Chapter One
Toby was a light coated German Shepherd, with loyalty that outmatched any human I had ever known. After being thrust into this new world, and watching everything I used to know and love fall apart - or ripped apart in most cases - in front of me, Toby remained always by my side, his obedience never wavering. It was as if he knew about the reality of the world around him; he did notrun, he did not bark and if I told him to hide, he would do so. His obedience was something else and I felt safer with him around. Throughout my battle with the dead - and the living in some cases - it was Toby who protected me without a pause. It was Toby who stood alert constantly and was on hand if I needed. It was Toby's determination and loyalty that kept me strong when I felt like giving it all up. He was a twenty ninth birthday present, from my then boyfriend, a measly little puppy, scrawny even, who I softened to at first sight. Now at the age of four, he appeared to be in his prime and adapted quickly to this new nightmare of a world. I envied him in that sense, though felt lucky that he was my loyal companion.
She was reluctant at first, too scared to even move an inch, though soon I convinced Sophia that we needed to get to somewhere safe and away from any of the dead that might have heard our cries. Toby waited patiently while I reassured the girl I would look after her and when I attempted to tug her gently to follow me, the dog only gazed up at us with a tilted head. Thankfully though, Sophia finally clasped her thin fingers around mine and Toby soon led the way as the three of us began to move through the cluster of trees. A sudden rush came over me as we ran and I found myself feeling confused at the odd turn my life had taken.
Just this morning I was sat by a creek, attempting to wash my bat from all the blood and dirt stains on it, Toby by my side and ever vigilant. Between us weapon-wise, we had a medium sized hunting knife, a handgun with a few rounds of ammo, the stained and battered baseball bat and Toby's leisurely sharp claws and teeth. I remembered glancing down at the handgun, with enough shots to put a bullet in both my own and Toby's heads - I couldn't leave him alone in what the world had become - and thinking that the thought seemed quite inviting. And now, a small and clammy hand sat in mine as we sped to safety and it suddenly just hit me that now surviving wasn't the only thing I was doing. Protecting this little girl had now slipped into my duties and immediately I knew I couldn't abandon or let her down. She was a mere stranger to me, but seeing the look of fear and complete terror in her eyes had defied which way life would take me. Sophia was alone, just as I was, and I couldn't just leave her.
The grouping of the trees began to lesson and lesson until we finally came out into a clearing. I paused in my tracks, pulling Sophia to a stand still beside me, and gazed up at the large, run down house that was set in the middle of the isolated space. Toby was a bit ahead, though had stopped after realising we weren't following. He now glanced back at us, his ears cocked up and waiting for an order. With a sigh, I glanced down at my new companion.
"You stay behind me." I told her firmly. She nodded back, tearfully.
I scoped the house with my handgun, my bat shoved carefully into my backpack. Toby ran rapidly through room after room, and I knew it was his own way of scoping, so I let him be. The presence of Sophia nagged at me as we searched the house for any unwanted guests. She had curled her hand into the back of my t-shirt tightly and I could just barely hear her breathing behind me, the girl probably too afraid to make any sound at all. I tried to ignore her the best I could, focusing on making sure the place was safe before I properly addressed her. I found that it surprised me to not have come across this house before. In all the time I had spent in these woods, I had never once passed this building and I wondered briefly how many times I had gone in circles around it. I was used to sleeping rough now, up in trees, under the cover of bushes. My sense of direction certainly was not the best and I could not remember the last time I had truly had a "heading" in this new world. Instead, I had simply wandered, hoping to make each day as it passed.
Not having a mirror of any description, I could only imagine how I looked to Sophia. I hadn't bathed properly in weeks, only taking brief dips in any bade of water we came across; clothes on, no soap. The smell was probably horrific and I knew the sight of me was probably no better. My darkened locks were constantly screwed up in a tight knot on the top of my head, away from eyes and leaving me with no obstruction of sight. I cut my fringe regularly - keeping a fringe was out of mere habit more than anything - as to keep my vision even more clear, though I was no hairdresser so it was probably off cue. The clothes I wore were dirtied up from either dirt or blood, some stains I couldn't even tell the difference. I only had a restricted change of clothing so everything I owned looked the same, all as dirtied as the next. I could imagine that I could pass for one of the dead myself, the state I looked.
