Hey everybody! :) Sorry it to like three weeks to get this out. I've been busy procrastinating and stuff. If you haven't read Dumb Luck: How I Survive The Apocalypse or Who Needs Luck, you should go and do that! Links for those stories, and the prequel in progress are on my account page :D Stay Classy ~TheChuckles
KAT'S POV
It's been 17 days.
17 days since we got separated from the group in Atlanta. 17 days since I last saw Rick Grimes, Maggie Greene, Sasha or Bob. 17 days since Connor has last seen his brother and sister alive. 17 days since I last saw Alex, the one who I had blamed my Dad and Isaac's deaths on.
The farther north we travel, the colder it gets. Although it must only be the middle of October, it feels like we've entered a polar vortex rooted deep in the frozen depths of hell. Two years in the humid south has done nothing to prepare me for any sort of cold, and I definitely forgot how bad the winters were in Annapolis before the apocalypse. We're only in North Carolina now. This winter is gonna suck, i've decided. Even with my face bundled in a heavy pink scarf, I can't feel my nose.
"There." Abrahams says, pointing towards a 10 story building jutting out in a sea of low level buildings. It has to be less than a mile away. The building he's selected has a flat roof, and most of the windows seem to be intact. "We'll camp there for the night." He decides.
"Maybe Rosita and I can find some gas in some of these other buildings. Maybe some more food." Michonne comments, pulling up the collar on her leather jacket. Since we ran out of gas last week, we've been on foot since the border of the state. It's hasn't necessarily been all that fun.
"We only have a couple hours of sunlight left, so act fast. Go now. Kat and Tara, go with and see if you can find a running vehicle. We'll clear the building."
"Gotcha." I say, falling in with Michonne, Rosita and Tara as we fan out on either side of the road. Abraham, Gabriel and Connor advance down the street, weapons drawn. For a split second i'm worried about Connor, but he's gotten good at using that axe of his. And to his credit, Gabriel has become decent with his hatchet. Well, my old hatchet I've given him in exchange for Isaac's machete, which now rests comfortably on my belt.
We manage to fill two backpacks with miscellaneous supplies before enough walkers are alerted to our presence and we have to go. It feels too good to bring down several undead beasts with Isaac's machete as we hightail it to our new HQ. As we approach, I realize that we'll be staying at a hotel. Gabriel is waiting for us at the front door, hatchet in hand. We dive inside as he shuts the door and pushes a heavy cabinet in front of it, effectively sealing off the entrance.
Wordlessly, he leads us up several flights of stairs. By the time we reach the top floor, we're all winded. Abraham and Connor are busy getting a fire started, having already rearranged the furniture. We have the pleasure of taking residence in the penthouse. I claim a fluffy looking mattress complete with zebra print comforter and pillows.
"What'd you manage to snag?" Abraham asks in his thick texan drawl.
Rosita empties the backpacks on the floor, scattering our haul of cheap vending machine snacks and toiletries.
"Sweet." Connor says, picking up a toothbrush still in the package. "My breath must be pretty gnarly."
Michonne grins, ruffling his hair. "I'm sure we all have skunk breath."
Dinner consists of stale chips and granola bars, but instead of a sour mood, everybody seems to be somewhat happy. Maybe it's our new shelter. The last couple nights have been spent in rusted husks of cars or out underneath the stars. As I wrap myself with warm blankets on a soft bed, I decide that I never want to sleep out in the open again.
After a good night's sleep, I wake up to the sound of shouting and walkers.
Groggily, I roll out of bed. I rub my eyes as my ears detect growls coming from the stairs. I'm glad I slept in my clothes, because everybody is on the move. Abe and Michonne already have weapons drawn and are waiting for the walkers to show up at the stairs. I'm pretty sure we secured the main entrance, but I guess they must've slipped in through a window or something.
"How many?" somebody asks. It's Rosita.
Abraham replies with a frown, "Too many."
"Can't we take 'em? We have weapons, and we have the high ground." I say in between yawns. Already my machete is in hand, dried blood staining the sharp silver blade.
"You, Michonne and Gabriel are the only ones with blades. Guns'll bring more of them to our location. You three hold them off, i'll find us a way out of this hell hole."
CAROLINE'S POV
Virginia is colder than I imagined it.
I can see my breath escape my body in great huffs, even from inside the RV. The window is tinted with frost and fat drops of water from the gentle rain falling outside. Gray clouds fill the sky, giving the day a dull, gloomy feel.
"Doesn't this thing have a heater?" A shivering Sierra asks, rubbing her hands.
Glenn replies with a glum tone, "It's all burned out." Sierra doesn't reply.
"Where the hell are we anyways?" Jordan asks from the way back. I fumble with my huge map, trying to pinpoint where we are.
"Somewhere around Charlottesville, I think."
"Oh, can we make it to Richmond?" Noah asks.
"Uh, yeah, we could go there I suppose. Don't have anywhere else to go. Don't you have family there or something?" I reply.
"Yeah, my uncle lived there. I was with him before I went down to Atlanta to look for my parents."
"Does anybody else know about this?" Glenn asks with renewed optimism.
"Elijah might, if he remembers...maybe they went to Richmond? Well, whoever he's with." Noah says.
Jordan jumps into the conversation. "I don't know...Richmond is a big city. Most likely, there's a lot of those walkers there. Probably other people. It could be really dangerous."
"That's a good point." I interject.
