Out of the frying pan

by Yourmercifuldeath

The sequel to Speak No Evil. This story does not follow the show nor the comics at all. This ought to be interesting. New faces, old ones, and more zombies! Rated M for violence, gore, language, and AS? Daryl/OC?

1. Chapter 1

Summary: TADAAA! A brand new walking dead fanfiction, here. It can be read along with it's predecessor, Speak No Evil, or on its own. Hello readers, new and old. I welcome you all to the next installment for my Walking Dead fanfiction series. This story does not follow many, if at all, settings or situations of the comic book nor the television show. The whole cast from Speak No Evil and The Walking dead are back. Unfortunately in a setting whipped up by my own wistful imagination. So you'll have to 'suffer' through that! XD I've decided to try to stuff as many original characters into this sequel as I can so be prepared to meet a lot new faces and squeal in delight when I bring in Rick's group. I'm back and can't wait to put my own ideas to work. Now to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and dive right into this thing! Read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own rights to The Walking Dead nor its characters. I'm just an over enthused fan who likes to scribble stories about zombies and carnage. =D

Credits: All of the credit goes to my readers from my previous Walking Dead fiction, Speak No Evil. I may be doing the writing but it's all of them who keep me upbeat enough to keep going with it. So since those readers were so great I want to make use of your opinions. Whether you've been following my Walking Dead fic or are just tuning in I encourage you all to tell me what you want to see in this story. Either send me a message or leave it in a review. I've got plenty of gaps to fill up with your ideas and would appreciate the input. Thank you and much love!

Playlist choice: The hand that feeds- Nine inch nails

Picture this. The sun rises over a dry, mostly deserted land. Whatever people used to live there are long gone. Missed only by the undead that fed on them at one time. Buildings beautifully constructed now crumbling just like the cornerstones of society. Abandoned and becoming a part of the earth they inhabited. Roads are chunks of gravel with empty stretches of dirt in between littered with neglected cars and miscellaneous litter that blows here and there with every breeze. Sidewalks are nothing more than more useless concrete walked by no one. The technology that humans loved so much is now gone forcing those who stay to live without the luxury that many took for granted. Humans themselves are rare to find. Either hiding in tall buildings or traveling trying to become one with shadows in order to avoid the feral moaning, glassy-eyed, shuffling creatures that have taken over as the more dominant race. In this world we are the bottom of the food chain and the living dead now walk where 'intelligent' beings once ruled supreme.

It all started about a few months ago. At first it was referred to as the new 'flu' and only a few people had it. I'm glad I bought into that bullshit and stayed inside or this tale would be short.. Depending on perspective this could be a good thing or bad. This flu spread quicker than anyone expected and some time later we found it was all a cover up and the government had no idea what the fuck it really was. Even now very little is known. Where it came from. If one could survive it. I've come to know, what I like to consider, a good amount. For example; I learned one can only contract 'it' by being bitten or ingesting any infected materials. I know the process as well and everyone knows the end result. But at the start of things what the populace did know was that something had infected these few people and eventually killed them. This wasn't anything new. There are always diseases popping up that can kill humans. AIDS, Bird flu, swine flu. You get what I'm trying to say. But this new infection was something that no one even considered as a real possibility because those who died didn't stay dead. Like it came straight out of the horror movies or some gory comic.

From there all hell broke loose and our world as we knew it came to an abrupt end without much of a warning. It would have been nice being informed, even a few minutes before shit hit the fan, that we could start kissing our own asses goodbye. But that would be asking too much I guess because there was nothing. Not even the beginnings of a talk about evacuation to a safer area. I don't even think those things exist anymore. So when the infected began to attack others and the government did nothing about it a few citizens decided to take matters into their own hands and ended up zombified themselves and told no one that they were bitten. If you ask me that's just a disaster waiting to happen. If they spilled the beans they would be quarantined and destroyed. Instead they put everyone around them in danger and that's about the time that shit got crazy and in just a couple of months our 'prosperous civilization' become nothing more than a wasteland. A few very short, blood filled months.

Before the breakout I was the girl you avoided in the streets. The one that didn't give a shit, fuck, or damn about anything. The one that always has deep dark circles under her eyes and a look on her face that reads defiance. Thanks to an above average IQ everyone around me looked like idiots. I watched as people walked down sidewalks with cell phones stuck under their noses, oblivious to the world around them on a daily basis. I heard them talking about nothing but sex, drugs, and money and came to realize that to those people that's all that life was to them. I couldn't relate to that because all I wanted out of life was peace and quiet and some intelligent company. So I preferred to stay in. I spent many days in the company of the many characters from the books that lined the shelves on my walls to escape the reality I seemed trapped in like an animal caged in a zoo.

My archery was all that got me out of the house after I graduated high school. I worked but day in and day out I practiced like a mad woman. I didn't have anything to prove to anyone by doing this. I just enjoyed the activity. When I had my bow in my hands with my eye on an invisible bulls eye there was nothing better. The tight pull of the string and the arrow anxiously awaiting it's release. That was my niche. Those simple moments in time that I would sometimes draw out to impossible lengths just to make it last. Complete zen. I'd started this hobby in my middle school years. Back then it was just something to do. But it grew on me and by the time I graduated high school I won many a competition and though I had accomplished plenty this honed skill was my shining pride and joy. I wouldn't be anything without my sharp shooting. My family, though supportive, never really took a liking to this hobby. Though they were constantly claiming to love me they always seemed to hold my little sister as their prized possession. I couldn't blame them. Hope was the light of my life as well. Sweet, adorable, and the kindest person I'd ever met in my entire life. Though she could be an airhead I could forgive her. What she lacked in brains she doubly made up for in heart. Honestly its thanks to her that I survived as long as I did and even found the strength to continue on when all hope was lost, and no, that is not a pun.

When the outbreak started no one in my family was even aware. None of us were too keen on the whole television experience so there was no way for us to hear of it and though I was always listening to the radio I heard no news because every time any type of commercial or real dialog started up with the Dj's I was switching the tuner to something else. The opinions of others has never really interested me so it was only natural that I would tune in to something different. So, needless to say, finding my family under attack by flesh-eating neighbors and friends turned newly zombified I was a bit shocked.

I awoke the first morning of the apocalypse assuming that it would be just another day with nothing really exciting taking place. No one ever predicts these things happening. It's always been placed under the category of 'shit that could never happen' in any conversation. Zombies are only real in the worlds of video games, comic books, movies, and television shows. My biggest concern that morning was getting my bow back from an old friend who had borrowed it for some practice and I would be reunited with the love of my life but nothing as extreme as what actually ended up taking place. Chaos. Carnage. Catastrophe. There was no carpooling that day. All the soccer moms were too busy running for their lives while their children chased them down the streets in their blood soaked uniforms. No pledge of allegiance. The morning school bells would ring and only the undead would answer the call. Now I really fucking hate mornings.

Usually by the time I was up the house would be bustling with activity. I would wake up sometime around two in the afternoon. Just in time for Hope to come home from school. So when I awoke to silence at five in the morning my curiosity piqued. I hadn't been having a dream that would shock me awake to such a degree. So what was the feeling crawling up my spine? It slithered and shook its way up to rest in the base of my neck and fester in the back of my mind. It was haunting, this feeling. Like my instincts were trying to tell me that something wasn't right.

Laying in my bed waiting for the sleep to leave my groggy bones I listened for any indication that anyone was moving around. There was nothing. Hope was deep in sleep in her bed looking as comfy as a clam. Her eyes moved beneath their lids indicating that she was dreaming and her mouth hung open a bit to let a small line of drool seep out and pool on her pillow. She had no indication that something was wrong but in my gut something was brewing and it felt like trouble. Or maybe it was just last night's dinner not settling right in my stomach. Either way I had the strangest of urges to check things out. Being the protector of the house was usually the father's job but since our father was usually at work it was always my job to keep an eye on things.

I rose from my bed and pressed my ear to the wall listening for my older sister, Elizabeth, who was usually tapping away on her computer viciously in her room at this time but again there was only silence. Odd. Had she retired early? A few things began to wander through my mind each possibility more obscure than the last. It was about that time that I finally heard movement. In the hallway moving towards the back bedrooms where Hope, Elizabeth, and I resided. At first I thought it was my older sibling coming from the bathroom but listening closer I began to have some doubts. The sound of dragging feet. Shuffling. Not really steps and what sounded like a quiet groaning. My ears were alert as I took in each one of these sounds and then came a banging against my older sister's door. As if someone wanted in. I listened intently as the sound of Elizabeth getting out of bed told me that she had just managed to call it a night. My curiosity heightened as the options of who it was that was trying to get her attention crossed my mind one by one. I highly doubted it was anyone in the family. Dad was a truck driver and he was in New York by now. Mom had to get up in a few hours to get ready for work so that eliminated her off the list of possibilities. Hope was asleep and Ian, my little brother, wouldn't be caught dead awake at this time of night. He had a strict bed time and he knew if anyone caught him up then he'd be grounded until he was old enough to move out. A stranger then? But how would they get in? 'Unless..' Elizabeth opened her door with an annoyed "What he fuck.." and as I moved to my door and reached for the knob the eerie silence of the house was broken with a shrill scream and an excited howl.

That sure as hell had my attention and I grabbed the baseball bat that previously belonged to Hope's ex boyfriend. He'd given it to her as a keepsake before he moved. Usually it just laid around as decoration but now it would be my potential weapon in case something went wrong and judging by the screaming coming from Elizabeth's room, something was definitely wrong. It sure as hell wasn't right by any means. Hope sat up in her bed as I bolted through the door and into the dark hallway. The small light on Elizabeth's desk was the only illumination and for a second I thought the flimsy lighting was to blame for what I was seeing. Elizabeth backed up against a wall and a mangled man advancing on her quickly. I made a split second decision and if he was trying to kill her then he wasn't likely to stop with her and he would move on to Hope and even myself if I didn't do something to stop that chain of events and with only a moments hesitation I launched myself forward and swung hard.

'CRACK!'

