The apartment block was larger than I had expected, even just on the first floor. There were three bedrooms, one of which had twin beds, along with a kitchen and sitting area with a large dining table situated in the centre.

I was in the ensuite bathroom that connected with the twin bedroom, a flashlight in one hand as I tilted my head towards the mirror. My cheek was burning after Octavia's tackle had driven me face first into the concrete road. I would have to thank her for that later.

Elyza's reflection appeared in the mirror, leaning against the door frame as I dabbed at my cheek with a wet cloth to remove any fine pieces of gravel.

'Let me take a look,' she said after a few moments of observation. I met her gaze in the mirror and shook my head.

'It's alright, I can do it.'

'Alicia ,' she said firmly, 'come over here and let me see.'

She pushed away from the doorframe and retreated back into the twin bedroom. I followed a second later, sitting down on the bed next to her before handing over the cloth and torch.

'So what's the story with these guys?' I asked, never having received a straight answer as to what had caused Elyza to leave the group and face the apocalypse solo.

'It's complicated,' she finally replied, pausing for a moment as I winced before she continued to gently clean the scratch on my cheek.

'I've got nowhere better to be.'

Elyza sighed lightly, knowing that I would only ask the others if she refused to talk.

'Fine, just stop talking so I can actually clean this,' she instructed, taking her mind back to a time before we had ever met.

Elyza's POV (Many months ago)

I gazed down at the table that was covered in weapons and ammo, making a mental note of how many bullets we had left. It was looking better than I had expected. If you added on the ammo that each of us were carrying around in our own personal weapons then we wouldn't have to worry about running out in the immediate future.

'Looks like we're covered for the moment, get all of this boxed up again and lock it up.'

The girl at my side nodded and began the laborious task of placing all of the weapons back into the oblong box which she had only recently emptied. Her name escaped me for the moment, and I watched her discretely for a number of seconds before mentally pushing the distraction aside. It would come to me.

I turned my attention to the young boy stood by the armchair, propping himself up with a baseball bat that he had become inseparable from after using it as a defence against the walkers.

'I've done a sweep of the house and we only have enough food for another day at most,' he reported with a hint of dismay, having hoped to return with better news. I wasn't surprised at his words, I had expected as much but was hoping to have enough food for at least the rest of the week.

'You did well,' I assured him, 'do you think you would be able to check in with Bellamy? He should be out back with the others.'

The little boy, Noah, smiled brightly and nodded eagerly before scampering out of the room to complete his task. He loved to be useful and was more than happy to run any errands that we assigned him. It kept the rascal out of trouble at the very least.

I turned back to the girl, whose name I now remembered to be Harper, and gave her a hand with the weapons. We had scavenged many of them, compiling them together to be used by any scouting parties that left to patrol the neighbourhood. There had to be a system or we would run out of ammo and have weapons unaccounted for all over the place.

Every member of the group had a weapon of sorts, whether it be a baseball bat or a knife. Firearms however were reserved for those leaving the house on scavenging missions. With young children in the house it wasn't sensible to leave them lying around, but they were still accessible in case of emergency.

I pulled the lid onto the box and clipped the padlock in place when we were finished, both of us taking an end each to lift it up into one of the top cupboards. I rubbed my dusty hands against my jeans and thanked Harper for her help. Moments later the door to the spare room opened and a group of people filed in laughing and shoving each other.

Bellamy was running training sessions out in the area that served as a back garden, ensuring that everyone had some semblance of fighting skills for their inevitable encounter with the walkers. With a food shortage looming, he had sent out a select few that would form a scavenging party.

There would be six of us going in total. I listed off their names in my head to commit them to memory. Jasper, Nathan, Jessica, Mia and Murphy with me leading the group. Jessica had only been with us a few days but the others I knew fairly well after many weeks of surviving together.

'Take your pick of weapon and we'll set off right away,' I told them, gesturing to the table where a selection of firearms and melee options were available. They all grabbed their weapon of choice without delay, a wide grin on Murphy's face as he twirled the axe in his grip and swung it experimentally.

'Save that for the walkers,' Bellamy advised from the doorway, fixing the man with a warning stare. Murphy rested the wooden handle of the axe against his shoulder and whistled a merry tune as he maintained eyes contact and sauntered straight past Bellamy and out into the corridor.

I rolled my eyes at the theatrics, wondering if Bellamy had selected him just to get him out of the house for a few hours. Murphy was a natural trouble maker and loved nothing more than winding us all up. In the end he was stuck with us and a decent fighter so we put up with his attitude.

