A/N: I'm really on a roll. I don't think I've updated this often in any of my stories before. Usually once a week. I'll try to keep it up. I'm really enjoying writing this one. Wow, so the first scene was already thought up and written before I saw the premier. I'm glad that the zombies act like how I described (well… to a point). Hope you guys continue to enjoy this story. Thanks for the reviews/favs/alerts.
"We're not going to make it!" a woman shouted in despair as she looked at the group of walkers that circled around the cars. There were at least one hundred and fifty walkers and only five humans. The humans were completely surrounded.
The woman held a gun in her hand. She looked around filled with despair. Then she turned her gun on her child before shooting herself. The others shot at the walkers who raised their arms up. What remained of the little group where the ones who had been able to quickly climb onto the top of the highest cars. Those who didn't make it were quickly torn apart.
Jake Reed continued to shoot at the walkers even though he knew it was futile. He wouldn't give up without a fight. They had been fine, he and his group. They were driving through the freeway toward Fort Benning when they ran into the herd of walkers. He had commanded his group to turn back, but they were somehow quickly surrounded. The large group of walkers was too much for them to drive through. Now the only thing they could do was sit on their cars and wait until they died of starvation. Help from anyone or anything was highly unlikely.
A few more shots rang out. Slowly, Jake turned and looked. He couldn't help but push the woman and her child off of his car. He couldn't bear to look at them. Three more people remained. He looked over at them. They knew that there was nothing they could do. They were surrounded by too many walkers.
"Damn you!" a teenager shouted as he threw his empty pistol into the group. It hit one of the walkers on the head. The walker staggered, but then quickly resumed his position; arms stretched out, mouth open. Tears ran down the teenager's eyes as he took a knife. He looked for help but the woman next to him shook her head. "Fuck," he spat as he got ready to stab himself. Suddenly, she pushed him off the car. He screamed in surprise and pain as the walkers tore him apart. He was dead before he touched the ground.
The woman took the opportunity to jump off the car and run through the thin gap that the walkers made. It was a mistake. One quickly grabbed her and soon she was screaming in pain as she was being devoured.
"Fuck!" Jake shouted. He looked around. He was alone. He had no other weapon on him that would let him take his own life. The rifle was too long and it had one bullet in it that taunted him.
A lone walker staggered toward the group. He looked over at it. She was a woman. Long curly blonde hair covered her face and she wore a white dress. From afar, she looked like an angel. Then she moved. Her head was bent down and her legs seemed to barely be able to hold her support. She staggered toward the small group and toward him.
He snarled. This one… this one he would destroy with the last bullet before he waited to die. He carefully aimed at the walker. "Die, bitch," he whispered as he fired.
He missed and the bullet slammed into her shoulder, causing her to stagger back. She looked up, mouth wide open as if surprised.
"Son of a bitch?" Jake yelled. Of course he would miss the last shot.
The walker stopped momentarily and looked at her shoulder before she made her way toward him.
"What?" He shouted as he looked around. The other walkers didn't notice the lone one.
She continued to walk toward him. As she neared the group he watched in amazement as the walkers moved away. They didn't seem to notice as they slowly moved to one side. They didn't crowd in behind her and it was strange to see the emptiness. She reached the hood of the oversized truck.
"Can't get me you fucked up bitch!" he shouted in triumph.
She growled. It was then that he realized she had no bite marks on her. Her dress, at one point, was white. But now it was filled with dirt, dried blood and bullet holes, but it wasn't torn from bites.
"Her back," he muttered to himself. He couldn't see it so of course that's where her wound was at. He could clearly see the bullet hole that he had put in her shoulder. Her skin was grey and it looked like she had been in her thirties before she died.
She looked around then placed her hands on the hood of the truck and pushed herself up.
"What the fuck?" Jake shouted as he stood up. He held his weapon ready to beat her down, but he couldn't help but stare at her. He had never seen a zombie act like her.
