The next morning, June was the first to wake up. She quietly rose and packed her things, looking in the cabinets for something to eat.
As she reached for a can of peaches, someone touched her waist. She gasped and froze as the hands made their way around, pulling her close.“Don’t scream or it’s gonna have to get ugly. I don’t wanna hurt you.” Thomas whispered in her ear as he guided her towards the bedroom. They had all agreed that they’d leave the bedroom empty, just to be fair.He quietly opened the door and shut it behind him.Montana heard the door squeak, and jerked awake, catching a glimpse of the closing door. He slowly sat up, and looked around, noticing the two missing. He had a pit in his gut. Something was wrong.Thomas pushed June onto the queen-sized bed, her heart racing. She reached for her knife but he grabbed her wrist sternly, making it clear that wasn’t an option.He crawled on top of her, holding both her hands above her head.“Please.. don’t..” June begged with tears in her eyes.“Don’t what? As I said, I don’t want to hurt you. I like you too much for that..” he whispered as he reached up her shirt, unhooking her bra and kissing her neck.Montana carefully walked up to the door, listening closely. He knew June didn’t like the new people too much, especially Thomas, so her going into a bedroom alone with one of him was more than a little suspicious.“Please.. stop.” June begged as Thomas took one of his hands and made his way down to her pants, unbuttoning her jeans and tugging on her underwear.Montana, still standing outside the door, heard June yelp in surprise, followed by what sounded like crying. He tried to open the door but it had been locked. So, taking out his gun, he hit the handle full force, breaking it loose and opening the door.Thomas immediately backed up, surprised anyone was awake, and came in looking for them.“I can explain-” he said as Montana charged at him, punching him straight in the nose.Thomas fell back, now pissed off. Montana was a big man, a strong 6 foot, 200 lbs, and he was a former Marine. Thomas took one look at him and knew he wouldn’t win a fight against this man.Montana reached back and started punching Thomas repeatedly, eventually getting him on the ground and holding a knife to his throat. Thomas never tried fighting back, knowing it was useless. By now, everyone else had woken up and rushed to see what was going on. June had fixed her clothes but hadn’t moved from the bed, with tears still streaming down her face.“Hold it!” Rufus yelled, trying to gain control of the situation. “What the fuck is going on?” He asked Montana.“This sick bastard was doing something’ nasty. He deserves to die.” He pressed the knife a little harder, making Thomas shake even more and bringing tears to his eyes.“What do you mean?” Rufus then noticed June on the bed crying and shaking. No one even bothered answering, it was pretty clear what had happened.“I don’t tolerate that and you know it. Either you get rid of him or I do.” Montana hadn’t broken eye contact with Thomas this whole time, his rage-filled dark brown eyes meeting Thomas’ terrified light green ones.“Monty, we can’t just throw him out for the dead-” as soon as those words left Rufus’s lips, Montana sliced the knife, cutting open his throat. Everyone fell silent as Thomas lay bleeding out. After he was dead, Montana reached down and drove the knife through his skull so he wouldn’t turn.“Problem solved.” He said, looking at the scarred group.No one protested against what Montana did, not even Thomas’ friends. They all just took one more look at Thomas and Montana before slowly exiting the room one by one and packing their stuff. They had planned to stay a couple of days and rest, but after the events that just went down, they all silently agreed it would be better to keep moving.Montana stayed behind in the room with June and caught his breath. Then he turned around and saw June shakingly trying to get up and fix her clothes. He walked over and gave her his hand, which she gladly took.“Thank.. you.” She said, still trying to process what just happened.“No problem. I don’t tolerate rapists and I never want to see you hurt.” He replied with a warm smile, which June did her best to return.After the two went to the living room and everyone finished packing, they all grabbed what food they could carry and use and then headed out.Heading back to the interstate, June stayed back from the rest of the group. Montana noticed her isolation and fell back with her.“What’s up?” He asked, even though he knew.“Nothing.” She simply stated, both knowing it was a lie.