Chapter 7- The Beginning

47 Days After the National Outbreak

EPOV:

After fighting it for so long, she falls asleep first - far more trusting than I am. Or, perhaps she isn't. Maybe she just couldn't keep her eyes open a moment longer. Her soft, feminine face shows every sign of exhaustion. She's beautiful in a way very different from Kate. This woman, Bella, looks far wiser than her years. Her innocent brown eyes look like they've seen far too much. While I don't know her actual age, she seems too young to be dealing with this. She appears to be twenty-three, maybe twenty-four at most. Part of me wants to take care of her - protect her from the mess around us - but another, more logical, part of me understands there are more important things… like finding Kate.

I can't begin to thank this woman for agreeing to help me on my search. I'm a stranger, yet, she'd stick her neck out for me. Maybe there really is some good left in this world. Since whatever happened, happened, everyone outside my small circle has been nightmarish. I've never seen such hate in another human's eyes until the world around us came crashing down. Now, everything has become a means to an end. Bella is the first person I met who's different. It's obvious to me that she's battling her own demons, fighting her own wars, and yet, she's kind enough to think about me. Perhaps when this is all over, I can think about her, as well. Whatever it is she needs help with, I'd like to be there.

Watching the slight rise and fall of her chest, I relax, feeling safe for a fleeting moment. Now that she's fully asleep, I really look at her. The flames from the fire dance across her face, illuminating her elfish features. Her cheeks are slightly sunburnt and her full lips are chapped. Her eyes seems too large for her delicate face and her pert nose is covered in freckles. She's cute. There's something about her face that draws me in. It just seems so friendly. Despite the tough exterior she had while talking to me, now she looks almost childlike. There's something about her that seems trustworthy. She's such a stark contrast from this decaying world.

Lying down by the fire, I try to sleep, too. I know I can't go searching for Kate without taking care of myself. Despite my efforts, sleep feels impossible to come by. My mind keeps jumping from one image of Kate to the next. Old memories dance through my head like images from a movie. Tears prick my eyes as I remember life before. I hold them in, but I can't ignore the pain in my heart. I'll find her. I'll find her and my world will go back to normal. Opening my eyes and giving up on sleep for the time being, I flip onto my back and stare up at the sky. I wonder if she's staring up at the moon right now, too. While I watch the sky, I somehow feel closer to her. We're still under the same moon and we will find each other.

Bella groans in her sleep and my eyes shoot to her, searching for the source of her pain. She appears to be having a nightmare. She begins to toss back and forth and for a moment, I watch her, wondering if she'd be upset if I woke her. But she cries out again and I know I have to wake her up. She can't attract attention, after all.

"Bella," I whisper, reaching out to shove her on her shoulder.

She shivers as soon as my hand makes contact and after another groan of discomfort, her eyes flutter open. As soon as they meet mine, they widen with fear. I watch as she tries to place me, obviously not remembering me as she's still half-asleep.

"Bella, are you all right?" I question, making sure to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"Sorry," she apologizes, reaching up to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "I was having a nightmare."

"What about?" The question flies out of my mouth before I consider how fucking rude it probably is.

"Nothing." She pauses for a moment, sitting up and staring at the night sky. "About Seth."

Her face is tense as she gazes up at the stars.

"Who's Seth?"

"No one." Her shoulders slump. "I guess this new world inspires plenty of nightmares."

"Yeah," I agree. "I have them all of the time."

She's quiet for a while. We sit in a comfortable silence, both looking up at the stars.

"Do you worry about her?"

She doesn't have to say who. "Of course."

"Do you think she's all right by herself?"

While she's asking about Kate, I know that's not who she's thinking of. She's thinking about Seth - whoever he is. I can see it in her eyes as she watches the sky. The pain on her face makes my heart sink. I'd do anything to be able to take that away. I'd like to carry that weight for her.

"Yes," I say with conviction, speaking of Seth, too. "Yes, I know she'll be all right. People are resilient, Bella."

She smiles at this. It's not a big smile, but it's noticeable.

"Seth… do you think he'll be all right?" I can't help but ask.

"I hope," she replies. "All I can do is hope."

"You're moving north for him?"

She's quiet for a moment, before answering, "I'm tired. I'm going to try to go back to sleep." Looking at me, she continues, "You should do the same. We're going to leave early. As soon as dawn breaks, we can be on our way."

"All right. No more bad dreams."

"I'll try." A bitter laugh passes through her lips. "They're all I ever have anymore."

"When something's haunting me, I just try to think of the past. I just focus on good memories."

She's thoughtful as she lays back down, turning to face away from me. "Sometimes, thinking of the past only makes things worse. It reminds me of what I no longer have."

