Disclaimer: I don't anything but my own character!
Chapter 1: One shot, One Opportunity
The glaring sun draped heat over the vast fields of grass and growing flowers. The trees seemed to sigh whenever the soft breeze danced around them. A long road traveled for miles with shattered cars, parked carelessly to the side and left to rot. A dead body lay motionless on the ground. Not the first that was seen, but a shiver still ran down her spine at the sight. At least the already dead undead couldn't bite.
Natalie Lovato walked in the middle of the road, a blue backpack hanging from her shoulders as she kept a close hand on the knife attached to her jeans. A bead of sweat splashed onto her brown locks, but she did not want to remove her black hoodie. She's been walking for hours, looking for a sign of anyone alive. Her friends and group had taken shelter in a big house until it was overrun by a horde. She was the only one to make it out in time. Bowing her head, she let a single tear fall. A leftover from last night's crying . But god, did she wish she had her iPod. It was the only thing that ever calmed her emotions. A familiar sound stopped her in place. Zombies were close by. Not only that, they appeared to have found a meal. She quickly ran to the side of an abandoned vehicle, hoping her steps were as quiet as possible. Up ahead there were three zombies enjoying a small lunch of deer. She breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't noticed her presence. And out of luck they had the road blocked. There was no way to go around without leaving the main road. She cursed inwardly, she had to take a detour through the woods. Ducking her head down so they could not see her, she made her way between the trees. A close watch on her surroundings, her brown eyes never missed when an insect flew or the twigs to avoid stepping on. Any sound, no matter how loud, could attract those things at any second. She was about to pass a very large tree when her eyes lead to a corpse laying against its trunk. Dirty and torn clothes, skin dead and falling, eyes grayed and closed, but motionless. Was this man alive or dead? There was no apparent bite wound, and not much blood either. She pulled out her knife then took a cautious step to the body. It made no action. Not letting her guard down, she held onto the knife tightly and began to whistle. The head of the dead man lifted in her direction with a low growl coming from its ugly lips. Without a hesitation she stuck her blade in his head and watched it slice through the center of his skull, then twisted it for precaution. The now dead zombie slumped back against the tree while she pulled her knife out, wiping the blood off with her shirt.
"Gross..." she muttered, realizing that she'd never get used to seeing those things and trying to kill them. She continued her walk, the zombie long forgotten. A mile she traveled before coming near a blue tent. A large bush covered her as she scanned the area. An empty chair placed next to the tent's entrance, the opening of the tent blew when the wind hit, crumpled balls of paper rolled on the dirt floor. Nothing stirred, nothing wandered out. Twenty minutes passed, at least that's what it appeared to her, then she got enough courage to go inside the tent. The knife clutched in her fist, heart racing, anything could be there, or anyone. Alive or dead, she didn't know which she preferred. 'Calm down', she told her quickening pulse. Once she grabbed the flap of the tent, she threw it to the side and braced herself. Empty. Nothing but a red sleeping bag, halfway open and dusty dirt lined its edges.
"It's not the Extended Stay but it'll do for now." A kick to the sleeping bag cleared most of the dust and dirt, she considered it better than sleeping outside on the hard dirt and in cold air. The tent zipped completely close, shielding her from any curious eyes that could walk by. She let out a shaky breath while twisting her hair into a bun. She snuggled slightly in the sleeping bag, unable to fully relax. No place was guaranteed safe. Tears flushed her eyes, she did not wipe them away. What was the point if she was alone? Her friends, not the best of them yet something, were gone. Taken by a terrible fate, the images burned inside of her mind. Blood flying through the air, screams coming from all directions, struggles to be free and away from the danger. A choked sob forced its way out of her mouth. 'Stop it, quit being weak' she told herself. It's what her older brother would've said. It felt like someone had pressed the Repeat button. The images kept spinning in her head, from one violent scene to the next. Get out, get away! They began to fade, becoming blurs of color floating. Finally, sleep overwhelmed her body and caused her muscles to slightly relax. The darkness arrived.
