2 Months Later
Overtime Kelly lugged squad equipment to the cabin and fixed up Benny's boat. Ritter never returned, Gallo and Kelly decided to move on. The cabin was a beacon of hope, hope the world would heal. Hope someone will find the cure. With what lab? What scientists were alive? How would they distribute it? Hope died when the world went up in flames. All they had left was each other.
In the morning Kelly climbed from underneath the boat. Gallo was standing guard, even isolated they encountered the infected. "Where's Ashley?" Gallo nodded towards a nearby tree. She was feeding a blue jay some moldy bread. "I double checked the patch work underneath, she'll hold up. The motor is a piece of crap though, we'll drift till nightfall to preserve fuel. Help me get her in the water."
2 Weeks Later
The Lake brought them to a body of water in Indiana. From there they hitch hiked through a small town called Aurora. Why people in zombie apocalypse movies avoided cities became clear in Aurora. Imagine fighting all day and night. There were constant waves of the infected coming for them. Killing the dead who lingered on the outskirts of Chicago was a piece of cake compared to fending off hordes. Hiding on top of a bus in broad daylight till your skin peeled would break even the strongest.
The annual burger grill competition was being hosted in Aurora's town square. A fat horde of the infected covered in grease and condiments surrounded them. Kelly untied Ashley's shoe, she quickly realized what was happening and began to protest. Kelly gave her the look and Ashely rolled her eyes but cooperated. Kelly removed the shoe and Gallo pointed to a sports car a ways off. Kelly slung the shoe, the shoe landed on a different car but the alarm went off. The infected shuffled towards the sound.
The Next Day
"My shoe huh?" Ashley's attitude pushed Kelly. "Yes, your shoe because Gallo and I are capable of carrying you. You're the child, you have no say in whose shoe gets thrown." The water dripping through a small hole in the tarp was patched up. Gallo came back under the cover it provided. "Like father, like daughter." Kelly shoved a bowl of soup in Gallo's hands. "I know Aurora was a close call and we're headed nowhere in particular - but bear with me. There's no grand plan here, I'm winging this. I don't want to argue in the woods." Kelly considered himself a protector. A leader saved strangers to boost their ego. Kelly's heroic days were over, he was a broken man. He was vulnerable and powerless. Gallo and Ashley weren't his squad. They were his everything, his family.
2 Months Later
In Union, Kentucky the keys were in a truck near some wrecked campsite. They refueled a couple times and blew a tire in Burnside. There they encountered their first survivor. He was in a kids clothing shop at the edge of town. He came out of the backroom. Gallo was holding a shirt up to Ashley's chest as Kelly aimed his rifle. He sent Ashley an unsettling smile and Kelly shot him in the head. They left in a hurry, the shot would attract unwanted attention. "Why'd you kill him? He wasn't infected…" Ashley was confused, Kelly explained when they put distance between the shop and themselves.
"Remember I told you every survivor is a case? You can't take people's word, you have to investigate. Note their body language, trust your gut. I had a bad feeling about him. He was more focused on you than me holding a weapon. He was in a child's clothing store seemingly alone. I can't take a chance on a grown man capable of out-powering us." Gallo shit himself when Kelly pulled the trigger. The infected were dead when Gallo bashed their heads in. He'd never taken someone's life. He was talking then 'BOOM' someone's brains were splattered across the floor. What freaked Gallo out was he silently applauded Kelly. He imagined himself pulling the trigger. He lost everything before the world even ended; Kelly and Ashley were all he had left and he'd kill for them.
1 Month Later
In Tennessee they squatted on a ranch for a few weeks. "Line your shot up, take a deep breath, aim and fire." Kelly fixed up an old truck on the property. The last day there he was teaching Ashley how to shoot. Gallo was standing a couple feet behind them, the truck was right beside him running. A red spot on Ashely's shorts shook him. He called Kelly and nodded towards her. Kelly kneeled down and explained what was happening. Ashley didn't cry, she never cried. He'd teach her how to take care of herself - but right now they had to move because the infected were already coming for them. She got in the backseat, and they drove for a really long time. Acceptance was a big part of Ashley's life. She accepted that her parents were dead. She accepted she'd never go back to school and play with her friends because they're dead. She accepted she'd die young. She'd accept the growing pains and blood.