PART ONE

"It's been two days. We should get going again soon," Summer said and sipped from her assigned water bottle.

"Why? We've been safe so far. There's no rush. The kids are happy here, let's just let them enjoy it a little," Molly replied, watching her children Henry and Samantha playing in the fenced in yard behind the house.

Summer shook her head, and glanced out the window to see her son Bobby rolling on the ground and laughing. It had been too long since she'd seen a smile like that on his face, and the whoops and hollers of the game they were playing were sweet sounds that were too absent in the world they lived in now. But they were also dangerous in this world. They could alert anyone, anything, to their presence. And then they'd have no choice but to run again. Summer believed it was better to keep moving, every couple of days if not every day. There wasn't any place safe enough to settle in, and no place with enough supplies to keep them stocked for very long. They had to keep moving, because that was the world they lived in. You stopped too long, and something would catch up to you.

"They shouldn't be so loud. Someone might hear them." Summer pushed open the sliding door to the backyard and called to the children to keep the noise down.

Molly scoffed. "You're too hard on them. The yard is fenced in, the fencing is strong, we checked. Even if something hears them and comes tapping, it can't get in."

"Unless it's a herd. Or alive. We have to be smart, can't let our guard down. It's important the children learn that too. It's important they have the skills they need in case something should happen." Summer picked up her pistol for the third time in the last twenty minutes and checked the clip. They needed more ammunition. If the men didn't get back soon, they'd have some tough decisions to make.

"Stop it. We haven't seen any roamers in as long as we've been here. No people either. Relax."

"Relax and we're dead. You relax, I'll keep us alive." Summer pushed her pistol into the holster in her waistband at her back and moved to check the front of the house.

She wouldn't say it, because saying it made it real, but she was worried about the men. She was worried about her husband. He and Molly's husband and the other man they travelled with had split from the group two days ago when they'd found this neighborhood. They had intended to travel a bit further into the town looking for supplies. It wasn't that they didn't take longer supply runs, or that two days was even the longest they'd been separated, but there was something about this one that made Summer uneasy.

That happened sometimes. She'd have a feeling, and then something would happen. She'd learned to listen to them, but never to voice them. No use causing panic in everyone in case it was the one time her feelings were wrong. Besides, Molly hated Summer's feelings and thoughts. In fact, Summer was pretty certain that Molly just plain hated her period. Sure, she enjoyed the safety Summer's survival training gave her and her family, and she enjoyed the chance for her kids to play with another child, but in the end, if the world was what it used to be and not what it had become, Summer and Molly would not have been friends. They wouldn't even have been acquaintances. The end of the world sure made strange alliances.

"Summer…" Molly's strained voice barely reached Summer's ears.

"What is it?" Summer moved back towards where Molly stood watching the children. She glanced out the window, and noticed the children standing stock still and quiet. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end. Pulling her knife from its holster at her hip, she slid open the door and moved through to the backyard. She was barely out the door when she heard it. The low, raspy moan and weak banging of a roamer at the fence.

"Hey, Bobby, Henry, Samantha, why don't you move into the house with Molly. I'll take care of this. Nothing to worry about," Summer calmly told the kids as she walked past them, trusting they wouldn't question her orders. She kept her eyes on where the sound came from.

Her breath came in even, shallow draws and she felt her adrenaline rising. She peeked through the slat in the fence, and there it stood. The face was nearly completely rotted away, both eyeballs hanging down the cheeks and the lower jaw gone. The slimy tongue lolled back and forth in its gaping mouth, and the few strands of hair remaining on its head were black and curly. The button down shirt and knee length skirt it wore showed signs of once having been teal and black, but now were caked in mud and torn from rambling in the woods. The intestines hung from a cavernous hole in its gut. Obviously she had been someone's meal before she started hunting herself. Poor woman, or used to be woman, or however you wanted to look at it.

Summer whistled a few notes, and the creature paused a moment before turning towards the sound and moving to stand in front of the small gap between the slats where Summer stood watching it. She waited for it to lean its face, or what remained of it, against the wood, and then slipped her knife through the slat and easily into the softened skull and brain of the roamer. The creature collapsed in a finally dead heap as she withdrew the blade. Summer was glad she'd gone for the bowie knife the last time they'd pillaged an outdoors store, it was perfect for what she needed it to do. Wiping the mess from it before sheathing the blade again, she scaled gracefully up the fence side to peak over the top, listening for sounds of any other creatures approaching. Satisfied that this was the only roamer near them so far, she turned towards the house and her heart leapt.

Standing at the window, holding Bobby in his arms, was Jake, her husband. He kissed his son on the forehead, and Summer knew the whispers between them were of reassuring words to calm Bobby's nerves and keep him from spiraling into a panic attack. He'd had a few of them before everything went to hell, and now the strain of the new way of life in this world of madness brought them on more and more frequently. But Jake could always calm Bobby. He had always been a good father. At least some things didn't change no matter how many dead bodies got up and started walking around trying to eat you.

"Hey babe," Jake said and kissed Summer on the lips as she entered.

"I'm so glad you're back. I was worried. Did you have any luck?"

"We had great luck. The trucks are loaded up with supplies. Ammo, meds, food, water, clothes. Best trip yet. And we found a lot of gas too. We filled anything we could find that would hold it. And I found this for you."

Jake reached into the front pocket of his fisherman's vest and pulled out a necklace of black pearls. Setting it in Summer's hand he smiled at her.