She finally got on the hood and swayed when she stood up. He took that moment to attack her and swung his rifle at her face. Her left hand shot up and grabbed the gun. He gasped in amazement at her strength as he tried to pull it away. She pulled, causing him to lose his balance. He fell onto the windshield and it cracked under his weight. She held the rifle in her hand before she threw it into the crowd. The other walkers looked at him hungrily but they didn't draw any closer.
She straddled him and Jake looked up at her in fear. She was dead there was no doubt about it. Dry blood covered her mouth. He shut his eyes and turned his head away. He didn't want to see her as she killed him. It was a memory he didn't want to be his last. He heard her sniffing him and felt her breath on his neck. He tensed, but she didn't bite him.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and spotted the hospital wristband that was on her right wrist. It read 'Eve Bennett'. He turned his head and looked at her. She cocked her head to one side as she returned his gaze. The irises in her eyes were completely red.
"Eve," he whispered. "Please, let me go. I can escape. If you understand me, please." He didn't know why he was begging with this thing. She was one of them, yet not one of them.
She cocked her head as if he was a curiosity. Then she leaned in close to him. Her crazy eyes and face of death scared him. "No," she whispered as she dug her teeth into his skin. He screamed in pain and surprise. It talked.
Lilli rested her head on Glenn's shoulder. Daryl had insisted that they leave at dawn so that they wouldn't have to be back too late that day. Not much had happened the day before. Almost everyone slept in longer than they were used to. Lilli's group was the first to wake up and eat their breakfast. After that the members of Rick's group slowly trickled into the dining room.
That day was a relatively quiet day. Everyone agreed that they should go to Fort Benning first, since it was closer. When Daryl volunteered Lucy immediately volunteered. It didn't take that much to convince her not to go. Rick explained to her that she was the only nurse that they knew of and her skills were greatly needed. Then Daryl promised to return with some injury so she could patch him up. That made her smile. It was clear that the woman had 'the hots' for Daryl.
Lilli had to volunteer. She had to explain that her father took her camping and taught her survival skills. Lucy quickly vouched for her. To her surprise, Shane volunteered to go as well. Daryl wasn't too happy about it. Whatever he was, he wasn't stupid. He saw the looks that Shane and Lilli gave each other. He didn't like the idea of being the third wheel. Luckily, Glenn volunteered as well.
Before they left, Rick looked as if he was ready to join them. It was clear that he wanted to go as well. If it was for the adventure or to keep the group safe, Lilli didn't know. Shane convinced him that it wasn't wise. He had his wife and son who he needed to take care of. Besides, the group trusted his decisions.
They took one of the trucks that Lilli's group had worked on as well as food for a few days and two gas cans, just in case. They didn't know what was going to happen to them and what obstacles they would meet.
The morning sun slowly peaked over the horizon and hit Lilli's face. She groaned in protest as she covered her eyes with her hands and leaned closer into Glenn's body. The young man immediately stiffened. Daryl decided to drive first while Shane sat in the front passenger seat, leaving Glenn and Lilli in the back.
"Way too early to be awake," Lilli moaned.
Shane let out a soft chuckle. "I'm watching you two back there," he teased as he looked into the rearview mirror. Lilli half opened one eye and chuckled.
"What's the matter, Glenn?" Daryl asked when he saw how stiff the young man was.
"I…" Glenn stopped talking as he tried to think of something to say.
Lilli sighed as she moved off his shoulder and leaned against the side of the car. "Fine," she said. "I'll just rest here."
She heard Glenn let out a sigh of relief and smiled to herself. Poor kid.
The slowing of the car woke Lilli up. She had been in and out of consciousness the whole trip. That's why she hated being in any type of car. Her body's immediate reaction was to fall asleep. It was difficult to wake herself up and the three men didn't seem to mind that she slept. She felt as if she slept forever, but it had only been a little over an hour.
