I love you all so much! I'm really sorry I can't respond to all your amazing reviews. I would have been able to tonight but I really wanted to get this update out. This will undoubtedly answer a lot of the questions you all have and if not please feel free to private message me.
"Glen, we're lost aren't we?" I stop and ask my brother. Ever since we left the house we'd been held up in, waiting for our parents we haven't stopped once. We were supposed to be heading back to the city to see if there were any shelters still in use. We've been walking around these woods forever though.
"We're not lost. I just don't know where we're going." Glen says nonchalantly with a shrug.
"Isn't that the same thing."
"Potato, PoTAHto." He says.
"Glen I need to rest." I whine and he shakes his head and turns to face me.
"We need to keep moving, it's gonna be dark soon. We're miles from anything, Spence."
"But we've been walking forever!" I tell him.
"You want me to carry you?" He asks and I nod. Sometimes it's so amazing having a big brother like Glen.
"Fine, hop on." He says, turning his back to me so I can get on. I hop on his back and lay my head down on his shoulder.
"Glen..." I say softly.
"Yeah, Spence?" He asks as he starts to walk again.
"I love you." I whisper.
"I love you too, baby sis." He says with conviction.
We walked for at least another hour before we reached a highway. Glen carried me the entire way.
"What happened?" I ask, looking around at the city once known as Las Vegas as I hop off Glen's back.
Burned down buildings, empty cars, dirty streets... walkers galore.
"I guess they got overrun." Glen says taking his weapon off his clip.
"What do we do now?" I ask, desperation evident in my tone. We had no plan B. When mom and dad didn't come back we decided to head for the city for help...but there is none. Probably not even a government anymore. No army, no shelters, no anything.
"I guess we're on our own." Glen says and looks down at me. I'm fifteen-years-old and Glen's only sixteen, how can we survive out here on our own? "We can do this." He says bending down to my eye level. I guess he could feel the anguish seeping from me.
"Can we?" I question him and a slight smile plays at his lips.
"Watch us." Is his reply.
–
"Your brother and Aiden are getting pretty cozy." Ashley turns to me and says with a smile.
"Yeah." I nod. I'm not really in the mood to chat to be honest. I just want to find my brother.
"Did you know your brother was..." She trails off and glances at me.
"No." I shake my head. "He never said anything. He said it was because after I came out he didn't wanna..."
"Wait you're gay?" She interrupts me.
"Yeah." I say turning to her. "Problem?" I question with a raised brow.
"No." She shakes her head. "I just didn't know that you were-"
"Why would you?" I cut in. "It's not like a just go around broadcasting my sexuality to the world." I add.
"Okay." Is her only reply.
"Sorry." I mumble, I didn't mean to sound rude.
"It's cool." She shakes her head and waves me off. "So you had a girlfriend before all this?" She asks and I turn and raise a brow at her. Really? She wants to ask me this while we're looking for our friends...my brother!?
"I'm sixteen." I settle on. I don't really like talking about Lindsey.
"And?" She says making a face. "I had my first girlfriend when I was twelve. Granted the love wasn't reciprocated, but Mindy will always have a special place in my heart." She says dramatically and puts her hand over her heart.
"Mindy?" I question with a smile.
"I can feel you judging me, Spencer." She says my name and I became a part of the walking dead for a moment.
Seriously, the way she just said my name made my heart stop.
"No judging." I shake my head. "I didn't know you were-"
"Why would you?" She cuts me off with a smile. "It's not like I go around broadcasting my sexuality." She adds and winks at me.
She really should stop doing that.
"Funny." I say, biting my lip to hold back a smile.
"So really Spence, who was the lucky lady to steal your heart away? I can tell there was someone by the way your face changed when I asked." She says. Damn her and her all knowing mind!
"Are you sure you weren't C.I.A?" I question her and she smirks.
"Pretty sure." She nods. "Don't avoid the question."
"I'm not avoiding it. I'm politely deciding not to answer it." I shrug and pick up my pace. It catches her off guard because she has to run to catch up with me.
"Why do you do that?" She asks, once she reaches me?
"Do what?" I play dumb.
"Avoid and then escape." She says, narrowing her eyes at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I shake my head.
"You do! You know exactly what I'm talking about Spencer..." She trails off and shakes her head. "I never got your last name." She says after a moment.
"I never gave it." I reply nonchalantly and in my peripheral I see her smile.
"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch." She sings out and I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips.
"No... you did not just say that." I shake my head and continue to laugh at her.
"I did." She nods proudly and smiles. We both get quiet for a moment Ashley's eyes go wide.
"Ashley, what is it?" I question as she quickly takes the bow off her back and loads it.
"Duck." She tells me sternly and she doesn't have to tell me twice. I'm on the ground as the first arrow leaves her bow and she quickly reloads for a second and third time, shooting off each arrow before I could even register the five walkers headed towards us. She killed them all with only three arrows.
Did I mention how fucking good she is with that thing?
Yeah?
Well I'm telling you again.
She's fucking amazing!
"Wow." I breathe out as I stand up. Ashley walks over to the walkers and takes her arrows out of their heads.
"We better hurry and catch up to the group. We really need to get out of this area. I think the walkers from town are migrating this way. We've seen way too many today." She says reloading her bow. I can tell that our previous conversation over.
She has gone in to sexy...I mean serious mode.
Who am I kidding?
I meant sexy!
"Do you really think we're gonna find them?" I ask softly after a few minutes of quietly walking. Cause we've been looking for her group for two days now and there's no sign of them.
