Author's Note: Hey guys, I ran into a small case of writers block, so I decided to do something different for this chapter. I'm going to shift the attention to the others in Alice's group for this chapter, mainly the ones who are currently separated from her, Slade, and Adam. Let me know what you think once you're done reading(if you can), thanks!


"W-where am I?" Questioned Alice, doing wincing as she sat up.

"My camp," Answered Slade, "Or what used to be my camp."

"Is anyone else here?"

"Yeah, Adam is. He's out gathering firewood."

"What about the others?"

"Gone."

"...What the hell happened?"

"Not sure, long story short, visitor center's overrun."

"How long was I out?"

"About a day n' a half," Replied Slade, "Once we find some crutches for you, we'll keep moving.

"Shouldn't we wait to find the others?"

"Alice, someone is obviously trying to kill us. Way I see it, we don't have time to wait. Whoever they are, they're still out there."

"How do you know?"

"They set off a goddamn firework to lure mutants to the visitor center. They shot at us, and almost killed you. Do you honestly think they're going to give up now? We're separated, and that makes us weaker. Trust me, they're out there somwhere."

"I guess this means you're not really going to be leaving after dinner?" Joked Alice.

"Not 'till I find my brother."

"Afterwards?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Fair enough."

They both turned their heads, hearing footsteps outside the tent

"Hey Slade," Called out Adam, "I'm back!"

"Might want to come on over here," Replied Slade, "Alice woke up."

"Good," He replied, "I found a walking stick while I was out searching. With some woodworking, it ought to be enough to support Alice's weight. If she leans on me and the stick, we can probably start walking again."

"Let's not rush things, her wound is serious, to say the least. We don't want any infections."

Slade turned back to Alice.

"Get some rest, me and Adam'll cook dinner. I managed to catch a few squirrels."

She nodded, allowing herself to drift away again.


FOUR DAYS LATER.

Alice leaned heavily on Adam, using her walking stick to support herself, as she, him, and Slade trekked through the forest. According to Slade, it wasn't safe to travel on the open road, Adam seemed to agree.

"So, what's the plan, exactly?" Asked Adam, "How do we find the others?"

"I have some tracking experience," Said Slade, "But other than that, we don't have much to go on. Hopefully they're looking for us, too."

They could hear the moaning of a nearby mutant, a noise they'd become accustomed to. It was getting closer, now stepping into view from behind a tree.

"I'll take care of this one." Said Slade, approaching the mutant. He removed a shining metal object from his pocket.

He put himself directly in front of the mutant, then struck quickly with a vicious kick to the leg. Alice heard the snap, as the mutant's leg gave out from beneath in, sending it to it's knees. He proceeded to send a strong punch to the mutant's head, putting it down in one hit. At first she was surprised that someone his age could kill a mutant with a single punch, until she saw his hand. Brass knuckles. He didn't bother removing them, leaving them on his hand for future mutant encounters.

[For being roughly fourteen years old, Slade impressed me quite a bit. Back when I was on my own, I had no idea what I was doing. He, on the other hand, was a badass by any perspective. Not to mention that he had to have been somewhere around eleven when this all began.]

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Asked Adam.

"Let's just say I took care of myself long before the outbreak."

[Slade was a vague person, to say the least.]

"Hey," Said Alice, "You see that cabin out there?"

Through the brush, the three survivors could see a relatively sizable log cabin, surrounded and obscured by bushes and pine trees.

"Look," Said Slade, keeping his voice low, and pointing to the cabin's chimney, "There's smoke coming from the chimney. Someone's living there."

"Well then what're we waiting for?" Asked Adam, "It's probably the others!"

"Keep your voice down," Said Slade, analyzing his surroundings, "Someone tried to kill us last night, we need to be smart about this."

"So then," Said Alice, supporting herself on a tree, "What's the plan?"

"I'll go out and do some scouting," Said Slade, "See if anyone's home- and who they are. You two stay here."

She and Adam didn't have time to respond, before Slade quietly darted towards the cabin, keeping low on his feet. He made his way to the cabin's side window, peering in as she and Adam kept watch.

A noise behind her and Adam broke Alice's focus, causing both of them to turn around. It was too late. Three other survivors stood behind them, guns raised. Two men, one woman.

"We don't want any trouble," Said Alice, raising her hands.