After having checked the house thrice and gaining my approval, I shut and attempted to lock any door in and out of the house then set camp in one of the room downstairs. I dumped my rucksack on the sturdy looking kitchen table with an exhausted sigh, thankful to have finally stopped. Toby lay, content, by the door, his head rested on his paws and his ears perked. I smiled at the sight and for a moment forgot about our third companion, simply wading in the brief safety we had found inside that house. It was only when she made a noise that sounded something like a snivel, that she caught my attention. I looked towards Sophia and sure enough, tears ran down her cheeks.
"Hey, don't cry." I urged quickly, kneeling down in front of her. "No one is going to hurt you anymore." She didn't say anything, only clutched the rag doll tighter to herself. I examined her quickly, wondering if she was hurt.
She looked more exhausted than I felt. Her skin was a sickly pale colour and I could only gather that was from the fear of being chased by those things. I noticed her fingers tremble and her bottom lip wobble as she tried to contain herself from crying even more. Having never had children of my own, I was unsure how to go about a crying child. My initial fear was that she would make too much noise and attract unwanted visitors, though I shunned that thought away, thinking of myself as selfish. Instead, I stood up and pulled out one of only two blankets I owned. Placing it down on the floor in the corner of the room, I pulled my bag down with me and sat down on it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia watching me with trepidation and I met her gaze with a smile, beckoning her to join me. Timidly, she joined me on the blanket, curly up in the corner. After rummaging through my bag, I successfully found a chocolate bar and held it out to her. She only eyed it carefully.
"I couldn't tell you enough how much I love chocolate." I began. "Can't get enough of it. My papa used to tell me that if I ate too much I'd get too big and wouldn't be able to fit through the front door." A soft breath - almost a giggle - immerged from the girl and I gathered my pointless rambling was working somehow. "Didn't stop me though." After that, slender fingers reached out before grasping the bar and taking it from me. I watched as she slowly undid the wrapper and took a bite. She chewed slowly too and met my gaze. I gave her an approving nod before rummaging back through my bag to find another chocolate bar for myself to eat.
We ate in silence and I stared across the room at Toby, who stared back with a blank expression. I was unsure what to say next, finding that my voice sounded so strange to me now. While I spoke often enough to Toby - which may be classed as mad ramblings to most - it seemed different now to speak to another person. How long had it been since I had seen a living person? With a bitter pause, I found that I did not want to think about the last living people I had come across and quickly abolished the thought.
"His name is Toby." I stated suddenly, gesturing unnecessarily to the dog lounging across the room. "Smartest dog in the country, I reckon." I was talking aimlessly to fill the silence, hoping to calm Sophia's nerves somehow. I didn't fail to register that she had only spoken one word to me since meeting and that was her name. "Ain't nothing going to happen to you, while he's around. Damn clever dog." My talking seemed to ease her - it eased me to fill the silence.
"I thought it was a girl." A small, timid voice spoke suddenly and I chuckled at this. As if understanding the miscalculation of his gender, Toby let out a low unsatisfying grumble and rose to his feet before bounding over and nudging my outstretching foot with his snout. He did it for a while, before settling himself on the floor in front of us, back in his content posture. I eyed him with an amused expression before glancing at the girl beside me.
"He's a boy, I'm afraid." I continued. "I've had him since he was a puppy - a birthday present from my partner. He's never left my side once since I got him, not even after all this happened. Toby's a good dog." Sophia murmured something unintelligible before reaching forward to stroke Toby. The dog seemed to relish the attention, leaning his head instantly into her out-stretched hand, and I let them be for a while. I had questions that still needed answering though, so after letting the silence linger for a moment, I exhaled deeply before carrying on. "Darling, do you want to tell me why you were out in the woods all alone?" Sophia's hand immediately stopped stroking.
