User:Kris McKinney/The Burning Truth

This story is part of the Malton Chronicles. This story is fan-made, and is not officially part of any background history for Urban Dead.

The Innocence

The footsteps in the distance didn't matter to Kris. The cold air blowing through his thick clothing didn't matter to him either. The only thing that did bother him was his past. He murmured to himself his favorite saying to hate.

"We're not made for each other. There's nothing about you that I don't like, we're just not cut out for this. I love the thought of you... but it's just you. My love for you is gone."

It's been three months since he heard these words. It's been two since the person who said it was evacuated. They were off back to their life as usual, maybe, while Kris was still alone. She was all Kris had, all Kris wanted. There are the occasional bumps into the window outside, 4 other survivors in Downs Boulevard Fire Station, but he was alone at heart. His old friends from before the outbreak are gone. Some evacuated, others separated.

The windows above are broken, and Kris has the cold December air blowing down upon him, making him shiver. Having his back to the cold, brick wall doesn't help much either, but it doesn't matter. His warm gun was his only sense of happiness, of liveliness. And the only drive to survival he has left is out of habit. This has been going on too long. Kris stands up after hours of off and on sleep, the familiar habit for the life of a survivor. Kris' radio has long been broken, and the only voices he hears is are those of the zeds wondering by outside. He walked outside, it was completely dark except for the lights in the police department next door. Nothing was around except for the occasional survivor. Kris had his favorite possession along with him - his Zune media player. This was one thing he always carried with him. It has long been dead - no computer is ever on to charge it except for the NT buildings that were always occupied by the scientists that put him in this situation. It was his love, his ultimate love, that played the music that made him feel comfortable and at ease. It was his motivation, other than... her. Music was his life. Before this life. The outbreak has caused a new stage of life called survival. Or was it death already? The cold air finally became a nuisance to him, then he became happy about the music. He was intent on finding a computer.

The Unforgivable

He didn't have to travel far. A few doors down was an old community building with a few computers used to communicate with the outside world. Kris clambered through the barricade, and sat down at a computer as if he were an official. He was given strange looks. He hooked the device into the USB port, and pulled up a screen to look as though he was reading messages. For about an hour and thirty minutes, Kris thought about her. What was she doing? Is he still anything to her? Is he still a burning memory in her heart? Or is he a person of the past who is now presumably dead? He realized thinking about her does him no good. What she's done for him is wrong. "Falling out of love" with someone. Is it really love if only one person payed attention? He didn't know. "This is absolutely unforgivable," Kris thought to himself. It made him feel better temporarily. The battery bar on the Zune turned green. He closed the windows and returned back to the fire department.

The Kill

Hearing music for the first time in two months was absolute heaven for Kris. His heart beat to that of the bass drum; his lips moved to that of the singer's. It was instant relaxation. His eyes slowly closed... he was drifting off, leaned up against the spot on the wall he usually did so on. He felt a vibration on the ground. He didn't care. He heard a faint "thump" in the background over his music, but the lyrics of 30 Seconds to Mars spoke to him louder than reality. This was so until the moment a strong grip took his right leg. He opened his eyes to notice that he was dragging towards a crowd of 10 to 15, half rotten and grotesque zeds. He grabbed a hold of his fire ax, and threw a hard, sweeping, sharpened blade into the shoulder and collar of the assailant. His headphones fell out, and Kris' ears crept back into reality. The rotten figure fell to the side, and Kris quickly rose to his feet to help his "roommates" out. The barricades had fallen through quickly, and a small group of zeds were sprinting through the meeting hall of the fire department. One of the defenders just happened to be the old fire chief, Mike Demols. He was a seasoned fighter of both fires and the dead. He has defended this place for 4 years now. The zeds were quickly dispatched, and were dragged outside about 20 feet ahead of the barricade, which later became strengthened. The department grew quiet. Maybe silence is the key to survival?

The Scientist

""Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are. I had to find you, tell you I need you, tell you I set you apart. Tell me your secrets, ask me your questions, let's go back to the start..."

