Days like these were my favorite. The sun was bright and warm, a soft breeze brushing back my hair, surrounded in tall, lush green trees circled above me, and dry, whispering grasses tickling my cheek. I was in a small meadow near my home in California with my best friend. "What do you think college is going to be like, Erin?" She asked, breaking the silence. I just shrugged.
"Better than high school." I said. "I hope." We grew silent again, watching the trees wave back and forth. "Kate?"
"Yeah?"
"You'll still be my best friend, right? No matter where we end up?" She laughed at my question. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit.
"Always." She said, a smile in her voice. We both broke into laughter, followed by another peaceful silence.
"Erin! Erin, wake up!" I heard a voice calling my name, but it wasn't Kate. I looked around, but no one was in the meadow with us. "Now would be nice, Erin! We have to get out of here!" I gasped as I shot up. I was no longer in the beautiful meadow. I was sitting in a flimsy sleeping bag in a dark, dingy, basement. Kate had been replaced with my older sister, Maddie, leaning over me, an intense look on her face.
"What? Why?" I frantically started looking around, thinking we were in danger. Again. I saw a few other sleeping bodies around us, but besides the rest of our group, no one else was in the room. "Maddie what's wrong?" She sighed.
"Erin, this group is getting too big. You know the Walkers are attracted to large groups. We have leave." I groaned. This wasn't new. Ever since we had found and joined up with a few of my old classmates, she'd been uneasy. She didn't trust them. I got up and walked to the other side of the room, motioning for her to follow me so as not to wake the others. I shivered. Even though the sleeping bag was old and tattered, it kept me somewhat warm. I turned back towards Maddie.
"We can't just leave, Maddie. They're my friends. And they help protect us. Just like we help protect them." I emphasized this by lifting up my shirt, showing the handle to the semi-automatic pistol I had tucked in my waistband. She winced. She'd never liked guns, so when we found the dead police officer with one tucked in his holster, I was the one to take it.
"We're not responsible for them, Erin. All we have to take care of is ourselves." I stared at her. How could she think like that? After everything we'd been through, it was nice to have others to talk to. It helped me from going insane in this already fucked up world.
"We may not be responsible for them, but I know we were lost without them. None of them have a gun, or even know how to use one. In return they help us find food. If you don't remember, before we found them, we were starving Maddie. After we lost the only people that provided for us. The only ones who cared for us. The only ones..." My throat had started to close up, and I could feel the threat of tears behind my eyes. But I couldn't cry. I couldn't afford to cry. Maddie put her arm around me.
"I know Erin, I know. I miss them too. And I know they've helped us. But don't you think that our time with them has been too long? We were on a mission before we met them. What about now? Are we just supposed to forget about Ian?"
"No. Of course not. I miss Ian too, he's family. And I know he's out there. But for the time being, the best place for us to be right now is with them." I gestured to the pile of sleeping bodies. She sighed.
"Fine. For now." She sounded defeated.
"Good." I sighed and rubbed my neck. "You get some sleep. You gave me an adrenaline rush of terror when you woke me up. There's no way I'm falling back asleep. I'll take watch." She shrugged and walked back over to the sleeping bags, slipping into the one I had just vacated.
I sighed and leaned against the wall facing the door, sliding down until I was sitting, and slipped my jacket over my knees. When I breathed out I could see the icy tendrils of my breath reach out to nothingness in the cold air. I glanced around at the sleeping faces. I'd gone to school for several years with most of the people around me. To my left was Julia, who had been one of my closest friends throughout high school, and Becca and Emma, both of whom I've known since I was little. On my right was Liam and Sasha, two boys I'd known and loved In high school. In front of me was Maddie, and last but not least, Simon and his older brother, Miles. Simon was the one I'd known the longest. Practically since we'd been born. Miles, on the other hand, I'd barely known, and even now didn't quite get along with.
I thought back to the day that my sister and I had found them. It was night, and we'd been running from a group of Walkers for hours. We hadn't eaten in days, and were in the middle of a long-abandoned highway, not a store in sight. Being the less athletic of us two, Maddie had collapsed, gasping for breath. "Erin, just leave me. Go. Please don't get caught. My ankle's hurt and I can't run. Mom and Dad told me to take care of you. Please save yourself."
"I'm not leaving you, Maddie. Don't be an idiot." I glanced around, running towards an abandoned car. "Please, please, be unlocked," I muttered. I yanked on the handle, and the door sprung open. Just then, I heard the groans of the Walkers not far behind us. "Maddie, come on!" I whisper-yelled to her. She limped over, clutching her side. I helped her into the car, quickly jumping in after and immediately locking the doors. Just seconds later came the muffled footsteps and piercing groans of the Walkers. "Get your head down." I told her. We laid down in the back, me on the floor and her on the seats. I felt a siege of terror as they slammed their bodies against the car. I let out a small whimper. Maddie reached down, and squeezed my shoulder. The slamming got louder, their fists now pounding on the windows. All I could remember thinking was about how I was going to die an 18 year old virgin, and then hating myself for thinking something so shallow. We suddenly heard a few slicing and stabbing noises, and the pounding and the groaning slowly stopped. A few seconds later, the door was ripped open, a knife hanging just inches from our heads.
"Erin?" A male voice said, sounding extremely familiar. I looked up. At first I didn't recognize him.
"Simon?" I could barely get his name out. I jumped out of the car and threw my arms around him, completely ignoring the knife I almost impaled myself on. I felt a burning sensation behind my eyes and a lump in my throat, but swallowed it down. I wasn't going to cry in front of him.
"Erin, what the hell?" He said, pulling back to look at me, then wrapping me in a hug again. I held him tight, not wanting to let go. I looked over his shoulder, for the first time realizing he wasn't alone. Behind him stood his brother, Liam, Sasha, Julia, Becca, and Emma.
"What the fuck?" Was all I could muster out. I finally let go of Simon, glancing around. "You killed them all?" Simon just nodded and grimaced.
"Let's just say I've learned how to use a knife." I knew it was gruesome, not funny, but I started giggling. Soon it had turned into a full on fit of laughter, and I couldn't stop. Everyone had grouped around me, looking at me strangely, but I still couldn't stop. "Erin? You alright?" Simon looked at me, concerned. My laughter turned into hyperventilation, and I started feeling lightheaded.
"Erin? Erin what the hell, stop!" Maddie shrieked. That was the last thing I heard before I passed out.
When I awoke we were moving, and I was lying in someone's arms. Disoriented, I blinked a few times, looking around. "Thank god you're awake," I heard Simon say. He leaned down and placed me on my feet, but kept an arm around me to keep me steady. I could feel my cheeks turning bright red. Everyone grouped around me again.
"You alright, Erin?" Julia asked. I glanced around at their concerned faces.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I muttered, blushing even harder and looking at the ground. I took a deep breath and looked back up. "How did you guys find us?" I asked, looking around the group for an answer. Sasha spoke up first.
"Honestly it was a coincidence. We've been walking this highway for a while, looking for others. We heard the Walkers, so we snuck up on them just as they were attacking the car you were in." He explained, gesturing at Maddie and me. "We took them out, figuring there was someone with a beating heart inside."
"Oh hey, are you hungry?" Liam asked, digging around in his backpack and pulling out a few bars. My stomach rumbled in answer.
"Thank you."

**Thanks so much for reading guys! Reviews would mean the world to me. I have A LOT more to this story, so if you want to see the next installation, please let me know! Thanks again!**