Glancing over to where Sophia was sat, I frowned. She looked so frail and breakable, surely she hadn't been able to survive all this time on her own? She didn't even have anything on her apart from the rag doll she clutched. Toby and I barely survived together and we had weapons, surely it was not plausible? The question seemed to transfix her for a moment before she was suddenly on her feet.
"Momma!" She cried, startling Toby. I was on my feet in an instant and grabbed her before she made it to the door. Toby was up too and the patter of his feet on the wooden floor rushed around me, as I pulled Sophia close to me in an attempt to retrain her. "I need to go back! I need to get back to her!"
"Shush!" I hissed, putting a hand over her mouth to silence her loud outbursts, ignoring how her body instantly went tense. God knows what she could attract with her sudden wailing. "We need to keep quiet!" I felt her tears on my hand and knew briefly that I must have crossed a line, so I let her go immediately. Cautiously, I eyed where Sophia stood, waiting to see if she would try and run again and hoping that it did not come down to that - I did not fancy attempting to restrain her again. Sophia stood for a moment silently, before sniffing loudly.
"He told me to run back to the others if he didn't get back. But I didn't listen." Sophia's wavering voice broke. "I was scared and I ran, but then-" More tears and suddenly I felt helpless. Who 'he' was, I did not know. I glanced down at Toby, who appeared to have calmed down now, and sighed.
"It's alright," I attempted to sooth her. "You're safe now and that's all that matters." She cowered away into herself and her body shook though I didn't know if it was from cold or fear. "How about you rest up and you can explain everything to me in the morning." I suggested, already pulling out the remaining blanket I had. Sophia turned to me, eyes wide.
"But-"
"Sophia, you're exhausted. You need to sleep." I urged. "You're no good in this state. Sleep and tell me all about it when you wake up. I'll be right here if you need me." I held out the blanket, with an open offer.
She regarded it evenly for a moment before sniffing loudly and taking it. I watched as she curled back up in the corner of the room, tucking the blanket around her. Her tiny frame was engulfed in the battered, old blanket and she attempted to wipe away her tears before getting comfortable. After a few short moments, I joined her, taking my previous seat and resting my head back against the wall. Sophia tried to shrug off some of her blanket over me and I smiled softly at her gesture.
"You need it more." I told her. "Rest up."
Outside, the sky was dimming and I knew it would be getting dark soon. Before, I was never particularly afraid of the dark, though now an unpleasant feeling fell into my gut when the evening drew in. It was the unknown that got me, the creatures lurking within it, ready to rip you apart if you got too close. I thought briefly about all my close calls and all the times I had spent the night crying into Toby's fur. Glancing at my new and mysterious companion, the loneliness of life crept over me and I felt sick to think that a mere child was thrust into a world like this.
"He told me to run back to the others if he didn't get back."
She wasn't alone, that was certain. There was a he and the thought of more people, more survivors, out in the world was daunting. I had spent a long time alone, my only companion a dog, and then this little girl came running through the forest, alone and scared. I thought of the people I was with before this, before the isolation, and found that I grimaced at the prospect of more people like them. I couldn't go through all that again. I glanced from Toby to Sophia, wondering what was left of the old world and how there was even a place for a young girl, so innocent and pure.
After a while, long after Sophia had fallen asleep, Toby's ears perked up and was instantly on alert. Having been sat awake musing over my thoughts, upon sight of Toby's alertness, a new wave of panic struck through me and I turned to Sophia subtly, to make sure that Toby's movements hadn't awoken her. Slowly and carefully, I hauled myself to my feet. Rummaging quietly through my bag, I found the last round of ammo inside and put it in my jacket pocket before cocking the gun I had. With my gun in one hand and my bat in another, I rose to my feet and let Toby creep forward in front of me. No sound caught my attention, but something had sure caught Toby's. He made his way through into hall of the rickety house and pawed in the direction of the front door. It was locked and secure enough, but something outside was bothering the German Shepherd.
