Huge thanks to AgentBSmith who not only edited but wrote part of this chapter for me. He's been a wealth of knowledge. Thanks to everyone who favorited and the few of you who gave me reviews! Those are the ticket to a faster update. You want a new chapter, I want reviews, it's a win, win.


Shawn couldn't drive any more. He didn't have it in him. The nineteen year old pulled over at a deserted looking building, the sun just now beginning to rise, picked up his bat and cautiously dropped from the truck. Beth was still sleeping soundly inside the cab, so he didn't have to worry about her. They'd stopped in at what seemed to be an abandoned gas station, it looked fairly new, so he was prepared for other people and only hoped he'd stay conscious long enough to fight them off or run if need be. He'd been driving for five solid hours and was running on two hours of sleep.

He grabbed their bags, just in case they had to leave the truck and circled the vehicle once, checking for any sign of danger.

He slowly approached the building, feet scuffing against the rough gavel, and cursed when he heard the horn going off. He turned and saw a walker pressed against the side window, Beth had her elbow jammed into the horn in her attempts to get away. Her eyes didn't leave the dead man; she was screaming and clawing at the handle she'd never been able to open well. Shawn ripped her from the cab, told her to stay put and walked around the cab taking out the walker as it stumbled to him. He took Beth by the arm, too tired to acknowledge her screams of cries, pushing open the door. He lifted his bat, his vision fuzzing slightly. He saw a small outline of someone about Beth's size before he heard a crash, then felt a sting of pain. Shawn felt his body hit the ground, heard Beth scream his name, and then everything was black.

Carol dabbed the boy's head with a cloth dipped in peroxide. The heard of walkers outside was spitting and snarling and pounding at the doors and Carol hoped Sophia could sleep through it. A baby's screams wouldn't help them any. The glass on the doors was surprisingly strong, and Carol thanked God for it. But it wouldn't hold forever.

"We'll have to move him soon, find a way out. There's a back door through the office, I moved my car back there, but I can't lift him alone and I have the baby and her supplies. He has to wake up, or at least become partially awake or we all die. And I won't let my baby die, I'm sorry." She was gently tapping Shawn's face now, hoping to wake him. She would leave these kids for Sophia. She was a mother and that was her job.

"He'll wake up. I promise. You can't leave us here, I'm only fifteen, he's barely nineteen. Please Miss. We need you." Beth wiped the tears from her eyes and nudged Shawn's shoulder with her palm gently. "Wake up Shawn. C'mon, we gotta go."

Carol knew he might have a concussion, he'd smacked his head on the table and she'd had to sew him up, a handful of ugly black stitches on his now receding hairline. Carol wasn't too worried, she knew a little too much about concussions and knew how to take care of him. Sighing, she tried to sit the boy up, gently patting his face with a wet cloth.

"Thank you, for helping us." Beth murmured as she raided for drinks and food. The woman, whose name she found out was Carol, had told her she and Shawn were welcomed to stay with her and the baby. "I don't know what happened; I woke up to a dead man trying to break into our car. Shawn killed him and when he brought me inside, well, you know the rest."

"You're welcome sweetheart. The world kind of went to Hell last night. My husband was eaten, so I took off and stopped here. You drew a heard, with all that noise." She grunted as she pushed Shawn into a sitting position, getting frustrated and dumped a bottle of water on his head. "We need to leave before the heard gets too big. Don't get bit, no matter what."

Shawn blinked and groaned, swallowing the pills shoved into his mouth stupidly. He blinked and saw the woman, opening his mouth to scream for Beth, but she was the one pushing pills and water into his mouth. He relaxed instantly, but Carol didn't let him get comfortable.

"Come on, we need to go. There are dead people everywhere." She helped him to his feet, shoved a bag at Beth and picked up Sophia and their things, along with a sharp knife. "We're going out the back door, hurry."

Shawn stumbled along, gripping Beth's arm in his attempts to keep on his feet. His head was fuzzy, his ears were ringing and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"C'mon Shawn, we're gonna get you into the car and give you something for your head." Beth murmured, all but pushing her big brother into the cab, taking the baby and settling her in Shawn's lap before hoisting Carol up.

The walkers had heard the noise and were making their way over, some faster than others. The moans were enough to send Sophia into a crying fit and Carol stomped the gas before any of the walkers could get a hold on the car.

They drove in silence for a while, Beth cooing to Sophia in attempt to soothe her. The car silent besides the two in the back. Carol drove like a bat out of hell for the next few minutes before she calmed down enough to throttle back on the gas, she glanced at the others before pulling over at the side of the road.

"I'm sorry about hitting you over the head, I thought you were one of… them." She said to the boy across from her, he nodded his head sluggishly, his head resting on the glass of the window.

"S's fine, don… don't worry." He murmured to the woman as Beth finished cooing the baby to sleep, she turned to check her brother, then turned to Carol.

"Excuse me Miss." She spoke in a soft voice, looking nervous. "Is my big brother going to be okay?"

"My name is Carol sweetie, Miss makes me sound old. And yes Beth I think he just has a concussion. Give it enough time and some antibiotics and his head will heal on it's own." She said with a small smile, glancing in the rear view mirror to get a better look at the young blonde girl.

"You really think he"ll be okay?" She asked as her eyes drifted to Shawn again. "Carol what is the plan with us? We can't just drive around forever." She opened a bottle of water and stretched forward to help Shawn, who was half awake, drink.

"I think we need to find a place to stay the night, then we find a place to stay until the government fixes all this." Carol sounded more confident then she felt. She drove for a few minutes, out of the city and into the woods, slowing when she saw smoke. After a moment of internal battling she started towards it, and ended up taking a turn onto a quarry. She glanced around, cautious and wary and slowed to a stop in front of an RV. There was an elderly man standing on top in a fishing hat with a rifle slung over his shoulder who waved at them. Heads began popping up from behind clothes lines and out of tents as the group began welcoming the new arrivals.


A little bit short I know. But reviews anyway?