"You can't tell anyone about this."
Amy looked at the man before her. He was wearing army gear clothing, but had a special badge on. She assumed he was a sergeant, or something, "Why the hell not?" She finally asked.
He shook his head, sighing. He seemed to find her annoying. "We don't want to upset people," he explained, "and if people knew we came back to life, even if we don't get bitten, then just think about the chaos that might happen in this shelter." He then straightened up, looking rather proud. "I got this place under control, and I intend to keep it that way."
Tony, the man had lost his sister, edged his way into the conversation. "And did you know about it all?" The sergeant gave him a puzzled look, not understanding what he meant. "I mean, about people coming back to life." He quickly said.
"Ah, right. No this is the first time I learnt of this. Would explain why there's so many God damn dead walking around in the first place..." He muttered under his breath.
Amy didn't say anything, wasn't even listening to their conversation. She was still in shock about what happened earlier. It was two hours ago when it happened, but it felt like it happened five minutes ago. Still, she just couldn't believe her dad was now dead. What about my mom... Please let her be okay, please.
Half an hour later, Amy and Tony were escorted back to their camp beds. They were checked to see if they'd been bitten beforehand. Wordlessly, Amy lied down on her camp bed, eyes still opened. Tony was stood next to her, not knowing what to do. The army guards stalked away, not saying a word.
Tony cleared his throat. "Amy, I can stay with you if you want-"
"No, thank you." She was quiet for a couple of seconds, before saying, "I'm sorry about your sister, Tony."
"She was ill for a long time, but thank you." He replied. Further silence, before he said, "your father was a good man, Amy. He didn't deserve that."
Amy did not reply back. She felt too choked up. Eventually, she heard him walk away. Soon, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
She woke up again. It was now light, but people were still sleeping in their camp beds. She grabbed her wrist watch under her bed, and frowned. It was only 6:30 am. That meant she had one and half hours sleep. She looked across, and saw her father's camp bed was empty. For a split second she wondered why, until she realised he was dead.
It all happened so quickly. One minute he was shouting at her, the next he had a dead person clamping its teeth on his flesh. Amy tried to help, but that stupid doctor wouldn't let her! She kept pulling her back, yelling they needed to get out. The screams... Amy had never heard him like that before. He was crying out in sheer terror as the doctor pulled Amy out of the room.
The doctor explained to the guards that Tony's sister was not bitten. She couldn't understand why the lady came back.
Soon, the penny dropped. Amy had realised what it was.
Everyone was infected. If your brain was not destroyed, you'd come back, no matter what.
'So, if I was to take an overdose of pills... I'll come back anyway.' Amy thought, and shivered. She never wanted to come back and start killing people. It was a gruesome thought, and Amy wanted to be sick from just thinking about it.
She closed her eyes, remembering the father's last moment. He was begging for his life as the dead lady was biting into him. She appeared to be quite strong as her dad tried to fight it off, screaming. Amy tried to help him, but the doctor was holding her back! 'He might have had a chance if she helped him, or maybe she would've died along with him.
The sergeant, telling her and Tony not to tell anyone about the incident... What was that about? When he told her not to say anything, at the time she didn't have the energy to question him. She couldn't even think anyway. However, it was now bugging Amy. What if someone did try to commit suicide in the middle of the night? That person would come back, and bite its teeth into the next guy they see. Everyone needed to be warned about this. The sergeant was being stupid.
Slowly, Amy got up from her camp bed and walked to the other side of the wall. The army guards had put cardboard over the windows, presumably so no one could look at the dead shuffling around. Being as quiet as she could, she unmasked the corner of the cardboard and peeked through the window.
The high school had gates around it, but on the other side the dead were shuffling around. Amy felt confused, as she thought the government would have sorted the mess out already. The walking corpses were already rotting badly, and when Amy looked closer at one of them, she noticed there were guts hanging out of its stomach.
She almost gagged, moving away from the window. She didn't think it was so bad out there. When Amy and her father found the shelter, they saw the odd one on the street. She didn't realise it would spread so quickly, as she assumed it was all under control.