The bat made contact with the fucker's head and the sickening sound of bones being crushed resounded throughout the room. Any human being would have fallen from the sheer force behind that swing but this person or whatever it was just turned its head and moaned at me. I hadn't caused any pain I'd just pissed it off and now it's attention was on me. As the mangled creature turned to face me I found myself looking into glassy eyes shining with the light reflecting from the small lamp next to me and it shuffled forward with a hungry look. It's mouth gaped and dripped with fluids as it advanced. All over its body were what looked like bite marks. Chunks of flesh removed to reveal the muscles and tissue beneath and the skin itself was so pale and withered that it looked like it might fall off at any second. This person was seriously sick or something. Then it hit me as I stumbled back out of confusion and fear. I saw something like this before but not in real life. In a movie. Night of the living dead. This creature appeared just as the zombies from that movie that haunted me for years after seeing it. In those days I was young and so terrified at the thought of the dead walking the earth. Now, older and more experienced, I was pissed. Pissed that something so out of the ordinary walked into my house and threatened the lives of my family with its insatiable hunger. How dare it?

Hope's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as she screamed my name. "DESTINY!" and I swung the bat again aiming for the head once more and upon contact the bat shattered and the creature merely stumbled. Elizabeth was darting past me and out of the room as I watched in horror as the beast continued towards me. I did the only thing I could think of. I tossed the bat with a bitter "piece of shit!" and I fucking ran. Not out of the house like a coward but to my room and I grabbed one of my newly made arrows that I had sitting on my desk. I'd been working on a new design. I wanted something sturdy. Not something that would snap in my practices when I was using the oak in my front yard as a target. This arrow, though still in the works, was the only weapon I had at my disposal and I was sure as hell going to use it.

I grabbed the projectile and told Hope to run and I lurched out of the bedroom again and faced the zombie head on as it tried to shuffle after my younger sister. That would be my extreme stupidity acting up as I placed myself directly in its path. I gripped my arrow tightly and, making sure not to get too close to the things mouth, I plunged the object into its eye with so much force that I felt the tip hit the back of the skull. A 'squish' emitted from the action and Hope shrieked at the sight. I don't think she expected me to do something like that to another human being and I didn't have time to explain to her that whoever I just killed was not human anymore.

The body slumped to the ground at my feet and I stumbled back from the scene in shock at what just took place. A zombie. A fucking zombie! I could feel the things blood on my fac,e wet and cold, and I immediately wiped the disgusting substance on my flesh. I needed time to think and plan and figure shit out but this was not a luxury at my disposal because there was more screaming coming from the living room from who I assumed was Elizabeth. This had me running, weaponless, to find out what the fuck was wrong this time and almost broke my neck tripping over something on my way into the room. My foot caught on it and I had to grab the couch next to me to keep from falling. "What the shit?" The lights flickered on above me and illuminated the room and I glanced down to see what was laying on the floor. I expected maybe one of my little brother's large stuffed animals that he liked to leave just lying around but what greeted my eyes gave me a clue as to what Elizabeth, and now Hope, were screaming about. I had to swallow the noise of fear out of pure pride and the need to show I was strong. Unfortunately it wasn't the scream that I should have watched out for. It was the vomit that spewed from between my lips at the sight of my younger brother sprawled out on the floor with his blood pooling around him in a thick puddle and his eyes open and staring in a frozen state of terror.

Is that what woke me up? If so, why only me? I was known to be a light sleeper but my two sisters weren't exactly heavy sleepers by any means. My shirt, now stained with blood and vomit, I stripped from my body to wipe my mouth and lay it over the boy's head so none of us had to look upon the sight any longer. I shivered in my tanktop and wrapped my arms around myself. I couldn't tell if it was the cold that was making me shudder or the trauma wreaking havoc on my body but there was no doubt in any of our minds what had happened to Ian. Poor kid. What was he doing out in the living room? His bedroom was on the opposite side of the house next to the master bedroom. What woke him up?

With my eyes darting around the room I grabbed three pokers from the fireplace and gave one to each of my sisters. Hope was trembling and tears leaked from her eyes at alarming rates but she was still mostly there as far as her mentality went but when I tried handing a weapon to Elizabeth she just stared at it blankly. I couldn't risk someone losing their mind and I slapped her with as much force as I could muster. Her face changed to one of anger and for a moment I thought she was going to hit me back but I watched as realization crossed her features and she thanked me with a nod. "Stay on your toes and think fast." I mumbled and looked between the two of them. I moved ahead quickly. Everything was happening so fast and I had no time to spare. There was still one more person in the house that had yet to make an appearance and I told Hope and Elizabeth to stay back as I wandered towards the master bedroom where our mother resided. Hopefully she was still alive and chose to hide but I couldn't take the risk of either of my sisters witnessing her body if she was dead. Seeing our brother like that was bad enough. I wasn't going to put such a burden on their minds. Mine was strong enough to take it. Or so I hoped. It had to be. As I placed a hand on the door I glanced over my shoulder at Hope who was watching me carefully. "Ma?" I called out softly and I pushed the door. No answer reached my ears and I felt the wall for the light switch. It wouldn't be smart to walk in with no way of seeing if there was another one of those things lurking. Waiting to pounce on whoever dared venture in. My shaking hand located the switch and, with a deep breath, I flipped it and the room lit up.

I looked around anxious at what I would find but all I saw was a lump beneath the heavy blanketing. "Ma?" I called out to the form but it didn't move confirming my fears and I inched forward. Slow steps brought me to the foot of the bed and I peeked over the edge to see a large red pool staining one of the pillows. "Shit.." I mumbled and with a trembling hand I ripped the sheets back to see my mother. Dead. Against the white bedding the colors of her tan skin and deep crimson blood leaped out at me. Her throat was ripped apart. I went ahead and assumed she'd bled to death probably with no clue what was happening. Her eyes were closed and even her long lustrous lashes were coated with her own blood. I slumped against the side of the bed on my knees and took her cold hand in my own. "Ma.." I shook my head as my stomach hollowed out and became one with the floor. My heart ached for the woman who'd given birth to me. I was glad that I had not allowed my sisters to look upon the scene. Surely neither of them would have walked away with their sanity. I wasn't even sure how I managed the feat. Maybe all the years of avoiding true familial ties was what kept my head above water. I rested my head on the bed next to her. If I had ever believed in god I would have prayed that her soul find peace but it's hard to have faith when zombies are suddenly popping up. No god would allow such a thing. The loss. Basic human kindness being blanked out of existence upon abandonment. If there was such a god I would not worship him.

"Dezzy?" Hopes cautious voice reached my ears and I quickly threw the blankets over our mother's body as the young girl peaked inside to see me standing beside the bed. Her eyes darted to the floor upon seeing me. "Is she...?" Her question needed no conclusion. I knew what she was asking and I nodded. "Yeah.." Silence ensued as we stood there, uncomfortable, with the knowledge of a dead body in the same room. In front of the deceased we were afraid to talk. I gripped the fire poker loosely trying to stay alert as I took a second to think. This is what I needed most at the moment. Just a second to let all the pieces fall together so I could formulate a plan. We couldn't stay in the house. That wouldn't be smart in anyone's eyes. If my knowledge of zombies was in any way correct then the bodies of our family members would not stay immobile for long and we would find ourselves having to kill the people we were closest to. "We have to get out.." I stated flatly my eyes avoiding the bed next to me at all costs. Hope stared at me long and hard and though she wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch she knew I was right. Or maybe she was just putting her trust in me hoping that I would not lead her astray as I had yet to do. Her voice was meek and full of fear as she nodded. "Okay..." We shared a look of understanding and as I passed her on my way out of the room I took her by the wrist and dragged her along behind me. I wanted her out of that room as fast as possible.

Once in the living room I headed towards the glass sliding doors that led out to the back porch. I motioned to Elizabeth. "We're going to need more suitable weapons.." I muttered and looked down at the poker in my hand with a disdainful frown. What we were using now would be fine if we had nothing else but it gave very little space between us and our targets and if the myth about getting bitten by a zombie was true then I wasn't comfortable with getting too close. Besides we had to have something better in the shed.

Elizabeth seemed reluctant to go outside and I could understand her paranoia. I had it too and I looked hard into the darkness unwilling to turn on a light and give us away to whatever was lurking out there. My eyes searched for any kind of movement but there was nothing on the porch. Of this I was sure. "Coast is clear." I muttered to reassure Liz and though she still didn't seem to trust me she went along. I'm guessing she just didn't want to be left behind because whether she came along or not I was going and I was taking Hope with me.

As I slid the door open, quiet and cautious, I glanced over my shoulder and we all exchanged a look before we slipped out on to the porch. Hope was right behind me with Elizabeth pulling up the rear. "Where are you going to find weapons?" Elizabeth whispered as she stuck close to my side and I held a hand up to silence her as I listened for any moans or shuffling. The night was quiet where we were but some ways down the street I could hear screams of terror. "The shed." I pointed to the shack located just off the porch and I ignored her sharp intake of breath. Fear. She reeked of it. I remember thinking that I would one day teach her how to separate emotion from logic. This day would never come. I took the steps off the porch slow. My entire being was on high alert for any surprises. I hesitated on the last step and took Hope's trembling hand in my own gripping it tightly in a gesture of reassurance before taking off towards the shed in a swift run. I could hear Elizabeth's slower pace behind us and noted how much she was lagging. Her obesity would be an issue but I said nothing and kept my thoughts on the task at hand. I had a job to do. A role to play. I couldn't fuck this up.

As we reached the shed I wrenched the doors open and threw Hope inside and waited for Elizabeth who was wheezing as she bolted into the small space. As soon as she made it over the threshold I closed the doors and stuck a two by four, handed to me by Hope, into the handles as a makeshift lock. "Way to think on your feet." I praised my younger sister while Elizabeth bent over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. With her back turned I motioned at her to Hope in indication at what I was thinking. Her face told me she understood and she didn't know what to do. We couldn't very well leave the out of shape woman. She was family. That's what was going through Hope's mind. Mine, however, wasn't in agreement but if Hope didn't want me to do anything I wasn't going to do it. Instead I went to work looking for anything that might be useful. Tools were abundant but none of them would be acceptable. Hard to take out a zombie with a screwdriver unless you're comfortable with getting so close to that mouth. I wasn't. One close call was enough. "What are we going to do?" Elizabeth asked as she finally found a normal breathing pace. I continued looking through the possible weapons. A garden hoe wouldn't be smart. None of us had the skill it would take to manage to sever a head with it and I placed it aside. As I weighed a shovel in my hands I answered her question. "We're getting the fuck out of here." and, as I predicted, Elizabeth didn't like it. I tossed the shovel to Hope and she looked at it as if asking me what she would do with it and I answered her look with one of my own that said 'use your imagination.'

