As stated in the introduction, Sarah is given a new lease on life. Most of the story will be from her perspective (with bits of Joel and Tommy). I'm not going to bullshit you with the whole "first story so be fair" nonsense. If you like certain elements about my story - or if you don't - then please inform me. The fate of both myself and the sanity of my (future) readers hangs in the balance, so please heed my warning.

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"Sir there's a little girl", the soldier said in a concerned tone.

"Don't you see all of these madmen running amok? How the hell are we supposed to know that THEY aren't infected? I can't risk putting any more lives on the line".

"But..."

"Wright, we've suffered enough casualties as it is", Sergeant Sumner replied irritably. "We have to focus all our resources on maintaining order, and inviting more of these infected will only worsen the situation". Sergeant Sumner faltered. "Look I've already got enough on my hands, so just handle the Goddamn situation yourself".

"Yes sir", the young soldier replied with feelings of uneasiness.

White noise suddenly penetrated Wright's thoughts. This was a moral dilemma if Wright had even had any. He wasn't as seasoned as some of his superiors, hell, he'd only just graduated from basic training when this shitstorm landed. Ever since the debriefing, the only thing on his mind was his family - specifically his younger brother. Wright didn't want to picture what was happening at home, and meeting up with these folks didn't help. He felt a sense of urgency and panic rising in him as he stared at the two forms before him.

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"But...".

What the hell is he waiting for? The worlds gone to shit. We aint got the time to dilly-dally. I've got to get us away from those damned infected that were trailing us!

"Yes sir".

Joel stood motionless before the soldier. He flinched at the sight of the soldier raising his weapon in his and Sarah's direction. A cold shiver ran down his spine, knowing what was about to unfold.

"Stop!", Joel screamed, leaping away from the gun's path. They both were sent tumbling down a small hill as gunshots echoed, Sarah falling away from his grasp. He landed with a sudden thud, momentarily incapacitated by the fall.

Joel sat up in a haze, trying to register what had just happened. When his head cleared some, he saw Tommy fire point-blank at the soldier's head. The soldier slumped forward and fell in a heap onto the cracked earth.

"Oh no!", Tommy exclaimed, running to Joel's side. Realization struck joel, quickly twisting his head to see what was amiss.

Tommy leaned over Sarah, obscuring Joel's view. With sudden ferocity, he shoved Tommy away to see his daughter.

Joel's heart skipped a beat upon seeing the dirt and blood smeared across the side of Sarah's head. He mentally chanted, "No, she can't be dead. No she can't be dead". Tears streamed down Joel's face, not knowing what he'd do without Sarah. Sarah then abruptly stirred from her death slumber, mumbling a few incoherent words.

"She's knocked out cold. We have to get her to safety", Tommy yelled, returning Joel to reality. Scooping up Sarah in his arms, Joel quickly rushed over to his brother's side. "We need to leave Travis County NOW!". Hearing nearby growls, they wasted no time returning and continuing on the trail.

Tommy came to a halt at the corpse of the soldier, recovering whatever weapons and ammo he held. Joel couldn't help but glance at his would-be killer before looking away in disgust. What the FUCK is up with the military? If they're shooting at civilians, then it must be worse than we thought.

Unbeknownst to them, a multitude of infected lay dead just a few short meters behind them. Their corpses were littered with bullet holes - the same bullets from the automatic weapon now in Tommy's possession.

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A hero's legacy isn't always apparent. However, his actions will always be reflected in those of whom he has saved.

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What do you guys think so far? If you folks have any recommendations or input, then I'll take them to heart. Also, regardless of whether or not this story is well-received, I'll still stick to it till the end.

Thanks for reading.