These lyrics ran through Kris' head all day in later January. There wasn't a single break in. Supplies were sent in later on in December as a "Christmas present" and a makeshift tree was still placed in the corner. The windows were fixed, a fire was made, and it seemed like home. Their way of exchanging gifts was exchanging ammunition. Kris made sure that he kept his Zune charged, and that he would only listen to it in the daytime, when he is doing his daily activities inside the building.

Mike Demols moves briskly towards Kris before the move to St. Herman's Hospital and says "Kris, we need you to move Hartley Library up north to pick up a couple of things from a local medic there. She'll be inside by the check-out desk checking off who comes to pick up what. Try to be quick with it, Kris, we need to get out of this building as quick as possible."

Of course, Kris didn't want to do much about getting outside this time of the day, but his "Yes sir." came across as respectful, making him sound sufficient. Which he wasn't. But nevertheless, he left the fire station to the library.

Inside, a brown headed girl with green eyes stood behind the desk. She was rather pretty, not your definition of "hot" but she gave off this warm feeling of kindness. Kris liked this in people.

"Hi, I'm Kris McKinney of the local fire depa-"

"I know who you are, Kris, I've got your things right here..." says the woman as she attempted to move a large box from the floor to the counter."

Kris was inclined to help a pretty woman, it was his nature. He helped her lift the box.

"Well, that's all for today. I think I'm done with my duties, Rolt Heights was the last place I needed to deliver shipments, and actually... there's no use for my stay..." said the woman in a depressing fashion, moving rather slowly.

"... how did you know my name? I've never met you, have I?" Kris said, in a slightly threatening manner.

"Mr. Demols radioed me, of course." She said, with a smile on her face. Kris couldn't help himself.

"You're completely done, you have no where to go?"

"No."

"Why don't you come with us, you can trave-"

"No thank you."

"Why not? We can always use more people, it will be great to have you around."

"You don't even know me, Mr. McKinney."

"Well, you know me, that means alot. What is your name?"

"... my name is Ellie Flannery. I was attending med school until the breakout."

"You have a pretty name." said Kris. He cut straight to the point.

"Please come with us."

"I'm sorry, I can't..."

"What do I have to do to get you to join us?"

"Do you have any form of musical entertainment?"

The Paper Cliche

Music is a connection. Kris and Ellie became friends. It wasn't what Kris anticipated. He didn't want to fall for her, but he definitely liked her. But the previous girlfriend was still in his head. Her actions towards him were different than his, though. She was slightly cold to him, but they still had a connection. They both loved music, and art forms.

The crew arrived at St. Herman's Hospital 3 days later. The equipment was heavy, but now the guys have some initiative. To help others. Kris felt like he had someone to join him on his journey. A friend, a best friend, an only friend. Their little games, jokes, and random spasms of lyric reciting made them grow closer. Their care for each other was put the test a week later after the move-in.

"FUCKING ZEDS, COMING SOUTH!!!" cried a survivor in the packed hospital. Kris went to the fire escape to notice about 60 zombies marching quickly to the barricaded doors and windows. He realized what he was all about when the first thing that came to mind was Ellie.

The shredding of the barricades made him feel uneasy. He fired from his giant stockpile of ammunition onto the top of the heads of the zombies below, only to see them notice him with their dead, cold eyes. They eventually weakened the barricade.

"ELLIE!" cried Kris, as he stormed into the window and downstairs. He saw her coming upstairs running towards him. Her brown hair bounced behind her as she grabbed his arm and he escorted her upstairs.

"What's going on downstairs?" Kris asked, breathing heavily.

"They came through... most are dead... Kris we can't stay." she replied in doubt.

"Yes, we can. Wait here. Please." He marched downstairs while she watched him run down the stairs, and as gunfire illuminated the dark hallway. She grew worried as the screams below grew louder. She went downstairs. Mike Demols lay dead on the floor, being devoured by several zombies, and Kris jumped over a bar stool and ran through the staircase, rushing her upstairs.

"GO! RUN LIKE HELL, ELLIE!!!" he cried as she rushed hurriedly upstairs with him. He slammed the door. "We're getting out of here. Get what you need." She immediately grabbed "their" Zune, her bag of personal belongings, and then Kris. She grabbed what she needed. He smiled. They climbed through the fire escape, and slid onto the nearby building, went to street level and ran to the closest police department. She held his arm the whole way.