I patted Toby's head lightly as I passed and swallowed hard before quietly walking towards the door. My heart thumped hard in my chest in a rapid fashion and the familiar feeling of fear struck through me, clenching my stomach. When I was close to the door, I braved a glance through the single window next to it.
Nothing.
Perhaps Toby was wrong? I wondered, though I knew otherwise. Toby was never wrong. If the damn dog thought something was there, then something was there. The dead hadn't been known for their stealth though. If it was one of them, then surely I would have heard it by now. With that thought in mind, I gathered that maybe a bird or an animal of some kind had gotten Toby's attention and I sighed in relief, lowering my gun an inch. I did not want think about the other possibility.
When I was about to turn around though and head back into the room with the slumbering girl, three raspy knocks rapped against the wooden door. My breath caught. Toby whimpered quietly and I felt his nose nudge my leg. The dead would not knock, that was for sure. With a tense sigh, I considered who it could be, wondering briefly if it was perhaps Sophia's people. Though how on earth would they find us here - of all places? No, I knew who it was. Grinding my teeth together and hesitantly unbolted the door.
"Always the charmer, Ruby. Will we ever meet when you don't thrust a gun in my face? I thought you'd be used to this by now."
A grey-haired, heavily built man whose face seemed to always be turned up into that familiar devilish smirk, today was no exception, stood at the door. His hands were stained with fresh blood and when I raised my eyes to his face, a smirk grew wider on his lips. He looked satisfied. Which was never a good sign.
"What are you doing here, how did you find me?" I demanded, my gun raised to his face still, defiantly. I made a quick glance around the area outside to see if he had brought anyone else, when I saw no one, I turned my gaze back to him. His damn smile still remained.
"Aren't you going to invite me in? You know just as much as I do, how dangerous it is to be out at a time like this." He stated in a prissy fashion.
"Answer me." I hissed. I got no answer, but instead an eyebrow raise. By my leg, I felt the presence of Toby and if I glanced down I knew I'd see a snarl on the dog's face. The man glanced down at Toby as if reading my mind, amusement in his features now. "Laurent." He raised his eyes at his own name and smirked again.
"I don't mean any harm, I just want to chat as usual." He offered off-handily, raising his arms in a reassuring gesture. I knew better. The large, menacing gun on his belt said it all.
"Hand over your weapons first." Laurent judged my request for a few moments before obliging, a smug look on his face. Once I successfully had all his weapons, I took a few steps back, my gun still trained on him. "You try anything and I'll blow your head off. You know I will."
"Duly noted." Laurent grinned before letting himself in and shutting the door behind him. I watched as he bolted up the door behind him and turned to face me with an expectant expression.
It suddenly hit me that I had let this man in, forgetting about Sophia's slumbering body in the room next door. I could not let him see her, I didn't want to think about what hell would be brought down on us if he did. I cursed myself inwardly for forgetting about her presence, though put it down to the lack of experience. I was so used to meeting this man alone, after all. When Laurent made a pass to move into the kitchen I stopped him quickly.
"In there." I nodded to the room opposite the kitchen, across the hall. Laurent studied me for a few moments before shrugging and obliging. I glanced down at Toby and knelt down in front of the dog as my new guest got comfortable next door. "Watch over her while I deal with him." I murmured. Toby titled his head and I pointed to the kitchen in a clear manner. "Look after her." Toby licked my face and then trotted away into the kitchen. With a sigh, I got to my feet and forced myself into the opposite room.
"Nice place you've got here." Laurent commented. I set his weapons down on the floor before sitting next to them. He had already made himself comfortable, leaning against a wall on the other side of the room.
"Ain't mine." I replied. Laurent raised his eyebrow and smirked. "How did you find me this time?"
"Stumbled across this run down place a few weeks ago, figured you'd find it sooner or later. Wandered by just now and saw someone had shut the door, I took a wild guess that it was you." His answer seemed plausible. He used to be able to track me and follow me wherever I went, though I had improved my skills after learning this and had made it difficult for him to find me. He still would stumble across me eventually though, but now it seemed to be by accident. "Do you have any alcohol?"