I glanced around at our environment and sighed. Not much of anything useful to be found had me considering other options. There wasn't anything in the house that could be considered weaponry. Not by a long shot. A spatula and an oven mitten didn't appeal to me. "Are you fucking kidding me? You want to go out there? With those THINGS?" Elizabeth hissed as I ran my fingers through my hair and thought for a moment. "Damn..I'm really starting to regret lending my bow out.." I sighed and took another look around.

Something caught my eye and as I moved towards it our older sister pressed me for information. "Are you fucking listening to me?" She raised her voice but I didn't acknowledge her. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I picked up the object of my interest. An axe. A little heavy and it would take a bit longer to swing than the shovel but it would take a head off without much resistance and it was really the best candidate for our situation. I couldn't very well go out wielding a rake. "Yes, I'm listening." I sighed as I turned with my new weapon in hand admiring it fondly. Hope cracked a smirk at my love for all things destructive.

"Then what the fuck are you thinking? We should stay in our house where it's safe!" Elizabeth stated stupidly. Yeah, that was a smart idea. If by smart, I meant suicidal and idiotic, which I did. Very smart. I presented her with my logic and reasoning hoping that she wouldn't get in my way. Or maybe it would be a good thing. I could practice my axe swing and we wouldn't have to drag her along with us. I could kill two birds with one stone. "If it's so safe then how did that zombie get in? Did you maybe forget to close the garage door before you went to bed? Also, Little bro and ma were both infected by that thing and by now they're up and walking around so if you want to go back inside go ahead. But you'll be going alone." I shrugged and I think it was this display of indifference and sardonic attitude that pissed her off. Or maybe it was the fact that she was having to hand over whatever kind of control she'd had in our every day lives to me. Either way she got pretty fucking pissed and stuck her finger in my face. "Look here, you little bitch. You think you're going to act like some cowboy in a movie trying to be a hero and you're just going to get us killed!" She raised her voice to me and I shrugged. "I told you that you can go. I'm not telling you what to do but there's no way that I'm going back in there." I stated and tilted my head and this only pissed her off even more but she just shook her head, turned away, and headed for the door muttering 'stupid bitch..' under her breath. I was okay with her leaving and going back into the house to die so I didn't move to stop her but the second she took Hope's hand and tugged her towards the entrance I didn't hesitate. It was on like Donkey Kong.

I took my fire poker up again and, with a crazed swing, I slammed the object into the aluminum wall beside our older sister's head halting her actions abruptly. No way in hell was she taking my reason for living and delivering her into the hands of demise. I'd kill Elizabeth before I let that happen and this registered on her face when she turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were wide and fearful. At the moment the zombies were the least of her concerns.
"Let her go.." My voice was cold. A flat monotone and the sound of it must have been intimidating in some way because it had Elizabeth reconsidering her hold on our younger sibling. She looked to hope in some sort of faith that she would talk me down from what I was doing. "You want to get her killed too?" Elizabeth asked me with her eyes on Hope the whole time. Hope's face read defiance. She knew better. Elizabeth saw this and pleaded with her. In truth she just didn't want to be alone. Through the years not once had she taken the time to acknowledge Hope's existence and now here she was trying to get her to turn her back on me. The one who'd been her other half since she could walk. She had to be out of her mind.

"You know better than that." Hope shook her head and pulled her hand free of the older woman's. "Dezzy would never let anything happen to me." She said and moved closer to me. I had to resist the urge to take her hand or touch her in any way to keep my grip on the axe. I savored her faith in me as it surged through her and into me. It calmed me and gave me the concentration I needed to refrain from ripping Elizabeth's head off for costing us so much time. If we were dealing with zombies then every second was crucial and we wasted so many already. People would be infected left and right and the ratio of zombie to human wasn't going to bode so well for us if we continued to waste any more precious seconds. Elizabeth looked between the two of us and I watched the resignation pass over her. She didn't want to be alone which she would be if she decided to stay in the house so her only other option was to come along with us despite my wishes. From the second she took Hope's hand any familial ties I had with her were severed and I ceased to think of her as our sister. She was just another person now and I had no qualms with leaving her sorry ass behind.

"Okay. I guess I have no choice.." Elizabeth mumbled and I shook my head as I headed towards the door. "There's always a choice. Whether it would be smart or not is another question.." I muttered as I removed the two by four and cracked open one of the doors. I heard her scoff at my comment but I ignored her and peeked out letting my ears take in the sounds of the outside world. More screaming in the distance but nothing necessarily close. The creature in our home must have been a straggler because it seemed like most of the activity was down the road. The one that lead out to the highway which told me that the city, in all likelihood, was unsafe. It was ironic that I hated that we lived in a rural area but it gave us such an advantage.

Options fluttered through my mind as I looked out and tried to catch any hint of threat no matter how miniscule. There were very few places that we would be able to flee to. We needed a place that was uninhabited and had the decent possibility of being fortified well enough to be a safe haven for a little while. The next forty-eight hours would be hectic if people were being zombified. Once the situation became apparent to everyone else panic would spread like a wildfire and the threat levels would be less from the zombies and more from frantic people trying to escape. Where to go...Where to go...Where..to..

"Hope. Why do you feed Mr. Frank's cat every day after school?" I asked as a thought hit me and an option presented itself. Hope seemed confused and out of the corner of my eye I saw her shrug. "He asked me to do while he was on vacat-" She clapped her hands excitedly as she caught on to my train of thought. "Oh, Des you're a genius!" She said and I couldn't help but smile at her compliment. "So I've been told." I said and motioned to my two siblings. "It looks clear but we're going to have to keep our eyes open." I said.

Mr. David Frank was a retired elderly man who lived alone with his cat as his only company. Hope and I befriended him in our youth and he was one of the very few people who held my respect. He was a kind man with wit that trounced my own on many an occasion. I found myself hoping that wherever he was he was safe. His home was located at the end of the road which was a good distance from our current location. We would have to make a run for it but if we could make it then his house would be perfect. Two stories with storm windows. If anything we could block off the staircase and take refuge on the second floor. If that failed then the roof would make a fine haven for a good while if we brought plenty of food and water with us. The fact that it was out-of-the-way appealed to me as well. His home was not just off the road. There was a few yards of forest around the perimeter hiding it from prying eyes. It might not deter zombies but a person running would not think to go into the woods to look for a house.

"How are we going to get there?" Elizabeth asked and I looked at her like she was stupid. "How the fuck do you think?" I looked to our feet as an indication and her eyes went wide. "Walk? Can't we just take the car?" She asked. I rolled my eyes at her obvious dislike at the thought of a little cardio. It's not like it would kill her to do a bit of running. "Yeah and risk the lights and sound attracting some company that can follow us? I don't think so." I said shaking my head. Behind me Hope was silent but I could tell she and I were thinking the same thing. 'Idiot.' It was time to move. No longer could we stay in hiding in such an unsuitable place. It was time to get going before we had any more stragglers coming around. Again I took Hope's hand in my own and squeezed. Keeping her right behind me was my top priority. "You feeling froggy, PITA?" Hope sighed at my nickname towards her. I'd bestowed it upon the young girl many years previous on account that she always had me fighting her battles for her. It stood for Pain in the ass and, secretly, she loved it. "Yeah." I could hear the hesitation in her voice. The hesitation she was trying so hard to hide and I admired her for showing such strength in this dire situation. "Then let's jump..."

I kind of wish I could tell you that this is a short story. That we made it to Mr. Frank's house without incident and waited out the infestation which ended a few weeks later. That we'd laughed and grown close as a family once again and we all had a happily ever after. Well, shit that sounds all fine and dandy but that's just not the truth. So sorry to inform you.

We took off. Well technically, Hope and I took off. Poor Elizabeth, though trying so damn hard to keep up, was about a yard behind us as we started sprinting off towards safety and neither Hope nor I was willing to slow down for her. Not after the stupid shit she'd pulled back in the shed. Around the house to the front we cut across the front lawn and made it onto the street with not so much as a glimpse of one of those' things'. Like I'd assumed most of the activity was in the opposite direction. It would be impossible to think that there wasn't a chance of some being in the same area as us. That's just the way it was starting to look.

I glanced over my shoulder as we came to the halfway point to our destination as Elizabeth exclaimed for us to wait. I halted in my tracks out of pure shock that she could suggest such a thing. As she jogged to catch up with us I surveyed the surrounding area and grew furious that she could slow us down so much. If we hadn't stopped we'd have been running up to the point of the woods just outside of Mr. Frank's house just about the time the slow woman caught up with us. We could have been safe in just a few more moments. It was Hope's hand squeezing my own that had me thinking twice about just kicking her ass and leaving her to die. After all it wasn't my fault she had no will power when it came to sweets.

"I need to rest for a minute." Elizabeth wheezed as she bent over with hands on her knees again. I gaped at Hope exasperated to the point that I wanted to start ripping my hair out by the roots. What the hell did she think this was? A game? Did she fully grasp the situation we were in or what? I was seriously starting to doubt it. "What the fuck do you mean rest?" I hissed as my eyes darted around like a maniac. "We don't have time for your shit! Kick it into gear, Beth!" I continued as Hope stood quietly. She wouldn't involve herself in this. That was just the way it was with all of us. In our home lives Beth and I butted heads on an almost constant basis because she had some weird complex when it came to asserting her dominance over me no matter what was going on. She had to be 'the older sister'. Why the fuck she was choosing now, of all times, to pull that bullshit was beyond me.

"Fuck you, Destiny! If I say we rest, we rest!" She seemed to have forgotten what happened back in the shed. That she had no control anymore.. I was a loose cannon ready to blow but she was still trying to pull the dominant bitch thing. I wasn't going to play her game anymore. "I'm not dying!" I hissed and before Hope could have a chance to stop me I planted a foot into her shoulder sending her toppling over in a wheezing mass. As she hit the ground she roared with anger and I clenched my fists in fear that the noise would attract unwanted company. Fuck that bitch. I wasn't sticking around to find out. She could enjoy dying alone at the hands of our flesh-eating neighbors. I was done. But as I turned to walk away Hope wouldn't budge. 'Shit! for crying out loud!'

"Des, we can't just leave her." My younger sibling pleaded with me and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was seriously sticking up for her after what had gone down not even a few minutes ago? Which reminded me. Time was still ticking by. It wasn't going to wait for us and our window of safety was closing with every second. "Yes we can!" I growled and yanked the girl towards me. She was stubborn and jerked back as Elizabeth scrambled to her feet. Her features were contorted in anger.

