Three Scar and Razor closed the distance between themselves and the three travelers who had departed from Walton as the zombies arrived. The trio seemed unaware of the two scavengers and continued at an undisrupted pace.

Three Scar pulled a gun from the holster tied to the side of his leg and nodded for Razor to ready a weapon as well. Complying with the silent instructions, Razor drew out a number of throwing knives and held them ready.

The closeness of the surrounding trees prevented the trailing scavengers from seeing their intended targets at all times, and when they were ready to strike, they found the group of three had become only two.

Regardless of where the third member had vanished, Three Scar was committed and raised his gun as he pulled back the hammer and clicked it into a ready position. The metallic click of the weapon caused the two travelers in front of them to halt instantly and slowly turned around.

"Greetings," Three Scar said. "We need to talk."

"I agree," said a priest as he appeared from behind a tree and slid the curved edge of his sword under Three Scar's jaw.

Razor glanced toward Three Scar and the man who had ambushed him, but when his eyes returned to the other two people, he found the man aiming an arrow at him, and the woman had produced a submachine gun. He sighed as he realized they'd been outmaneuvered.

"You started this with weapons," the priest stated. "How about you be the first to put yours down?"

Three Scar gestured with his free hand for Razor to put down his blades. Although Razor complied, he did so only in part, sliding the throwing knives into their respective sheathes rather than dropping them entirely. Three Scar clicked the hammer of his gun back down and dropped the weapon into its holster.

"You wanted to talk," the dark skinned archer stated as he eased the tension on his bow. The sunlight flashed against the police badge he wore on his belt. "Exactly what did you want to say?"

"We've been noticing birds coming and going from Walton on a regular basis," Three Scar explained, seeing no need to hide the truth at this point. "We think they're carrying messages and you might have some information as to the content."

"What makes you think we'd share such information with the likes of you?" The priest questioned in a menacing whisper.

The edge of Three Scar's mouth turned up ever so slightly in a humorless smile.

"The priest outfit had me confused for a time," Three Scar admitted. "Nevertheless, I think you'll tell us what we want to know."

Three Scar lowered his voice and whispered something only he and the sword wielding priest could hear. Whatever words passed between them, it had an immediate effect. The sword was lowered and Three Scar was allowed to move freely. It made Razor curious, but he wisely held his tongue.

"My name is Three Scar," the scavenger introduced. "I was formerly a scientist before being forced to survive among the Snake Eye clan. This is Razor."

Razor nodded when Three Scar pointed in his direction.

"We did what was necessary to survive, as I'm sure the three of you have done," Three Scar continued. "You evacuated from a perfectly defensible city moments before an undead horde surrounded it. The situation would seem to indicate you knew they were coming. Am I right so far?"

Three Scar took their silence as confirmation and continued.

"The messenger birds from Walton indicate there is somewhere out there humans still live," Three Scar pointed out. "However, you three are headed in the opposite direction from where the birds went. This leads me to believe the other location is inaccessible, possibly something to do with the large numbers of zombies who surrounded Walton. Perhaps, a similar situation has occurred at the other place as well. We saw you looking at a map, so it would seem there is one more location where safety from the undead may be found, and we would like to help you reach it."

"Really?" archer with a badge said in a tone indicating disbelief. "Why would you want to help us?"

"If we help you reach a place of safety, we want to go with you," Three Scar replied.

The three travelers bristled slightly at the suggestion, visibly shifting as if physically uncomfortable at the thought.

"The reputation of scavengers is well known," the priest stated. "Why should we trust you?"

"No one survived the arrival of the zombies, did you know that?" Three Scar asked in return. "We were all different people before they came, but who we were died. We are something else now. As a priest, I thought you of all people would believe in second chances. How much have you been forgiven? Can you forgive another?"

"Forgive? Yes," the priest confirmed, sheathing his sword. "Let down my guard? No. You can come along, but stay where I can see you. Any trouble, and you had best kill me first, or I will kill you, both of you."

Three Scar nodded his acceptance of the terms the priest had laid out. Razor didn't know what to think. The archer and the older woman clearly didn't agree with the choice to include the scavengers in their venture, but the decision had been made, and no one seemed willing to challenge the priest at this time.

