I do not own the show or the characters in the show. I only own my characters. The name of the story was inspired by the song Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace. I don't own that either. Wow. I don't own anything. haha. Well enjoy.

My name? My name's Harmony. Everyone calls me Harm. My son's name is Alex. But that's not important right now. What is important is that the world ended 6 months ago. The dead started walking and there aren't many survivors. For a while, I thought we were the only ones. But then we saw them rush into the CDC... I'm getting ahead of myself again. I should start at the beginning.

Like I said before, the world as we knew it ended 6 months ago. At least, I think it was 6 months. Days sometimes pass without notice. Time fades away. Anyways, a deadly virus hit the world. It killed everyone, and I mean everyone. But after they were dead, their reanimated corpses started walking around, and taking chunks out of people. Yeah, you heard right. Zombies. The walking dead. One bite, and you're infected. Once you're infected, you get sick, fever hits, and you die. Then you become one of them. The only thing that kills them is a headshot or something else that destroys the brain.

Like I said, I thought we were alone for a while. It was just my son, Alex and I. He's four years old. I never let him out of my sight. He's my whole world. We were staying in my cabin in the woods, we had it pretty good there. Plenty of food, shelter, far away from civilization. We had weapons, ammo. We were safe. Until a herd of those things came walking through the woods, looking for food. I guess they'd eaten all the fresh meat in the city. This was a big group of them. At least fifty of those things just came ambling through the woods. There were enough to take down my little cabin in the woods. So I packed what little food and weapons I could carry, grabbed my son, and ran. As fast as I could. Once I was a good distance away, we climbed a tree and just watched, helpless, as they literally plowed down our only shelter. Once they were gone, we went back to scavenge what may have remained, but there wasn't much. So we headed to the city. Atlanta.

I made camp in the woods in an abandoned old house. We were just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. We were in a dilapidated, one room little house. But it was good enough. Good enough to survive. And that's what was important. Surviving. Alex and I stayed there until we got low on food. Then we knew we had to go into the city. It was the only choice we had. So we walked right into the city, being quiet, of course. Not making a fuss, because that would only draw more of the flesh-eaters. We went into an office building. There were only a few flesh-eaters there. I killed them immediately. I took my machete and destroyed the brain. I couldn't afford to use precious bullets, and besides that, they're loud. You have to be smart to survive. I would have used my compact bow, but I try to use that only for hunting. I can save the arrows after the animal is dead, but with those things, I might risk contaminating the kill if I used the same arrow. So when I did use it to kill a flesh-eater, I kept my killing arrows and my hunting arrows separate.

I was going through the cabinets when I heard a moan. I motioned for Alex to climb into a cabinet and hide. He did immediately, staying quiet. I padded softly into the neighboring room. I peeked my head around the corner to see a young girl, bleeding next to the wall. She couldn't have been more than sixteen years old. She was groaning and holding her thigh. Blood was dried on the floor, and more was pouring out of her wound. She wasn't one of them. Not yet.

I crept into the room and came to stand a few feet away from them. Her eyes were closed, clenched in pain. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked up, her grey eyes wide and scared.

"Are you bit?" I asked gruffly, getting straight to the point.

She whimpered and shook her head. "No. They shot me. I'm gonna die..."

I knelt in front of her to get a closer look at her wound. Carefully, I removed her hands, ignoring her groans of pain. She told the truth. She'd been shot in the thigh. She was lucky; as I felt my hand around to the back of her leg, I found that the bullet had gone straight through her. But it was probably getting infected.

"How long ago did it happen?" I asked her.

"Uhh..I don't know. Could have been hours, could have been days. I don't remember. I passed out," she answered, the pain apparent in her voice.

"Alex!" I called. My blonde-headed son came running obediently. He stood in a few feet away, his eyes wide and trained on the girl. "Go get my bag."

He ran out of the room and came back holding my bag. I opened it and fished out the first-aid kit I had. It would take up most of my resources to help this girl. But I couldn't just leave her here to die. I pulled out my knife and cut the fabric away from the wound. I got a bottle of water and poured it on her leg to clean it a little. Then I poured alcohol on it. She whimpered in pain.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Otherwise it'll get infected, okay? Hey, what's your name anyway?" I talked to her in a soothing voice.

"S-Sky. My name's Sky," she said through gritted teeth.

"Sky? That's a pretty name. Well, I'm Harmony, and that cute little boy over there's my son, Alex."

I slowly washed the dried blood off of her. Then I slathered antibacterial salve on both the entrance and exit wounds. I took some gauze out and wrapped her leg. Then I got some plastic wrap and wrapped and taped it over the gauze. We couldn't have any bad stuff getting to it. She looked a little better by the time I was through.