I pointed her. "There. she's fine. Can we GO now?" my voice low and full of anticipation. I couldn't handle all of this. Not this. My mother and younger brother were dead and probably craving human flesh. My 'older sister' was a cow who could barely make it a few yards without running out of stamina and my younger sister, my reason for living, was pleading with me to risk both of our lives on account of one weak link. Add the impending end of the world and guess what? You have one stressed out person. I had no idea that trying to keep one single person alive would be so difficult. It was starting to make me regret saving Elizabeth's ass to start with. I should have grabbed Hope and ran when I saw that thing in her room. I should have let it kill her while we made our escape because she was turning out to be more trouble than I wanted or needed. I cursed myself for my mistake..

"I think I can keep going now.." Elizabeth grumbled. She was still obviously pissed at me and I threw my hands up in the air. "Bout fucking time.." I grumbled and made a move to continue. But I'd made a mistake. In my fury I hadn't kept a close enough ear out. I didn't catch my mistake at first. I thought the shuffling footsteps behind us were Elizabeth's but as I made to continue running and my body went back into 'full alert' mode I immediately distinguished that set of footsteps as irregular. Elizabeth may have been tired but not to the point that her steps would be so uneven.

"Nggggaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh..." That moan. That moan did a lot for me, I'll tell you that now. I swung around upon hearing the groan from behind and made sure that Hope was positioned safely and shielded by my body and just as I turned my head to locate the undead cannibal Elizabeth's shrill scream filled the night air. Not like the screams she'd emitted before that point. Those were of fear. Of horror. This scream was just like the ones I could still hear from down the street. Screams of pain and anguish. The kind of blood curdling banshee howl that had goosebumps rising all over my body as my eyes locked onto the sight of her as she was tackled, pinned down, and treated like Fido's favorite chew toy.

Broken, bloodied teeth sunk into the flesh of Elizabeth's shoulder and the beast tore a chunk from her. I watched unable to move as blood began to gush in all directions from the wound. As the flesh was torn away, resisting without my hope of success, the fatty tissue and muscle beneath was revealed. The bite was so deep that I could see hints of her collar-bone peeking out at me. So white against the intense red. Her face screwed up in pain and her eyes screamed at me just as she began to cry out for help. Those hazel eyes that had expressed such hatred towards me at one time were now full of helpless abandon, terror, and desperation.

"AGGGGHHHHHHHH!" I flinched at the sheer force of her scream. The expulsion of noise that ripped forth from her throat as another bite was taken. This time from her neck and the zombie pulled at the flesh tearing the jugular vein which seemed to struggle but after a tug or two the creature let it be. It was satisfied with its mouthful of skin and muscle. The forgotten vein hung limp from her neck. while her screams turned to gurgles it spurted blood onto her shoulder and chest. Then Elizabeth was silent. I was stunned and paralyzed by the sight as Hope tugged on my arm urging me to move. It was like I wasn't there physically. Yes. I knew where I was and what was going on but my mind was a different story. Someone had pressed the slow mo button on my brain and every step backwards felt like it took hours. I was entranced by the pure, uncensored gore and violence taking place in front of me. How could I lose my cool like that? I was supposed to be the strong one, right? Then why the hell did I feel like my stomach had no bottom and my heart was taking refuge in my throat?

"DESTINY! MOVE!" Hope's terrified shout snapped me out of it and I swiveled my head to see why she was staring back so horrified. Now that Elizabeth was dead the zombie was no longer interested in feasting on her. No. Not when there was fresh meat standing a mere two yards from it. I shuddered harshly as I took a look at its gaping mouth dripping with blood. It's face was covered in it. Like a child who'd shoved their face into their birthday cake. I'd done that once. Those were the good times. Carefree and innocent. Odd how I would remember such a thing while staring at a ravenous flesh eater as it began to stand. "Oh...Fuuuuuuuuuucccckkk." I mumbled and shoved at Hope. "Go." She didn't move. She was just as frozen as I was but I was shoving her along through my terror. "Go." I repeated and as she took a step the zombie began to run at us. I shoved Hope roughly. "Go go go go go go GO!" I shouted and we began to sprint like our lives depended on it. Because well, they did.

I didn't expect the undead to be able to run. Especially as fast as it was coming after us with its terrible moans ringing in my ears. It was terrible. The sound itself was enough to make me want to throw up let alone what I had just seen it do. I didn't want my life to end like that. Not at the hands of something that was just going to chomp on me and then leave my corpse to become just like the rest of them. No way in hell. Thinking about it wasn't good for me. My heart was racing as Hope and I dashed down the street like two bats out of hell but the image of being killed by one of those things increased my heart rate and panic coursed through my entire being. By the way, letting yourself become distracted with thoughts while you're running increases your chance of tripping. How do I know? Because the second I took my mind off just putting one foot in front of the other as fast as I could one foot caught beneath the other. I fell and my face was happily greeted by the pavement.

My chronic panic increased as my body took a second to recover. A second that I couldn't nor wouldn't spare. I could hear the zombie's footsteps. They were frantic as it came upon its next victim and perfectly in rhythm with my crazed heartbeat. I groaned as my nose throbbed. I could feel blood trickling down my lips and onto my chin. It felt broken. "Shit." I refused for this to be the end for me. I was way too stubborn to let something like this mean my demise. What pain? Oh, that intense headache, roadrash on my face, and a broken nose? I can run it off.

My axe fell away from me when I landed and as I heard the creature moan in victory I could just imagine the gluttonous look in its vacant eyes. It was probably drooling with anticipation for warm flesh to tear into. "Not this time, fucknuts.." I grunted and forced myself to my feet. I launched myself at my axe and as soon as I had it in my grip I turned with my weapon at the ready as the beast lunged for me. "Batter batter..." I mumbled. My hands were shaking as I brought the axe up to shoulder height. "Swing!" I shouted and let the weapon go with everything I had.

"Shplurnt!"

A wonderful sound filled the air as the moans of the zombie ceased. Hope was standing feet away clutching the shovel to her chest as the zombie's head landed at her feet. In front of me its body crumpled to the ground. All kinds of nasty fluids leaked from the severed hunk of meat that could barely be considered a neck after the abuse of the axe that I now used to support my weight. The stress on my body was becoming unbearable with all the shit going on. I desperately needed to rest. I'd taken out two zombies in less than an hour which, to me, was equivalent to running five miles after two days of starvation. Add in my lack of sleep and you've got a good estimation of what I was experiencing. My heart was racing and my adrenaline was going crazy and giving me the shakes. Or that could have been the shock. Of course my will to keep going wouldn't let me stay immobile for long and while Hope was busy tossing her cookies all over the Zombie's severed head I made my way over to her. I was trying to act normal. Like none of this was effecting me in the least. Like I said, I was supposed to be the strong one. If she saw me crumbling she'd follow suit immediately and it was my strength that was helping her keep up her own. I knew this well enough to hide my exhaustion and emotional unbalance for her benefit.

"Come on. We're almost there." I jerked my head towards the small opening of woods half a mile away. Hope looked at me with teary eyes. Her stunning brown gaze fearful and shaky as she stared at me like I was some hero in a comic book. I think the only word to really come close to describing it would be 'awe.' Yeah, that sounds about right. "Dezzy...You..." Her words trailed off and I didn't even want to know what she was about to say so I tilted my head and cracked the fakest smile I've ever had to place onto my face.
"Race ya."

That was months ago. How many? I couldn't tell anymore. It was difficult to keep track of time these days. But laying on a cot with a broken cigarette stuck between my lips while I stared at the ceiling of an office I was still thinking about it. Every single detail of those first few nights were still so vivid in my mind. As if they'd taken place mere hours ago. Where had the time gone? Speaking of time. I didn't even know what time of day it was. There were no windows in the office I inhabited and I'd just woken up not too long ago. I'd guess a half an hour give or take a few minutes. I hated sitting around with nothing to do. "Figure it's about time to get my lazy ass up.." I grumbled and smothered a yawn. Though I got enough sleep in the night before after serving my watch shift I was still tired as all hell. Sleeping on a cot can do that to a person. I must have tossed and turned all night. The thin cloth that served as my blanket hadn't survived my non-stop movement and lay on the dust-ridden floor in a bundle. Not that it mattered. Georgia's nights were barely cooler than the days. Sometimes I awoke sweating bullets. But I wasn't looking forward to winter either. If the others survived it without freezing to death then I'd consider us lucky.

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the cot. My back protested but that was nothing new. I'd be sore no matter what position I slept in. At one time I'd thought about suggesting we grab a bunch of mattresses on a scavenging trip into town but we didn't have a truck or any mode of transportation other than our feet. Walking in and out of the small city undetected was difficult enough as it was. I couldn't imagine any of us surviving toting around a bunch of mattresses. The cots weren't simple to get but they were nowhere near as difficult as actual beds. Ah, the simple luxuries that we had to sacrifice in this wasteland.

With another yawn I attempted to run my fingers through my hair to straighten out my eternal bed head but my fingers became tangled in a knot instantly and I sighed. "Fuck..Need to find a brush or something. This is becoming a pain in the ass." I grumbled. With a tug I freed my fingers and used a rubber band secured around my wrist to tie my hair up in a messy bun. I was tempted to find a sharp object and lop all of it off. Especially my bangs which were too long and constantly hanging in my eyes. I struggled to blow them out of my face unsuccessfully until admitting defeat after many failures. "Fuck it." I huffed and looked around the office I'd come to know as home. Filthy as always. I'd done what I could to make it feel somewhat more comfortable by pushing the dilapidated desk against a wall to give myself more room. Unfortunately I couldn't do anything about the layer of dirt on the floor. It was so filthy that footprints could clearly be made out. One good thing about that. I'd know just by looking at the floor if anyone ever invaded my space while I was out. Still it would be nice to find a broom and convince the others that its useful instead of a waste of carrying space.

All over the walls were charts. A majority of them were there before I claimed the office as my own. They were sales charts and shipment schedules. All very dull and boring if you'd ask me. But there were a few I pinned up during my time here. One of them was a map I picked up at a gas station. When Hope and I first arrived I used it to trace the path we'd taken from our home to this city. I only kept it to remind myself how far she and I had come. How much we'd survived. We made it out of the outskirts of Atlanta into the rural area around the city. Getting through Atlanta had been one hell of a struggle that was full of close calls. There were so many times that we came face to face with death. Sometimes I wonder how the fuck we made it out alive. All those times I made decisions that I wasn't proud of and karma still hadn't caught up with me yet.