Beth. That was the only thing on his mind as he ran down the road. Everything that happened flashing over and over again. Walkers bursting through the door, him yelling at Beth to run, run fast and far. Where no one could harm her. But something did harm her. Someone. Someone had actually taken her away from him. That damn car driving away with Beth, his last friend. The one person who was bringing his hopes up for humanity, only to have them come crashing around him He was alone, no friends and definitely no family. He shook his head at the thought of his brother. That idiot who always managed to find trouble, the idiot he missed at times. After all, he was still family. But that was gone now. Everything gone, everyone disappeared from his life. Why? Why was fate bringing him good people who welcomed him, relied on him, and trusted him, just to send them to cruel and unthinkable places. He screamed her name again but he knew there was no use. She was gone too far to ever hear his voice again. Legs sore, he was exhausted after running for hours trying to catch up. It was stupid of him to try, but he had to try. Not just for him and Beth, but for Hershel. The man who never did any harm to anyone, the man who suffered a horrible death that could've been prevented. The name forced him to lose it, he fell to the ground on his knees and hands. A silent cry came out. Tears burned within his eyes but he had no strength to fight them. He shook his head again before colliding his fist with the ground. Great, his hand throbbed with a small pain now. 'Idiot', he told himself. Definitely a trait from his brother. His body slumped to the floor. Exposed and vulnerable, he did not care if Walkers were nearby or if someone ran him down. He almost wished for death. What did he have to live for now? Nothing. That was the last thought in his mind as exhaustion took over and he fell into a disturbed slumber.
"Beth!" a loud voice screamed. Her eyes snapped open as the voice shook
through the trees. She hurried for her knife and sat up. The voice faded, was it just two hiking buddies? A male voice screaming desperately. She bit her lip, not sure if she should go outside. 'I can't just ignore it, knowing I could've done something to help. God!', she thought as she ran a trembling hand through her hair. When she unzipped the tent she saw nothing. Trees surrounded her tent, brushing in the breeze ever so slightly, no sights of any animals but she heard an owl 'hoo' in the distance. Lucky bird, he could merely fly away from all danger. The night sky gleamed with stars, the moon full and content. Nights like this almost made the world feel peaceful. It was a lie, she knew. A lie she could not afford to believe. She followed the direction of the nearest road, breathing low and slow as she darted in and around trees and bushes. Zombies were no where around, thank Goodness! A few feet ahead of her was the road situated next to a set of railroad tracks. Making out a dark figure, she could see someone fall to the ground. Silently she made her way towards the figure. Not forgetting her knife, she approached the figure from behind. She released a breath she didn't know was being held.
"H-hello?" her quivering voice asked the figure. It stirred and let out a groan. Sitting upwards, the shadow did not face her or call back. Her fingers flexed around the knife. "Hello? Say something if you're alive. I don't wanna hurt you."
Suddenly her brown eyes were analyzing bluish-green eyes that staring back at her. It was a man, couple of years older than her 21 years, with brown strands hanging to the sides of his face. His eyes were not filled with any obvious emotion, almost indifferent. He made no sound though. What was wrong with him?
"I said, 'say something'." she repeated, biting her lip and glaring at him. He stood up and she quickly took a step back, not letting go of her knife.
"Get the hell away from me." he demanded in a neutral tone. Walking away, he paid her no more mind. This wasn't what she expected. He likely did not want her following yet she started to follow him.
"Hey! Where are you going?" He stopped after hearing her question. "Are you okay? Um, I know you don't know me, like, at all. But I have a tent not far from here?"
He turned around and stomped up to her. "What part of 'leave me alone' do you not get?"
"And leave you out here alone? Seriously?" she replied, following him back to the train tracks. He froze when he reached where the tracks kissed the road, his eyes staring down. "What the hell do you care for? I could be a psycho, a murderer, and here you are."
"I'm thinking psycho now," she mumbled, hoping that he did not hear. "You're right, it's stupid of me to ask a complete stranger to come with me but you know what? I have to try, I have to see if I can help you in any way. Because, you know what, that's what good people do! For all I know, you could be a-" A rough hand on her arm interrupted her, though it wasn't forceful.
His eyes burned at her. "Don't you fuckin' tell me a thing about good people. There ain't no damn good people anymore!"
"Yes, there are. They're just as rare as a rainbow-colored unicorn, you asshole!" A hint of confusion flashed then faded away, replaced with anger. She wasn't going to back down without a fight, if only he didn't have that cursed mouth on him. "So, you're telling me you're not a good person then? If you weren't a good person, why were you trying so hard to call that girl's name, why did you have such a big reaction to her disappearance? Because you care, and you know who cares? People who are good, you stupid prick!"