The group started walking again, the priest bringing up the rear where he could watch the two newest members of their party; his hand never moved far or for long from the grip of his sword, ready to bring it out at a moment's notice.

Returning to the crumbling highway, the group began making faster time toward their destination. Although occasionally obstructed by wrecked or abandoned cars, the highway was still more traversable than the thick undergrowth of the forest. Whatever progress they were making instantly came to a halt as the sounds of combat reached their ears.

"It's probably the Snake Eye raiding party," Three Scar suggested. "Razor and I were supposed to be a part of it, but we were occupied spying on Walton."

"Any ideas on who they're fighting?" the priest questioned from behind the two scavengers.

"Survivors or scavengers, take your pick," Three Scar replied. "We may be on your side, but they won't be. If the raiding party sees you, we'll be in for a fight."

"Then they won't see us," the archer calmly stated. He nodded to the older woman beside him, and they split up, attempting to approach the combat zone from opposing flanks.

Three Scar took Razor straight ahead, crouching behind a burned out car where they could see the confrontation without immediately becoming a part of it. The sword carrying priest remained within weapon's range behind them.

Just past an off ramp, was the skeletal remains of a town. Having been the site of a severe battle, the majority of the buildings had been leveled, leaving only a few broken walls still standing here and there amid the rubble and windswept debris. Bodies of the slain were a recent addition.

A particularly vicious battle had erupted between scavengers of the Snake Eye clan and the Bloody Hand tribe. Without the strength and guidance of Three Scar, the Snake Eye raiding party had been nearly exterminated. Losses on the opposing side had been equally heavy.

By the time Three Scar and Razor began watching from their concealed observation post behind the ruined car, the conflict had nearly run its course and only one combatant from each faction remained standing.

The scavenger Razor knew as Wild Eyes, renamed Wild Eye since he only had one thanks to their first encounter, was the only survivor from the Snake Eye raiding party, and he was crouched low with a knife in each hand.

Standing in a similar fighting stance a few feet away was a female scavenger from the Bloody Hand tribe, easily recognizable by the crimson color of her hands.

Razor estimated her age to be late teens to early twenties. Her fiery red hair was wild and unkempt. As was standard among the Bloody Hand tribe, her hands had been dyed red all the way to the wrists. Tan leathers wrapped her waist and upper torso, keeping her somewhat covered while allowing full freedom of movement. Knee and shin pads used by catchers in baseball had been strapped to her shoulders, arms, and legs to strengthen her makeshift defenses.

Wild Eye, while not overly muscular, was lean and quick. but the girl was faster; her speed compensated enough for her to hold her ground against the crazed scavenger, striking back with the dagger she clutched in her red hands.

Being unable to use both eyes, Wild Eye was at a decided disadvantage, but a kick into the dirt sent a dry cloud of dust into the air, temporarily blinding his female opponent. Using his moment of advantage, Wild Eye moved in for the kill.

Unwilling to watch Wild Eye murder anyone again, Razor lunged over the car and dived off the highway, sliding down the embankment before either the priest or Three Scar could interfere. On his way down, Razor threw a knife at Wild Eye. The blade passed harmlessly through the air in front of the scavenger, but it did alert his foe to the entrance of another combatant.

Spinning around, Wild Eye caught sight of Razor and grinned evilly. Razor already had a blade in hand and slowly approached.

Once away from the embankment, Razor crouched in a fighting stance as Wild Eye took several steps away from the scavenger woman he'd been fighting. She had yet to regain her full sight, but Wild Eye couldn't spare the time to finish her off and risk turning his back on Razor in the process, nor could he fight Razor while an enemy was so close at hand. Moving swiftly away from her, the maniac made sure the fight would remain between Razor and himself alone.

Wild Eye had hated Razor with an unbridled fury ever since the loss of his eye in their first fight seven years ago. Three Scar's presence had managed to keep Wild Eye at bay, but with just the two of them, their long standing rivalry found an opportunity to transform from simmering hatred to open violence.

After enduring years of the lingering threat posed by Wild Eye, Razor was tired looking over his shoulder, wondering when he'd catch a knife in his back. Rage flooded his system. The pent up frustration over the horrors he'd been forced to endure and participate in since being captured welled up inside of him and found a target in Wild Eye. Today, their feud would end in blood.