With fuel running low we were only traveling for another ten minutes before the engine gave out completely, but it was enough to distance ourselves from the walkers. Elyza jumped out of the car to refill the engine as I continued to stare straight ahead, feeling sick to the stomach by what I had just witnessed.

Soon enough we were back on the road and I felt Elyza glance over at me every now and again in the tense silence, opening her mouth as if to speak but then thinking better of it. It reminded me of the time during the earlier days when I had not been aware of the situation and had seen my neighbors being attacked, my first instinct had been to run out and help them though my mom had quickly stopped me from leaving the house.

It was a bitter realization that more deaths would surely come, though it gave me even more cause to want to help people when possible. Elyza had barely hesitated in her decision to leave the women, a choice I would not have willingly made.

'You're not still mad at me about earlier right?' Elyza finally asked, taking her eyes from the road to look over in my direction.

I remained in a sullen silence, unable to forget the fear filled expression as the women had been overrun by the undead. There had been the faintest trace of hope in her eyes when she had spotted us, hope that these strangers would have the heart to save her from the almost certain death.

'Fine, play it that way then, we're about half an hour away,' she said stiffly, returning her gaze to the road when I said nothing in response.

'You left her to die,' I said quietly, not having the energy to shout and scream at the girl.

'We left her,' Elyza corrected me, 'and there was nothing that we could've done to help her.'

'You don't know that,' I argued, had she actually tried there was always the possibility. Now we would never know.

'She was covered in blood, most likely bitten by one of those fuckers and even if by some miracle we had managed to get her over that damn fence then she would've turned and attacked us in thanks.'

I bit back the torrent of harsh words that would only escalate the situation, there was no way we could've known if she was bitten.

'She probably would have shot us both with that shotgun strapped across her back before stealing my car,' Elyza continued, and I didn't bother to correct the fact that the stolen car could not be considered hers. 'Besides, the mass of walkers descending on us put us in a bit of a tight spot.'

'You're the bad ass blonde with an arsenal of weapons on hand, are you saying you couldn't handle some of the undead?' I asked tightly, not willing to accept that we had been in any immediate danger.

'Oh, I can handle anything thrown at me, even a feisty brunette with a bad attitude,' she replied easily, winking meaningfully behind her aviators. I ground my teeth in annoyance at how quickly she had managed to interrupt such a serious conversation.

'You could've saved her,' I said sharply, refusing to be drawn away from the topic.

'She was a stranger, we had no choice and you know it,' she told me firmly, a hint of annoyance in her voice at my persistence. It was the first time she had truly showed any emotion since it had happened and I wasn't done pushing yet.

'So was I once, then you saved me and here I am, why is that so different?' I went on, my situation not having been so far off until Elyza had jumped in all guns blazing.

'You weren't bitten, and from the way you managed to miss that walker three times with a handgun I was pretty certain you weren't going to be a problem,' she said with a sigh, drumming her fingers on the wheel to let out some of her own frustration.

'Not all people are out to do you harm, maybe you should have some more faith in humanity,' I suggested, not prepared for the blaze of anger that ripped across her face at my words.

'I lost all faith in humanity the day a band of raiders burst into my home and shot my mom dead right in front of me,' she snarled, clenching the wheel tightly as I remained silent, not wanting to enrage her even further. It was a shock to hear such a brutal statement, not knowing such a tragedy had been weighing on the girl's mind.

I could hardly think of how to respond to such a revelation, knowing that nothing I could say would make her feel any better. Despite still being angry about leaving the woman behind I decided to let the matter rest for the moment, from the way Elyza was tightly gripping the steering wheel I doubted she was in the mood to be criticized further.

Glancing out the window I was relieved to see that we were not far from where I had been split up from Nick, quietly directing Elyza through the many abandoned houses until finally we arrived at our destination.

The car had barely pulled to a stop before I threw the door open and leapt out onto the street, clinging to the desperate hope that my family would have returned here in search of me. Not even bothering to check for the presence of walkers, I strode through each room on the ground floor, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign that my family had been here.

To my dismay the house seemed to be just as I had left it a week ago, no notes or clues that had been left behind. After a fruitless search, I was about to ascend the stairs to check the upper level when Elyza gripped my arm and pulled me back from the bannister. Surprised at the motion I didn't fight as she fixed me with a powerful look, silently willing me to stay in place as she unsheathed one of her swords and went up ahead to sweep the area.

She jogged back down a short time later and gave me a nod to indicate that it was all clear, moving back to the front door to keep watch as I darted up the stairs. Even as I checked each room I was more than aware that no trace of my family was to be found but I continued regardless.

