, he began to collect his thoughts.
Instead of Heaven or Hell, I'm in this candy-coloured hellhole. Bill took a long drag of his cigarette, and exhaled, allowing a puff of cigarette smoke form in front of him. At least it isn't all that bad. Bill flicked the ashes off his smoke. I met those girls... Twilight is the most normal one outta all of them. She reminds me of Louis. Bill looked at the pond, and saw how it reflected the moonlight. Didn't even notice it was this dark already. Bill sighed a second time.
That Rainbow kid reminds me of Francis, that brash bastard. Bill chuckled at that. Pinkie Pie-ugh, I hate sayin' her name-Is rather... lively. Way too energetic, that one. Bill took another drag of his cigarette. Applejack is nice and honest. I like her. Bill took his final drag and flicked the cigarette into the pond. Rarity seems nice, but is a bit uppity. Bill took his pistol from his holster, and inspected it.
But Fluttershy... she reminds me of how me and Zoey met... And she's nice and caring. Not enough people were like that back home. Bill took out the magazine and pulled the slide back, ejecting the loaded round. As to how the Hell people know what guns are here, I'll probably never know... Bill picked up the ejected round from the from the grass below him, stuck it back in the mag, and inserted it back into the pistol.
Bill put the safety on, just in case, but otherwise, he wouldn't need it.
"Should go check my rifle..." Bill muttered as he got up. He headed in the direction to Fluttershy's cottage, but then he heard footsteps coming toward him.
"Uh, Bill?" He turned around and saw Twilight approaching him. "Where are you going?"
"Fluttershy's. Gotta check on somethin' I left there."
"Is it inside?"
"No, it's outside." Bill replied.
Twilight and Bill walked on the stone path that lead to the market, all while talking.
"So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash told me that something bad happened to you where you're from." Twilight asked as the passed Sugarcube Corner, and into the long-empty market. Empty stalls littered the area, almost reminding how Fairfield looked after the Green Flu.
It took him a bit, but Bill finally answered.
"Yeah, something did happen."
"What?"
"The Green Flu. It turned people into murderous freaks that bit, scratched and beat down anything that wasn't one of them. It changed daily, and that meant a cure wasn't able to be made." Bill paused for a moment while they took a left, walking down a dirt path that lead to Fluttershy's home. "A doctor said that those immune were made possible from a recessive trait in one's alleles. Mainly the father's genes is what made people immune. Or asymptomatic carriers."
"So, you know a lot on biological studies and genes?" Twilight asked, intrigued on how simple yet somewhat precise his words were.
"No; you remember things before near-death situations. Anyways, that only meant that there were more male survivors than female. The majority of deceased survivors me and my group found were mostly female." This unsettled Twilight, but then remembered something that he said.
"You said it changed daily; how?"
"I don't know kid. I just hope it get's wiped off the face of the earth." Bill said bitterly as they neared Fluttershy's cottage. Bill wandered around the house, then disappeared.
He reappeared, with something in his hands.
"What's that?"
"My rifle." Twilight stiffened at this.
"Why would you have that hidden here?" Twilight asked as they were heading back to the library.
"Can't just show up with a rifle slung on yer back while bringing an injured girl to the hospital."
"Oh, and a pistol is better?"
"...Point taken. Anyways, come on, the partygoers will want to know where the guest of honor went."
"What's your take on Bill, Rares?" Rainbow Dash while sipping on a cup full of alcoholic cider.
"He is rather nice, but not that talkative. At least, when I was taking his measurements."
"How about you, AJ?"
"I like him. He's a bit rough 'round the edges, but honest." Applejack said while leaning back into the sofa the three were currently sitting in.
"Yeah, I admit, he seems cool. Maybe he'll tell us war stories?" Applejack and Rarity stared at Rainbow. "What? Maybe the pegasi generals and lieutenants will learn a few things from him. He actually fought in a war."
Suddenly, amid the soft electronic music playing in the library, a scream was heard, alongside with gunfire. Ponies rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion, and were shocked at what they saw.
A few minutes before...
"...and if you want, you could stay at my house for a bit." Bill nodded his head in agreement. He had asked if he could keep his weapons at the library, but Twilight then offered to let him stay there for a bit until he was able to get some money together and rent a hotel room.
"Thanks, kid. I appreciate it." Bill was going to ask Twilight on how it feels to be a princess, but was distracted by a groaning sound.
To their right stood a stallion in a grey sweater and blue jeans with a pair of work boots. He stumbled around while groaning.
"Looks like somepony has had quite a bit of cider." Twilight chuckled. "Excuse me sir, you need directions?" The stallion turned around, and stared at Bill and Twilight. Then suddenly, he made an angry growl and sprinted to the duo.
Before the two could register, the stallion bit Twilight, on the shoulder. She screamed as the infected tore a piece of her shoulder out of her and fell down. Bill took aim with his pistol and fired a few rounds. The first bullet hit the infected in the shoulder, then the second hit him in the collarbone. The last found it's way into the skull of the infected stallion.
Twilight was hyperventilating, sweating and bleeding profusely onto the ground. Bill cautiously held out his hand, and Twilight gratefully took it.
But the infected stallion wasn't alone.
Four more infected sprinted toward them, determined to rip Bill and Twilight apart. Bill quickly dispatched them, picked up Twilight, and ran to the library. More were coming. Bill then realized that the stallion was outside the hospital. Oh, shit. Bill limped-run faster, pushing himself as hard as he can. He saw the library, and the conglomerate of ponies outside it.
The ponies also noticed the amount of other ponies chasing them. They all looked... sickly. Pale. Dead. But full of rage. They ran, sprinted and limped after Twilight and Bill, determined to spill their blood.
Bill handed Twilight to a few of the ponies nearest to the door.
"Get her inside!" Bill shouted. Panic set in as one of the infected ponies attacked one of the partygoers.
Son of a bitch... Not here... Please... NOT. HERE.