Bellamy circled around the gathering of people who were slowly filtering out of the room behind Murphy to wait outside.

'Sure you don't want me to take this one?' he offered, a fine layer of sweat covering his forehead from the exertion of holding scheduled training sessions throughout the afternoon.

'You're needed here,' I said with a shake of my head, 'besides, I can handle Murphy any day.'

He wasn't a bad person really, we wouldn't allow him to stay here if that was the case. It was just his approach to dealing with the apocalypse, and that was something that he had to sort out for himself.

'Just be careful okay,' he said, picking my handgun up from the table top to pass over to me.

'You don't need to tell me twice,' I replied with a smile, holstering the gun at my waist before reaching for the sword that nobody had selected and slid it into the sheath that was strapped to my back.

It was never chosen by the others so I had finally claimed it, not wanting such a fine weapon to go to waste. The handgun had been in my possession even before we had formed this group and there was no question about who it belonged to.

'I'll trade you a surf shift if you find me some batteries,' he added as I strode past him to the front entrance.

'You got it,' I called over my shoulder, raising an arm in acknowledgement before I emerged outside to gather the group.

Surf shift was the name that was used to refer to the task of flicking through all of the radio channels for a set amount of time on the off chance that someone would be alive on the other end. We did this once or twice a week, sharing the shifts between us on a rota. I never looked forward to my turn, finding it more depressing than anything to sit there and hear nothing but silence in response.

'Are you planning on setting off before the sun sets,' Murphy rumbled absentmindedly in a low voice, swinging his axe at invisible enemies with an air of impatience.

'Don't worry Murphy, you'll be back before your bedtime,' I retorted, my comment not bothering him in the slightest as he returned the axe to his shoulder.

'Well I'd hate to interrupt you're highly important conversation with the muscle, but time is short and apparently so is our food supply,' he drawled, not caring when I ignored him entirely and gestured with my arm for the group to fall in behind me as we left the driveway behind and continued on down the street.

Regular patrols ensured that the immediate area around the bungalow was safe but the further away you got the higher the risk was of an encounter with walkers. Most of us in this small group had combat experience, with the exception of Jessica and Mia who had only ever seen the walkers be taken down. Jasper was not one to enjoy violence but when the situation called for it he was able to step up and do what had to be done.

'Eyes sharp people,' I called out, it had now been almost twenty minutes since we had set out. 'Be prepared for anything.'

We tried to take out some of the less experienced of our group on these missions to give them an opportunity to adapt and adjust to being a survivor. They would have to learn one day or another, so best it be amongst more seasoned individuals who could offer some security.

I stopped a few minutes later, deciding that we had come far enough. We had to travel further each time as we cleared out each building in turn. This area had been swept by a patrol in preparation a few days earlier but that wasn't to say we wouldn't run into trouble.

'We'll pair off and take a house. One bag per pair and rendezvous out here once you've gathered everything.'

Everyone nodded in understanding, even Murphy who looked impatient to get started.

'Nathan and Jessica take this one,' I said pointing to the house on the left. Nathan shouldered the back pack as I paired the others up and assigned them a bungalow. I paired Jasper with Murphy, and had Mia accompany me.

Jasper and Mia had been virtually inseparable since she had joined our group just under a month ago. They had formed a strong bond but it was good for them to mix with the others, something I took every opportunity to organise. They needed to get along and trust everyone without only relying on each other.

Jasper frowned with disappointment but they both went to stand by their assigned partner with little hesitation. With one last check for questions, I let them go and led Mia up to what must have once been a very picturesque and well kept bungalow.

Currently it was rundown and dirty, it's once pristine flower display full of weeds, the light blue mailbox peeling and bent at a sharp angle. I drew my handgun and signalled for Mia to stay close as I pushed the door open and swept the entrance for any emerging walkers. I kept the weapon raised when no danger presented itself and continued on to the kitchen as Mia gripped her bat tightly and ventured into the sitting area.

I pulled open a few of the drawers, retrieving a knife from one of them and placing it on the side to be collected later. Mia had the bag, and I could hear her searching through the adjacent room for any supplies.

Her head popped around the doorway a few minutes later as I was rifling through some of the lower cupboards.

'I've not found a lot so I'm just going to check the garage out,' she informed me, disappearing again when I hummed a murmur of acknowledgement.

There had to be some batteries here somewhere. I dug through the clutter one final time before closing the cupboard door with a sigh. It looked like I would be doing the surf shift after all.

