This isn't listed in the categories but I think more people should probably give it a chance. It's inspired by the old radio dramas and is about a group of survivors trying to live in a world overrun by zombies. This started out as a recurring dream and I couldn't get it out of my head. The characters are mine and not from We're Alive. I hope you like it. All comments are welcome.

Chapter 2

For months now we'd done nothing but carefully drive around looking for survivors and for a while we had found a few stragglers like Aenne and Gabriel. Everyone was hopeful that we could find enough to wait out the horrors we faced daily but it was soon apparent that we needed to widen our search to other towns and with the growing numbers to the compound, the need for food and supplies took over. And so teams like ours were formed, only we were the only permanent trio while others rotated. I quickly learned that Aenne was fast on her feet and could make her way unnoticed in any situation. Gabriel was the best navigator in the compound.

Today was no different from any other day, having gone in one direction to check if they were gone and restock as much as possible. It was the same everywhere we went so far and many of the new residents at the compound were losing hope. To make matters worse, it was obvious there were more women than men and it made the living arrangements very interesting.

As Gabriel was a permanent member of our team, he was deemed hands off and Aenne had made it more than abundantly clear that he was not her type. Surprisingly she was rather attached to Roadie and had been hinting heavily that I could take my relationship with Gabriel further but I was reluctant. It wasn't that I was bothered that he was a few years older than I was but the thought of being separated from someone again was more than I could handle. I had watched countless of those we'd saved deal with survivor's guilt and I knew I wasn't strong enough to go through that.

I looked beside me at the reason I was so uncomfortable, feeling the constant light thumping on my legs and I stared down at the big brown eyes and furry face of the German Shepard we had rescued. He quickly turned back to look outside the window and Aenne looked at us both, laughing that my stare could intimidate the dog.

"Leave Beau alone, Moll, he isn't hurting anyone," Aenne said, turning in her seat so she could sneak him a piece of candy.

"I'm not doing anything to him, Aenne," I said and crossed my arms. "And stop giving him candy. I don't need him getting sick all over the backseat."

"Don't hate the poor animal because he's bigger than the ones you're used to," Gabriel added.

"Well he's not bigger than you, Gabe," I said and made a face at him.

"Don't mind Moll," crooned Aenne. "She just likes cats and is pissed we can't find one for her."

"Don't get attached, Aenne," I glared at her as she climbed into the crowded backseat to better reach him. "He's most likely going to be sent to the guard tower when we get back."

Aenne ignored me to play with the dog and I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed the middle console to settle in the front passage seat, adjusting the air vents so that it pointed away from me. I could see Gabriel glance at me more than a few times and I leaned towards the window and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep but it was difficult as the road was uneven and I was trying not to hit my head.

"Moll, look!" Gabriel pointed out a few shambling creatures in the distance as we drove past and I thought I got a glimpse of someone trapped in one of the abandoned vehicles.

"Slow down, Gabriel!" I reached into the backseat and grabbed my rifle. "Aenne, get the binoculars. See if they're after someone," I said and reached up to hit the button to retract the sunroof. I stood up and loaded the rifle, a Winchester I had found in one of the lockers at an abandoned police station and had favored.

"Moll, it's a little girl! They're after a little girl!" Aenne screamed up at me as I steadied the rifle and checked the sights.

"Come on, you bastards, look at what I have for you!" I said when one finally turned my way. I slowly exhaled and squeezed the trigger, watching as the back of its head exploded. I ejected the spent round and turned to the next one, focusing on its forehead before squeezing off more rounds until all four were down. "Aenne?"

"It's clear, Moll, and there's none in the immediate area but I don't think we should stick around," she said and I sat down slowly. "The sound of the shots may draw more than we want to deal with."

Gabriel was slowly backing up to the vehicle we had passed, stopping just before reaching the bodies on the pavement. I opened the door and stepped out, avoiding the bloody mess. I held my gun pointed in front of me, knowing that Aenne had taken my place and was looking in all directions. I squatted down low to make sure there were no surprises waiting under the vehicle as I slowly approached. I could hear the child's whimpering coming from inside as I stood outside the door and gently knocked on the glass.

"It's okay to come out now. They're all gone now," I said in my most reassuring voice and waited until a set of brilliant green eyes stared tearfully out at me.

"Are you s-sure?" she asked and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'm sure. Is there anyone else with you?" I asked as I stepped back so she could open the door.

"We ran out of gas and grandpa went to try to get some," she said, stepping out slowly.

"Don't look now," I ordered her gently, blocking her view and grabbing her only bag. I took a quick peek inside and realized that whoever they were, they had survived by remaining mobile and pretty much lived in the car. "My name's Hailey Mulholland. What's your name?"

"Hope Mitchell," she said as I shouldered my rifle and picked her up, covering as much of her face as I made my way back to the SUV. I set her down on the seat next to Aenne in the back and her eyes went wide as she looked at the large dog. I got in and locked the doors once more.

"Hi! My name is Aenne and this is Beau," she said in her bubbly manner, waving the dog's paw at her. "The old guy in the front seat is Gabriel."

"My name is Hope," she said again, leaning forward and gently touching the dog and he leaned down to lick her face. She giggled as Aenne placed the seatbelt on her before Gabriel put the vehicle in drive once more.

"Hope," I turned to look at her, making sure she didn't feel the need to watch the bodies we had left behind. "Was there anyone else beside you and your grandpa?"

"No, it was just us," she said when she finally sat back. Beau out his head down on her lap and she began to pet him. "We were going to look for everyone else but then Grandpa Pete said there was no one left but us."

"What direction did he go in?" I asked her. "Did you see him?"

Her eyes started to well up once more and I realized that one of the ones attacking the vehicle must have been her grandfather. I sat back as Aenne leaned towards her and put her arms around her, letting her cry for a while until she fell asleep.

"There was no way to save him, Moll," Gabriel said to me quietly.

"I know that, Gabriel. I'm glad we could save her but now she has no family because of all of this," I waved my hands at the world in general. "These things were once people we loved."

"The best we can do is survive and help others get through this," he said and reached over to move my hair out of my eyes.

I looked back to see both Aenne and Hope had fallen asleep. Beau glanced up at me and put his head back down on the little girls lap. I looked forward, out the windshield and noticed we still had a ways to go. I could hear Gabriel humming softly and that added to the sudden decrease of adrenaline, I was getting tired and allowed myself to lean back against the seat and try to rest.