"Okay, you just get some rest, alright? Alex and I are going to finish looking for more supplies, but don't worry. We won't be too far away. Here are some pills for the pain. They should also knock you out for a little while. It'll let you heal. Oh, and call me Harm," I told her, giving her the pills and some water.

"Okay...Harm," she muttered. And then her eyes closed and I knew she'd be out for a while. I took Alex's hand in mine and led him back into the other room.

He stayed by my side, not more than a foot away from me while I rummaged through cabinets and closets and drawers. I found enough food to last us for a few more days and more pain pills, but that was about it. I'd look for more tomorrow. Maybe move farther into the building. For now, Alex needed to sleep. I laid my coat down on the floor and wrapped him up in it, letting him lay close to Sky. I marched to a window and took out my compound bow, strapping my quiver of arrows onto my back once again. I kept moving from window to window, close enough to see out of it, but not too close that someone would see me. There were a few flesh-eaters outside, but not so many that would I need to take them out. It would waste arrows.

After just a few short hours, my eyes started getting heavy and burning, but I forced myself to stay awake. I couldn't sleep. Not now. The dead didn't sleep, how could I? I couldn't keep my son and our new companion safe if I was sleeping my head off. The flesh-eaters could sneak up on us then we'd all be goners. No. I'd sleep later.

Soon, the sun rose, but Sky stayed asleep. She needed to rest and heal. But she might end up needing more help than I could give her. As Alex started to stir, I went about making breakfast. I put together a can of cold green beans and a few pieces of stale bread. Not much, but these days you couldn't be picky. I let Alex eat first, after I said Grace of course. God was all that was left, these days. Something to put our hope in.

After breakfast, I took Alex to a bathroom and while he relieved himself I washed up. Yes, hygiene was important. Even after the zombie apocalypse. I stared at my haggard countenance in the mirror. My long auburn hair was tangled and put in a messy ponytail. My brown eyes were red with exhaustion, but alert. I pulled up my shirt and could see my ribs just poking out under my skin and my hip bones were a little more prominent. I'd lost too much weight. Wasn't as healthy as I used to be. But I was strong. Strong enough to keep going. My face was covered with dirt and sweat, so much so that you couldn't tell freckles apart from dirt.

I poured a bit of water on a cloth and wiped my face. There. That was a little better. Then I cleaned Alex up a little bit. He looked just like me, except he had beautiful bright blue eyes. And although he was four years old and didn't talk much, he was smart. Really smart. And obedient. He stayed by my side and did exactly as I told him. More than once, it had saved his life. He was a good little soldier. I was so proud of him. I no longer felt pain looking into his eyes. Those eyes that were the same as...his.

Walking back out to the other room, I found Sky awake. I went to her side and checked her wound immediately. It had stopped bleeding. That was good. There was no sign of infection. Yet. It might have been too soon to tell. I gave her water and food and she looked even better. Stronger. That was definitely good. We needed to get moving soon. It was dangerous to stay in the city too long. Too many of them.

"You don't talk much, do you?" asked Sky.

I looked up at her, into her pale grey eyes. I chuckled. "No, I don't suppose I do."

"Why?" she asked.

"The way I grew up...I'm more of a listener. Basically, I've found that it's easier to say what needs to be said instead of chattering on uselessly. No offense, if you do."

"Oh, none taken. I don't talk a whole lot. But I do prefer to know what's going on. Seems like your son knows more than I do," she told me.

As if on instinct, Alex and I shared a glance. He did understand me a more than everyone else. We didn't talk much, either. We just had that sort of connection you have with some people. I'd give the world for my son.

"Sorry. He doesn't really know more than you, he just...understands me," I said.

"Okay. So tell me what's going on. What's the plan? Are you just gonna leave me here...or what?" she asked. She was trying to show bravado, but I saw that inside, she was scared.

"No. I'm not gonna leave you. You look to be doing better, but we need to get out of here soon. Not safe. We'll need to be leaving as soon as you can travel," I replied.

"When will that be?" she asked.

"You tell me."

"I can go as soon as we're ready," she said. She had steel in her voice and her face was set with determination. I leaned back to get a good look at her. She had long black hair and pale grey eyes. She had a small, strong frame. Her lip was pierced and there was a tattoo peeking out from the top of her shirt. It gave her a tough look. And although her eyes reflected kindness deep down, I could tell they'd seen great pain. We all had these days.

"What happened to you anyway? How'd you get shot?" I asked her. I knew it was rude, but I had a right to know if she was going to be traveling with me.