I hesitated outside the bathroom door, recalling that Nick had been searching up here when I had gone ahead to the store. The door was already partially open from Elyza's search for walkers and I stepped inside, pushing the door back fully as I cast my gaze over the dull surfaces.

My breath caught when I glimpsed the small plastic containers scattered over the floor, above which the cabinet was left in a mess, the contents having been rifled through carelessly.

Memories of that day drifted back to me, how I had been waiting downstairs for Nick, the thudding of items falling faintly heard from above my head. I dropped to one knee and picked up the abandoned bottle, twisting it in my grip to read the medical label stuck to the front. It was not anything that I recognized but the sheer number of them scattering the floor made it quite clear what had taken place. Had Nick really been searching for drugs that day?

My thoughts were interrupted when Elyza called up to me, a few moments passing before she called again, asking if everything was okay. I dropped the bottle to the floor and stood up, looking around one last time before leaving the small room and heading back downstairs.

Elyza looked at me curiously as I walked past her in silence and out into the fresh air, staring blindly into the distance as she came up to my side.

'Find anything?' she inquired, knowing that something was not quite right, she had a way of noticing things like that.

'Nothing important,' I said quietly, mentally pushing back thoughts of Nick's addiction to focus on the goal of getting back to my family again. My head snapped to the left, the direction of Ocean beach where our small boat had arrived last week. Without another word, I set off down the side walk, my chest tight with anticipation of what we would find there. It was close enough to walk, not that I particularly wanted to be cooped up in the old car again so soon.

'Alicia! Hold on,' Elyza called out after me, jogging to catch up and pulled to a stop directly in my path, placing both hands on my shoulders to bring my furious pace to a halt.

'The beach is this way, that's where they'll be,' I explained, remaining still even when her hands dropped to her sides.

'I'm sure they are but you can't just keep charging around the place without a care, walkers are still out there and we'll run straight into them at this rate,' she said gently, despite our disagreement in the car it seemed that it had all been put aside at the prospect of reuniting with my family.

She spoke the truth regarding the danger that we faced on these streets, at this moment I only cared about reaching the shore and had lost all sense of precaution when it came to our protection. I nodded in agreement and gestured for Elyza to take the lead, setting off at a less hasty pace as we remained as close to the buildings as possible.

I tapped her on the shoulder when the beach came into view, every ounce of my being wanting nothing more than to run across the open space to locate Strand's boat on the water.

We remained by the building for a few minutes as Elyza surveyed the area, searching for any signs of danger as I shifted impatiently behind her. A fair-sized parking area lay between us and the beach, not that any movement could be seen amongst the collection of vehicles.

Finally satisfied that the way ahead was clear, Elyza gestured that we could advance and took position at my back as we strode through the cars, covering my back against anything that might sneak up on us. My thoughts were far from the possible threat of walkers as I stepped onto the sandy beach, my trainers sinking slightly to accommodate the new surface.

I set into a jog across the beach, recognizing the area where our boat had pulled up what felt like an age ago, disappointment weighing heavy on me to find nothing along the stretch of shoreline. I desperately cast my gaze out to sea, moving further forwards until the gentle waves were lapping around my ankles. The icy cold that came with the water was nothing compared to the searing pain in my chest as I scanned the empty horizon.

The Abigail was nowhere to be seen, my family gone with it. I could barely breath as it truly hit me, this journey, the search it had all been for nothing. They were gone. My mother, my brother, the life I knew.

A sob threatened to escape my lips and instead I whirled in a fury, continuing to pace along the shore line frantically calling for my brother, surely they wouldn't have left me here? They would emerge from somewhere, smiles lighting their faces as we reveled in being reunited once more. Except nothing happened. Nick did not come running down the beach to envelop me in a tight hug, my mom's relief to have found her daughter nonexistent.

'Mom! Nick!' I cried, my vision beginning to blur as I blinked away a tear, my voice failing as despair washed through me. Footsteps sounded at my back and I spun to see Elyza approaching with concern.

'Alicia...'

I turned away from her and headed straight back into the ocean as if the Abigail would just appear in the distance and everything would be okay. I whispered their names under my breath even as a tight grip pulled me back from the water and my fantasies.

Elyza grunted when I pushed her back, my energy ebbing away as I could no longer pretend. It was not okay, no-one was coming for me. I slipped on the sand bank and splashed backwards into the shallow water, scrambling out onto the dry sand with heaving breaths.

'Damn Alicia, I'm trying to help you,' Elyza urged, her gaze flashing past where I sat on the sand, knees drawn up to my chest in defeat as I dealt with the wave of emotions currently sweeping over me.