A high pitched scream sounded from outside and I jumped into action, sprinting down the corridor and out of the house to the garage at its side. Mia was clutching her arm when I stepped inside, blood trickling through the torn material of her shirt. I focused the gun on the man stood in front of her, his arms raised defensively with a knife in one hand.

'Drop it,' I instructed, prepared to pull the trigger if he made any move to use the weapon again. He seemed conflicted for a moment, shaking lightly as he let it fall to the ground.

'I'm sorry, I...I thought-,'

'Shut it,' I said, switching my gaze to Mia. 'You should go and clean that up, there might be some cloths in the bathroom.'

She nodded, still clutching her arm, and left without a sound.

I looked back at the man, gripping my gun tighter when I saw how he lent his weight on the right foot, the left trouser leg torn and bloodied. It didn't look like any wound from a weapon so I assumed he had been bitten.

'Talk.'

His appearance was dishevelled, even without the torn trousers, his short hair was a mess and it looked like he hadn't changed clothes in weeks.

'I thought it had come back,' he confessed, the words tumbling from his mouth as he spoke quickly. His eyes darted around nervously and it looked like he wanted nothing more than to run and hide. Mia must have surprised him when she entered the garage.

'It being a walker? Did it do that?' I asked, gesturing to his injured leg. The man nodded aggressively, seeming to shrink back into himself at the memory. I paused, his words catching up with me. He had been worried that it had come back.

'Where was this?' I asked with a sinking feeling of dread.

'Back in the house, it-'

I wasn't there to hear the rest of his sentence, running instead back into the house as I shouted out to Mia. By the time I arrived it was already too late.

The bathroom door was swung open, key still in the lock from where the man had shut in the walker. Mia was screaming in terror as it gripped her tightly and buried its teeth into her neck.

I rapped sharply on the doorframe and it raised its head for a second in which I was able to send a bullet straight into its forehead, narrowly missing Mia's cheek in the process. It gurgled faintly as it fell like a weighted stone to the ground in a heap. Mia lurched forwards with a sob and fell to her knees, blood streaming between her fingers as she clamped a hand to her neck.

For a moment I couldn't bring myself to move, staring down in horror as her cries filled the air. I snapped out of my trance and moved to help her up, hooking a hand under around her waist to half drag her out of the bathroom. It was too small a space for us to be crammed in with the dead walker.

A cloth was discarded on the floor which Mia had planned to clean the wound on her arm with. I reached down and grasped the material before continuing to haul Mia out of the building. Her knees buckled and her weight dragged me down until I had no choice to lay her down as gently as I could on the grass.

Mia pushed my hand away when I attempted to place the cloth against her neck to stem the flow of blood, her eyes glassy with tears as she heaved in deep breaths. We both knew that it was pointless.

'Don't let me-' she started, a painful cough interrupting her words that spattered the ground next to her with dark red liquid as she turned her head away from me. Talking was an effort that she could barely achieve, her mouth moving silently as her eyes pleaded with me to end this.

'Do it,' she sputtered, closing her eyes momentarily as I rose slowly to my feet. 'Please.'

The blood was continuing to flow from her neck, her face paling as she came closer to losing consciousness. I lifted the gun, pausing to allow the shaking in my hand to cease as I tightened my finger around the trigger.

'I'm so sorry,' I whispered, the words drowned out by the deafening boom of the gun in my hand.

Footsteps sounded in the silence that followed, drawn by the noise, gaining volume as they neared.

'No!' Jasper shouted as he witnessed the bloody scene before me. He raced past me in a blur, falling to his knees beside Mia's body with an anguished cry. 'What did you do?'

I stared down at the still body in silence. What had to be done, I thought to myself. That was not what Jasper needed to hear right now. The rest of the group were gathered behind me, and I turned slowly to look at each of them. Some expressions were horrified, others settling into a detached sadness to see their friend in such a way.

My gaze fell on Murphy last.

'You had to,' he said calmly, none of the usual malice or sarcasm in his tone. Only truth.

I dropped my gaze, holstering the gun as my stomach continued to twist over what had just happened. My attention was refocused when a flurry of movement behind me signalled the man from earlier emerging from the garage into the dimming light of the afternoon.

He lurched forwards unsteadily, unfocused eyes darting wildly at the gathering of people. He whimpered something inaudible, pain creasing his features as he gestured to the clearly festering wound above his ankle that was visible now that he had pulled up the trouser leg.

It looked like he was about to drop any minute, his skin a sickly shade of grey, his motions already close to that of a walker. I knew what had to be done, but my chest was already heavy enough with Mia's recent death.