Amy then gasped as she realised something. Her Mother! She was out there, all with those horrible things wondering around. She lost her dad, but she sure as hell didn't want to lose another parent. Her mom could be safe and well... Or she could be dead-
Amy quickly shook at her thoughts. No, her mom had to be alive still. Although in Atlanta the city was clearly in chaos, maybe where her mother was wasn't so bad?
Slowly, Amy walked back to her bed. She continued to think about her plan. She didn't know how to drive, so she couldn't hijack a car and drive down to her home town. The only option was to simply walk.
Walk down to Macon.
She knew it would be a long way. From Macon to Atlanta it was about ninety five miles long. Usually, if her parents drove her it would take just under two hours. However, Amy calculated that if she walked non-stop to Macon, it would take her over a day. She'd have to leave in the morning, and arrive at night. Amy didn't want to think about the zombies, and told herself she'd deal with that plan later.
There were also other issues; she needed bring food and water. Amy thought about saving up her food rations, but then again she felt utterly desperate to escape the shelter. She no longer felt safe after what happened last night. She felt at any minute, something will crack and reveal its ugly head. She needed to get out of the shelter, as soon as possible.
A few hours later, Amy walked up to Tom. He sat at a table on his own, writing down on a note pad. She felt she had to say good bye before she left, and needed to explain to him what happened with her father. Tom needed to be warned.
Amy stood before Tom. He didn't notice her, as he appeared so absorbed on his writing. Perhaps it was his journal? She cleared her throat. "Urm, Tom?"
Tom looked up quickly, and then grinned at her. "Hey, I was going to find you!" He then gestured to the chair next to him. "Why don't you sit?" He asked, politely.
Amy shook her head at him. "No, Tom... I need to tell you something." She felt her heart hammering against her chest. For some reason, she felt anxious about telling him her plan.
Suddenly looking concerned, Tom closed his note pad and dropped his pencil onto the table. He was staring at Amy, as if trying to search for something. "Amy, is everything okay?" He asked.
Again, Amy shook her head. "My dad..." She faltered, trying to find the right words. She felt her throat tightening, almost hurting her. She didn't want to cry. She tried again and said, "I can't tell you how, but my dad... my dad is dead."
Tom stood up, scraping the chair loudly. Some people looked over, but quickly lost interest again. He then ran over to Amy and hugged her. She allowed him, and felt her tears flowing freely. Finally, he let go and looked at her. He looked confused. "I don't understand. Why can't you tell me how he died, Amy?"
Amy closed her eyes. Sighing, she replied, "I've been told not to. Tom, I'm getting out of here. This place isn't safe."
Tom's eyes grew wide. He took a step back, still looking at her. "Amy, I don't understand! What happened? Why are you leaving?"
Amy looked around, ignoring his question. She noticed two army guards, whispering to each other. They then shot a glare at Amy. She quickly averted her gaze at Tom, who was beginning to look terrified. "I can't say why. I just have to get out of here." She explained, whispering to him.
"Can't you at least give me a clue?" He asked.
"No." She glanced at the army guards, and quietly said, "I think they're trying to listen to our conversation."
He nodded his head, understanding. "So what is your plan then?"
"I'm going to leave this place and then walk down to Macon, where I live. I want to see if my mom is still alive."
Tom raised an eyebrow at her. "Amy, there's a couple of problems you have. One, there are zombies wondering around. I doubt they'd let you walk by. Two, Macon is quite far-"
Amy interrupted him. "I know." She sharply said. He didn't mean to, but she felt like he was patronising her. She continued talking, "Don't you think I haven't thought of that? I know there are dead wondering around, and I know Macon is miles away, but what choice do I have?"
"I'm sorry, Amy" Tom muttered. He then ran fingers through his hair, sighing. He appeared to be thinking. Finally, he said, "I can't let you go on your own. I'm coming with you."
Amy felt genuinely shocked. She wasn't expecting that. "Tom, you don't have to!" She quickly said.
He shook his head. "I couldn't let anything happen to you. You need someone with you. Someone who can take care of you, at least." He then shrugged his shoulders at Amy, smiling.