"Oh. Well. My family's all dead. They died pretty quickly. But my best friend, me and her...we had each others' backs. We were with this group. Just for protection, of course. And we knew enough not to trust them. Not really. They were a means of survival for us. Ya know? She was pretty kickass and she knew how to handle weapons pretty well. She taught me that. I was the smart one. I could figure out how to improvise anything. Together, we were unstoppable," she said, smiling a bit. But it was a sad smile.

"What happened?" I urged her.

"Like I said. We had each others' backs. That was how it was. We protected each other. But then...our group got surrounded...I got knocked to the ground in the chaos. A geek was right on top of me, I was fighting it from biting or scratching me. She saw and she killed it. But when she did, she left herself unprotected, and one got her on the shoulder. She killed it, but it was too late. In the end, she protected the whole group. But I knew she didn't do it for them. She did it because she wanted to die on her own terms. She took a grenade and went straight into the middle of a huge group of geeks. Blew them all to hell, or wherever it is they come from," she said the last part bitterly.

"Go on. You still haven't got to the part where you got shot," I said.

"Yeah. That. We were pretty much loners in the group. Outcasts of a sort. And now that she wasn't there, they thought I was dead weight. They really just wanted to have one less mouth to feed. So they shot me and left me for dead. That's about it."

Her eyes had a steely look to them again. They also held anger, and pain. But she was hiding it well. It just so happens that I'm incredibly good at reading people. Most people. That night...so long ago...I didn't read him right. I didn't read his intentions right. And it had cost me.

"I'm sorry. Truly," I told her. And I was. I didn't know how I would function if I lost Alex. He's the most important person in my life.

"Yeah. Me too," she said quietly, eyes on her bandaged leg. She looked back up at me. "So what did you do...before all this?"

"You wanna know my story?"

She nodded her head. "It's a very long story that I'll tell you when we're out of here. Okay? For now I'm going to finish scavenging. I'll only be a few rooms over if you need me. Can Alex keep you company?"

She smiled. "Absolutely."

"Alright, I'll be back here in under an hour." And with that I left. Alex knew what he was meant to do without my having to even say it. He was to stay and keep out of trouble. Be a good boy. And he always was.

It didn't take long to search the next few rooms thoroughly. It became monotonous, but oddly soothing. Opening cabinets, closet, drawers. Searching, scavenging and figuring out what could be used and what was worth taking with us. Pretty easy unless you didn't know what you were doing.

The minutes passed quickly and silently, the only sound were doors being opened and closed softly and the shuffling of objects in my bag. I entered a room and saw one of them, slumped against a wall. It looked like it used to be a young woman. Half of its face was gone, torn off. It was still alive, if you could call it that. It looked up at me and groaned. It shambled toward me, arms reaching out. I pulled the machete from my side and swung forward, slicing into it's head. It fell to the ground in a decomposing heap.

Immediately I went back to searching for food and supplies. After another half hour, I made my way back to where my son and Sky awaited. I walked through the room to find Sky up and about. Limping, but walking. That was good. Really good. The best. She had taken a rifle and was using it as a cane, hand on the barrel and the butt of the gun pressed to the ground. I didn't recognize it, so it wasn't mine. I almost ran up to them. Alex was smiling and cheering softly. Sky looked accomplished with herself.

"You're walking! That's great!" I exclaimed.

She beamed at me. "Yep. Now we can get out of here sooner."

I motioned to her make-shift crutch. "Where'd the gun come from.

"I found it. I was trying to walk and I fell down and saw it under a table. It isn't even loaded. There wasn't any ammo. But I guess this is as good a use for it as any."

I snickered. "Why would people in an office building need a rifle?"

Sky shrugged. "Maybe after the virus hit people got scared. Either way, they used up all the ammo a long time ago."

"So how does it feel?" I asked, nodding to her leg.

She leaned on it gingerly. "Still hurts like a bitch but it's better. At least I can walk."

I smiled. "Yeah. At least you can walk. Most people would still be passed out. You've got a pretty good pain tolerance."

She shrugged. "I guess. I did gymnastics and dance when I was little so I guess pain is something you get used to."

"I hear that."

Alex came to my side, knowing I was about to make a decision. It seemed I was now the leader of our small group. I had another person to protect. It would make my life more difficult and dangerous but it was the right thing to do. It was what God was leading my heart to do.

"Alright. If you're up to it, we'll leave tomorrow. I think it's safe enough to rest here for today. But there isn't much more to find here," I said, switching my eyes from Sky to Alex. They both nodded obediently.

For the next few hours Sky kept practicing walking and exercising her leg. She could just about walk without the gun crutch. Alex stayed beside her, watching and not talking, but there if she needed help. It was hard to believe he was only four years old sometimes. I sat on the floor cross-legged, cleaning my weapons. Weapons needed to be cleaned and checked frequently so they didn't jam or break and cause your or someone else's death.