"What you no longer have now. That could change. The future isn't set in stone."

"But it's looking more and more bleak."

I don't know how to respond, so I don't. I let her fall back to sleep and watch over her, making sure she doesn't have another nightmare. After a while, my own eyes grow heavy and I lay down beside her, a good few feet away. I close my eyes, listening to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. The quiet sound is so soothing. In this new world the sound of silence suggests safety. When it's quiet, you don't have to worry. Only when you hear them do you become alarmed. I suppose now that's not true… There's worse things out there than zombies. There's humans.

** A New Dawn**

"Rise and shine. It's time to get moving."

I open my eyes to find her looming over me. She's smirking. I haven't seen that expression on her before. It suits her. I yawn, stretching along the unforgiving ground before sitting up and taking a look around. My surroundings are just what they were last night; I don't know why I was expecting something different. I suppose part of me thought I dreamt it all. Part of me believed I never met a girl who wanted to go on this excursion with me. But here I am: wide awake and facing the truth.

"Do you have some sort of game plan?" I ask as I rise from the ground and slip on my backpack.

"Game plan? Naw, I've just been moving from one vehicle to the next. Although, I suppose I should be asking you about a plan, now. We are, after all, searching for your girlfriend."

Running a hand through my unruly hair, I respond, "I have no clue where to begin. Part of me was hoping she would just fall into my lap."

Bella cocks her brow at me and in spite of myself, I smile.

"I think she's probably moving north with whoever she's with… God, I hope she's with someone. I can't imagine how scared she would be if she were on her own."

"So, we just continue on, then?"

"I think." God, I wish I had some sort of answer. I wish I had some way of contacting Kate. I wish I had some way of contacting anyone from my group.

"Maybe they left you some sort of sign?" Bella suggests, sounding hopeful.

"Maybe." If they thought I survived, I assume they would try to reach me. Wouldn't they…?

"Well, we can keep a look out for that. I've seen plenty of signs, from groups to their lost members, along the way so far. I'm sure they'd do the same."

"Yeah," I reply lamely, afraid to sound too hopeful.

"Stop it. We can't afford to both be so negative."

I roll my eyes at her before looking off into the trees. "Do you mind…" I begin, searching for the right words.

"Go for it. I peed before I came to get you up."

I blanch before a small smile tugs on my lips and I walk toward the edge of the woods. As I start to piss, I consider how much I've smiled since running into this girl. More than I imagined was possible. Since I woke up to darkness and loneliness, I never thought I would smile again. At least, not until I found Kate. However, Bella makes me feel so relaxed. Her presence alone makes me believe everything might be all right. A rustling in the trees ahead pulls me from my thoughts. My eyes shoot up to find a group of them coming toward me. Their movements are stilted and their faces, repulsive. I reach for my gun, thankful I reloaded it last night, and aim in their direction. I wait for them to come closer before I pull the trigger the first time. The closest one to me drops to the ground after my bullet ripped through its skull. I direct my aim at the one beside him, pulling the trigger and receiving the same result. With my heart pounding in my chest, I kill the final member of the group before putting the safety back on my gun and sliding it back into its holster.

Bella's standing at the edge of the woods with her own gun in her hand. She glances over my shoulder, looking for another walker and when she sees nothing other than trees and shrubbery, her shoulders slump with relief.

"Well, I guess it's been an eventful morning already."

Her light tone calms me down significantly. "Fuck, let's just find a car. I don't think I can walk with these things lurking everywhere."

"It's going to be worse in the city and that's where we're headed next."

"You're serious? You can't find a car out here somewhere?"

"We need more than a car. We need more medical supplies and food. There's two of us now and I barely have enough for me."

I remain silent for a moment, understanding. "Thank you for last night, by the way. I don't know if I would have made it without you."

"You wouldn't have. In fact, I can't believe you're standing right now. You lost a lot of blood."

"I can't believe it, either."

"Well, you're a walking miracle, Edward," she teases me as she begins to walk off in the direction of the city.

I fall in step beside her and add, "I don't know about that. I don't feel very lucky."

"You're alive. You're not one of those things," she says, pulling out her gun and aiming it at the lone walker moving toward us. She takes the safety off, shoots, puts the safety back on and slides it into her holster. Well, I doubt it's her holster - it looks far too big for her - but it's the holster she has. "So, anyway, things could be worse."

"I guess that's a positive way to look at things," I remark, choking on a laugh.

"Words to live by. Don't complain because things can always be worse."

"Don't tempt fate," I tease.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Edward. Wouldn't dream of it."

A/N: I'm so glad you all are enjoying the story so far! Please keep reviewing! Your reviews make my day! See you tomorrow guys!