"What's going on?" Lilli asked as she leaned forward. In front of them was a small convoy of cars. They sat in the middle of the road and there eaten bodies all around.
"Ew," Glenn said softly as he spotted the bodies. "See if you can drive around them."
"We should stop," Shane said. "Someone could be alive."
Daryl shook his head. "Or whatever happened to these poor bastards could happen to us."
"Stop the truck," Lilli commanded. They looked at her in surprise, but her eyes were fixed on the empty convoy that was ahead.
Daryl sighed in defeat as he stopped the truck and the four cautiously stepped out. All four of them had machetes on them as well as a secondary weapon. Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder while Glenn held a bat. Lilli had a fireman's axe that she swore she could use and a machete in her belt, just in case. And Shane had his shotgun.
The four made their way to the cars. There wasn't much smell coming from the bodies since the bodies had been almost stripped clean.
"What do you think happened?" Glenn asked as they carefully examined the cars.
Lilli walked to the end of the convoy. There was nothing in the road ahead of them. The convoy for some reason just stopped. She turned and examined the hood of the lead car. The body of a man was on it. Something had been on top of him and torn up his throat.
"Fuck," Daryl said when he saw it. "Since when do geeks climb?" he asked.
"They don't," Lilli said. "He probably got up on the hood of his car and fell and died." She rationalized.
Shane walked over and saw the body.
"Let's go, guys," Glenn said nervously as he fidgeted. "We're almost there." The young man frowned when he spotted something on the hood other than the body.
"Yeah, we should hurry," Shane agreed.
Everyone headed back into the car. They were quiet as Daryl drove the rest of the way. Every once in a while Shane would turn and look at Lilli. She never returned his gaze as she looked out the window with a frown on her face.
"I wonder who she was," Glenn said, breaking the silence.
"Who?" Shane asked.
"The guy on the hood of the truck. He wrote a name with his blood before he died," Glenn responded. "I saw it from my angle."
"What was the name?" Shane asked as he turned and looked at the two in the back.
Lilli didn't seem interested as she continued to look out the window.
"Eve," Glenn replied.
"What?" Lilli nearly shrieked in alarm, surprising them all. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to say it that loud. Did you say Eve?"
Glenn nodded his head.
"Holy shit," Daryl whispered, interrupting their conversation. Everyone sat up straighter and stared ahead. Black smoke came out of various areas inside the base. It was a mess. Cars blocked the entrance in a large pile up. It was clear that the drivers had all attempted to leave at the same time, with disastrous results. Daryl parked the car as close as he could get and the group stepped out.
"Let's look for survivors and anything that can be of use but not too heavy to carry back," Shane said as he leveled his shotgun.
Whatever happened it had happened fast. Bodies lay all over the place and many with bullet wounds. The smell was horrible. Glenn covered his nose and mouth with his shirt, but it did little. He didn't want to go any further in, but he didn't want to stay behind. Daryl stopped next to a body and shot it in the head before he turned it over. "Looks like he's been dead at least a day," Daryl muttered as he rolled the body back onto its stomach. He didn't want to see the face of horror.
Lilli bent down and picked up a handgun from a body. She made sure that there were still bullets before she put it in the small of her back.
"I don't like this," Glenn said. Daryl and Shane both nodded their heads. They didn't want to go too far in.
Nothing moved which made it all the more eerie. "Here," Daryl said as he nodded to what looked like the main office building. The four cautiously entered the building, weapons ready to attack. Daryl led the way and held his crossbow ready.
"It's too quiet," Glenn whispered. Lilli nodded. The lights flickered. They looked at each other. "A running generator!" Glenn whispered. He smiled.
"Well then," Daryl said as he pushed the doors to the men's restroom open. The other two men looked at each other before they joined him.
Lilli giggled and shook her head before she entered the women's restroom. She pulled out her machete. In close quarters, it was the best weapon to use in defense. She didn't want to fire the gun. Cautiously, she opened every stall, ready for a walker to lung at her. Nothing did. She let out a sigh of relief before washing her hands.