When we'd first come upon the city my rule had been to avoid heavily populated areas at all costs. But there was no way we could have gotten around 'd were running low on supplies. We had a straggler with us. His name was Shawn. He was a deadbeat with an attitude who would soon be facing the challenges of being a father in the apocalypse. Initially he hadn't been alone. We'd come across him and his six month along pregnant girlfriend just before leaving Atlanta when we hit a sports shop. Our first meeting was a bad omen from the start. I found a fair hunting bow and had stuffed a bag full of arrows. I was testing out the feel of the bow when the two entered. Shawn wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. He'd come up behind me while I wasn't paying attention. "Sure you know how to use something like that?" He asked. Startled, I turned and aimed an arrow between his eyes. "Are you sure it's a good idea to sneak up on an armed archer?" So much for a good first impression.

He had this odd idea in his head that since we'd technically become a 'group' we also needed a leader. He and I didn't get along all that well in the end. Time and time again he shot down my ideas trying to assert himself. It made me wonder what the hell was up with the power struggle? He wasn't the first person that tagged along who attempted to travel such a path. I explained the situation to him one night when he got seriously mouthy. He was spouting some bullshit about how he had more experience with the area when I finally snapped. I told him, as politely as I could, "There is no 'leader', asshole. It's just me and Hope and you decided to tag along. She and I are going to live and no one is going to get in the way of that. If you want to stick around go ahead but I'm not following you. If you don't agree with my plans then go your own way. You don't have to stick around. I never invited you to join us in the first place so I don't even know why we're having this conversation." He ceased his arguing and in the end he stuck around. I didn't give a damn what he thought, said, or did. He wasn't my responsibility. Hope was. The only thing I cared about was making sure I kept her safe. The rest of the world could go fuck itself.

His girlfriend, Rebecca, was killed not too long after that. I never said it to him but it was his fault. Yet he placed the blame on me. I took a certain back road that none of us were familiar with and he'd gone on a rant about how we were heading for a death trap. In truth it was the only way we could go without being in plain sight of walkers. I ignored him and kept going but stress was a big factor in this world now. Too much of it and people tended to snap in a big way. Just like Shawn. Ever since then I refer to insane snapping moments as 'The Shawn effect.' The complete and utter disappearance of all logical thinking resulting in disaster more often than not. He wanted us to slow our pace because Rebecca couldn't keep up in her state. I wasn't willing to waste time. The undead were bound to discover us if we stopped too long. If we'd just kept moving then she wouldn't have died. The resulting argument was the end of her. As her boyfriend started getting louder and louder with his demands it should have come as no surprise when walkers showed up. He'd been ringing the god damn dinner bell. Still he had the oddest look of shock on his face when Rebecca was grabbed and torn to shreds. The loss of both Rebecca and her unborn child hit Hope hard. It saddened me but I couldn't afford to show it. I had to keep us moving. She would be the mourner while I remained the distant one. These were our most comfortable roles.

Shawn's death was fresh in my memories as well. I looked at my hands and stretched my fingers out able to clearly make out his blood soaking them. His death was on me. I'd broken one of my own rules of the game and risked all our lives in the process. But I had no choice. Or did I? We needed food. None of us had eaten anything for days. The sounds of Hope's stomach kept me awake while I kept guard as watchman over whatever place we camped. Sleep was nearly impossible for me to achieve with danger around every corner anyhow. We needed food to move on and there was no telling when we'd get the chance to stock up again. So I headed into the city with Hope and Shawn putting their lives in my hands. But I hadn't put enough caution into my actions and walked into the wrong convenience store. Shawn ended up undead and Hope and I were about to go down with him. It was a stroke of luck and a sniper with ADD that saved us. A sigh escaped me and I clenched my hands into fists. We'd come so far.

I couldn't stay stuck in my head any longer and slung my bow over my shoulder. I'd begun taking it everywhere with me because I was afraid to be caught off guard if I didn't. I exited the office and looked around at the large warehouse I currently resided in. It was abandoned for years before the outbreak and before being discovered by the group of survivors that lived within it's neglected walls. We owed that group our lives. 'If it weren't for these people Hope and I would be dead..' And I'd thought basic human kindness had died with ninety percent of the world's population.

Back in the convenience store I turned my back for a second. One single second had been enough time for the undead to get the jump on us. I hadn't properly scoped out the area to see what we were dealing with. At first glance the place looked deserted enough. Until a lone walker caught sight of us, moaned, and attracted an assload more. My thoughts before that moan centered around what would be the lightest food to carry around with us. Afterwords I'm pretty sure I thought nothing aside from a string of curses that were too foul for me to even remember. Shawn went down first. He was the closest to the entrance and was grabbed by five or more zombies while Hope and myself were frozen in surprise. How in the hell had they gotten to us so quickly? Where had they come from? It was pure chaos. I grabbed Hope and shoved her down in the middle of the aisle hoping the walkers hadn't noticed our presence yet. I was too late. As soon as we ducked three walkers rounded the corner in our aisle and headed straight for us with brutal intent. My bow was of no use so I went with the more practical weapon that I'd refused to give up in case of emergency. My axe. I scrambled to my feet and began swinging wildly. I successfully dispatched two of the walkers and took off the third ones left leg but it began crawling after us. I pushed Hope and we attempted to escape the aisle in the opposite direction but only more of the undead awaited us at the end. There were far too many for me to handle on my own and more were coming down the aisle the same way the first group had. We were backed into a corner with death's clammy hands extending out to us with a feral grin. I positioned Hope behind me and gritted my teeth. Maybe it would be quick. Maybe one of the zombies would tear my jugular out and I'd bleed out within seconds. God, but what about Hope? I'd failed her. Her sobbing was heavy as she clung to my back with her sharp little fingernails digging into my flesh through my shirt. "Looks like it's the end of the line, PITA." I shut my eyes tightly and hoped for a quick death for the both of us. But I was wrong. It wasn't the end. Not even close. In fact it was just the beginning.

Upon scanning the area I spotted three of my fellow survivors. Jackson and Kirk were goofing off. While I stood and watched Kirk attempted to show Jackson a couple of moves he'd learned from his days as a police officer. The move they were currently working on was commonly called the Hammerlock. I'd never used it on anyone and had no idea how to do it but from what I could see it was basically a way to control an opponent using their arm by applying pressure and manipulating the shoulder while gripping the wrist behind their back. Jackson didn't look too happy with having it used on him just as a demonstration but he showed some patience and allowed Kirk to teach him. This was a rare sight. Jackson wasn't exactly known for being patient or friendly. He was a large black man with a mouth to match his size. The type who was too stressed out for his own good. He had a smart mouth, was quick to anger, and had a huge attitude problem. He also had an issue with treating women like human beings instead of objects. Since Hope and I were welcomed into the group I noticed that there wasn't a single person that Jackson didn't argue with or smart off to. He even got into it with Kirk a couple of times but kirk was a nice guy who got along with everybody because he was just so friendly. How he got along with Jackson astounded me. Jackson could be a little on the racist side at times. But maybe it was because Kirk, despite the stress of the apocalypse, managed to keep a sense of humor and a knack for making others smile. 'He might be the only person who can stand to be around Jackson for more than five minutes.' I thought as I watched the two grown men roll across the floor cursing. Typical men. 'Start a playful spar and end up getting serious about the whole matter.'

I turned my attention to a man sitting off to the side on a stack of crates. Vincent Connolly Was one of the greatest men I'd ever met in my entire life. A retired army Major general, Vincent was a solid old toughie with plenty of years of experience under his belt. Sixty years old and he was still in great shape. With a tousled mop of grey hair and crinkled brown eyes it was obvious that he had been a handsome young man. His skin was a little worn and his tattoos were fading and somewhat difficult to make out but there was still plenty of muscle left. I'd never seen a man of his age in such a condition. He might have been the most prepared of any of us in the group. He was used to war. The fact that his enemy was now the undead didn't even seem to phase him much. As long as he could end his day with at least thirty kills added on to his record he was happy. He was doing what he loved to do. He was serving his country and defending those close to him. Like me and Hope. In our time with the group both of us had grown close to Old Vince. But that was inevitable. He had the classic humor that I admired and a mind as sharp as his shooting. A month or so after joining the group's ranks he was the one to introduce me to the assault rifle. A lovely weapon if you've got the ammo room for it but I still preferred my bow to most weapons.

On both sides of Ol' Vince there was a pile of sticks. He'd pick one up, whittle away at it for a while, and then set it into the other pile. I watched him curiously for a moment or two before I couldn't help myself. I approached him but he didn't look up until I spoke. "What are you doing?" I asked. He raised his head and shot me with his million dollar smile. Not a single tooth missing. I could only dream of aging as well as he was. "Hm?" He looked down at the project in his hand and shrugged. "I noticed you were running low on arrows. Just trying to help." He said and motioned to the pile on his left. I arched an eyebrow and picked one of the would-be arrows and looked it over. "Not bad. Nice thickness and length." I ran my fingers over the gritty wood and shrugs. "Shood work nicely. A little rough though." I looked it over once more and dropped it back into it's pile.

Vince nodded and tapped his knife in his knee. "Yeah. I'll see if any of the boys can scavenge me up some sandpaper or something." He scratched the back of his neck. "These'll just be back up of course. Just in case ya can't get your hands on arrows when y'all go out for supplies." He sat up a little straighter. I nodded trying to hide the full extent of my smile. Vince was such a nice guy. He wanted to make me arrows? I barely even wanted to do that when I was at my most bored but he'd thought about me and wanted to help me out. He was the father figure I should have had while growing up. Strong, kind, and disciplined. But I guess my biological father didn't do a horrible job at raising me. Hope and I were basically good people thanks to my parents.

"Well I shouldn't have to worry about that. We've got some scavenging planned today." I was looking forward to it. I'd made a small list in my head of items I was in need of. Plus it was nice to get out and stretch my legs. I didn't much like being cooped up in the warehouse all day every day. There were plenty of people to talk to and there was enough space to get some exercise but it wasn't the same. I liked the outdoors. Vince shook his head and tapped his knife a couple more times. "I don't know about that. You might want to go talk to Ruki 'bout that." He said with a chuckle. The tone he said it with made my hopes drop. Damn it. "Great." I sighed. "You know where I can find him?" I asked. Vince scoffed at my comment and pointed up. "Where else?" He chuckled and sniffed his armpit. "Ugh. And after ya find him how about ya try to talk Caleb into letting us use some of the water for bathing. It's been a while." He made a face and quickly dropped his hand into his lap.