Before I could collect myself sufficiently to draw my weapon and deal with the man, Murphy was already striding past me with determination. It was almost casual how he brought the axe down in a controlled arc to become buried in the mans head with a sickening crunch. It did nothing to help my already knotted stomach.

Murphy braced his leg against the man's chest and pulled the weapon free after a few sharp tugs. His expression was neutral, not even reacting to the clear horror with which everyone was staring at him.

'What the hell Murphy?' Nathan breathed, his arm wrapped around Jessica who had buried her face in his shoulder.

'He was going to turn, someone had to do it,' Murphy said with unwavering calm, shrugging lightly as he shouldered the axe. 'We should get back to base before we lose all the light.'

Jasper was still bent over Mia's body, unaware of anything that was happening around him. I let Nathan handle the negotiation of leaving, I was the last person he wanted to talk to. After some time it became clear that Jasper had no intention of leaving Mia here, and Nathan resorted to lifting the girl in his arms with as much dignity as he could manage.

Jasper turned to me with a snarl, his eyes puffy from uncontrollable tears.

'I will never forgive you for this.'

For a moment I thought he would hit me, I wouldn't have bothered to block the blow if he had. But he merely turned and trudged behind Nathan as he held Mia lightly in his arms.

The walk back to base was completed in torturous silence, with everyone giving Nate and Jasper a wide birth as they strode ahead. Mia was the first of our group to die, there had been no life-threatening incidents before and it had left us all in mild shock.

It could only be the start of more casualties, though before now we had felt almost untouchable in our group. As long as we stuck together everything would be okay. Turned out that had been far from the truth. In the apocalypse, you're never safe.

Alicia's POV (Present)

'It had to be done, I know that, though I couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened, and the others could never see me again in the same way.'

I watched silently as Elyza reflected on the past, waiting for her to continue

'For the next few days I just needed some space to be alone, so I left the house every evening to sit by the old church and just think. I wasn't religious in any way, but it was gated and therefore one of the safest places to go.'

Elyza had finished cleaning my cheek some time ago, and she glanced down at the cloth absentmindedly before dropping it onto the bed beside her.

'The boy that I told you about at the beginning, Noah, he had been put under house arrest for his own safety. All the young children had. But one night he found a way to sneak out and he followed me. Well, he tried to,' Elyza explained, sadness creeping over her face.

'He was trying to be discrete, hiding around bungalows as he trailed me from a distance to see where I was disappearing every night. He only wanted to make sure I was okay. He must have stumbled across a walker at some point, and I continued on oblivious. I found him on my way back a few hours later.'

She sighed lightly at the awful memory, not something that anyone would want to recall.

'He had already turned, but I couldn't just leave him like that,' she told me, not needing to elaborate further. 'That was the second member of our group that I had to take care of. He was only 12.'

Shooting walkers was not easy in the first place, especially when they were close to you. Children were especially difficult.

'That night I returned, grabbed my things and made the decision to leave. I told Bellamy what had happened and, though he tried his best, nothing he said could convince me to stay.'

Facing the apocalypse was bad enough in itself, how Elyza had been managing it alone I did not understand.

'On my own there was no responsibility for other peoples lives. No one could die from my mistakes, there was only myself to think about.'

There was a moment of silence as I considered that.

'And did it work?'

'In a way yes. But its also easy to lose yourself when you're on your own.'

I remembered my first few days with Elyza. How she had come across with a sense of coldness and detachment. It was a stark contrast to how caring I had seen her become over the last few weeks.

'Well it's a good thing you found me,' I said with a smile, thinking how differently things might have turned out for both of us if we hadn't met that night.

'Yeah, yeah it is,' Elyza replied, a smile growing on her own lips.

I only turned away from her gaze when a knock sounded on the door frame and I glanced up to see Bellamy stepping into the room.

'You made it back,' I said, slowly rising to my feet. 'Was there any trouble.'

Bellamy shook his head.

'The walkers carried on straight ahead as predicted, they won't be causing us any trouble.'

I was glad to hear it, we all deserved a night off from the chaos.

'Well, I'll leave you guys to catch up,' I said hurriedly, sensing that they had a lot to talk about. Bellamy smiled in thanks and stepped aside so that I could pass him.

I shut the door gently behind me to give them some privacy. I was still processing everything that Elyza had told me, and I hesitated in the corridor for a few moments. Finally, I decided to go and join the others, it looked like we would be staying with these people for a while so I might as well try to get along with them.

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