I had just re-stringed my compact bow when I heard cars approaching. I motioned for Sky and Alex to duck away from the windows and then rushed to the door, bow raised. An RV a Jeep Wrangler, a blue pickup truck, and a Jeep Cherokee pulled up in front of the building across the street. It was the CDC. I tried not to shiver at bad memories that flooded my mind at the thought of that place.

The vehicles were very loud and geeks started gravitating towards them. Several people rushed out of the cars and to the doors, trying them and finding them locked shut. I scoffed. Of course they'd be locked. Even Alex knew that. I knocked an arrow and held my bow at my side, undrawn but at the ready.

The group of people started panicking. One man with a crossbow started taking out walkers. A black guy started helping him, bashing their heads in with a baseball bat. More and more undead starting ambling towards the group. It was getting dangerous for not just them, but us as well. Too many of them and we would get noticed in our little hiding place. The window I was standing at was already half way broken, so I simply held my arm up to the window, drew my arrow and let it fly. It landed precisely in the back of the head of a geek that was about to make lunch of the guy with the crossbow. He looked down at the flesh-eater, an arrow protruding from the back of its head. I saw the confusion on his face. It made him hesitate. I quickly nocked another arrow and shot it at a geek that was trying to grab his arm. He noticed where my arrow came from. His eyes shot up in my direction. I ducked away from the window.

I peeked back around and the man was back at shooting more of them. The entire group was trying to pull one man away from the doors and back to the vehicles. This man seemed to be the leader and wore a sheriff's getup. He was banging on the doors and yelling at them.

They were about to be overrun when suddenly, the doors opened. I continued to shoot walkers that got too close to them or the building we were in. The group of people rushed inside, first two women and a young boy and girl, then the rest followed. The last on in was the man with the crossbow. His eyes went to my direction again and I couldn't duck away fast enough before I saw his eyes lock onto me. I was in the shadow of the building so he probably only saw my silhouette, maybe my bow sticking out of the window slightly.

Then he entered and the doors closed behind him quickly and shut with an loud clang. I joined my son and Sky where they were ducking underneath a table. I put my finger to my lips to indicate they should be very, very, quiet. There was still a horde of zombies outside and even the slightest noise could draw their attention to where we were. I'd wasted at least twenty arrows helping those strangers. Stupid. I pulled my quiver off of my back and counted only nineteen left.

What a stupid waste of arrows. But then again, maybe not. I'd done the right thing. I just hoped it didn't cost us too dearly in the long run. We sat there in complete silence for at least three hours. I could tell the silence was bothering Sky. I slowly got up, stretching my limbs a bit, but I motioned for Alex and Sky to stay put. I tiptoed to the window and peeked outside. The sun was setting now and the geeks were dissipating. They were all wandering off in other directions in search of another poor soul to eat. There were only about twelve of them standing in the street, ambling around here and there.

I walked back to Alex and Sky, motioning that they could stand up and stretch. My son stretched his arms and legs and then came to my side, hugging my leg and yawning. I stifled a yawn myself. Sky on the other hand, looked completely alert.

I picked up Alex, he was pretty big for a four year old, but not as heavy as he used to be. This whole apocalypse thing made food scarce, even though I tried to give him as much food as I could, it still wasn't enough. I was starving. Alex buried his face in my neck and said quietly, "Hungry, Mama."

Sky almost gasped. It was probably the first time she'd heard him speak. He was like me, talking only when necessary. Even less. I stroked his messy blonde hair.

"I know."

I sat down with him in my lap and dug through one of the bags, a knapsack that held what little food I could ration. I pulled out leftover squirrel meat I'd caught a few days prior and a bottle of stale water. We all passed around the food, not eating as much as we wanted, but eating enough. Enough to survive. Just for a little longer.

After we ate our unsatisfactory meal, Alex cuddled against me, his head against my chest. I held him tightly, stroking his soft mess of curly hair. He soon fell into the bliss of sleep. I sighed wearily. Sleep, as well as food and safety, was a rare commodity in this world.

"How long has it been?" asked Sky suddenly.

"What?" I asked, brow furrowing.

"How long has it been since you last slept? I can tell it's been a while," she said.

"A few days. Maybe longer," I replied, yawning.

"Go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"No, you're wounded. You need to rest," I said, half fighting it.

"I was passed out for a long time. An entire day, maybe longer. I've rested enough. You're the one who needs to rest. You're our protector. If you don't get rest, we all die. Me, you. Alex. So sleep. I'll keep watch and wake you at first light."

"Thank you, Sky," I said softly. Then the sweet embrace of sleep surrounded me.