A/N - Well, here's the second chapter. As before, I do not own TWD or any content therein. I just enjoy writing fanfiction. 3


"Chloe!" Zachary rushed to her and clutched her to him. He brushed the hair from her face and examined it closely. No scratches. He quickly checked the rest of her exposed skin. Nothing. She was okay. "Chloe you have to listen to me. Wake up. We don't have much time." He shook her lightly.

"Zachary?" Chloe slowly opened her eyes. He memory was fogged. What was she doing on the floor of her classroom and why was Zachary holding her? "What are you doing?" She sat up and held her head in her hands. Why did she have a pounding headache?

"Chloe we have to get out of here. There is a whole swarm of those things coming up from town. If we leave now we should be able to make it to the house and grab some stuff before they make it that far." Zachary helped Chloe to her feet.

Chloe stared at the body laying at her feet. A chill ran down her spine as the memories flooded in. That thing tried to get her and the girls. The girls! Chloe ran to the closet door and pulled on the handle. Locked. "Girls. Girls? Are you all right. You can open up now." She stepped back as the door slowly creaked open.
Jackie and Janie stepped over the body and latched onto Chloe. Both were sobbing. Chloe held them to her while she petted their hair. She looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Their mother hasn't shown up to get them yet. I can't leave them here."

"Chloe, we can't take them. Do you know how hard it's going to be to get out on our own? We can't risk taking two little girls with us." Zachary went to the door and looked out into the hallway.

"I'm not leaving them, Zachary. If you want me to go then they go with us. When I became a teacher I promised to help my students. At the time I thought it was just to help them learn but now I know different. I can't leave them here to die. They wouldn't have a chance against a thing like that!" She waved one hand in the direction of the corpse on the floor.

"Chloe..." Zachary turned to look at his sister. He knew that stubborn look well. She meant what she said. She wouldn't leave without those two girls. He looked them over closely. They looked to be about five or six. No way they would survive long. However, they had to be moving quick. There was a bunch of those things coming towards the school and several already lingering outside. If he wanted any hope of getting out of there alive with his sister he would would have to agree to take the girls. He sighed. "Fine. Hurry. Get what you need and lets go." He went out into the hallway.

"Alright girls. Grab your things. I'm going to get some stuff out of the closet. You hear any noises and you run back to me." Chloe went to her desk and emptied her tote bag on the table. She shuffled through the papers, books, and folders and stuffed the lesson plans and workbooks back in it. She ran to the closet and gathered up paints, markers, crayons, pencils, pencil sharpeners, paper, and glue. When her bag became full she grabbed an extra tote bag off the shelf and filled it too.

"Chloe. What the fuck are you doing? I'm trying to get us out of here alive and you are gathering arts and crafts stuff?" Zachary glowered at his sister. He hardly ever raised his voice with her but now as not the time to baby her.

"Those girls are only 5 years old. If what ever is going on out there isn't solved soon, I am going to be responsible for their education. Besides, this stuff here will help keep them settled down." She held up one of the bags. "I need to stop by some of the other classrooms to gather up work books." She brushed past Zachary and took each girl by the hand. She waited at the door for Zachary to give her the all clear.

Chloe went through several classrooms and gathered workbooks and lesson plans that had been abandoned by the other teachers. She kept the girls in her line of sight at all times and stayed with in shouting distance of Zachary. When she was satisfied with her collection she took the girls back out to the hallway to meet her brother.

"Chloe get back!" Zachary slammed the door in her face and was out of sight in seconds. Chloe could hear a scuffle and the sound of metal hitting metal. She pulled the girls with her to the teachers desk the crouched down behind it. She closed her eyes and offered up a prayer for Zachary's safety as she tried to comfort the girls. She jerked up when the door slammed open. "Chloe, grab the girls and lets go. They've found a way into the school."

Chloe pushed the girls ahead of her this time, putting them in between herself and Zachary. They rushed down the hallways towards the cafeteria in hopes of the emergency door being unblocked. No such luck. There were two of those things lumbering around between the tables. Chloe watched in silent horror as Zachary stabbed one of them in the eye and kicked the other ones legs out from under her. He motioned for Chloe to follow him to the door as he checked it out. She could still hear the moans from the one on the floor as it tried to crawl it's way towards them. She pushed the girls along quickly.

"Is your car here?" Zachary whispered harshly as he led them out the door and around the side of the building. Chloe nodded and fished her keys out of her pocket. When she looked back up she saw one of those things shuffle around the building, catch sight of them, and start towards them with a faster pace. She put her hands over the girls mouth to stop the sounds of sobbing and pulled them closer. Zachary dispatched the thing quickly and edged up to the back corner of the building to look around. She saw him stiffen as he looked from side to side.

"There's a bunch of them back there. Maybe seven or so." He whispered to Chloe when he came back to them. "But your car is parked toward the end. It's by itself for the most part. There is one car two spots over towards the crosswalk. The things are beyond it. If we hurry we should be able to make it to your car and get it unlocked before they catch us. Girls, you have to be really quiet and run fast. If you drop your stuff do not stop to pick it up." He eyed the girls warily.