He was right. It had been a long time since any of us had been able to bathe. To conserve water usage Caleb had restricted water to only food, drink, and the occasional laundry day. "Well why don't you ask him?" I asked. Vince wagged a finger at me and arched an eyebrow. "You know that damn man only listens to you. Stubborn as a mule, that one. Luckily you've got him matched being as bull-headed as you are. You've got a better chance than any of us do." He barked a laugh and I nodded with a thumbs up. "I'll see what I can do." I turned with a wave and headed off for the stairs. Finding Ruki would be just what I needed to wake up. Jogging upstairs would get my heart pumping and give me some more energy than what I had after waking up in such a shitty state. I was always having to find him for answers or to deliver a message to him. It sure was helping me stay in shape. Yet another thing I was grateful to Ruki for. That list was starting to get pretty long. He was the reason Hope and I were rescued from the convenience store.

The group was on a scavenging trip and were looting a store one street over from our location. Ruki, being the group's sniper and lookout, was positioned on the bookstore directly between their group and Hope and I. He told me afterwards that it was by complete chance that he looked over to the convenience store. He radioed Caleb who gave him the go ahead and he cleared a path to our location. It was a very clean escape. They had teamwork and precision. It was more than I would have expected from a group of survivors. I'd met a few that shouldn't have lived for as long as they did. But they had two of the best leaders that anyone could have asked for. Caleb and Vincent were some of the best at strategy and planning. Like a pair of generals preparing for war. Those two kept the moral up with ease, kept order, and were hell bent on keeping everyone inside the warehouse safe. They were both so different but had the same goals. Vincent was the one who was always up and about keeping everyone on their toes and smiling while Caleb tended to shy away and stick to his office to sketch out different strategies and figure out how we can use our resources more effectively. I usually had to force him into socializing and being interactive with all of the survivors. He'd help someone in an instant but freeze up if having to talk to someone in a casual setting. He was all statistics, logic, and planning. What a workaholic, right?

I was breathing heavy by the time I made it to the top of the steps and I rested for a second in front of the door to the roof to catch my breath before heading out into the bright sunlight. I immediately shielded my eyes and looked around. It wasn't hard to spot Ruki. He stuck out like a sore thumb in most settings. He was hunched over, sitting Indian style with his rifle propped up on the ledge, and his eye glued to the scope. That's the position one would find him in ninety-seven percent of the time. He loved his rifles like a fat kid loves cake. Originally Ruki came to America from Japan to go to college. He was studying to become a doctor just like his mother and father nagged at him to do his entire life. Honestly I couldn't imagine him being a doctor. You see Ruki is the type of guy who doesn't really fit the mold of someone walking down the hallway of a hospital unless he's in a straightjacket. Because mommy and daddy pretty much controlled his entire life since the day he was born Ruki began to rebel against them at the age of eighteen. He began bleaching his hair because he couldn't stand to be just like everyone else in Japan. He got an entire tattoo sleeve on his right arm and he pierced damn near everything. His lips, the bridge of his nose, and his left eyebrow. His ears glittered with multiple rings and studs, his tongue, his nipples, his bellybutton, and I've never asked about anything lower than that. That is information that I don't need. Ever. Don't get me wrong. Ruki was a pretty handsome guy. Strong jaw, in great shape, and those dark, exotic, ever observant eyes. Add in his explosive personality and he was a catch in his own way. He was funny, smart, and best of all he was himself. His batshit crazy brutally honest self. I just didn't have romance on my list of priorities.

His parents didn't care what he looked like as long as he got good grades. When his parents told him this he took it as the green light to completely go ape shit. America was his way of letting loose. His parents weren't there to control him. The possibilities were endless. As soon as he made it to America he began wreaking havoc on anyone he could. He'd start random bar fights for no reason except that he was getting bored. He'd stroll down the street with a crowbar and whistle jaunty tunes while he smashed in the windshields of parked cars. He'd hire a hooker just to sit in a room and talk to him. He said the best company is the kind that you will never see again. Those are the people you can spill your guts to. He wasn't the most balanced young man in the world but he sure was one hell of a sniper. He was also one of my closest friends. He'd let me work on my aim on the roof with him on occasion and sometimes we'd just sit up here in the dead of night on watch and talk about our lives. The people we were before the chaos. For being a psycho he sure was an interesting one. With all of his crimes Ruki was only arrested once. He was sitting in jail when all hell broke loose.

I watched the young man as he scanned the area with his scope. Back and forth he watched in the distance. I was worried about what had Vincent telling me there may be no trip into the city. Since he'd told me to talk to Ruki who happened to be the lookout I assumed the zombie forecast wasn't going to be good. But there was no point in being pessimistic. Maybe he just didn't feel like going today. We all had our days where we didn't want to do anything. Rest was pretty important so these days were looked forward to. But it would leave me with little to do.

I tiptoed around behind him and bent down next to his right ear. "BOO!" I shouted and hopped backwards quickly as Ruki jumped and cursed loudly. "SHIT!" Clear as a bell. That was something about him that I found hilarious. Ruki wasn't the best at speaking English and the only words in the English language that he could pronounce clearly were curses. People tended to steer clear of him because they found it so difficult to communicate with him. It took a long time for me to get used to his thick accent enough to hold lengthy conversations with him. But if he got excited then there would never be any hope for anyone to translate. When he talked too fast it made no sense whatsoever.

He whirled around and shot me a glare. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He growled. I smirked and sat down on the ledge. "Stop cancelling our scavenging trips." I retorted. Ruki tore his eye away from the scope to shake his head. "If you could see what I see then you wouldn't want to go into the city either." He said. I looked out across the miles of grass and dirt to the outskirts of the city but could see nothing. Did I want to? We all knew what owned those streets. "How many?" I asked. If there were few enough then I could probably convince Caleb to still let us go in and get supplies. Ruki chuckled and moved over. "See for yourself." He motioned to his rifle and I sighed. "Alright." I crouched down and looked through the scope. My jaw dropped. The last time I was in the city it hadn't been too bad. One hundred. Maybe one hundred and fifty at the most. Now there were much more. I'd estimate about four or five hundred. "Holy shit." I grumbled and sat back and stared at the outskirts in the distance. Ruki picked at a loose thread on his jeans. " For the past week there have been more and more every day. We'll have stragglers in a few days. There's no telling how long it will take them to move on."

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm worried about. How are we going to go without supplies? If they keep multiplying like this then we're never going to be able to go in. We haven't been out for a week and a half. We have eighteen mouths to feed. Why the hell aren't we going out while we still can? Within the next few days we won't be able to get anywhere near it without risking unnecessary lives." I motioned to the city. "We can still make it in and out. I say we go in today and tomorrow and make sure to get enough for us to have a chance at lasting. Those walkers might not get into the warehouse but that doesn't mean we can't starve to death." Ruki glanced to his rifle and chewed on his bottom lip. He looked hesitant. I had faith in the scavenging teams so why couldn't Ruki? Something was bothering him.

With a grin I played the one card that would always give me an upper hand when it came to convincing my batshit crazy buddy. "Oh, come on. What happened to Mr. Gung ho? Any other time you'd be the first person jumping at the opportunity to give your beloved rifle a little action." I frowned and kicked at the ground absently and watched the young man in my peripheral vision. He was staring at his gun and I watched him lift a hand to stroke the barrel affectionately. "She has been kind of bored lately." He mumbled. I tried to refrain from smiling and cleared my throat. "Just think. Today and tomorrow are going to be your only chance to play with her. After that it'll be a while before it's safe to even pick off the few that travel this way without being detected. " I saw his hand twitch on the barrel and he froze. I won. How did I know I'd won? His sigh. His sighs always meant the same thing. 'Oh well.'

"You've got my consent. Now you just have to get Caleb to okay it." A sly smirk crossed his lips and he shook his head. "Good luck." He said. I kicked at the ground some more. "I'm gonna need it. Vincent asked me to mention water for bathing to him. Now I've also got to convince him to let us go out." I shook my head and chuckled. "Damn. I don't know how I'm going to pull this one off." Ruki shrugged and slipped a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lit up and rested his back against the ledge. "I don't know. That's up to you but if you're serious about this then you'd better get to it. I wouldn't consider it wise to be in the city after dusk. We'll need time to prepare and discuss routing. We're also going to need to send out scouts to locate where the most activity is. If we're lucky we can avoid them. If not.." He shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "I'll go out with Jackson and check things out but only once you've got the green light. I'm not doing shit until then." He waved to the door and he leaned forward to glue his eye to the scope again. I no longer existed to him. He was in his own little world with his rifle. "Alrighty.." I mumbled. I turned on my heal and exited the roof.

The trip down the stairs was quicker than my trip up. I wanted to hurry up and get this shit out of the way. I couldn't believe the amount of moaners I'd seen just from the borderlines of the city. How many would be beyond that? There would be no telling until the scouts came back. That would take around two and a half hours for the both of them to travel by foot the entire way. Two and a half hours in which those of us back at the warehouse could get everyone prepared to go out. Then we'd wait for the scouts and formulate a plan depending on their reports. But it was going to take some serious persuasion on my part for Caleb to get behind the idea. He was always hesitant to take extreme risks. If he didn't find a mission to be safe then he wouldn't let a single person outside. Not for anything. I proved once that I didn't need his permission to do something. I snuck out and slipped into the city to get Hope a sketchbook and some pencils just because she said she was getting somewhat bored without being able to draw. That was something she excelled in. She had a shining inner artist that came barreling out in her paintings, sketches, and sculptures. Plus it was getting kind of close to her birthday so I went in. It was all fine and dandy for a while. But then Caleb found out I'd snuck out and sent Ruki after me which ended in disaster. I had what I'd come for and was already out of the store by the time Ruki arrived. He thought he evaded all of the walkers. In reality he'd been seen by a couple and that attracted more. By the time he got to me he had a dozen or more trailing behind him. We barely made it out and Caleb was pissed at me when we got back. Ever since then I've been watching my actions. If I could carry everything we'd be needing I'd probably go on my own but I couldn't. Plus it was kind of nice to have someone else there to watch my back.

