Where were you when it all went to shit?
I was at a summer concert in Georgia. It was... horrible.
I'm Peyton Sharice, I'm 16, and I was a junior at Miss Porter's, but I guess I was one of the more unique ones. I died my hair auburn in the beginning of June, the month we got out. It flowed down to just past my butt. I swore, I went off-roading with my best guy friend, Zach. He was already in UCONN. I never told him I had a thing for him, but I think he always kind of knew. I let my brother and his friends work on my 2007 Chevy Silverado. I loved it and it ran smoothly. I got a tattoo without telling my parents, while my uncle acted as my father. It was an infinity sign on the back of my neck. I worked at Gamestop and was a sort of an apprentice to a chef at a restaurant a while ago. I'm about 5'1", I'm fit, and pretty strong. I sing, play a few instruments, play soccer, and I'm pretty smart. I'm also kind of a smart ass.
Anyway, after the last day of school, I was so ready to pack up and get the hell out of Connecticut. I was spending the next year in Savannah, Georgia, for a music program. When I packed up my car and drove down there, I ended up being housed in a crappy little flat near the river. Even though the appliances sucked, I loved the artistic feel and wall of glass looking down on the river.
In around August came my first gig. I put my hair in a ponytail that shortened my hair a bit, but still my hair flowed to my hip. I had a white summer dress that went to my knees and I wore converse high tops with red socks that went a bit higher than my shoes and complimented the red tint in my hair. I packed up my guitar and threw it in the back of my truck, but there were still a few unpacked boxes taking up space in the back. I didn't know, but it was a good thing I left them packed, because I'd have clothing and a few other things for the random apocalypse that would occur mid-concert.
I was opening for some band at an outdoor concert near Atlanta. I drove in behind the stage and could hear the hundreds of people screaming. I had this ominous feeling something would go wrong, however I never knew it would go as wrong as it would. I took out my guitar and one of the bottles of water I had, then went to get ready. They said that my partial manager/friend was sick and was just driven to the hospital. I thought nothing of it, grabbed my guitar, and went on the stage.
It was all so loud and beautiful, the ocean of fans jumping around right in front of me, anticipating my music. I was so proud. I sat down on the stool and spoke into the microphone. "Thanks for coming out, I'm so happy to open for the great guys in this band. I promise I won't let them down." I strummed my guitar once and smiled out at the crowd, as their screams got louder. I started singing and playing my guitar, but about a minute and a half through the mix of words and melody, the screams of anticipation and happiness turned into terror. I stopped playing and looked out at the crowd, but since I had gone sans-glasses for the concert, I didn't notice that the crowd was being eaten alive. Turning around, I saw my manager/friend come at me, missing his jaw. I screamed and fell backwards. He came down to bite me, but someone's guitar smashed him in the head. Quickly discovering it was my guitar, I stood and ran to my truck.
"Fuck!" I growled, getting into my car, locking the doors, and rolling up the windows.
I drove over a few of the "sick" people to leave the concert as quick as possible, but after I had driven at 80 mph for about two miles, I was stuck on a street, finding myself trying to get back to my crappy flat. I yelled something with a lot of swears, and opened the door to get out. On second thought, I closed it and slammed on the horn. The guy in front of me flipped me off. On third thought, I got the hell out of the truck and slammed a fist on the assholes window. "Hey!" I screamed. He rolled down the window.
"What the fuck do ya want, gal?" A man said to me, as if he hadn't flipped me off.
"We are all trying to get the hell out of here, so fuck off! There are fucking zombiesout there and they'll bite your damn middle finger off if you throw it at them, you hick!"
He hung his head out the window and squinted at me. "Watch yer language, lil' bitch, and calm the hell down." He said to me.
I was about to punch him in the face, but there were screams at the back of the traffic jam, and I quickly saw why. Luckily, gun shots took a few dead men down and I saw a cop jump into a trooper, blue and red lights blinking like a beacon in the night. I ran to my truck and tried to find a way off the road. It was almost impossible, but the mean redneck in front of me moved his truck to follow the cops. I was just about to do the same thing, but a walker bashed onto my window. A whole crowd was around me pretty quickly, but I fought with my truck. I ran over a hell load of them and sped down the road, toward god knows where. Since then, I've been shut up in a little cabin on the side of the road, and I've just about run out of food.
I couldn't remember how long it'd been since the concert, but I knew my supplies from about a week ago were at an all time low, and my portion control couldn't even keep me going any longer. I had to drive into the nearby town where I had taken supply trips to before.
Holding for dear life onto my gun, I made my way out of the wooden cabin I'd locked myself in the past... well, however long I'd been there. I couldn't see anything, so I ran to my truck that was hidden in between a few trees. When I got in the truck, I laid my head on the steering wheel and locked the doors. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I turned on the engine and looked around.
