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// Stalliongrad at high noon 
// Story: Contagion Zone Equestria 
// by Gearaxis 
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	Gear released Dew Drop after a moment and stood. “We should probably get going before more of the infected come. It’ll be a long walk to the docks and it’ll take time to get around the infected so we need to leave as soon as possible.” He told her. She nodded and followed him down the hallway to the stairwell. It was around mid day by then with the sun blazing over head. 

It was quiet outside; there was barely any noise other than the wind whistling through the buildings and the occasional screech of a rat. Gear made his way through the maze of buildings and rubble piles as quietly and quickly as he could. They’d made it less than a block when he noticed a pack of infected trying to break a door down up ahead. He pulled Dew Drop behind a pile of rubble quickly.

“What’s wron-” Gear clapped a hoof over her mouth and made a ‘be quiet’ motion with the other. He peeked over the top of the rubble pile to watch. There were five of them, all crowded around the door of what appeared to be a sporting goods store. A large sheet of fabric that had ‘HELP!’ printed on it hung across the store front. The infected smashed down the door. The one closest to the door had barely smashed down the door when an arrow flew out from inside and hit it cleanly through the head. It stumbled backward as the other four rushed in before falling to the ground lifeless. 

“Come on! Quick!” Gear whispered then rushed out from behind cover to pass the store. He glanced inside and saw two of the infected trying to break down a barricade, two more had been shot down. An older pony with a compound bow was attempting to ward them off but he appeared to be out of arrows. Gear stopped and stuffed Dew Drop into a small cave in a pile of rubble. “Stay here, stay quiet.” He said. 

He rushed over to the barricade and quickly dispatched the two attackers with his knife, blood splattered all over the walls and ceiling as he cut their major neck arteries. Gear looked around outside a bit to make sure no more of the infected were coming before motioning for Dew Drop to come over. She ran across the street and into the store. “Thank you! I thought I was gonna die!” The pony exclaimed. Gear nodded and stuck out a hoof.

“I’m Gear. It’s nice to meet you. We were on our way to the docks to find a boat; do you know the fastest way?” The pony thought for a while with a worried expression.

“I’m sorry there, lad, but all the ships were sunk by the royal guard. Heck if I know why…” He scratched his head thoughtfully. “I suppose a small one could be repaired though. Plank might be able to help ya there, if he’s still around, he’ll be at the dry dock.”

“Thank you, we’ll go see what we can do. You’re welcome to come with if you’d like.” Gear said. The pony shook his head.

“Can’t, one of em’ bit me badly. I managed to lock him upstairs but I think I might be turnin’. If you could do me a favor before ya head out, I’d appreciate it if ya could kill him. I’d do it myself, but he used to be my son… I just don’t have the heart.” Gear nodded and jumped the barricade.

“I’ll take care of it as painlessly as I can. Do you mind if I take some gear?” He asked. 

“Not at all! Take what ya need! It’s the least I can do for helpin’ me live a bit longer. The name's Brick, by the way.” The pony said. Gear nodded and began rummaging through the equipment. There wasn’t much, but he was able to find some leg guards that fit him well enough and some the fit Dew Drop. He found a helmet that didn’t impede his view too badly and took that along with a metal baseball bat and a javelin. He then made his way upstairs; the door was barred shut with chains, wood planks, and metal sheets. He tried the handle and it moved, but he couldn’t pull the door open. He pulled as hard as he could to no effect. 

“It’s a push door!” The pony below yelled out. Dew Drop giggled at him as he sheepishly acknowledged the remark. He then pushed hard and the door cracked open. Rather ingeniously, the owner of the store had only reinforced the door and lock so that the door couldn’t be broken down but could be opened. The infected didn’t know how to open doors.

Gear crept inside and looked around, the room was a mess with overturned boxes and junk. He kept the bat in hoof as he made his way inside. The boxes appeared to be full of more sporting gear, perhaps he was using the second floor as a storage shed. He heard movement and swung blindly at it. His swing connected, ironically, with a box full of baseballs, sending them flying across the floor. Another noise behind him made him turn around and swing again. The bat connected with a punching bag barely even leaving a dent. 

It was almost like the infected was taunting him. Gear backed away to the door and closed it to prevent it getting downstairs. “Come on… come get some.” He muttered as he looked around. Movement in the corner of his eye made him jump. He looked in the direction it had come from but could only see boxes. More movement made him turn again. Again, there was nothing. “Come out you coward! It’s just you and me!” He called out. 

Almost immediately after he closed his mouth, something smashed into his side with a snarl. He struggled to get it off of him, kicking with his legs to try and dislodge it. He finally managed to kick it off into a pile of boxes, but not before it could take a chunk out of his flank. He stood up quickly and ran after it. The infected tried to run and hide in the boxes again. “Oh no you don’t!” He exclaimed as he lunged for it. He grabbed its tail and pulled it back. He then struck it with the baseball bat using all his might. Blood droplets flew from its now imploded head, making a splatter of red drops going to the door and halfway up the wall. 

Gear slumped down to catch his breath. “Oh… oh Celestia… that was close.” He looked at the blood spatter. “How, how do you have that much blood in just your head!?” He asked looking at the corpse. A rather large puddle was forming around it as well. Gear stood and walked away from it, opening the door to go downstairs. As soon as he opened it, he heard Dew Drop screaming and the sounds of a struggle. He rushed down to find the old pony trying in vain to fight off a mob of infected. There were at least 17 of them crowded around the door. There was nothing he could do. The old pony was dragged over the barricade, screaming and kicking. Gear grabbed Dew Drop and put her on his back before running up the stairs and locking them in. 

“Celestia! Where did they all come from?!” He exclaimed. Dew shook her head while shaking in fear. “Come on, we need to get out of here.” He looked around and found window that lead out behind the building. There was a fire escape and everything. “Hold on tight!” He said as he went over. He opened the window and got onto the fire escape. Below him was a huge mob, they seemed to be surrounding the shop on every side. Gear instead went up to the roof and looked around. There was a building nearby that looked close enough to jump to.

“Wait, are you going to jump?! I can’t fly yet, what if I fall!?” Dew exclaimed in fear. Gear adjusted his bandolier and slipped her under it, tightening it until she was held snuggly against his back. He had to discard the javelin and bat to make room for Dew.

He backed up to the opposite of the edge of the roof for a running start and looked behind him. There were at least a hundred infected breaking into the store. “Remember when I said hold on tight? Well hold on tighter.” He said. He then charged to the edge of the building and jumped with all of his might, ignoring Dew’s protests.