"Tom, I don't know what to say..."
"You don't have to. Not after what you have been through. If you need to get out of here, then I'm coming with you."
For an hour, Tom and Amy discussed a plan. They needed to get out of the building, but they also needed to steal supplies. Tom had also expressed they needed a weapon; a baseball bat, anything blunt they could use in case something tried to attack them. Luckily, Tom had a wooden stick he used before he came to the shelter.
"I think I know how we can get out of this building." Amy said. Tom looked at her, urging her to explain. "There was this doctor from last night. She saw my father die. Maybe due to what happened, she'll show us the way out, maybe even give us the supplies."
He nodded his head, agreeing with the plan. "I know she's always stuck in the medical centre. Hell, she practically sleeps there."
Amy looked at him. "We can go tonight. Gather up everything. Bring your weapon, and anything like water, food... Anything. Then when the lights go out, me and you can meet at the door," she pointed to the double door at the end, "and sneak to the doctor's office."
"What if she says no?"
Amy pursed her lips, trying to think. "If she says no, then we'll just have to look for the exit. Either way, I'm not staying here and waiting for a death sentence."
It was dark by the time they'd finished discussing. They both returned to their own beds, to try and relax for a bit. She sat down on her bed, suddenly feeling scared. She remembered when she and her father got to the shelter, they were given rules. One of the rules was: You do not leave the shelter. Anyone caught, will be shot on sight. The rule baffled Amy, but perhaps it was their way of trying to reduce infections? She still couldn't grasp the logic of their rules, but she knew the doctor was their only hope if they wanted to get out.
"Lights out!"
It had been a few hours, but for Amy, it felt like days. She was sick with worry. Ten minutes later, she gathered up her supplies, and crept to the door. She saw Tom, waiting. Without a word, they opened the door crept through the corridor.
Before they knew it, they were outside the medical centre. The lights were on, much to Amy's relief. Gulping, she knocked on the door, and waited.
The door flung open. The doctor was stood before them, who blinked a couple of times. "Oh!" She mustered, looking at Amy.
Straightening herself up, Amy said, "Doctor, we need your help."
The doctor shook her head, before saying, "O-of course. Come in, please." She stepped aside, allowing the couple to walk in.
Amy felt the urge to be sick when she saw the room. She stared at the floor. There were pink stains all over, splattered everywhere. She heard Tom whisper, "Oh, Jesus..."
Awkwardly, the doctor cleared her throat and asked, "What can I do for you?"
Amy looked at the doctor. "I need to get out of here. After what happened last night..."
"I know. I'm very sorry for what happened, Amy."
Amy ignored her. "We need your help so you can show us the way out."
The doctor nodded. "I don't blame you. I can sneak you and your friend out so you can be unnoticed. Was there anything else?" She asked.
"Well..." Amy looked at Tom. He gave her a little nod, urging her on. She said, "We need medicine supplies. You know, in case anything happened to one of us."
The doctor smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I can't give you anything."
"What? Why not?" Tom spoke out. He looked crossed.
"There's a limited supply, and people here need it. Plus, the military do checks on the supply. I won't be able to explain if they notice the medicine has disappeared." She watched them. They were both quiet. She then said, "But I can show you the way out. It's the least I can do."
Half an hour later, Tom and Amy were shown a door. There were a few times when they had to hide away from the guards, but luckily were they unnoticed. It appeared the guards weren't well trained.
The doctor took a deep breath. She took Amy by the shoulders and whispered, "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I need to find my mom." Amy simply replied. The doctor could only smile at her.
Opening the door, they both stepped outside. The night was chilly, even though it was summer. It was surprisingly quiet, as well.
Amy never did find out the doctor's actual name.
A/N: First off, I would like to thank for the favourite/follows. I didn't even think this would be read, so thank you. I like writing, but even getting some support urges me to write more. If you would like to review, please do. That means you can criticise it. I'm not just after praise, but I want to improve on my writing, but just don't be evil about it! ;.; Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if it's slow paced, but it will catch up soon.