It felt like I wasn't even in this reality. It took me a while to even get going, but when I did I could have sworn it wasn't me pressing the gas and steering the wheel.
With the sun high in the sky, illuminating the abandoned town, it wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be. But then, seeing a zombie turn toward me on the sidewalk reminded me this was no sightseeing trip. I needed food, water, and medical supplies. And I needed them fast. I made sure I was several blocks away from the zombie I had seen. I parked and checked my gun, the one I had found inside the cabin I was hiding in, taking note that I needed ammo.
My first stop was the little general store on my right. I stepped out and checked my surroundings, then entered the store and found two bottles of water, a pack of assorted nuts, vitamins supplements, and a Snickers. I didn't like caramel all to much, though. On the wall parallel to that one were a few tooth brushes and tooth paste tubes. I took those. Then I came upon a pack of condoms... In all honesty, it made me angry that the apocalypse had come before I had the chance to experience sex. I pushed it out of my mind and scanned the street again.
Across the street was a clothing store. I went there and found a water bottle and chocolate, like clothing stores sometimes had. Just then, I heard something slam the door open and I ducked. I could hear groans echoing through the air. It sent chills up my spine. All I had to do was make it to my truck and I'd be safe...
The walker had a set of blue flannel pajamas on. And it's hair seemed to be a gray-brown. Wasn't very tall, either. It was probably about thirteen when it – she – died. It send a shiver of pity across my body. I wondered for a moment if it's parents were dead, but then saw my chance. I slowly scooted to my right behind a clothing rack and made my way to the door. Opening the door would make her hear me. I didn't want to have to shoot, but if it came to that... I would. I slammed open the door and ran to the car, but tripped on something along the way. I stumbled and fell on the ground and I dropped the water and little food I had. I frantically looked up at what I had caught my foot on. A pale, waxy hand reached for my leg and I kicked it away. I'd tripped over the torso of a walker.
I almost vomited, seeing it's blood and guts drag along the ground. I bashed it's head in with my gun, but then the teen zombie came out of the store and was too close to shoot. I crawled backwards and went under my truck, then came out the other side to try and confuse her, just to find another one waiting for me there. It dropped onto me and went for my neck, but a shot rang out in the air. I pushed the re-dead zombie off me and heard more shots fired. Seeing their source, my breath was taken away.
Other people. A tall man with a long face and dark eyes offered me a hand, and I willingly took it.
"You can come back with us – get in your truck and follow." He said.
I widened my eyes and ran to get in my truck, following them without a second thought. I didn't even stop back at the cabin to get anything. There wasn't much there anyway.
Finally, about twenty minutes later, we turned and drove up a dirt road. The men parked the jeep and hopped out. I followed suit.
Everyone came back to greet them, and was taken aback by my presence. I could hear a small rumble of discussion and I immediately felt awkward, but stepped in.
"I'm Peyton." I said, to answer the question on their faces.
A blonde woman with her arms crossed stepped up and said, "How'd you get here?"
"Well, Andrea, it would seem she got here in that truck." An older man with a Hawaiian shirt said.
"Shut it, Dale." She glanced at him and stepped closer to me again, holding out her hand. "I'm Andrea." she introduced herself.
A woman and a child walked up to me. She was tall and had brown hair. The child had similar hair and eyes. "I'm Lori, Rick's wife." She motioned to the man who shot all the walkers. He nodded to me.
"I'm Shane." said the man who helped me up. I took a moment to admire his tan, glistening skin. His arms were crossed over his chest and I took note of the vein popping out of his right arm. Wow.
And then, at the back of the group, I saw the friend of the guy who was driving in front of me way back in the traffic jam. I narrowed my eyes, and he looked at me in frustration. Everyone turned in confusion. His head was low, but he was looking at me.
"Where's the other guy," I spat. He seemed to get angry by my saying this and he walked away in a huff.
Shane took charge and looked to everyone, the orange of the sunset shining on him "Alright, everyone, we've all had a rough day," I rolled my eyes. No shit, Sherlock. It's the end of the world. "So let's eat a good dinner..." He continued to talk, while I ignored him and looked around at the other people. Some were bloody, some dirty, some clean, some black, some white, but all seemed pretty calm. The closest one to my age was the Asian boy beside Andrea. When my eyes made my way to him, his eyes met mine as well. I attempted a smile. So did he. But it was just awkward, and we looked back to Shane, who was ending his little end-of-the-day speech.
Many people stayed with their own or made their way to introduce themselves. T-Dog, Carol (who I had found out just lost her daughter – I told her I'd help all I could), Rick, Lori (who told me the guy I had made angry was Daryl, and the other guy I asked about was Merle. He went missing in Atlanta. That made me feel kind of bad.), Carl, Shane, Glenn, Andrea, and some others introduced themselves.
"I'm Peyton. It's nice to meet you, thank you for welcoming me in the group" was said over and over again, with the occasional stories or jokes.