"No. What do you want?"
"Alcohol would be nice." Was the snappy return and I glared at him until he chuckled. "Just come to see how you are as usual."
"Bullshit."
"Language, my dear." Laurent sniggered, folding his arms across his chest. "Surely you must have grown use to my little visits."
"I thought we'd established, I don't want your company anymore." I muttered, keeping my gun pointing in his general direction. It wavered slightly, though it was on hand incase he tried something. I doubted he would, he never had before, though I had to be safe. "Now, you gonna spit it out or are you going to drag all these familiarities along a little longer?"
"You know why I'm here."
"Enlighten me anyway." He sighed dramatically and I found myself flinching a little. Laurent was different than when I had first met him, I realised. He was smugger, cockier, much more like him. That thought alone sickened me and while Laurent was nothing to that man, his association with him was enough to set me on edge. Regardless of all he had done - and did - for me.
"The usual stuff, I'm afraid. I've come to try and convince you to come back."
"Key word; try."I muttered. He regarded me for a few moments, his face in thought.
"We can protect you." Laurent stated, suddenly, all humour gone. "We can provide you with security."
"You're monsters, that's what you are." I retorted, coldly, before adding; "I've told you, I'm fine on my own."
"You keep telling yourself that, but sooner or later, you're going to need us." Laurent sang, running his finger along the dusty wood flooring.
"I rather doubt it. Not after what happened." He stared at me, contemplating my words for a few moments before sighing.
"So you're going to gallivant through the woods with that stupid mutt of yours, until you get eaten?" Laurent challenged. "What a prospective future."
"If you haven't noticed, no one really has a 'prospective future' anymore. What was it; be or be killed?" I shot back, still glaring. "And his name is Toby, not 'that stupid mutt'."
"Suppose so." Laurent smiled thinly. "You know, Jessica keeps asking about you." I paused for a moment and narrowed my eyes, the mention of her softening me slightly despite our last meeting.
"What have you told her?" I demanded, my voice hard. I raised my gun higher and now let it point straight at Laurent's head. The movement didn't go amiss of course.
"That I would try everything I could to bring you back." Laurent told me.
"You're giving her false hopes, huh?" I said, dryly. "I'm not coming back and you can tell her that from me. I won't play along with your sick games or your evil deeds and you can tell Jessica that when she wakes up and realises that, I'll be waiting to take her in." Laurent studied me for a long moment, his smile gone again.
"Your sister has the right idea, Ruby. She knows what she has to do to survive now. You on the other hand, seemed to think that going it alone is the way to do it. You're a fool, Ruby."
"And you're wasting your time." I sighed. "What do you really want? Why am I so important; why can't you leave me alone?"
"I promised your sister-"
"She's made her choice and I have made mine!" I cried, startling Laurent for a brief moment. He composed himself and for the first time since he made his presence known that night, he glared at me.
"You'll get yourself killed if you're not careful, Ruby." He warned. "The dead aren't the only things you need to worry about." There was a stony silence in the room as we regarded each other.
"Is that a threat?" I hissed. Laurent didn't answer, though he stood up. I was up instantly too, my gun raised and strong.
"Can't stay any longer, promised the others I'd be back within the hour. It's going to take a while just to get back to my truck, let alone camp. Might aswell head off now before it gets too dark." His tone was far too friendly for my liking.
"That's a real shame, I was hoping you could stick around a little longer. Perhaps like old times?" My voice was dripping with sarcasm and Laurent merely chuckled.
"You got any food?" He asked. I didn't answer. With a sigh, he took off his own backpack and rummaged through it. He pulled out a smaller bag and threw it on the ground at my feet. "There's some bottles of water in there too. Should keep you going until we meet again."
"I don't intend for this to happen again." I told him. Laurent smiled and shrugged. He knew otherwise apparently.