The woman stepped forward, with a long pointed nose, brown hair hanging to her shoulders, and a trimmed figure. She had her gun aimed directly at Adam.

"Well," The woman quipped, "We don't always get what we want. Drop your weapons, and come with me."

The two survivors reluctantly dropped their guns, Alice secretly keeping a switchblade knife hidden in her shoe. Turning to the cabin, the mysterious woman led them forward, the two others in her group keeping them guarded from the back with rifles. Slade was nowhere to be seen.

"You're the one who set off the firework back at the visitor center, aren't you?" Asked Adam, as the woman led them through the wooden door into the cabin.

"First of all," Replied the woman, having the two men force Adam and Alice to sit on the floor, "I ask the questions."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Sassy one, are we? So," Said the woman, "Where's your buddies?"

Alice gave her a confused look.

"Don't bullshit me. We know there's others in your group, things'll be far easier for the both of you if you tell us where they are."

"We don't know," Answered Alice, "We got separated after the visitor center was overrun."

"Well then you're not much use to me, now are you?" Said the woman.

"..How many people are in your group, exactly?" Asked Alice, without expecting an honest answer.

"Maybe a lot, maybe a little. Does it matter?"

"Who the hell are you?" Asked Adam.

"Name's Holly," Replied the woman, "This is Lenny, and my husband Wren."

Lenny was a cold-faced brute, with a large scar across his face. He had messy black hair, accented by similarly-colored eyes. Wren, on the other hand, seemed more normal, with dirty blonde hair covered by a hat, and dark green eyes, being a rather short an overweight person.

"Not very talkative," Teased Holly, "Are you?"

"What exactly do you want from us?" Asked Adam.

Through the corner of her eye, Alice spotted Slade looking in through the window, staying out of sight. She did her best not to give him away, quickly turning in the opposite direction as soon as she saw him.

"Nothing, yet." Answered Holly, "But if I keep you two around for a while, you might be useful in the future."

"The hell does that mean?"

"It means, you stay with us and help me find your group, and depending on my mood, I might let you live. But then again, I'll probably kill you anyways. Depends on if you behave yourselves." She gave Alice a joking pat on the head.

[I could tell from the moment I met Holly that she was unbalanced. Even somewhat sadistic at times. Either way, one thing was for sure, she was dangerous. Very dangerous.]

"Bottom line;" Added Holly, "You do what I say, I don't kill you...probably." She broke into brief laughter, then stood up.

[It was obvious at that point that finding the others would be harder than I'd expected. And more dangerous. I knew the road to Safe Haven would be longer than any of us had hoped. That is, if we made it there alive.]


Riley's black hair shined dark brown in the bright sunlight, as he gazed into his reflection in the muddied window. Before the outbreak he'd inspect his reflection several times a day, self-conscious of his looks. However, nowadays none of that mattered to him. He had let his hair grow out in the time after him and the group left the cabins, and it had now grown quite long, now hanging about an inch below his ears. It was messy and unkept, often getting in his eyes. Dirt saturated his face, his arms dusty and dry. He didn't have much time nowadays to maintain his appearance, not that he cared much anyways.

He and the others had been searching for Alice, Slade, and Adam, when they stumbled upon a log cabin in the forest. It looked as if someone had been there recently, possibly those three. Either way, everyone was tired and worn from the events of the past few days. However, they all agreed that it wasn't safe to settle until they found the missing others.

"Hey," Said Dick suddenly from behind, startling him, "You comin'? We're gonna keep moving."

"Yeah." Replied Riley, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

He and Dick joined the others, and continued trekking through the forest. Everyone was tired, but no one bothered complaining. He was surprised to find, as he walked at a steady pace through the forest with the others, that he missed Alice. He was worried. It hadn't been since Zella died that he'd truly missed someone, and the feeling wasn't one he was comfortable with. Although he'd witnessed firsthand Alice's ability to take care of herself, he couldn't help but worry for her safety.

He wasn't quite sure what was going on with Jacob, and whether or not he and Slade planned on staying in the group once they reunited with each other. Jacob distanced himself from the group, talking rarely. It was obvious that the only person he was truly comfortable around was Slade. Being brothers, it was something Riley could relate to. He and Zella were similar before she died, often isolating themselves from the others in their group. It amazed him that someone as young as Jacob could survive such a long time without a large group. He wasn't quite sure how old he was, but his appearance was that of someone who hadn't even yet reached the double-digits in age, although he was rather mature for his age, much like his brother.


