Loss

CHAPTER 6: Loss

After nearly an hour of driving, Mickey made it to the outskirts of New Reiswald. The area was largely rural, with numerous farms and orchards. The roads out there were empty.

"Hang in there dad," Mickey pleaded, "We're almost…Damnit, I told you to keep pressure on it!"

Next to Mickey, Patty was losing consciousness as blood from his wound soaked his clothes and the passenger's seat. All he had to stop the bleeding was a dirty old rag he had pressed up against his chest.

"Son," Patty whispered, "Could ye just…Stop an' listen for a moment?"

"There's no time," Mickey sobbed, "Aw, fuck!"

Mickey slammed on the brakes as a massive line-up of cars materialized out of the darkness in front of him. The cars, which likely belonged to civilians trying to flee New Reiswald, were all abandoned, effectively blocking Mickey's escape.

"Hang on, dad!" said Mickey, moving the car in reverse.

Mickey then drove off of the road, hoping to get around the gridlock by passing through the nearby woods. Sadly, Mickey did not get very far before getting his car stuck in a deep puddle.

"Damnit!" Mickey yelled, trying to go in reverse, "Come on, piece of shit!"

"Son," Patty repeated, "Please…"

"Fuck this," said Mickey, opening the door, "We're walkin'!"

Mickey grabbed his weapons from the backseat, then helped his father out of the passenger's seat. Patty had grown so weak and could barely stand anymore. Mickey struggled to carry his father, but collapsed from exhaustion after a few feet.

"Dad," Mickey sobbed, "You gotta try! We're so close now!

"Michael," Patty pleaded, "There ain't nothin' more ye could do for me. Me time's up."

"Stop talkin' like that! You know I could still save you if…"

"Son, I am so sorry for gettin' ye into all this. I was a fool to trust the IRA, to trust Liam…"

"It ain't your fault, dad. I let my guard down too."

"In any case, do me a favour…Leave me be. If ye stand any chance of survivin' this, it won't be luggin' the corpse o' your dead da' around, aye?"

Mickey shook his head slowly, then wiped his eyes.

"I love ye, son," Patty continued, "It's time for ye now to step up as head of the Family. Finish this, and make me proud, yeah?"

"I will, dad," said Mickey, "I promise."

"Good. Maybe now I can…Finally see me sweetheart…Again…"

As Patty spoke his last words, he turned his head and closed his eyes. Mickey hovered over his father's corpse, screaming in anguish. Unfortunately, his cries attracted the attention of the Slime. Several Infested, alongside Crawlers, and a new variant, Leapers, emerged from the trees and encircled Mickey.

"Fuck you all," he muttered, "I'M GONNA KILL EVERY LAST ONE O' YA!"

Mickey then drew his Tommy gun and blasted away the horde, focusing his attention on whichever ones were closest to him.

"YA LIKE THAT ASSHOLES?" Mickey screamed.

Unfortunately, Mickey's Tommy gun had run out of ammo, forcing him to switch over to his rifle. However, the rifle's lower firing rate meant he could only slay one creature at a time. At this rate, Mickey risked being overrun.

"Aw, fuck no!" Mickey yelled, "Ain't no way I'm dyin' now!"

Mickey retreated deeper into the woods to avoid the Slime. With only a flashlight to guide him, Mickey could barely see where he was going. After sprinting for some time, he tripped on a fallen branch and tumbled down a hill, passing out upon hitting the bottom.

---

Mickey awoke in the centre of a dilapidated city. The sky was blood red and the buildings all around were damaged and coated with slime. As Mickey stood up and looked around, he could hear whispers coming from all around, but there was not a single person was in sight.

"Hello?" he called out.

The whispers continued, but no one responded. Mickey began to walk the empty streets. The scenery around him was hazy and distorted, like he was viewing he world through a stained glass.

"Anyone here?" Micky repeated.

Eventually Mickey spotted a person leaning against a building. It was Lev Cohen of the Farband.

"Lev?" Mickey said, as he approached, "I thought you were…"

"Dead?" he said, "Thanks to you I am. Ya fuckin' shot me, stupid Mick."

"I'm sorry," said Mickey, "I had no choice, alright? We was surrounded and you was gonna turn. I had to…"

"Get outta here, will ya? God, it was a mistake tagging along with you!"

Without saying another word, Mickey turned and walked away. Lev continued glaring at Mickey but did not pursue. Mickey continued his trek through the city for some time before eventually encountering Colin and Sean.

"There he goes," Colin scoffed, "The hero of New Reiswald!"

"Came to save his father," Sean added, "But forgot to save us in the process."

Mickey glanced down and walked right past the duo.

"Yeah," said Colin, "Keep walkin', coward!"

Eventually, Mickey reached O'Hare's and opened the door. He searched the place briefly but found no one.

"Ain't no one here, son," said a voice,

Mickey turned around and saw his father at the entrance.

"They're dead, 'member?" Patty continued, "Dead because you failed 'em. Just like you failed me."

"I tried to save you dad," Mickey pleaded, "I really did!"

"Sure, ye did. But then ye had to go and trust that Donnelly feller. Ye should've known he'd go and stab me in the back, aye?"

"I-I didn't mean to…" Mickey cried, "Dad, I swear I…"

As Mickey broke down in tears, Patty shook his head in disgust and walked out the door. Mickey pursued, but lost sight of him.

"Dad?" he called out, "Dad, where are you?"

Just then, Liam appeared.

"Lookin' for someone, Mick?" he taunted

"You piece of…" began Mickey.

"Woah, woah! You're callin' me a piece of shit? Look at how many people you've killed tonight, bucko! Way more than I ever did, that's for sure."

"Leave me alone, okay? I'm nothin' like you. I ain't a traitor!"

With that, Mickey fled.

"Yeah," Liam laughed, "Keep runnin'! See how far that gets ya, HA!"

Mickey ran for several minutes, before collapsing from exhaustion. As he fell to his knees and took deep breaths, a silhouette appeared above him.

"You've come to taunt me too?" Mickey muttered.

The figure shook his head and extended a hand. When Mickey looked up, he saw the face of Sam Mullan.

"S-Sam?" he said.

"Listen, Mick," Sam said, helping Mickey to his feet, "I know things are hard, but you can't give up now!"

"I've lost everythin', Sam!" Mickey cried, "My friends, my family…"

"Ya gotta stop focusin' on the negatives, man. Think of all the good you've achieved tonight – All the people that are still alive because of your actions!"

"But…"

"Come on, Mick. It's time to finish this – For me, for your father, and everyone else you've lost – 'Cause if you die now, ain't none o' this worth it, understand?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Now, let's go. We got work to do."

"Work?"

"Ya still got some friends left, don't ya? And they need your help right about now. Let them know about the tunnels."

"T-Tunnels?"

"The tunnels, Mick. Try and remember them, alright?"

"Okay?"

"Good. Now, wake up, Mick. Wake up!"