The Elevator

Kris was sent to venture alone to Treweeke Mall in Dulston to pick up a radio transmitter and some fuel for their new setup in a Rolt Heights warehouse. There were no problems there the whole way; break-ins were rare in the area at the time, and few zeds were ever spotted. The real problems were in the south, around Tollyton and East Grayside. The whole way there, Kris thought only of himself, not of Ellie, not of his past, not of the situation. He used this alone time to reflect upon who he has become, an emotionally unstable man, or a progressing, and useful survivor. Kris has seemed to gotten past his ex-girlfriend, who was a big part of his life. He has found someone else, maybe just a friend, but on the other hand, he has also become solemn. He spends alot of time by himself, to his thoughts and music. Whilst searching Treweeke Mall, Kris came upon a guitar. He decided to take the acoustic with him. But this isn't the only thing he found in the mall.

A woman at about 5'8, long, brown, curly hair stood beside a bench in the hall of the massive building. Her blue eyes cut through Kris in a familiar fashion, he recognized this person, a vague picture of someone came across his mind. The girl. The one that left. Her name was Sarah Bradows. She was the entity that occupied Kris' mind so much for the past 2 years of his life. She noticed Kris immediately, and with a smile on her face, she approached him. He stood there trying to ignore her.

"Kris!" she screamed in excitement.

He did not answer back.

"Kris, it's me, Sarah. Do you remember?" He looked up at her slowly, and noticed she looked the same as she did when he last saw her.

"Yeah... umm..."

"Where have you been???" she asked, with a sudden concerned looking face.

"I've been in Rolt Heights," he muttered, "right where you left me." She grew silent.

"Kris... I'm so sorry, I thought things were g-"

"No, I understand. What are you doing back here?" he interrupted.

"I wasn't allowed to leave the city, the quarantine was strict there. So I've stayed here at Treweeke, helping treat other survivors."

"Oh."

"How about you?" she said quietly, still staring him in the eyes.

"I've been at a fire department in Rolt Heights, waiting out there."

"I'm glad to hear you're okay," she still stood with the same look in her eyes. ", what are you doing now?"

"I'm on my way back to Rolt, I had to pick up supplies."

"Oh... well. Look. Be careful. If you ever need anything..." she pulled out her mobile phone, "... text me."

They exchanged their numbers, and we left quickly, not even saying goodbye. on his way back to Rolt Heights, he thought to himself: "Is what she did really unforgivable...?"

His return to Rolt Heights was a gleeful one. They were able to communicate together now, and the cooperation made the suburb wealthy in supplies. Practically the whole city was powered. A steady stream of fuel and reports on the city came in regularly, the city became stronger. Mobile military groups wandered in an out of the suburb doing their usual patrol. The run-in with Sarah became a daily remembrance. He never told anyone about this, and over time, Ellie seemed to grow more attached to the lost Kris.

The Discovery

Kris ran his hand through his reddish-brown hair. Things became boring around the area. His Zune has been dead for a week. Ellie was all he had to talk to. His phone would beep, signaling that Sarah was trying to contact him. He ignored them. Ellie and him grew closer and closer, and one day, when they began to hear about break-ins from irate survivors that went on killing rampages through Rolt Heights, Ellie asked him to go to the roof with him. They sat the roof, and began talking.

"Kris... it's been 6 months since we've met. I didn't want anyone at the time. I was only concerned about myself. I made myself go with you here, even though I had no where else to go, and I realized that you are a great person. We share the same interests in music, foods, insight... all of it. I wish I could find an easy way to tell you this..." explained Ellie.

"To tell me... what?" he drug out slowly.

"That... I like you. Actually, I love you. To death. No matter what, you're always collected. You're always on my mind, and you're always there for me." She flipped her hair back. "You need to know this. I want to make it out of this. I want to make it out of here with you."

All previous thoughts of Sarah escaped his mind. His chest tightened, his breath shortened, and they both sat there side by side, waiting on each other's reply. Kris said nothing, he leaned over and kissed her slowly. She grabbed his hand and they both leaned back once again and stared at their feet. They felt at ease for once.