Lana reached into Dick's backpack with his permission, removing a lukewarm bottle of water from it's side pouch. She took a few swigs, then loosely placed it back. Her legs felt like weights, and each step had become a struggle for her. She and the group had been walking for hours, searching for Alice and the other missing survivors.

"We got a destination in mind?" Asked Lana, looking to Dick.

"Not really." He replied, gruffly.

"So what's the point?"

"We need to find Alice, Adam, and Slade, no matter what it takes. For now, that means we need to wander until we find them."

"Will it really do any good?"

"Let's hope so."

Lana wanted to find Alice just as much as the others, especially given all Alice had done for her, but it all seemed pointless to her. Leaving the cabins. Going to Colorado. Taking Slade and Jacob in. Searching for Alice, Adam and Slade. In her opinion, it was a mistake to leave the cabins in the first place, but her opinion didn't hold much value among the group. In many ways, she was still the outcast, just like when she'd first joined the group. Alice had been the only one who'd trusted her, and it didn't appear that that would change anytime soon.

Lana had changed in the time since they'd left the cabins, as did all the others. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail, instead she let her hair down messily in favor of letting it grow out. She didn't have time to trim it anymore. Plus, she had decided that it was time for a change anyways. She didn't want the others to see her as the empty-headed woman who blindly followed Mac anymore. She wanted them to see her as Lana, no one else. She was tired of being the outcast. Then again, she was tired of just about everything.


Morales' mind was blank, as he walked along, following the others. It was all so alien to him. The people. The social interaction. The friendships. He wasn't used to any of it, not since the Atlanta camp. Not since Shane. Not since his family. Frankly, he genuinely cared little for what became of the others, much less himself. His mind was dead, his only fuel his instinct to survive. The others did their best to convince him that he could be happy after what happened, but he knew otherwise. They didn't know him. No one did. He didn't need them to.

"Hey Morales," Greeted Abby, walking beside him, "You got any idea where we're going?"

"Ask Dick." He replied, without making eye contact.

"Kay, thanks."

"Mhm."

Abby was the one who often tried to interact with him, who tried to 'bring him out of his shell'. She didn't understand him, and neither did the others. He wanted to be left alone.


"Okay, I say we camp here for the night." Said Dick, as they arrived at a small clearing in the trees. The sun was going down, and it would soon be too dark to keep traveling. Nowadays the nights weren't like they used to be before the outbreak. Before the outbreak, light were everywhere. City lights. Car lights. Everything else. But now, there were no lights in the sky. Just the stars. It was beautiful, in a way.

"You don't have to tell me twice..." Replied an exhausted Lily, practically falling on the ground to rest.

Dick was tired of searching, but he couldn't stand the thought of not finding Alice and Adam. Plus, Jacob needed to find his brother. Then again, they had no real confirmation that the three were together. For all they knew, they were each separated from each other. He put away such thoughts for the next day, and helped set up tents with the others.

He wasn't quite sure why, but the others seemed to look to him for guidance. They saw him as their leader. Why him, of all people? After all, he had no real experience leading anyone. Throughout his life, he'd always been the follower. During his childhood. In the army. With his friends. And yet somehow, these people followed him.


Lily was too tired to help the others with the camp. She was stressed and worried. Would they notice? Would they find out about the baby? Would Alice tell them? Was Alice evn still alive? What about Adam? All the questions in her head terrorized her constantly. She couldn't think. She couldn't focus.

"Lily," Said Leo, breaking her from her trance of thought, "You okay?"

"Yeah," She replied with a forced smile, "Just a little tired."

"I know the feeling."

She forced herself to stand, and reluctantly went to help the others.


Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for reading. I decided to do this chapter a little differently to provide some depth for characters other than Alice, let me know what you think. Also, if you don't have time for a full review, feel free to simply rate the chapter on a scale of 1-10.

Chapter 14, "A House Divided" Preview/Synopsis: The group's separation puts everyone in danger, as Holly's group become a grater threat than ever before.

Reader-made OC Credits:

Leo - Created by Grimrephr

Abby - Created by The Internet Sass Queen

Adam - Created by Cowardlygurp