I was rummaging through my college locker for my math book when I heard a scream. I turned around and there was a girl being attacked by someone. Of course I was the one in the hallway. I was always late for class. Wait. Is that person eating her?
"Leah? Leah is this a prank?" I said loudly so she could hear me.
But no response came. Even the screaming stopped. I heard a growling noise. And when I spoke the person that was attacking her turned for me. Its face was missing a cheek and the person was covered in dry blood. Its eyes were gray. I could see no form of life but it was coming after me. This is too real to be fake. What am I supposed to do? I notice one of the teacher witnesses what has happened and they run into the office. A few seconds later a voice comes over the intercom.
"Run! Everyone run! It is beginning!" but after the lady said those few words a heard a growl over the intercom and her screaming. Soon everyone was running everywhere. My best friend Austin and his girlfriend Brandi ran up to me.
"Renee! Where is Amya? You need to get your sister." We need to get out of here a protect each other!" Austin blurted out at me. I ran towards Amya's English class and luckily enough she was in the hallway.
"Guys, people are dying and getting killed. We need to leave NOW." Brandi said in a pushy tone. Honestly I'm glad she's being pushy because I snapped back into reality and tried to get out of building we were in. We ran through the halls until we were trapped by the things on both sides of us until I seen the auditorium door.
"Go into the auditorium, it has an emergency exit door. And I'm pretty sure this is an emergency!"
"Renee. Renee you need to wake up." I was shaken awake by Amya and Max. Amya and Max are the only family I have left and I am going to keep them safe. I will die for them if it keeps them safe. Amya is only one year younger than me, making her 25, but Max is only 12, he was the only one I could save from my parent's old house.
I slowly turn over and look up and the sky. Why is it moving? The truck hits a bump and I bounce up. Oh yeah, we're in a car.
"What? I'm awake now." I say half asleep. How did I fall asleep in a moving vehicle? I can barely fall asleep when we are staying in tents. I eventually manage to sit up and I have no idea why she woke me up if we are in the middle of nowhere.
"You were screaming in your sleep. You must've had nightmare." She says with her big brown eyes. I guess I was, even though it actually happened.
"I was having a dream about the day this all started. I wish it wasn't real though. I mean we were all told to go to college to get an education but no one prepared us for this except those movies that people said were unrealistic." I manage to rant out. I notice that it's going to get dark soon so I slide open the truck window in the back.
"I think we should up camp soon. It's going to get dark and I seen a lake a minute or two ago. We could stop there. I packed a fishing rod just in case." I tell Brandi and Bunce. I never really called him Austin. I always liked his last name more. He turns the car around and we drive into an area near the lake. It's sort of uphill and the lake is down in a sort of valley. We hop out of the truck and begin setting up. Brandi and Amya start making dinner while Bunce and I set up the tents. I tell Max to not leave Amya and Brandi's sight. He better stay there too.
"Renee do you think you could go hunting soon? We're going to eat up all the canned foods if we don't start catching things. I've never been fond of squirrels and venison but if I'm fed I'll be happy." Brandi says with a begging sound in her voice.
"Yeah, I'll go in the morning. I don't think it's a good idea to go hunting at night when I can't see, even if I can sleep in a tree it'll be better to go in the morning." I answered back. It's awkward sitting with Brandi and Bunce at dinner still because I've never had a boyfriend before and neither has Amya. We eat dinner slow and I decide to go to bed. No one objects. Bunce and Brandi head into their tent while Amya and I head into ours.
I wake up in a jolt and I look out of the tent, it's about dawn so I decide to grab my bow and head out to hunt. If my bow is going everyone will know where I will be. I open the truck and write a note to put in Amya's hand before I leave, it reads, Heading out to hunt. Take the fishing rod and fish in the lake. I place the note in her hand and head out.
After a few hours of hunting I found deer tracks. I decided to trace them. It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever traced but I eventually find it eating leaves off the bush. I equip my bow and shoot it. It goes straight through the eye and falls on the ground. I approach the body but a hoarse voice fills the air.
"What the hell?" A man says as he approaches the deer. I immediately engage on the man.
"Get away from my deer. I shot it. It's mine." I say to the man. He has huge muscles, he's kind of attractive. What no. I can't like this man. I don't even know him. Look away Renee.
"What the fuck? Who are you? Why the fuck did you should my deer?' He says with a tone in his voice that slightly scares me. Why is he claiming that it's his deer? I shot the thing.
"Excuse me? I'm taking the deer. My group is near the lake and we need food." I blurt out. Shoot. I just gave away where we are. Rule number one in a zombie apocalypse is never give out where you or your group is staying. I'm such an idiot.