After this day, they spent most of their time together. Word of "raiders" came about, (survivors that broke into buildings and killed others), but no one seemed to worry. 3 months went by, as Kris and Ellie grew to love each other even more. December came back around. The cold air crept in once again, and little did they all know, so did the raiders.

A loud noise broke the silence of the night downstairs. Kris slept through this, Ellie did not. She stood up and went downstairs. Upon inspection, Ellie did not notice anything downstairs, so she went back upstairs. She bent down and kissed Kris on the lips, waking him up.

"I thought I heard something..." she said.

"It's okay... just come back to sleep." Kris replied. The noise happened again, this time louder. But Kris already had fallen back to sleep. Ellie grabbed Kris' shotgun and crept downstairs again.

A gunshot awoke Kris downstairs. He ran down to hear a firefight going on, then 4 loud thumps on the cement floor of the warehouse. No lights were on.

"What's going on?!?" Kris asked loudly.

"A raider got in... who all is hurt?" said a fellow survivor.

"Erin and I are..." said a voice from the shadows.

"Where's Ellie?" Kris became anxious.

"Was she down here?" said one survivor.

"Well... she wasn't upstairs with the rest of us."

Kris stepped forward, barefooted. He stepped in a puddle of blood. At first it felt warm, until the cold cement reached his feet. He bend down and felt the breast of a dead survivor... he pulled out a flashlight and shone it on the face of the newly deceased.

Ellie died that night from cut to the throat. The man was a known murderer, even before the breakout. He was waiting on the death penalty when the prison was overrun when the zeds took over. He found joy in watching other's pain, and also stealing their things. He didn't think there was alot of people inside the warehouse that night.

They burned Ellie's body on top of the roof of the warehouse. It was the only way of disposing dead bodies at this time. Kris didn't speak much after that. He put his mp3 player along in the fire, which sounds stupid but meant alot to Kris. He was very spiritual. He was dwelling on her death for the next 6 months. His hate for wrong-doing grew enormously. He couldn't understand why someone would do this to another out of "fun".

The Saint

The anger of Ellie's death boiled in Kris. He became irritable, and became angry at the slightest mishap. His phone beeped one day. He read the message.

"Kris... are you okay? You haven't responded..."

He replied, telling Sarah what happened. She asked where he was exactly, to meet and talk.

Sarah looked the same, as she usually did.

"Kris... I'm so sorry... are you okay?" she said with her usual caring voice.

"Yeah. I'm okay." He was short spoken.

"I want to stay here with you all. I want to help you." she said.

"No, we're fine."

Despite his comment, she stayed. She tried to get Kris to perk up, but he remained solemn. One day she told him that she made a mistake along time ago, that she still loved Kris. Kris would have been excited if he actually cared. She was disappointed with his reply.

"I'm sorry... I don't want anyone right now." He said, with the voice of a robot.

"But Kris... I thought you wanted someone to be with" she said.

"No. I can't afford to lose anyone again."

"You won't."

"You don't know that." His reply hurt Sarah. "Ellie was all I had. I didn't need you. I never did, I just thought I did. But now, I feel better alone." He felt his anger from what happened to Ellie return.

Next door, after Kris' morning prayer, there was a loud gun fight going on. He quickly put his cross necklace inside his shirt and ran next door, after grabbing his pistol. Another raider had broken in to steal a generator and kill the family barricaded there.

The man was screaming crazily at the family telling them that if they didn't leave he was going to kill them. He tried to steal the generator, and looked up to find Kris with his gun extended towards him.

"Put the generator down. I will shoot you." Kris said.

"Ha. You won't do anything. The McDowell family here knows you won't either."

It turned out the robber was a family friend. Or so the family thought. The robber attempted to pull his gun out to shoot Kris. Kris shot him 4 times in the chest. The rush of stopping an evil act made Kris feel happy - a feeling long lost to him. That night, the family thanked him formally, they gave him some food. He slept that night at ease for the first time in months. He took the robber's body, said his prayers and left him money to pay his fare into hell. Kris was then thought of as a Saint. They jokingly called him the Irish Saint that saved the street. Kris liked this. He grew used to being referred to as a Saint. He found happiness in a warm gun that just cast down evil.

Part 1 has concluded. Check out Part 2, The Boondock Saints