I was aware of nothing but the misery that overwhelmed me, all-encompassing there was no part of me that wanted to move away from this spot, to even consider what might happen from here on.

'Alicia, I need you to listen to me very carefully,' Elyza began in a hushed tone, lowering herself down onto one knee at my side as her gaze remained fixed on something in the distance that I wasn't aware of. 'It seems that we've attracted some unwanted attention in the form of the undead, we need to move before they see us.'

Her words barely registered, my mind occupied with the revelation that my family had left me here, it was very possible that I would never see them again. It was the urgency in her voice that attuned me to the danger that we would soon be in and I tipped my head slightly in her direction.

'Please Alicia, we can't stay here,' she insisted, pulling gently on my arm and to her relief I complied with her efforts and let her pull me to my feet. With a light hand on my back she ushered me along the shoreline, keeping our heads low as we approached the lifeguard tower.

It was a simple wooden structure, a raised ramp allowing access to a relatively small cabin, perfect to keep ourselves hidden from any passing walkers. Elyza pushed me up the ramp ahead of her as she glanced hurriedly over her shoulder. I twisted the handle desperately but it was locked, somehow it had remained secure even in the apocalypse.

Elyza slipped past me to attend with the door as I stepped back and cast my gaze out to where she had been looking. To my horror, I saw the horde of walkers that were stumbling over the uneven beach in our direction, their figures barely visible from the far end of the beach. Now I understood the blonde's urgency.

A sharp crack sounded at my back and, startled, I turned to see that Elyza's solution of kicking the door in had granted us access to the cabin. At my hesitation, she leant over and ushered me inside, following close behind and pushing a large wooden chest in front of the broken entrance to keep the door firmly shut.

The windows had long been boarded up and as Elyza looked over the contents of the room I sank onto the small chair in the corner of the cabin, barely over a meter in diameter it was hardly spacious accommodation. After finishing her sweep of the room Elyza settled on the wooden floor with her back resting against the far wall, giving me the space that I needed.

We remained in silence, partly due to the revelation that our journey had been pointless, but mostly due to mass of walkers that were currently closing in on our position. At that moment I could hardly care less, so wrapped up in my thoughts to even care that I was on the brink of tears in front of the girl that I hardly knew.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to compose myself but my sorrow could not be masked. Wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket I avoided Elyza's worried gaze and twisted in the seat to rest my head against the wall, my position allowing me to look out of the tiny crack in the panels to observe the beach below.

With my back to the girl I did not bother to mask my emotions, not caring that she was fully aware of my tears. I felt drained both physically and emotionally, not bringing myself to acknowledge the blonde who could do nothing to ease my pain.

As time stretched on I could barely comprehend the situation we were in, unable to admit the truth to myself even when it was blindingly obvious. With my eyes shut to block out the reality it was hardly surprising when I slipped into an uneasy sleep, not what I had intended but clearly needed.

I jerked awake a while later, lifting my head in confusion as I winced at the pain in my neck. It had not been the most comfortable position to sleep in. The light streaming into the cabin was nowhere near as intense as I remembered, having arrived at the beach around midday. I shifted on the seat to find the cabin empty, the wooden chest having been pulled back from the door which was now ajar and Elyza was nowhere to be seen.

Panic built within me at the realization that if I didn't have her then I truly was alone, my nightmare about the disappearance of my family being more real than I had hoped. Jumping up from the chair I all but forgot about the danger we had faced from the walkers, bursting out into the fading light of the afternoon with one name on my lips.

Elyza glanced up, startled at the sudden movement from where she was striding back to the lifeguard hut, concern creasing her brow when she saw my expression.

'Alicia, what's wrong?' she inquired, gripping the rail as she stepped up onto the ramp. I inhaled sharply in an attempt to cover my panic at her absence, realizing that I had jumped to conclusions far too soon.

'Nothing...I'm fine.'

It was probably the worst lie I had ever attempted and it was not successful in the slightest, but thankfully Elyza didn't press me for more. I looked out across the beach and saw that there were no walkers in sight, it seemed that I had slept right through the whole thing.

'The walkers lost interest after a while, they could be back at any time though,' she warned, making it clear that our position was far from safe. 'I went to make sure that there were none nearby whilst you slept, I wasn't sure what you intended to do from here.'

I glanced down at my sand covered trainers, scuffing a heel against the ramp as I considered my options. At this moment I couldn't accept that my family were gone, the thought was just too painful and I wasn't ready to give up on them just yet.

'I'm waiting here for my family,' I finally decided, clinging to the hope that they would return here in search of me. Elyza nodded in understanding and I wondered what she would do now.