He took the keys from Chloe and crept back up to the corner. He hit the button to unlock the car hoping Chloe had finally changed the battery. He heard the soft click of the locks and glanced towards the creatures. Only one had began making it's way toward the noise. "Alright girls. There's one shuffling toward the car. I'll take care of it while you three get to the car and get in. It's already unlocked." He waited for them to creep closer then ran towards the thing. He tackled it to the ground and stabbed it in the head twice.

Chloe pushed the girls towards the car and yanked open the door. She made them climb in quickly and slammed the door. She was just slamming her own when Zachary climbed into the drivers seat ad started the car. He threw it in reverse and floored it, changing to drive as soon as he was clear. "What are those things?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. I just... they're dead. Those things that are walking around are dead people. I don't know how or why but they are. Mr. McKenzie had a accident this morning and it was really bad. He didn't make it. Mrs. McKenzie lay him out in the spare room and cleaned him up. She wanted to have the funeral there with out the help of the funeral home. You know how old fashioned they were. A few hours later, Mitch and I heard a scream from the house and ran up to see what was going on. Mr. McKenzie had Mrs. McKenzie pinned to the floor ripping her throat out. His eyes were yellowed and bloodshot. His skin was already sagging and grayish. Mitch took him out but it was already to late for the Mrs. We called 911 but the operator said there was no one available to help because it was happening all over the city." Zachary glanced at his sister. She was pale and trembling. She was clutching one of her tote bags to her like her life depended on it. Hell, for all he knew it did.
"Are you taking us home?" One of the girls from the back asked. Her voice wobbled and she sniffled.

"Oh sweetie. I don't know if we can. I mean..." Chloe began but trailed off. "Can we Zachary. Can we try to get them home to their mother?" She looked to him expectantly.

"No. We can not. I don't even know where they live. We have to get our stuff and get out. This town isn't safe any more." He slammed his brakes to avoid hitting a dog that ran across the road.

"Please. They just live about a mile up the road from the house. I drive them home after school sometime when their mother can't make it." She pleaded.

"Fine. We'll get our stuff first. If we have time after that we'll run by their house and drop them off. We have to get out of town, Chloe. I don't think you quite understand how bad this is." The car came to a stop on the curb outside of their home.

They got out and Chloe gathered the girls while Zachary opened the door. Things in this area of town were normal compared to the things in town. They lived in a cul-de-sac about 17 minutes outside of the main part of town. "Girls. Help yourselves to what ever you want out of the kitchen while I go get some stuff from upstairs." Chloe shut and locked the door.

While up stairs she grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and went through her clothes. She selected about four good durable outfits. Next she emptied her underwear drawer into the duffel bag. She found an extra pair of tennis shoes and several pairs of socks and packed them up in the side compartment. She looked around her room. Was there anything else she wanted to bring? She grabbed a photo album from the nightstand and a box of stationary from the desk. She zipped up her duffel and went back down to the girls.

"Here." A small pistol was placed in her hand and she looked at Zachary. A silent moment passed between them before she nodded and placed it in the back of her pants and pulled her shirt over it. She watched the girls for a moment. Jackie was making peanut butter sandwiches. She cut one in half diagonally and placed it in front of Janie. She poured two glasses of milk and handed one to her as well. She cleaned up and sat down next to her sister. The both ate in silence.

"Pack up the canned food and anything you think we'll eat in the next few days. I'll go get the camping gear and load it in the car. I'm going to separate it into stuff we really need and stuff we can live with out in case we have to ditch the car." Zachary popped his head around the door frame and frowned at Chloe. "Hurry up. We don't have a much time."

Chloe grabbed some of the camping backpacks out of the hall closet and filled them with their survival food and their canned foods. She got out their small propane stove and set it aside with the food. As an after thought she grabbed her stash of candy from it's hiding spot in the pantry and stuffed into one of the backpacks. She smiled at the girls. Jackie held up a can opener and a bag of plastic silverware. He smile widened as she took the items and added them to the pile. She hugged Jackie, then Janie, and they headed to the door.

"There is two of them up by the Johnson's house but that's the only two I've seen so far." Zachary sagged against the car and looked to his sister. "This is like something out of an old zombie movie. The dead coming back and eating people. I thank God I got to you in time at the school." He smiled fondly at her for a moment then looked back up towards the end of the street. He took the stuff from her hands and loaded it into the trunk.

"Girls get in the car with Zachary. I'll be right back." Chloe pushed them towards her brother and disappeared into the house. A few minutes later she was back out with another duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She locked the door and climbed in the car, setting the duffel bag in her lap. She looked over at Zachary. "Momma's wedding dress." She said with a wobbly smile. "I couldn't leave it Zach. It's all we have left of her besides pictures."