What if the zombies got everyone?
What if it's just me and Ashley now.
What if Glen...I can't even force myself to think it.
"Yep." Ashley says in a cheerful tone. I look up at her and she smiles.
"Baby sis!" I hear Glen's voice and I turn to the side to see him and Carmen walking towards us.
"Glen!" I shout and run and jump in his arms.
"Oh, nice to see you too Carmen." Carmen says sarcastically with a smile and shakes her head as Glen places me back on the ground.
"I'm always happy to see you Carmen." I say with a smile and hug her.
"Where's Aiden and Tim?" Ashley asks as she comes up behind me.
"We don't know." Carmen says with a shrug.
"We thought they'd caught up to you guys." Glen says and I can tell that he's concerned about Aiden's safety.
"Nah, we haven't seen them." I shake my head and say.
"Should we continue to look for them or find somewhere to camp for the night?" Carmen asks us and everyone has an 'I don't know' look on their face.
"Maybe we can search for them for a little while longer and find a place to set up camp for the night too." Glen suggests.
"I'm starving." I pipe up as my stomach grumbles in agreement.
"Yeah me too." Ashley nods.
"Let's eat first then search." Carmen says and everyone nods. Ashley makes a fire quicker than I've ever seen anyone make one and we warm up a few of the canned goods. Aiden and Tim had a lot of the supply so we were only left with a small amount to work with.
–
"Hey." Ashley says as she comes and sits down next to me with her can of corn. Glen and Carmen are a few feet away chit chatting about something that's less interesting than this can of beans of devouring right now. Glen gave me more than half the can. He's the greatest, I know.
"Hey." I reply. "You worried about Aiden?" I ask.
"Nah." She shakes her head. "Aiden grew up around here. He can handle himself." She says.
"Plus he's with Tim. They'll be fine." I add.
"I know." She nods and sits her can of corn down next to the rock she's sitting on. "Can I ask you something?" She turns to me and says.
"Mhm." I elect to nod instead of talk with a mouth full of food.
"Your first girlfriend, did she die?" She asks in a soft voice. She can tell that this is something I don't want to talk about but her curiosity is getting the best of her right now. I swallow the food in my mouth and place my can down beside me.
"Yeah." I nod and look down at the ground.
"Virus or..." She trails off. I know what she's asking though. She wants to know if the virus killed her or did she get eaten by zombies.
"Virus." I clarify.
"I'm sorry." She mumbles softly.
"You didn't give her the virus." I shake my head and laugh a bit but Ashley just bites her lip and looks away. "Look it's fine. I just...I don't really like talking about her." I shrug and pick my can back up.
"I get it." She says and stands. "Ready to head out?" She asks, holding a hand out for me.
"Yeah." I nod. We all pack up and head out to look for Tim and Aiden.
–
"I'm not leaving here without her." I tell my parent's as my dad tries to drive past her street.
"Spencer we don't have time to stop. We need to make it to the base before it fills up." My dad tells me, but I'm not listening.
"Dad if you don't take me to her I'm gonna jump out of this car!" I almost yell.
"Spencer we don't-"
"Glen I need to see her." I interrupt him. He knows how much Lindsey means to me.
"Okay." He nods once. "Dad she'll be quick." He says to my dad who sighs and turns down Lindsey's street. When we reach her house I don't wait for my dad to put the car in park before I hop out of the car and run to the front door. I knock so hard my knuckles start to hurt. When no one answers the door I turn to see if her parent's car was in the drive way. It was...so why wasn't anyone answering the door. I turn the handle and realize it's open.
"Hello?" I call out once I enter the house, pulling my mask down off my face.. "Hello?" I say again when I get no answer. "Mr. and Mrs. Green?" I shout. Still nothing. "Lindsey?" I try.
"Spencer?" A familiar voice calls to me.
"Lindsey?" I turn around and face my girlfriend. Her cheeks are red, she's dripping with sweat and walking over to me slowly. "Lindsey are you sick?" I ask her. My hand instantly shoots up to my face, I contemplate putting my mask back on but then decide that it doesn't matter.
"They're dead. They're both dead." She says, moving closer to me. I look down at her leg and see the reason she's dragging it. They're a good chunk of it missing.
"Lindsey what happened to your leg?" I question again as her eyes turn black and the talking stops. As she moves toward me I back up until I back into a wall. Lindsey says something indecipherable as her breathing picks up and she begins to drool and foam at the mouth. "Lindsey?" I say closing my eyes trying to will myself not to cry. I know what's going on. Lindsey has the virus and she's now changed into one of them...right in front of my eyes.
"Arggh, ungh." She says as she moves closer to me. At any moment I know that my life will be over. That the girl I shared my first kiss with...that I loved more than anything...this girl would be the one to end my life...and I didn't care. If she wouldn't be here on this earth then I didn't want to be here either.
She's extremely close to me now. I don't have to open my eyes to know that.
I begin to count down the seconds I have left in my head.
Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
Then I heard a loud pang. I open my eyes, expecting to find my girlfriends teeth digging into my neck...and not in the good way but instead I find Glen standing over her lifeless body with a steel bat in his hand.
"What the hell are you doing, Spence?" He asks me and shakes his head.
"She's dead." I say looking down at Lindseys form.
"Yeah. I'm sorry Spence. But are you trying to get yourself killed too?" He questions and I honestly don't have an answer. "We gotta go." He says picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I take another look at the girl I once loved...she was gone...and she was never coming back.