'Don't feel obliged to stay, you brought me here like I asked so you don't have to stick around.'

As hard as it was to say the words, it was unfair of me to assume that she would remain here with me after she had gone through all the trouble just to get me here.

'No chance, you don't get rid of me that easily,' she retorted, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that she was staying, I didn't want to be alone right now. 'It won't be long until night falls, you should get inside in case any walkers return.'

I frowned at her instructions. 'Where are you going?'

'If we're staying then we'll need supplies, I'll return to the car and grab a bag, it should last us long enough,' she explained, my worry returning as I thought of the journey back to the vehicle in the dim light.

'Are you sure it's safe?' I asked, not wanting to think what I would do if anything happened to her.

'You know I can take care of myself,' she said firmly and I couldn't argue, backing up into the cabin to take my previous position on the chair. Elyza grabbed a dagger from the small table in the corner and held it out for me. 'Here, you shouldn't need to use it but just in case. Push the chest in front of door when I go and don't open it for anyone until I return.'

I nodded in understanding, grasping the hilt of the dagger and wished Elyza luck before she slipped out and jogged across the sand towards the car park. Once she had disappeared from sight, I pushed the chest up against the door as instructed, returning to sit on the chair, dagger clasped firmly in hand.

My thoughts drifted to memories of my family as I waited in silence, the faint splashing of waves the only sound that could be heard faintly from outside. Of all the ways today was meant to have gone this was the one I had not expected, not having wanted to admit it was possible. They were meant to be here, waiting for me to return like Nick had said they would.

There was no point dwelling on it now, they would come for me. They were most likely on their way even as I looked out onto the beach through the crack in the wall.

The light outside grew even more faint as evening fell and my concern increased when Elyza was still not back. She should have returned by now. I wondered what would happen when my family did show up, would they have any objection to Elyza joining our group? Would she?

I had never considered what her plans were once she had returned me safely to my family, was she hoping for an invitation? It was more likely that she would go her own way, she was incredibly independent, she had to be in the apocalypse.

I felt a twinge of sorrow for the girl, dismayed that she had experienced such a brutal event in the manner of her mother's death. I had not yet brought it up after her outburst in the car, aware of how painful it would be for her to recall. When she was ready and if she wanted to then she would open up to me, but on her own terms.

As even more time passed by I was unable to sit still for a moment longer, rising from the chair as I attempted to calculate how long it had now been. Thankfully in the Summer months the darkness set in late into the evening so Elyza still had some time before the light dwindled away entirely.

Light footsteps sounded from the ramp outside and I froze in place, listening intently for the characteristic groan of a walker as I gripped the dagger even tighter. When no more sound was heard from outside I silently stepped over to the door, placing one knee on the chest so that I could carefully lean forwards and press my ear against the wooden door.

The sound of my own breaths was the only thing that I could make out even with my senses on high alert, though there was no way I had imagined those footsteps. It was possible that a walker had dragged itself up onto the wooden platform or it could be another survivor investigating the small building. Either way I hoped that I was wrong.

A harsh knock sounded on the door and I leapt back in surprise, pressing my lips tightly together to suppress a scream. Relief coursed through me when I heard Elyza's quiet voice announce her presence from outside and hurriedly went about sliding the chest to one side to allow her access.

I pulled the door open and stepped back so that she could enter, pushing the chest back in place once she was inside. She dropped the bag that had been slung over one shoulder to the floor with a grimace, stretching out her arm to alleviate the tension in the muscle.

'Well, that bag is currently at full capacity so we should be good for a while,' she told me, rolling her shoulders as she spoke. I glanced down at the bag that looked fit to burst, wondering how she had carted such a load all the way back here.

'That's good, thank you,' I said sincerely, knowing that she had no obligation to stay and help me, I wasn't yet entirely sure why she had decided to stay but I was just glad that she had.

'It's only cereal bars for food I'm afraid but it's better than nothing,' she said, lowering herself down to sit on the floor, looking tired after her expedition. I realized that she had hardly slept in the recent days, it was no wonder she looked so drained. 'I'd better get some rest in before tomorrow, take what you need from the bag.'

I nodded and quietly sifted through the contents as she rested her head back against the wall, shutting her eyes to recover some strength for whatever was to come tomorrow. It wasn't long before her breathing deepened and she fell into a much-needed sleep, though the way she held her gun loosely in one hand reassured me that it would not take much to rouse her from the slumber.

Pulling a bottle of water from the rucksack, I settled down onto the small chair and cast my gaze out through the crack and over the beach. Today had been difficult to handle but I knew that my mom would not leave me here, whether it was tomorrow or the day after I was certain that the Abigail would return for me.

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