When they were done everyone went back to what they were doing. I felt lonely, and decided to sit away from them during dinner. They all went into the farm house and I sat outside, along with another few people. Including Daryl. He was fiddling around with some crossbow thing, and didn't notice me staring at him until the talking started from inside the house. We eyed each other the whole time. He seemed thoroughly interested, but had a mean look about him. I decided he was attractive.
I listened to the discussion around the dinner table that was coming out of the window next to me. I wasn't familiar with their voices yet, but I heard a woman say, "What do we do with her?" and it made me nervous. I hoped they weren't thinking about leaving me out there. "We can't just leave her out there. She nearly killed herself." The same voice said.
"What if she weakens our group?" A harsh voice said.
"Most of the women in this big-happy-family don't know how to shoot anyway. If she was alive for that long on her own, she must have some knowledge of weapons, Shane." said the very memorable female voice, Andrea. So it was Shane that accused me of being weak.
"The girl stays." A man said. He must be the leader. Rick, was it? I had to remember that I liked that man.
I heard a clattering of dishes and the moving of chairs, and I assumed dinner was over. I got up and walked away so they wouldn't know I was listening.
My eyes skimmed the camp after dinner and saw there were tents being set up, people cozying up in their trucks, and all of that. I, however, didn't casually have a tent or a big comfy car to sleep in.
There were low conversations around me, as I observed everyone and then noticed a giant RV. I walked to the vehicle and the man who I assumed was the one who owned the RV seemed far too comfortable with everything that had happened. He was the one with the bucket hat and the Hawaiian shirt. I could just imagine him smoking a big joint and giving his grand kids life lessons. I half-smiled. He was in the middle of a conversation, so I awkwardly stood next to him.
When Rick, his wife, and his son were done talking, the man turned to me and asked if he could help me.
"I'm Peyton... I just got here and I-"
"It's alright, you can sleep in the RV anytime. And I'm Dale. You got some blankets?"
"Oh, yes, I do." I said, remembering the unpacked boxes.
"Alright, you go grab those and get settled in. It was nice meeting you." He smiled. He reminded me of a grandfather figure, or an older, cool uncle. He gave me hope.
When I had gotten the blankets and settled down in the RV, I drifted to sleep. I can't say I felt safe, but it was good that I could at least get some sleep.
That night, I had a nightmare, which isn't so surprising, but it is kind of unfortunate.
I was singing at the concert. Glenn was in the front of the crowd, and so was the hick and his brother. Dale was there, Shane was there. They were all screaming for me to run, but I just smiled at them and kept singing and strumming the guitar. I leaned my head to the side and watched them, then closed my eyes and kept singing, drowning out the screams of terror I heard in the crowd. Glenn and Dale were calling my name at the same time. "Peyton! Peyton! Behind you!" I opened my eyes at the end of the song, to wave down at them, but when my eyes opened, I saw every person in the crowd was dead, running toward my fellow survivors. Dale was the first to go. Two zombies grabbed his arms and started eating right off of them like hot wings. He smiled at me as he died. Shane was the next. He waved to me and a walker came up behind him and bit his ear off, eating down his neck afterward. Then Glenn, still screaming and shouting to me, fell into the crowd and came out as a walker himself. Hot, salty tears were running down my face and I felt a walker come from behind me and bite my elbow.
I opened my eyes, to discover it was starting to get light out. My elbow hurt and I looked down at it, half expecting to be bitten. From the elbow down, my arm was completely numb and had a big red mark from hanging on the edge of the fold out bed. I sighed and shook the feeling back into my arm, then wiped the tears off my cheeks. I barely knew the people and already I was having night terrors about them.
I noticed Glenn was gone and frowned. He was sleeping in the RV with me because he didn't have a tent either. It was comforting to have someone there.
Standing and walking to the dinette table in front, thoughts were running through my head. How long could I stand being in a world like this? What if the dead bastards attacked my camp? Were my parents dead? What about my dog and my older brother? Why me? Why did this happen right when I left behind my family? If they were alive, were they mourning my death? Were they coming down here to find me? Did they hate me for leaving them? Was I completely alone? Would I even make friends with anyone in the camp, and would they like me? What if today was the last day I would be alive? What if this next second was the last second I was alive?
I stared down at the ugly yellow of the table. Suddenly, there was a tap on the window. I almost screamed, but saw it was Shane. I stepped out of the truck and felt a cold rush along my thighs, realizing I had the short dress on. Yeah, I was never a dress kind of girl. Especially when it was windy. Shane looked down at the hem of my dress, as it flew up with the wind and I tried to hold it down. He blinked uncomfortably and moved his eyes to mine.
"Thank you for taking me in." I said, eyes glued to the ground. I felt unwanted around him.
I could tell he was about to say something, but then Glenn quickly came up behind him. His hands were shaking a little and he looked nervous. "I need to talk to Dale."