I jogged down the remaining flight of stairs and passed by Kirk and Jackson. They were sitting down, both breathing heavily and laughing over something. Kirk waved as I passed and I returned his friendly gesture but Jackson was oblivious to my presence. He and I never really got along that great. The first time we met we started butting heads. But we had come to a truce. As long as neither one of us bothered the other then we could continue to work together. While out in the city we did well with one another but those were the only times we really communicated. As soon as we were back in the warehouse we ignored each other.

Caleb's office was all the way across the warehouse from my location and was down the only hallway. It lead to a meeting room of sorts. This is where everyone on the scavenging teams met up and discussed strategy. Caleb had taken to sleeping there more and more. If I had to choose a place to look for him it would be there far more often than in his room. So I headed in that general direction. I passed by Chelsea, Linda, and Tracy washing clothing in an old bin with filthy water. They also had water restrictions. Only one bin of water for laundry. Things were getting pretty tight around the warehouse. We needed to grab cases of bottled water so we could use our water supply for more.

The three women looked up as I came closer and Linda smiled and waved. I would have simply waved and continued on my way but Tracy stopped me with a "Just who I wanted to see." I stopped and raised an eyebrow. Hopefully they didn't want me to ask Caleb something for them too. If so then I wasn't going to get anywhere. "Hm? Why did you want to see me?" I asked. Tracy shrugged and rung out the shirt she just finished washing. "I was just wondering if you've brought your laundry out. I can go get it if you want me to." She said. I shook my head and put all of my weight on my left leg. "No thanks. I'll bring it out here eventually to wash." I bounced slightly, anxious to keep moving but Linda chipped in. "You know, honey. I don't know why you don't let us wash your things. Doing this at least makes us feel like we contribute." She shook her head and scrubbed at a pair of someone's jeans. I didn't have time to explain to her that I didn't like other people doing something for me that I can do for myself. I had enough help from these people as it was. I didn't need them doing my laundry too. I leaned away and made to turn. "Don't worry about it. Um I gotta go." But as I turned Tracy laughed. "Jeese. Why are you in such a rush?" She asked. I heaved a sigh and shot over my shoulder "I've gotta go talk to Caleb about supplies and water." To this both Linda and Tracy giggled and I arched an eyebrow. "And what's so funny?" I asked. The two of them just shook their heads. "Nothing." Tracy said. Her mother dunked the jeans into the murky water. "You visit him an awful lot. Always running back and forth for him." She paused and chuckled. "Can't say I blame you. If I was your age I'd be chasing him too." Her statement had me staring at her, dumbfounded, before shaking my head, holding my hands up in defense, and laughing. "Nuh uh, ladies. It's just survival. No gossip this time around."

Linda and Tracy were two of the biggest gossip mongers I'd ever met. They could turn the smallest statement into the most corrupt, disgusting thing to reach human ears since William Hung. It surprised me at first. My initial impression of the both of them were so far out of the ball park that I was in a whole different game all together. I thought they both looked like the typical professional women types. Linda retired three years ago but still held that air about her. Her hair was always pinned up neatly and her clothing was as conservative as she could manage and she showed manners like none other when in the presence of those who might judge her behavior negatively. Her daughter was like her much younger twin. They both had the same high cheek bones and sharp features which gave them both supermodel good looks and they shared many of the same mannerisms. As if they'd spent so much time in one anothers presence that they began to rub off on each other. They had the charm of a beautiful flower but every rose has it's thorn. They tended to look down on middle class citizens. Not noticeably but I'd been around them enough to catch their coy glances when they were lying or trying to get someone to say something they could sink their teeth into. It's why I made sure to watch what I said in their presence. But I could forgive them for their childish behavior. They were entertaining themselves. It was better than them snapping and experiencing the Shawn effect firsthand instead of just hearing about it from the others when they'd swap war stories or their days before joining up with Caleb.

Tracy was studying to become a divorce lawyer while working as a secretary in a law firm. Her life was spent on her cell phone and laptop. She was more attached to that phone than a mother was with her child. Even though there was no chance she'd ever get a signal she still carried it around like her very own worry stone. She usually kept it in her back pocket. Sometimes I'd catch her reaching for it out of habit if the need for information presented itself. If she didn't know something she was the person who immediately looked to the Internet for the answers she sought. Neither of the women were very bright which made them older versions of the majority of girls I'd gone to high school with. I had the tools to deal with women such as this. Ignorance was one of my biggest weapons. If they didn't know anything then they couldn't say anything. 'But there isn't anything for them to know in the first place.' I shook my head and looked to Chelsea. She'd been quite the whole time and appeared to be ignoring the whole conversation. In all likelihood she was. That's what I liked about her. She was a little quiet but she wasn't nosy or pushy. Plus she was a pretty damn good cook. She was the only one who could really prepare a meal around the warehouse.

Chelsea was a tall young lady. At six feet and two inches she towered above the rest of the women and most of the men even. She was thin as a rod with a soft, round face. Her hair was a deep chestnut and fell around her waist in long, thin, straight locks. I'd always thought her hair was gorgeous and occasionally pondered how she kept it so healthy. It complimented her stunning blue eyes in an almost dangerous fashion. Though she kept to herself I could see her as the kind of girl that every guy secretly wanted to approach but wouldn't because of her tall stature. It didn't matter if she was a sweetheart who could take care of a man. People were too caught up with appearances these days. It would take a rather large man to have the guts to be seen with a taller woman. Or a man who didn't care what others thought. Someone with a big personality.

I looked over the three women and chuckled as Tracy and Linda shared another look. This one I couldn't really decipher but I guessed it was something along the lines of 'Yeah right.' But I didn't need to worry about them. As long as they didn't take any of their gossiping too far peace could be kept. So I headed off before I could add any fuel to whatever fire they were attempting to start. Even the smallest of flames could spread and grow with so much as a drop of gasoline.

I hung a left and headed down towards the meeting room. It was all the way on the west side of the building down a long hallway. There were only two in the warehouse. One hallway was lined with offices used as bedrooms. Sixteen out of eighteen slept in them while the rest of us chose rooms at the front of the building. I chose mine because it was minutes from three possible exits. When Hope and I had first arrived I'd doubted the solidity of the fortress we resided in. I wanted to be able able to get out if anything ever went to shit. It usually didn't take too long. If there was one thing I'd learned from this whole ordeal it was to never stay in one place for too long. Gotta keep moving because no place is a safe haven. I was glad that we'd been surviving for a couple months in this place and I'd grown fond of it but it all boiled down to what Ruki said on the roof. There were more and more of them everyday and soon there would be thousands if the numbers kept climbing the way they were. If we weren't careful there could be a huge chunk torn out of our group.

With a deep breath I knocked on the door. From inside there came a sigh followed by a weary "Come in." I opened the door and slipped inside quickly. In case he saw me, changed his mind, and dismissed me before I could get a word out. Caleb was sitting at his desk pouring over charts and random scribbled notes that made no sense to anyone but him all over the wall behind him. As I entered he barely spared me a glance. He momentarily looked up but it was only a split second and then he returned to what he was doing. "I should have known I'd be getting a visit from you today." He muttered and crossed something out with a thick black marker on one of the notes he was scribbling away. He crumpled it up, tossed it in the trash bin, and started on another one. Sometimes watching him work was like watching a schizophrenic trying to complete a one thousand piece puzzle with eighty five missing pieces. Interesting to say the least. He'd mumble to himself off and on, scratch the back of his neck until he left welts, and jumped from one thing to another like a junkie.

"Oh yeah?" I asked and set my hands on my hips. "And why's that?" I feigned offense at his tone. He continued scribbling away. Once he finished he spun around in his chair and slapped the note up onto the wall with a small strip of tape. He stared at it for a second or two then he spun back around and began shuffling through a pile of papers that were crinkled, disorganized, and some were even stained. He began rifling through them with nimble fingers. "Every time a trip is postponed or cancelled you come in here demanding an explanation." He said. I looked back on some of the trips I'd made to this very room and nodded in agreement. That seemed about right. I grabbed a chair from against the wall and dragged it over. I plopped down into the seat across from him and shrugged. "Yeah..Well I don't like to get bored." I gave my pathetic excuse and hoped he accepted it for what it was. Honesty.

From across the desk he shot me a look but didn't keep eye contact for long. "Of course." He nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from the stack in his hand and examined it. "We all know what happened the last time you 'got bored'." He said. Low blow. I sighed and tapped my left index finger on the arm of the chair. "Oh, come on. You can't hold that against me. I would have made it back safely without Ruki." I paused and took one of the pens near the edge of the desk. The end of it was marred and dented. 'He's been chewing the tip. Must be getting stressed.' I thought. "Besides, I had to get Hope something for her birthday." It was a fact. I hadn't missed one of her birthdays yet and just because the world ended didn't mean I had to start.

Caleb shook his head. "You do too much." He said. I scoffed at the comment. Coming from Caleb that was the last thing I thought I'd hear. He knew how it was. "For her?" I sighed and shrugged. "I can never do enough." I said. His expression was one of deep thought for a moment or two. Then he shook his head and motioned impatiently. "So what is it that you want?" He asked. The tiny crinkle in his brow deepened and I cleared my throat and held up my index and middle fingers. "Two things." Caleb's eyebrows rose a centimeter or two and he muttered "Well this is bound to be interesting." The flat monotone in his voice nearly disheartened me but I shook off his sarcasm and kicked a foot up on to his desk still toying with the ballpoint pen. "Let us use some of the water for bathing." I ticked one finger off and wished for the best. The best was a shake of the head followed by the usual " That's eighteen bodies to wash and we're going to be running low on water pretty soon." It was nearly always his go-to argument. But I was prepared with my second request and twirled the pen between my fingers. "Which brings me to my next request." I meant to continue but Caleb sat forward in his chair and folded his hands on the table before him. Traditional 'I'm too busy to be listening to this shit' pose I most commonly remember from my days in school. "Let me stop you. I already know what you're going to ask and the answer is no, Destiny." The muscle beneath my left eye twitched at the way he said my name. Not even Hope called me Destiny. To me it was the equivalent of a parent using a child's middle name to show that they mean business. It irked me to be treated like a child again. But I didn't lash out at him. The dark circles under his eyes told me he hadn't been sleeping well. He had a lot on his plate trying to maintain a group of eighteen people.