“Come on. You can tell me.” Montana gave her a quick and warm smile, playfully and lightly slapping her arm.June sighed. “It’s just...I should have been able to stop him.” She finally said. “But he was stronger than I am and I was afraid of him. I wish I had just stabbed him in his sleep.” She admitted.Montana just nodded in response. “You know, you’re still pretty strong. Just because you couldn’t stop an asshole doesn’t make you weak.” He was trying his best to make her feel better but he was never good with words.“Thanks.” She said, kicking a stick to the side.“If it makes you feel any better, I’m gonna be keeping a close eye on everything. Nothing like that’ll happen again.”June just gave him a little smile, hoping he was right.“Come on, let’s catch up with the rest of the group before they leave us behind.” Montana and June started jogging to catch up.Once they reached the interstate, they continued to head south toward Atlanta.Just wasn’t sure why, but she felt safe with Montana around. She always did but this morning set it in stone. She liked him more than the rest of them and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was about him.I mean, he IS handsome.. And he can protect.. What’s not to like? She thought to herself with a smile. After a few more minutes of wishful thinking, she told herself to get back to reality.The harsh truth was: there was no time or room for romance or feelings of any kind. Her first and only priority must be to survive.The group made their way into Atlanta. The sound of the dead became much louder now, so they had to hang low as they made their way through the once-busy city. The deeper they got, the more dead they ran into. They decided it would be best to find shelter as a group instead of splitting up this time.They went from building to building, through old restaurants, bookstores, music shops, and clothing stores, looking for anything useful and scoping out areas for shelter. They found some food, bottles of water, and a couple of notebooks. They found an old thrift store with only a couple of busted windows and posters along with the others.“We’ll stay here tonight. It seems as safe as we’re gonna get. Two people will have to stand guard at all times though. Just to be a little safer.” Rufus instructed everyone once they got inside and in the back of the store. “Alexia, Daisy, you’re on tonight.” They both nodded that they understood the assignment.They all spread out closely and laid out
They all followed Zoran closely, having no clue where he was leading them. They were going deeper into the woods than June’s ever been. They walked until the sun started to set.“Um. How far away is this place? I thought you said it wasn’t that far.” Rufus chimed up. “It’s starting to get dark. We need to set up camp real soon.”“Oh shut your yapper, we’re almost there.” Zoran said. Something in his voice changed and June noticed it. No one else seemed to though, so she brushed it off as no big deal. She wrote a note of it in her brain and tucked it away for later.They kept walking and eventually they came across a large metal gate. It seemed out of place, coming up out of nowhere, but it was a sturdy-looking gate. It’d be good to keep the dead out. The whole place seemed.. untouched, despite the state of everything else.“How do we-” June started to ask as Zoran opened the gate and let them all in. June couldn’t help but notice that he somehow had a key to the gate. June noted that
June woke up early the next day. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she drank a few sips of water and stretched real good. It’s been a while since she stretched so it felt heavenly. After she finished stretching, she looked back at Zoran. He was still sleeping. A chill went shooting down her spine. She realized felt something for him. Not really in a romantic way...but in some way she’s never experienced it before. She grimaced as she thought about what it could be.June quietly made her way to the kitchen, searching the cabinets for anything that would make a good breakfast.As she reached up to grab a box of protein bars, she felt someone touch her shoulder. Jumping, she turned around, only to find Zoran looking back at her. She didn’t hear him coming at all, even down the creaky stairs.“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” He whispered, pushing a strand of loose hair out of her face. She had forgotten to redo her braid this morning, so her hair was a mess.“Good..morning.” She responded,