Zachary nodded. She only called him Zach when something was really upsetting her. He couldn't deny her this. Their mother had been gone for nearly seven years now. She died when they were Sophomores in high school. Chloe never got to say goodbye. That dress was all they were allowed to keep of their mothers things. Social workers had placed them in separate foster homes for several months. As soon as they turned 16, Zachary had gotten emancipated and dropped out of school to get a job. He had rented this house off the Johnson's son and convinced the courts he could take care of both him and Chloe. They had been together ever since. No. He couldn't tell her to leave the dress.

Chloe watched the emotions play out on Zachary's face. She knew what he was thinking about. She was thinking about it too. He had took good care of her. He had sacrificed his life to make sure she got what she wanted out of hers. She had graduated with honors and went to college. Zachary had worked job after job until the McKenzie's had hired him. Life had gotten better after that. They became like family to Zachary and Chloe. She was going to miss them dearly.

"Alright. Now where do the girls live?" Zachary pulled away from the curb. They didn't have time for that now. Those things down the street had started making their way towards them. He followed Chloe's directions for a few minutes and pulled up outside a brick house nestled on the end of street. 'Cozy' he thought.

They all got out and made their way to the door. Jackie pulled a necklace out from under her dress and unlocked the door to let them in. "Momma! Momma are you here?" She let go of her sister and went from room to room looking for her mother.

Chloe wondered through the rooms too. She made it to the kitchen before she notices the bloody smears on the walls. A chill ran through her. She followed them down the hall and into the laundry room. What she saw made her blood run cold and her feet glue to the ground. She couldn't move. She couldn't make a sound. There, in the floor of the laundry room, she found Mrs. Smith. He body was almost mutilated beyond recognition except for her face. Her face was eerily untouched except for a few blood smears. Her through, stomach, arms, and legs were ripped apart. Pieces of flesh were strewn about and blood was everywhere. This is not the way she had hoped to find the girls' mother.

"Mrs. Jordan I can't find..." Jackie came to a sudden halt next to Chloe. "Momma!" The girl shrieked as she ran towards the body. Chloe barely caught her before she reached the mutilated corpse.

"Zachary! Grab Janie and do not let her in here!" She clutched Jackie to her and began backing down the hallway as the girl sobbed "Momma! Momma!" the whole way. When she got back to the living room she found Zachary clutching a bewildered Janie. The little girl burst into tears at the sight of her sister and began struggling to get to her.

Chloe let go of Jackie so Janie could embrace her. They started sobbing harder as Jackie brokenly let Janie know that Momma would not be able to care for them. Tears flooded Chloe's eyes and she knelt down next to the girls. She wrapped her arms around both of them. "I'm so sorry girls. I'm so sorry. I'll take care of you now. I promise I will."

Zachary went down the hall and covered the body with a sheet. When he made it back to the living room he pulled Chloe off to the side. "We can't take care of them. We have to look out for ourselves now. I'm sorry they don't have any one to care for them but we can't."

"I'm not leaving them. They have no one else now. How could you even think about leaving them! They're kids! They would never survive with out us." Chloe's green eyes heated up and her whispers got more heated. "Did you see what happened to their mother! Do you think they would escape that? No. They're so little. They could defend themselves."

Zachary stepped back. "I have to protect you Chloe. I have to keep you safe. I can't take on responsibility for them too! Do you know how hard it's going to be with just the two of us? Add on two kids and the danger triples." He pleaded with her.

"I'm not leaving them here. They are going with us. There is no way you can make me leave them." She closed the small gap in between them. "Don't you see Zachary? They are just like us. They are alone in the world now. They only have each other. They need us. No one else can help them."

"Chloe..." He sighed. She had a point. Once again he could tell she wouldn't leave with out the kids. "Get them some clothes. Not to many. We already have a car load. They may each have one stuffed animal or toy. Grab some of the children's medicines from the cabinets and I'll grab canned foods from the cabinet. You have ten minutes." He walked away.

She led the girls to their bedroom, careful to avoid stepping anywhere on the sheet Zachary had placed over the body. They each had a small bag to put clothes in. She let them pick out their favorite outfit then filled the rest of the space in their bags with practical clothing. Jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and extra shoes. They each got bears off their beds. Jackie's bear was dark green with a little white heart sewn onto its chest and Janie's was light pink with a little white heart sewn in the same spot. Her next stop was the bathroom where she fished around for children's medicine to pack. They met Zachary back in the living room with a minute to spare.

"Lets go. There is a zombie in the backyard and I think he's noticed the house isn't empty more." He grabbed a picture frame off the wall and ushered them out the front door to the car. After everyone was safely inside he handed the picture to Chloe. It was a picture of the girls with their mother. Chloe smiled over at him. As they were driving away she glanced in the mirror and noticed that the zombie was emerging from the house. There's no way she would have left the girls because there was no way they could have defended themselves against that.


A/N - I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I know I've kind of drug out the first day. I just wanted to lay some ground work for the characters and get them all on the road together. 3 As before, if you liked it please review. Suggestions and requests are welcome and will be taken into consideration. No flaming please. If you have any questions or if I need to answer one in the story, fell free to PM me.