"What about ammunition?" He probbed. I glared at him and said nothing. "There's some in there too. We got lucky and came across a whole lot of stuff a while back. Found some for your gun and figured you'd need some more."
"Thanks." I muttered. And surprisingly, I meant it. Though it took me a whole lot of force to actually say it to the man infront of me. He seemed to notice it too and raised a smug eyebrow.
"If you ever change your mind, I've given you map and circled our location." Laurent told me, gesturing pointlessly to the bag at my feet. "We found some survivors the other day, a family of six." His sudden comment was so light-hearted, simple and innocent. I knew better.
"And what have you done with them?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and said nothing. "To hell with all of you." He smiled darkly.
"One day, Ruby, one day."
"Yes, one day you'll get ripped apart and devoured, and I'll be laughing." If Laurent was affected by my comment, he didn't show it.
"Your bitterness amuses me. Though it's sad to see that you're still in denial." He stated, running a hand through his thin, grey hair. "I'm not sure how long I can keep all this up though, so you better change your mind soon. The boss is getting edgy. Not to mention he's still pretty pissed at you after what happened." My mind took me back briefly to that night and I allowed the screams and the chaos consume me for a moment before I swallowed thickly, attempting to brush it aside.
"Let him, I don't care." I retorted, shrugging and Laurent only smiled.
"Can I have my guns back yet?" I paused for a moment before gathering up the items on the ground. He held out his hands though I shook my head and gestured for the door. He smirked in return my gesture. "Still don't trust me yet?"
"Not on your life." He shrugged and walked past me, his heavy footsteps loud on the wooden floor. I only prayed Sophia didn't hear.
Toby was stood in the doorway of the kitchen, though remained still as we passed by. Thankfully, Sophia was nowhere in sight and I breathed a subtle sigh of relief that she had escaped the man's notice. When he reached it, Laurent unlocked the front door and opened it. I cautiously handed him back his guns and he checked each of them over before tucking them away.
"Tell my sister," I blurted out without thought. Laurent raised his eyebrow in question. I licked my lips and swallowed hard, trying to push away the memories of the last time I was with my sister. Our last bitter encounter. "Tell Jessica; I love her. None of this changes that." He processed my words for a moment before nodding.
"Until next time, Ruby." Laurent smirked before strolling out of the door. I watched his retreating figure, Laurent never once looking back, until he reached the edge of the forest and was out of sight into the darkness of the trees. I glanced around, checking for any signs of movement, whether it be living or the dead, before shutting and bolting up the door again.
Toby remained in the same position as before, his eyes watching me, his head titled slightly to the left. I sighed and strolled into the kitchen, patting his head as I passed. To my complete surprise, Sophia's slumbering form hadn't moved an inch and I sighed in relief that she had slept through the meeting with Laurent. If he had seen her, I couldn't bare to think about the consequences. With slow steps, I walked back to the blanket in the corner and sat down next to the sleeping girl. I discarded Laurent's bag and my weapons to the side of me, saving the search through the bag for the morning. Toby made his way over too and settled himself down in front of us, same place as before. I watched as he listened for a moment, before deciding his was content and lay his head down on his paws. I sighed again and leant my head back against the wall, rolling it slightly to regard Sophia.
I had plenty of questions about this girl. Who was she? Where did she come from? What had happened to her? Who was this 'he' she had spoken of? Along with many more. Though any question I had would have to wait until the morning; Sophia was unconscious to the world at the moment. With a sigh, I closed my eyes too and attempted to follow her into the world of slumber, which held promises for images of snarling teeth, clenching claws and creatures that thirsted for my flesh. I couldn't run away from the nightmares that now followed me everywhere I went. Though I doubted anyone could anymore.
Edited November 2014
(Author's Note): Any constructive criticism is welcomed though I will thank all those who review this story and are still sticking with it. I can imagine everything is a little mysterious at the moment and while I can imagine a lot of stuff is confusing at the moment, it will get explained. I would love to know your thoughts on my OCs so far though - Ruby, Laurent and even Toby too. Like them? Hate them? Thanks again for the support.