"Remember how we said before we got married that I would buy you one of those someday? Well, I made good on my promise."

Summer felt a tear form in her eye and roll down her cheek before she could stop it. There had been a lot of promises of what they would do and where they would be after their marriage. But Bobby had come along and they'd worked dead-end jobs to make ends meet, always dreaming of something more someday. And then the dead had started to walk, and anything they'd ever planned was gone forever.

"Ah babe, I don't want to make you sad, I thought you'd be happy."

"No, no, I am. Thank you. It's just…reminders of what we were before. But it's beautiful. Thank you," Summer said, opening the clasp and slipping it around her neck before closing it. She smiled for her husband. She did that now. She hid her emotions, pretended everything was okay. For herself, for her son, for her husband, and for the other members of the group. No matter how bad it got, she always put on a brave face and pushed forward. You did that or you died.

"You thinking one more night and then move on?" Jake finally asked.

Summer nodded.

Molly moved into their conversation. "I think we should stay longer. Get a real rest. We've hardly seen any roamers since we've been here and no other people. Why not really get ourselves strong before moving on again to uncertainty?"

"What do you think Allen?" Jake asked the man who stood watching the sun begin to set in the sky.

"I think both points are valid. So far we've been moving on in two or three days, but we've got the possibility here of taking a longer rest."

"You rest too long, something catches up to you. We have to keep moving," Summer insisted.

"I say a few more days won't hurt, probably can only help," Allen responded.

"I agree," Mark chimed in as he stood with his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Sounds like we have a consensus to stay a little longer," Allen noted.

Summer placed her hands on her hips and looked at the ground as she tried to keep herself calm. There was a panic rising in her that made her think her feeling hadn't been about what might happen to her husband while he was gone but about what would happen after he got back.

"What is it Summer?" Jake asked, seeing the concern crossing her face as she stared at the floor.

Summer chewed her lip and furrowed her brows.

"You have a feeling don't you? What is it?" Jake asked, concern entering his voice.

Summer glanced up at him and sighed. "Yes. I have a feeling. It started a little while ago when we were waiting for you to come home."
"But they came home just fine. Your feelings really are the silliest thing," Molly tsked and rolled her eyes.

"You may think they're silly but they're never wrong. Maybe we should plan on leaving first thing in the morning then," Jake glanced around at the other adults in the group.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," Samantha said, wrapping herself around her mother's legs.

"Alright dear, let's get you something to eat," Molly said and grabbing her daughter's hand, moved towards the kitchen counter where the bags of food sat.

The rest of the adults looked from one to the other in silence, trying to decide what to do. Did they ignore Summer's premonition and risk it for the chance to have a break from always traveling and searching for somewhere to be safe for a while or did they move on again?

"I think Molly is right, we should stay. We could all do with a real rest, and the kids are happy here. They have the fenced in yard to play in. They get to have a bit of childhood back right now. Can we please just enjoy something for once?" Mark said.

"You let your guard down, and-" Summer started.

"We get it, Summer. You're all doom and gloom and something's going to get us. We've heard enough of it! And you know what? If something is going to get us then at least we can enjoy some of our time before we go," Mark interrupted and stormed off, slamming the front door behind him.

Jake placed his hand on Summer's shoulder and smiled at her comfortingly. "He'll be alright. He had a close call in town."

"You said it was a good run."

"Even good runs have dangers. He just didn't want to worry Molly with it."

Summer glanced over at Molly, who sat at the counter with Samantha, watching her eat the crackers she'd served out for her, and glancing over at the group of adults discussing their future. She was pleased her husband had blown up at Summer. Summer angered her with her constant harping about the dangers they faced and how they had to keep moving or die and trying to show them how to use weapons and forage foods. She was sick of Summer acting like she ruled the group, like she was the best one here, the only one with any skills.

And she was sick to death of Summer's feelings. They hadn't proven enough to keep her sister and brother-in-law alive. In fact, following them and heading out when they had from a previous camp had only served to make them an easy target for another group looking to take their things. The attack had left five of their group dead, and the rest running for their lives. Her children had watched their aunt and uncle get cut down with machete's, and narrowly escaped the same fate themselves.

What good were these stupid feelings of Summer's if they didn't actually lead to them being any safer? They only served to upset everyone. Stupid Summer. She wished something would get her so she could be rid of her.

"I say we stay," Allen finally spoke. He glanced from Summer to Jake and waited for their response.

"Summer?" Jake asked.

"I just don't know. Something feels off. I can't shake it. I don't feel right committing to staying here, but if everyone else is in agreement then I can't force it. We'll stay. But we have to keep an eye out. Normal watch rotations, no slacking off just because we assume we're safe. Deal?"

Everyone nodded, and Jake glanced at Molly, who looked pleased with herself for getting her way. He hoped it wouldn't end up being a decision they regretted.

"How about we make some supper? The gas stove still works, and I'm sure we could put together a real feast with what we found in town. Should I go grab some of it?" Jake asked.

Summer nodded, and turned to look out the sliding glass door. She thought about the roamer's body who lay on the other side of the fence. She wondered how many more might be in the area, ready to head their way and gang up on them without warning. Relax, everyone said, but even without her feelings Summer found it impossible to relax. There was no relaxing when every corner of the world held creatures trying to eat you and people trying to take your stuff for themselves. How exactly was she supposed to relax in that?