The knock on the door shushed everyone. The only sound was June’s footsteps as she carefully made her way down the stairs, trying to be quiet so whoever was outside wouldn’t hear her. Zoran was close behind her.“Guys.” She whispered with fear lacing her voice.“Rufus, what’s going on?” Alice asked. Everyone’s eye was on their elected leader, waiting for a response.“I...don’t know.” He stated as he made his way to the door.“You’re not gonna answer the door, are you?” Alice spat in disbelief.“What else am I supposed to do?” He peeked out the window and saw people in dark clothing surrounding the house. “They have us surrounded.” He slowly opened the door to find a man, assumed their leader, standing there smiling.“Well hello.”Rufus stared at him. He was about average height, with long blond hair and dark eyes.“We can do this the easy way. Or the hard way. We’re only here for one thing.” He smiled once more; a false sense of security, Rufus noticed.“Do..what exactly?” Rufus asked
After Zoran had June’s hand securely in his, he smiled at Rufus.“Rufus, it was a pleasure knowing you.” He gently pushed him aside, opening the door. “But we really must get going.” He led her down the stairs and out the front door, tears steadily streaming down her face now.They made their way outside and started walking towards the main road.“Where are you taking me?” Her voice shook with emotion.“To a house.” He stated, still holding her hand and practically dragging her along.June stayed silent the rest of the walk. They reached a large countryside just as the sun was starting to set.“See that house way over there?” Zoran asked, pointing to a large mansion in the middle of a large field.It must have had at least 40 acres, June thought. She nodded that she saw it.“Now I’m gonna let go of your hand and you’re gonna walk to the house. Try anything stupid and you can spend the rest of the night tied up in the basement.” He threatened with a wink and June nodded that she unders
Montana paced the floors of the old house, scratching his face and head. He had to find a way to get June back. Rufus, Alexis, and Daisy all agreed. They couldn’t let Zoran just kidnap her.“Should we split up or stick together?” Daisy asked, trying to get a plan together.“Might as well split up into groups of two. Me and Rufus, you and Alexis. It’s not like us being together would save us if it came down to us or them.” Montana said, feeling the heaviness of his last statement.They all nodded in agreement. The air felt heavy, making it hard for them to breathe.Alexis looked at Daisy. She was still in awe of her beauty. How was she supposed to act normal when she was paired with the most stunning girl she’s ever met?They all set out with their plan clear: split up in groups of two, and return to the house come nightfall.They both went their separate ways. They hadn’t seen which way June and Zoran went so Montana and Rufus went behind the house and Daisy and Alexis went to the lef
Zoran sat at the large dinner table, with June sitting next to him on his left. They ate in silence, with the only sound being June picking around at her food.“Eat. You need the energy.” He said, motioning to her plate of roast and potatoes.“Don’t tell me what to do.” She snapped, looking up and he caught her eyes with his. She was being drawn in. She could feel that something again. Angry, she snapped her head back down her plate“Bullshit. You’re just depressed. You need to eat.” He said, knowing she didn’t eat any of her lunch. He couldn’t just let her starve.She glanced her eyes up at him and saw his eyes soften as her eyes filled with tears once again.“I’d like to go back to my room.” Her voice broke at the end, even though she tried her best to hide it.“Would you like me to accompany you?” He quietly offered, setting his fork down.“Do I have a choice?” she said through her teeth as tears began to fall.Zoran sighed and stood.“Well come on then. I will take you to your roo
Montana and Rufus kept walking, hoping they’d find any signs they had gone this way. They stepped over dead logs and avoided holes from animals as they went deeper and deeper into the woods.The air seemed to become a few degrees cooler, and the light a lot dimmer.“We should probably head back.” Rufus stopped walking and waited on Montana to do the same. “We can try again tomorrow.”That stopped Montana in his tracks. He looked at Rufus with a sadness he’d never seen him wear before.“You don’t hear that?” Montana suddenly asked. Rufus focused on his hearing. Sure enough, there were voices. One of which sounded like Zoran.“Sir, I didn’t find them at the house but I didn’t see them in the woods either.”“Well look again! You can’t expect me to believe that they just gave up that quickly. We can’t have them here, now go find them, and don’t come back until you do.” They heard another man scream.“Yes sir. Sorry, sir.” The voice responded followed by silence.“They must be looking for