Chapter 2

I woke up to a slight presser on my face, I didn't open my eyes, I squeezed Althea's hand and waited for the reassuring pressure that never came. Worriedly I slowly opened my eyes and looked over, she was out cold, and I let out a sigh of relief and closed my eyes again.

"I think she's awake" one of the voices from earlier said.

"Althea?" I whispered, but she still didn't respond.

"She's ok" the boy's voice said again this time a lot closer.

I opened my eyes, only to meet the emerald green eyes that reflected my own.

"Dude you could be related!" the other boy said.

"Are you ok?" the boy with emerald eyes asked.

"Yeah I think so." I answered looking up; his dirty blonde hair was a little shaggy and falling into his eyes. He extended his hand to help me up. Once I was standing I got a better look at him, he was tall and had a muscular build.

"I'm Conner O'shea" he said out stretching his hand for me to shake "seventeen"

"Catalina Sanchez "I said taking his hand "seventeen"

Just then I heard a yelp. I looked over to see althea holding a dagger to the nervous boy's neck.

"Al, they saved us"

"Oh. Sorry" Althea dropped her dagger to her side.

"Um... Hi, I'm Aron Sanders" said the boy putting out a shaking hand as Conner had done "seventeen"

"I'm Althea Riviera" she said grabbing his outstretched hand and he pulled her up. "Seventeen"

"Sorry for you know, the whole dagger thing, I thought you were a rotter" Althea said biting her lip.

"It's cool; I probably would have done the same." Aron said with a half-smile.

Althea and Aron walked over to where I was sitting with Conner, still laughing about the whole dagger thing. Aron almost looked the same as Conner besides the sapphire blue eyes that matched Altheas.

"You can make out later" said the older man from before "we need to get back to the camp, people are hungry, and we don't want to be here in the dark"

" Aww… Rick" said Conner giving him the evil eye. "Be nice to the girls"

"Whatever" rick puffed and started to walk.

"Come on girls" said Aron and started to follow rick.

Conner caught up to Aron and left me and Althea alone.

"Hey… that Aron guy is kindda cute" whispered Althea.

"Maybe…" I whispered back "but I kindda like Conner a lot more"

We exchanged looks "Score!" we whispered at the same time and burst out laughing. It was hard to tell we had almost died an hour earlier.

We walked for hours, through zombie infested streets and back alleys, the sun was getting lower and lower as each block went by, it cast an almost eerie light over everything, the skeletons of the buildings posed as a reminder of what had been and what probably would never come back. I looked down at my ring, and thought about my parents; how they did everything they could to get me out of our house and down to Althea's. By the time we made it back it was too late; the first rotter's I had ever killed were my own parents.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Conner asked, sliding into pace with me.

"Oh, Nothing" I mumbled looking away.

"Hey" he said grabbing my shoulder, "I know something's wrong, just tell me"

"I was just" I started , looking in to his eyes " thinking about my parents, and how they could have known this was going to happen, I just wish I could have helped them more you know?"

"I completely understand" he said looking at the skeleton of the building that used to be the mayor's office.

"How could you?" I asked "they taught me how to shoot, how to survive in the woods, they even taught althea how to use her dagger, with help from her parents, but still?"

"Yeah but..." he started but I cut him off.

"You don't get it do you?" I asked as hot tears filled my eyes "the first Zombie I had to kill was my father, then my mother!" the tears flowed freely from my eyes I tried to wipe them away but it didn't help.

"Me too!" Conner said turning me to face him "I had to kill my father because he stayed and tried to clear the hospital, he was bit then he bit my mom, it was my only choice"

"Oh, god, I'm sorry" I whispered tears still dripping from my cheeks

"Hey... It's ok" he said and pulled me into his strong arms. "Nothing can hurt you now, we have a huge group we all know how to fight, and we can defend you and Althea"

"Hey you two, get it together we are almost there" said rick annoyed

We turned a corner and stopped.

"There's nothing here!" Althea said

"Not down here" Aron said with a smirk, he pointed up "up there"