"Wait. You're group is staying by the lake? So is mine…" His voice trailed off. He didn't sound as mean. This is weird. No one I've ever seen calms down that fast. Well except for me. Maybe he's bipolar. I am too. I really need to stop comparing me to him. He's attractive, yes, but I shouldn't be attracted to him. We stood there just starring at deer then back at each other. What was I supposed to say? And how am I supposed to drag this huge deer all the way back to the lake? I feel awkward just standing here. I guess I'm going to be the one who says something.
"Wha-" I get interrupted.
"Um, this is going to sound a little weird but do you want to come meet my group since we are staying near the lake? We could share the food. Wait how many people is your group?" He says in a mumble.
"There are four in our group. But I guess I could go check out your group. But could you at least tell me your name first? My name is Renee by the way. Plus I'm not looking forward to carrying this thing all the way back. It took me hours to get here." I say to this stranger. I don't know if I should go with him. I feel like something is going to happen to me. But I guess I'm going now.
"I'm Daryl Dixon. I have a car a mile up the road if you'd rather walk to that. But I'm not waiting up for you. Either you come now or I'm leaving your ass on the side of the road." He tells me. I instantly feel joy. Man am I happy that we won't have to walk all the way back. It's an awkward and silent walk to his car. I shouldn't even be going with him. He looks like he ready to kill me. I'm afraid. I hope people at his camp are a lot nicer than he is. Well he is a little nice but what point is there to argue with myself?
Eventually we reach the car and he helps me throw the deer in the trunk. It is heavy but man he is strong. Stop. No. I'm not going to like him. It's been silent and I feel like I should speak up. I don't want him to be rude to me like he was when I first met him. I guess first impressions are everything. I decide to say something.
"So, um, do you have any friends or family that is still with you? Like people from before this whole epidemic started?" I manage to ask. It breaks the silence. He gives me a funny looks and then focuses on the road again.
"What the hell is an epidemic?" he asks me while still looking at the road. He kind of got off track but at least we are having a conversation.
"An epidemic is a spread of disease, except it goes around super fast. Like this for example." I answer in despite. How does he not know what that is? I was in college before this happened and I learned what that was back in middle school. I want to go back to then. To where it was just lunch and games, well that was until an exam came up and we had to cram for it.
"We're almost there. Just around here and I'll show you our camp." He tells me. I sit up in my seat. "Are you afraid of new people? You tensed up." He looks at me funny again.
"No. I'm fine. Hey. Does your group fish in the water? I sent my sister out to fish with our dad's rod and if so your group might have spotted her." I ask worried that she might get hurt.
"Sometimes some people do, that is when the group doesn't send me out to hunt." He says as we pull into his group's camp. He grunts and I jump and then relax again. Then I look around and I see everyone look and I have the instinct to duck down, so I do. Then I realize that I'm drawing more attention to myself. I sit back up and some man walks toward the care.
"Well well well. Daryl has brought home a girl. You sleeping with her?" says the man that just walked up to the car. Once again I let my instincts take over me.
"No. We aren't sleeping together. I shot a fucking deer and he claimed it was his so we decided to share it between the groups considering my group is… well standing over there next to that blonde woman." I say as I noticed them over here. Well I'm guessing that they found them. Wait why should I be guessing. They did find my group. I hope they aren't hurt. I hop out of the car and run for my sister and my brother. I hug them both and Bunce and Brandi smile. "When did you guys get here?" I'm happy to see them but I look to the right and see our tents set up theirs. What did I miss?
I walk back to the car and help Daryl get the deer out of the car. I never took the arrow out either. It's still sitting dead in its eye. Another man soon speaks up and asks me something.
"You shot that straight though the eye?" He's kind of old but he seems like he's nice.
"Yes. It's basically an instant kill through the eye. It goes into the brain without having to worry about the skull." I reply. Everyone, except Daryl looks surprised. "I don't know what the big deal is. You all look surprised and I don't understand why." I ask in confusion.
"It's not that big of a deal. Damn woman." Daryl says and storms off into one of the tents. What did I do to him? He was so nice earlier.
I stare at the tent that Daryl stormed into until a woman with brown hair came up and introduced herself
"Hello. Nice to meet you" she said as we shuck hands, "My name is Lori, and over there is my son Carl." She points at a little boy sitting with some other people. I remember finding an action figure in one of the stores we raided and I packed it in my bag.
"Excuse me just a moment." I walk over to the truck, grab my bag from the truck, I find the action figure, replace the bag, and I return to Lori and hand it to her.
"I collected this in one of the places we raided and I thought Carl might like it, my brother Max never uses it anyways." She says thank you and returns to the group. I soon introduce myself to most of the group and an old man named Dale told me that some of the group was getting supplies in Atlanta and that they would be back hopefully soon. I don't know them but I hope they are safe. I decide to walk out into the woods and climb a tree. I always find the most peace in trees lately. I feel so safe because they are high up. Then I hear movement and I ready my blade, but I look down and see Lori and Shane. Oh lord I can't believe what I am seeing. They are making out. I don't want to move. Not because I want to see, believe me, I don't, but because I don't want them to know I'm here. So I just kept quiet and didn't make any sudden movement. I guess they deserve their privacy.