"But we don't have anywhere else to go." Glenn starts. "And we're running low on like everything. There's no doubt that there are walkers in the city, and a lot of them, but that could mean a lot of the stores are untouched."
"It's worth a shot, I guess." Jordan agrees.
"And he didn't exactly live in the city. There's a gated community near the city. Maybe it's still there." Noah says.
I give Glenn directions to Richmond, and just like that, we've changed course. During the drive, I head to the back to have a small lunch with everybody. Well, everybody except Maggie. She's been extremely reclusive since the church two weeks ago. The only person i've seen her close to is Glenn, and that in itself is rare these days.
We eventually run out of gas a couple hours later. We're forced to spend the night on the side of the road. The rain subsides long enough for Sierra and I to gather firewood and for Jordan to start a fire for us. Noah and Tyreese set up a perimeter, rigging a wire around the RV and the surrounding area with empty cans attached. Although we'd likely see any walkers coming by the time they hit the fence, it's hard to see in the dark. Especially when the clouds are blocking the moon.
I spend the entire time pouring over the map, trying to figure out the fastest way to Richmond. I spot a small town near our location. Tyreese and Sierra agree to with me to forage for gas and other supplies tomorrow.
Maggie excuses herself early, heading into the forest for a "walk", but I know better. Glenn tells me to make sure she's alright. With the darkness, I have to use a flashlight. It seems Maggie didn't bring one. After ten minutes, I don't find her.
"Maggie?" I call out softly, aware of the other dangers in these dark woods. I don't get a response. Is she okay? If she gets lost or dies, Glenn will just completely shut down. Taking a huge risk, I start calling her name louder and louder, shining the flashlight all around. A sudden sound draws my attention behind me. It sounded like a branch bending, or something like that.
When I turn around, I see Maggie hanging by the neck, clawing at her throat, wide eyes staring at me.
ALEX'S POV
"It's empty. Let's go." Rick says solemnly, turning away from the prison ruins. A few days ago, he had this sudden idea that somebody might've ended up crashing here at the prison, but one look at the enormous amount of walkers surrounding the place shut his idea down. The towers have stopped smoldering at this point, a month after they initially were blown up.
"It was a long shot anyways." Daryl comments. Together, Rick, Daryl, Joan and myself pile back into the suburban and travel back to the rest of the group a couple miles away. At least we know, I guess. In the last two and a half weeks, we've checked miles and miles of forest, houses, Terminus, and now the prison. We've had absolutely no leads anywhere. Perhaps the only good thing that's happened is that I've been able to walk on my own for a week now. My left leg still feels vulnerable, but I'm getting used to it. I kept the medical boot Dr. Edwards gave me, incase somebody else needs it.
"Rick, I don't think they're anywhere in the area anymore. We would've found them by now." Carol says once we get back to camp; an average sized farmhouse with a simple wooden fence surrounding the property. Rick runs his hands through his mop of greasy black hair, in deep thought.
"They're all probably north of here by now. Whoever's left." Daryl comments.
"Don't say that." Carl interjects. "They're all still alive. I know it. Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, everybody."
"Bob and Sasha died right under our noses, what's to say that nobody else is dead?" Carol retorts, silencing Carl effectively. He just glares at Carol for a brief moment before storming off into the house.
"What? I'm not sugarcoating anything. We're in a tight spot here, in case none of you have noticed. After the prison fell, we were all scattered in little groups, and it was dumb luck that we all found each other again. This time? I don't know, it's not looking that good." Even though I know Carol is absolutely right, I can't help but hold out hope that Connor is still alive, somewhere. Someplace.
"Well, we know they've most likely moved on by now. I'd say they ain't in Georgia anymore. Maybe South Carolina or Tennessee or something." Daryl says.
"Yeah, sure. We'll head there in the morning. Whatever." Rick says in a hoarse voice.
"Rick, it's not even noon..." Joan starts.
"I don't care. We're staying here for the day." Rick says, walking off towards the house.
"What's his problem?" Joan asks when Rick is out of earshot.
"He's stressed, aren't we all?" I say.
"No, something's different about him. Even before the prison he was never this cold." Daryl says, resting against the meek wooden fence. Thunder claps echo in the distance.
"We better get inside, it's gonna rain soon." Carol says, leaving our conversation in the past. We all make for the house. We'll all be stuck in the house for tonight, it seems. At least I have Ashley and Elijah to keep me distracted from Connor. Well, kind of. No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking of all the horrible scenarios. It's even replaced those horrible dreams about my evil step dad.
By sunset, it's lightly raining, the rain drops making a pattering sound on the roof. Elijah, Carl and I share one of the few bedrooms. Ashley stays with Carol and Joan, the only three in the group of the female persuasion. Rick and Daryl share the third room with Judith. Eugene has the last room all to his little lying self.
The farmhouse itself is pretty impressive. Only two stories, but whoever lived here kept the place in style. The only real problem with it is the gaping hole in the roof, exposing over half of the upstairs area to the elements. Carol gathers us all together in the expansive living room for dinner, which is basically sitting around the fire and wishing we had something to eat. Times have been hard.
"So, where are we going tomorrow?" Carol asks after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.
After nobody else speaks up, I ask "What do you think we should do?" Rick's wary gaze centers on me, and I can't help but squirm a little bit. It's chilling.
"Personally, I think we should follow the coast. We'd have the ocean at our backs. Source of food, and one less thing to worry about."
"Nice plan." A strange voice says. I turn to see three armed men standing at the stairs. "Too bad you won't get to ever use it."