It was strange how something so simple like washing one's hands felt amazing. She looked at the mirror and smiled to herself. A figured stood in the corner of the room and was behind the door when she had opened it.
"Shit," Lilli yelled as she turned and raised her weapon. The creature rushed her, but she easily slammed her machete into its skull. It briefly stopped and she kicked it back. .
"Lilli!" Shane shouted as he slammed the men's restroom door open.
The creature that attacked lay crumpled on the ground in front of the bathroom door. Lilli took a step toward it when her left foot gave way. She grabbed the sink to keep herself up. Shane slammed the door, but the creature's body didn't let him get in.
"Lilli!" he shouted again.
It looked at her with unnatural red eyes and lunged at her. The creature's momentum and open mouth made it easy for her to put her handgun in its mouth. She fired, killing it.
Shane pulled the creature off her and looked at her. "Were you bit?" he asked her. She shook her head. Suddenly, she found herself in his arms as he hugged her. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"What happened?" Daryl snapped as he quickly entered. He saw the body of the creature on the floor then the two hugging. "We ain't got time for this! That shot will alert the others."
Shane quickly let her go and stood up. "Let's see if we can find anything," he told Daryl. "Glenn, you and Lilli make your way back to the truck. Start it up in case we have to run."
Shane and Daryl didn't wait for Glenn and Lilli to agree as they took off further into the building.
"Let's go," Glenn said as Lilli got to her feet. She nodded but walked over to the dead thing. She crouched over it and pulled out her machete before she opened its eyelid. "Lilli!" Glenn said.
"Okay," she responded as she moved away from it and walked out of the restroom. "Your fly is unzip," she said without looking at him and walking out the front door. Glenn stopped for a second and blushed with embarrassment.
She felt the presence before she heard Glenn shout. Her body immediately reacted and she ducked just on time. A sledgehammer slammed into the side mirror of the car that was beside her. She rolled forward and withdrew her machete. She turned and barely had time to dodge the next attack that was aimed at her head.
She felt the wind on her nose as the sledgehammer slammed into the ground millimeters from her face. She didn't give herself time to think and lunged at her attacker before they could raise the weapon again. The attacker didn't have time to react and was thrown onto the ground. Lilli placed her machete on the young girl's throat.
"Shit!" Lilli hissed.
The girl was at least in her late teens or early twenties. It was hard to imagine that her petite body could handle such a large and heavy weapon. Lilli stood up and stepped back, allowing the girl some room.
"What's going on?" Shane shouted as he and Daryl ran toward the girl with their weapons raised.
The girl's eyes grew wide with free and she quickly scooted away from them.
"Stop!" Lilli called out as she placed herself in-between the girl and the three men. Slowly, she turned and crouched to be at eye level with the girl. "I'm sorry," she said. "Evidently, we got on the wrong foot. My name is Lilli, that's Glenn, Daryl and Shane."
The girl's eyes narrowed and she didn't answer.
"Are there anymore survivors?"
The girl didn't respond.
Lilli let out a sigh. "Listen," she said firmly. "We are part of a larger group. A good group. If there is no one here for you then you should come with us. We don't bite or eat each other. I promise." She held her right hand up and smiled.
"Uh… guys!" Glenn said loudly. He stared in the direction of the base.
They turned and saw a small group of walkers heading their way.
"Let's go," Shane said as he ran toward the car.
"Us or them," Lilli said as she dashed after Shane. Daryl had a duffle bag and quickly placed it in the back of the truck.
Glenn grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her to her feet before forcing her to run with him. Everyone was in the truck before the first of the walkers made its way pass the crash. The girl turned and watched from the back window as they left the base behind. Her body trembled and she wrapped her arms around Glenn's. The young man looked at her in surprise.
Daryl snorted.