Eventually after they were done I just sat and think. Hours went by and I knew people might go looking for me but at first I didn't care. But that was until I heard a familiar hoarse voice call my name.
"Renee! Renee! Where are you?" Was he seriously looking for me? Why not Bunce? He's the one that would look for me. Actually he wouldn't because he knows I like to sit up here to think, so he would just let me be. Daryl got closer and closer until he was under my tree and I finally decided to answer him.
"I'm up here dimwit." I said while looking down at him. I have the urge to spit on him but I refrain from doing so. "Why did you come looking for me? I'm a little girl anymore and I'm sure as hell not your problem." I said in a harsh tone. If he can storm off into his tent like he did earlier I have a right to be harsh.
"The group told me to come find you for dinner. I'm the best tracker here. So you best get your dumb ass down here." He was getting all mean again. I wanted to protest but I was hungry so I just came down. "Why were you up in a tree anyway?" He asked.
"When I need to think I go to where people don't search for missing people. They never search the trees and that is where I tend to go. Don't tell anyone okay? It's my private happiness and I don't want people to take it away from me." I say as we walk out of the woods and into camp. The fresh smell of venison filled the air and I was super hungry. I skipped breakfast and lunch. I think it's unhealthy but I just wasn't in the mood to eat. He agrees and we all sit down around a campfire and eat. I was so happy to have food in my stomach. I feel like it tastes better when you're the one who caught it. I guess I should say that Daryl helped because I don't think I would've made it all the way back with a deer that size. When we all finished dinner we turned into the night. I didn't fall asleep right away but once I did I slept like a baby.
When I woke up Amya wasn't in the tent. I was a little worried but not as much considering we were in a bigger group now. I changed into a t-shirt some short shorts, man I'm glad I lost all that weight before this happened, and walked out of the tent. Sunlight greeted me and I smiled. I looked for Amya but she was nowhere to be found. Hell, where were all the women? I went up to Shane and asked him where all the girls were.
"Down by the lake doing laundry, maybe you should go help them, you are a woman." He told me. I was thankful for knowing but I don't want to help them.
"I'm not into most women things. I think I'd rather not. I'll stay up here and find something to do. You literally can't make me do that anyway." I smile and walk away before he has a chance to reply. I feel so bad ass but I probably just pissed him off anyway. Hah sucker. I know it's going to be hard to get him to say yes but I decide to ask Daryl if he would like to go out and help me make some arrows. He's going to think I'm an idiot, but I know what I'm doing, I went to a camp where we learned how to make the bow and the arrows, I only have two real ones because my parents bought it for me because the camp went through my birthday. I took two years of the camp and that resulted in getting two boys. I wish Amya would choose to learn but she's afraid of the walkers, so I'll just stick to defending her and myself, but she's still carrying a knife on her. I honestly don't care if she doesn't like it; she needs something to protect herself.
As I approach Daryl, he looks up and shoots me a nasty look and I retort with the same.
"What do you want? Dumb bitch." Daryl says. And of course I'm pissed off but even though it's only happened a couple times, he's a lot nicer out in the woods. Instead of saying something back I decide to play nice and just ask him.
"I'm going out into the woods to make some arrows and I was wondering if you would like to come along, maybe we could hunt afterwards and this time I'll let you catch the deer." I giggle as I say the last part and he looks up at me with his evil grin and stands up. I swear everyone is looking at me. Oh lord, I'm twisting my hair with my finger, is that drawing attention because that is what Daryl seems to be starring at.
"You can make arrows? For a dumb bitch I wouldn't think you could do that. Anyways, I'll go with you, but you need to stop messing with your hair, everyone must think you're flirting with me. I don't want them thinking some scum of a woman is with me." He says with a rude tone. Well at least he agreed to go; hopefully he'll be nicer out there. As he walks away he turns back around and says "Well you coming or what? Dumb woman." This time I know everyone up here is looking. No one else even dares to go somewhere with Daryl, most people are afraid of talking to him.
Daryl decides we are taking the car and we drive off, I look back and get a disapproving look from Shane, I hope he turns out wrong. We drive for about ten minutes before I finally say something. "So Daryl, do you know anyone from before this happened? I mean like, anyone in this group." I tried to ask him that before but our conversation got off topic.
"My older brother Merle, he's out with that group in Atlanta. He better get his ass back here soon." He tells me. Oh gosh. If he's anything like Daryl, I'm in for a world of trouble. He'll probably end up being an asshole. What if he's the one that made Daryl so cold hearted at times? Now I'm worried.