I kept my voice at an acceptable level and inclined my head. "You didn't let me finish." I said but Caleb was ready with another flat "No." And he went back to shuffling through papers. I sighed. "Would you just listen to me for a second?" I huffed and tapped the heel of my boot on his desk impatiently. He set the bundle in his hands down and shot me a look that read exhaustion and impatience. He tapped his index finger anxiously and inhaled deeply. "I'm all ears." Finally. He was going to let me get a word in edgewise which wasn't as easy as one would think with Caleb. Once he had his mind made up there was very little one could do to change it. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Thank you." I eased the chair onto its back legs and rocked back and forth a few times. "I talked to Ruki. I know why your hesitant to allow this. It's risky. We've got a lot more to deal with than ever. The hoards are growing and most of them probably haven't fed on anything for weeks. There can't be any mistakes. Not a single one. " Caleb continued to stare holes through me as if all of this was boring and repetitive. I ignored his obvious wish for me to hurry up and accept that it wasn't going to happen and leave him alone. I continued as if his display didn't bother me one bit. "But if there are going to be more and more coming into the city and wandering in this direction to move on to the next one then when are we going to get supplies? We've got to stock up on a bit of a haul don't you think?" I paused to gauge his reaction but there was no way to read his features. Trying to figure out what Caleb was ever thinking would leave even the most patient of men cursing and spitting. Not even Vincent was willing to attempt.

"We'd be risking lives, Dez." He sounded tired and he yawned lightly as he lifted his hands to massage his temples in slow circles. His groggy, sluggish appearance this afternoon was a bit of a damper on my own mood but I was determined to persuade him. I had persistence on my side. "We'll be risking lives if we don't. If it takes these walkers too long to move on then we may find ourselves in an extremely sticky situation. If we have to wait it out for more than a week we're going to run out of food and water, Caleb. Come on.I've already got the okay from Ruki. Now I need the green light from you." I watched my chances improve as Caleb rested his hands back on the desk and made eye contact with me. "What are you suggesting? I'm sure you've thought this out beforehand." He raised his eyebrows and I hopped on the train of opportunity. "Two scavenging trips before locking down. Today and tomorrow." I rushed through the statement thinking I might be getting somewhere. Nope. I slammed headlong into Caleb's iron wall of pessimism.

"Today? No way. We don't have enough time to throw anything together as far as a game plan." Caleb shook his head and I thanked my lucky starts that Ruki was backing me on this. He had the good sense to think ahead and I would have to thank him for it later. "Yes we do." I urged. " The sun sets at eight thirty. That gives us seven hours. I know we can do this. We'll be in and out before dusk." Oh, how I loathed begging him but it was my last resort. Caleb dropped his gaze to the desk and scanned over the cluttered contents. "It's impossible. There are twice as many walkers today as their were last week. They're popping up by the minute. There's no telling how many are waiting in that fucking city." He ran his fingers through his hair and rested his head in his hand. He looked somewhat pathetic. The almighty Caleb was replaced with a deflated replica. He had my condolence. It wasn't easy keeping other people alive and content. Having to constantly make life or death decisions and knowing that if something goes wrong the blame would fall on his shoulders. He had to be tearing his hair out. "You've been pretty stressed." I changed the subject for a moment to take his mind off of the issue at hand. He raised his head to look up at me through his thick eyelashes and grumbled "I wonder why." With a tone that resembled his usual sarcasm and a gesture to the charts and maps crowing the wall behind him. I smiled to myself and let out a long breath while I let my eyes wander around the room. "Because you haven't left this room in days. I haven't even seen you eat anything." I scrunched up my nose as a cockroach skittered beneath a pile of old newspapers in the corner. Caleb smothered a laugh by clearing his throat and tapped his finger some more. "It's good to know you've been watching me." He said and I shrugged. He made it sound like a terrible crime to look out for someone. He was pushing himself too hard and it wasn't healthy. "I kind of have to. If I didn't bug you about getting out of this room and taking a break you would never leave." Caleb could deny it all he wanted but he was a serious workaholic with some anxiety issues.

"I'm sorry I don't have time to play host." Caleb grumbled as if he could never have an opportunity to let himself rest. "You should make time." I suggested. If the rest of us could do it then so could he. "You can be fun when you cut loose." I pointed out. Before the sudden threat of zombie population growing in the city he was easier to have fun with. We were all going through a rough patch. Negative attitudes were bound to sprout when everyone is waiting for more bad news. Caleb was no exception. "This is survival, Destiny. Not happy fun time." Caleb's retort fell flat with no emotion whatsoever. It was no matter. I would go around and around with this man all day if I had to. "But you've got to take a break once in a while or else you'll get stressed. You won't sleep which is only going to make it to where you aren't as alert as you should be and you don't eat when you're brain needs food to function." I tossed the pen onto the desk and it rolled to a stop an inch away from his fingers. "You end up chewing on ballpoint pens and become a grouch. No one likes a buzz kill, Caleb." I shrugged again and rocked back in the chair. From across the desk Caleb gave me a narrow glare that said 'watch it.' So I backed off a little and tried another approach. Easing the front legs back down onto the ground I sat straight and crossed my legs. "Come on, Caleb. have a little faith will you? We'll all go play fetch for a little while and everything will be fine. I'll even stop on the way through and grab a bottle or two of that Jack Daniels you like so much and we can all celebrate a successful trip. How's that sound?" I put all I had into this last attempt at persuasion.

Caleb didn't miss a beat. "Cocky and far fetched." He said. Then he waved his hand in dismissal of my offer. "And don't try to bribe me with booze." There was the tiniest hint of a smile present on his lips for a moment. It was quick but I caught it. "I will if it works." I chuckled and then a miracle happened. Somewhere in those dead, thoughtful eyes there was a flicker of amusement. His mood finally got a boost and I broke through his stubborn resistance. The wall of pessimism was shrinking.

"I'm assuming you have scouts?" I gave myself a mental high five as his question signaled certain victory. I nodded quickly. "Ruki is up for it. He wants to take Jackson. I'm sure he'll go. He's been pacing for the last few days. He's been getting bored." I paused and smirked to myself. "We all have." Aside from days we went out there wasn't anything going on. We all just lived. We'd socialize, pick up hobbies to keep us busy, and waited. We waited for time to run out and if any of us managed to find another place to turn into a fortress we'd still be waiting. All of this had me considering moving on before things got really bad. In the back of my mind I was still concerned about staying in one place for too long. How long could we last here? Months? Days? How long before there would be too many walkers to escape this place? Until it's impossible to go outside because there will always be a hoard shuffling by. They'd find a way in. The walkers are always turning up in the strangest of places. Porto-potty? They aren't safe. Ever. In case of emergencies at least knock first and make sure nothing is inside. If there is then either A.) Kill the shit out of it. Or B.) Deal with the ruined clothing and empty your bowls while you haul ass in the opposite direction. Golf courses are bad in their own way. Zombies shuffling and crawling around with golf clubs wearing sweater vests. Fucking creepy. I've even seen group homes for retired veterans. They're all old as dust still wearing their uniforms. There's something fucked up with seeing a walker using a walker. My point is that there was a list of places that could be considered 'safe' and it was getting shorter with every day. The more undead spawned the less humanity would stand a chance.

Caleb was so close to giving in. I had victory within my grasp. Just a few more centimeters. "You're sure about this?" He asked. He still didn't look one hundred percent comfortable with the idea but I didn't need his confidence. I needed his permission. I tapped my fingernail against the flaking surface of the arm of the chair. "Yeah. No worries. We've got this in the bag." I stopped and wagged my finger at him. "You know, I think you underestimate us." I had enough confidence for the both of us. I was worried about going in too but I had to trust that those of us going in would be prepared to do so. The others would be more ready for it than me. They'd been in and out of the city at least a hundred times before Hope and I showed up. I was still a novice compared to them. They knew the layouts, the death traps, the temporary hide spots, the exits, and the strategies. So if I was ready to do this then there was no way in hell they wouldn't be.

"No. I just worry." Caleb shook his head and there was still a hint of amusement lingering in those bottomless pits when he made eye contact next. "Trips take our manpower away from the warehouse and the teams you choose aren't the most stable group of individuals when they have the freedom to slack and goof off. I can never predict one of your trips one hundred percent. One of you always does something.." He paused and tapped his chin with his finger as if trying to find the right word. "Reckless." He finally plucked one out of the air. An instance that first popped into my head was my second trip out. I wasn't leading the team that day. Kirk was. No one trusted me enough for that yet. Those were the days when the city wasn't as populated. There were a hundred and fifty at most so trips were risky but also provided opportunity for a little fun. Take lighting a garbage can on fire with a flaming arrow to attract zombies and then see who can pick more off from the hoard for example. The group was at a safe distance and it was fun in my opinion. Plus it provided a great distraction from the teammates who were doing the looting. Caleb chewed us out for being careless but most of us got it easy. Poor Kirk got the brunt of it all.

I shifted in my seat and let Caleb's words sink in. "So is this a yes I'm getting?" I asked. Caleb didn't say anything for a moment. He picked up his stack of papers again and riffled through halfway. He then isolated one and scanned it with his gaze. As he turned it over to look at the back he sighed. "I trust you to put a team together and to send Jackson and Ruki out immediately." My jaw dropped and all I could do was stare stupidly at him until he glanced to me and then to the small clock on the right corner of his desk and raised his eyebrows at me. "Clock's ticking." He said. I hopped up out of the chair and nodded. "Thanks." I rushed to the door but Caleb stopped me as I opened it. "Prep your team and have them in here once the scouts return. We'll see where this goes depending on their report." He didn't bother to even look at me when he said it but I didn't care. I accomplished what I came to do. I gave him a sloppy salute and grinned. "Aye aye captain." I exclaimed and took my leave. It was time to Rally the troops.
...

I know some of you guys are like "Where's Mute? Where's Daryl? The rest of the survivors? Who are these new people? I'm scared, Merci! Hold me!' and I'm here to tell you that patience is a virtue, not to fear, and I can't hold you because then I would look like a crazy person hugging a laptop while caressing it softly and whispering sweet nothings into its CD drive. Um..Yeah.. I've come up with something interesting and new (I hope) for you all to feast your eyes on for this and since it took me so long to get around to writing again I'm going to be working on two stories now. This one and the one that will follow the show and comics more. I'm going to have my hands full but it's worth it when I log on and see reviews and other notifications from you guys reading this. In chapter two Destiny takes out her team, we meet some more new faces, and maybe we'll get a look at Rick's group and what everyone is up to. Now I'm going to stop babbling and conclude this with the usual not so subtle hint to review. Do it. You know you want to. Look at your mouse. It wants you to do it too. Do the Dew? I'll stop XD. Anyways..Much love!

-Merci.