He shoved her backwards, causing her to crash on the ground. She tried not to shrink back when he toppled over her body."The hell you think you are! I don't need no lesson from some stupid bitch trying to get herself killed. You don't know shit about me! You don't know shit about what happened, so don't even try ta play that fucking game!"Standing up, he muttered something that sounded like, 'goddamn spick.'
'That racist jerk!' she yelled inwardly. She was about to retort when he sat on the floor, head in his hands and shaking.
"Just go already." whispered the man.
She turned on her heel and began walking away. "Fine."
If he wanted to be alone, then she'd let him. No words were exchanged again between them. Pushing out the consequences, she continued without a second glance. The tent remained in the same place. She entered before lying on the sleeping bag. She closed her eyes, trying to resist a loud groan. Why was he so selfish and rude! The thought of him getting harmed in any way tonight gave her a chill. He chose to be that way, why did she still care? Zombies, robbers, wild animals, anything could be out there with that idiot wanting to be alone. 'Shut up, shut up. He's not your problem!' an inner voice yelled at her. A silent argument raced inside of her mind. Her palm hit her forehead when she realized she was arguing with herself. Then the undeniable sound of footsteps filled her ears. Someone was heading in her direction. She rushed to her feet and moved silently to peek outside. The tension in her body loosened a bit at the sight.
"Knock, knock." a hoarse voice said. It was the man she had just met. A backpack was strapped to his back and he lazily carried a crossbow in his right hand. He avoided eye contact.
"Hey. Wanna come in for a bit?" she asked and smiled softly. He nodded and joined her inside the tent. She zipped up the flap before scooting down to make room. He sat down and placed his backpack as a makeshift pillow on the floor. Seconds later his head made contact with the crafted pillow. She watched him in silence, as if a word would disrupt the scene in front of her.
"Listen," she started while turning around and creating her own space. "I'm sorry about what happened. That wasn't exactly a good first impression. So, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot." She was comfortable in the corner after a few minutes. When she faced him to speak again, she realized that he had fallen asleep. His breathing came out slow and calm, eyes squeezed shut, his arm draped over his head as he twisted around and continued to sleep. A smile crept on her face, he looked less like a racist jerk in this position. 'What a night', the last words she remembered before sleep won the battle.
A sound, like a silent plea, drifted through her ears. Darkness blinded her vision, not wanting to open her eyes. She willed sleep to come back to her, it wasn't morning yet. Was it? She opened one eye then sighed. No sun and a chilling breeze rocked the tent. Lifting herself halfway, she glanced to the other side. The man was asleep, one arm under his backpack and the other clutching the shirt under his jacket. Dirt and grass covered half of his clothes, she wondered how long he was out there. The brown strands on his head were messy from his tossing, yet they still shone in the light. That sound again. She saw it come right from his mouth this time.
"Hey?" she whispered and scooted further towards him. "What's wrong?"
Lips moved, but he did not answer. He was still asleep. She was about to lie down until she heard him whisper something.
"What's wrong?" she tried, knowing it was pointless since he couldn't hear her in whatever dream he was having. She had no clue what else to do. Then he mumbled a word in the form of a question. It was barely audible but she caught the name. The one he yelled in the middle of the road. Poor guy, he must be terribly missing her. Damn, what was she supposed to do or say to that? Another whisper. This time she only heard the words 'you' and 'gone'.She closed her eyes, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry you went through that." Natalie quietly told him. It was depressing to see him asking for the missing girl, oblivious to a painful reality. Another whisper sounded like 'don't go'. She turned around, though she didn't have much space between them, and tried to sleep. But the second his arm touched her, grabbing her waist, she stilled. A stranger was touching her, those words repeating in her head. Ready to freak out, she stopped when his sleeping lips moved again.
"Beth," he spoke softly in between calm breaths. "don't... go..."
He thought that she was Beth. 'Oh, god, what do I do? Wake him, move away, what?' No, she couldn't move far with his strong yet gentle hold. She could wake him, but that would be very awkward. What was she going to say, 'Sorry, but I'm not your missing girlfriend, wife, sister or whatever'? That would not work. It was one night, one time. She did nothing, figuring it wouldn't hurt this one time. As long as that hand didn't go lower or higher, they were okay. The thought of an unknown man holding her still made it difficult to relax. After concentrating on her breathing, no other sounds resumed, she eventually fell into a light slumber.