Everyone stopped in their tracks. Rufus and his group instinctively raised their hands in surrender; the other group was on defense.
“Listen.. we don’t want trouble. We just wanted to know where y’all were headed and if you wanted to join us on our way to Savannah.” Rufus stumbled trying to explain as he stared down the barrel of a gun.“Yeah? And what for?” One of the guys asked. They all looked a bit battered and worn, obvious they’d been through it since this all started. June wondered what all they had had to deal with but figured it better to not ask.“Bigger groups stand a better chance.” Rufus wasn’t sure how to answer. That was all he could come up with.“So you want to join us? Or do you want us to join you?”“I want us to join each other. But if that’s not what you want..” Rufus nervously chuckled and took a step back.The group of 4 looked at each other, then slowly lowered their guns. June and her new friends all lowered their arms in response.“Do you know Hunter?” One of the girls from the other group asked.“No, we’ve never heard of a Hunter.” Rufus explained, confused.“Who are you?” Eli asked the new group.“Hey! We’ll ask the questions.” The guy, presumably the leader, almost yelled. “Who are YOU guys?” He demanded.The group introduced themselves and waited for the others to do the same.“I’m Russell. This is Thomas, Alexia, and Daisy.” The leader responded.“Well, it’s... nice to meet y’all. Now if y’all don’t mind, we’re just gonna squeeze past ya and head our separate ways.” Rufus said, still nervous as he and the rest of the group slowly took off past the new group.“Wait.” Russell called out after a few seconds. The group stopped.“Y’all will never make it alone. Let us join you.”“Why don’t you think we’ll make it?” Asked Alice, ready for a fight. Normally, Rufus would have held out his hand to stop her, but he was getting tired of this group’s attitude too.Russell chuckled.“Because sweetheart. We both know one of the reasons why. Just let us join you and we’ll explain the rest.”Alice rolled her eyes as the groups merged and took off down the interstate.June felt a pit in her stomach that wouldn’t go away. Something was off about these people and it wasn’t how they met, although that was part of it. She wasn’t going to question Rufus and his decision, but she felt as though she should be running away from these four, not grouped up with them. Especially that Thomas guy. He looked at her funny compared to the rest.She continued walking in silence though, figuring she’d give them the benefit of the doubt until they give her a reason to be suspicious.The now larger group walked until they reached the next exit. As they walked towards Cartersville, they heard a rustle in some nearby trees. They all stopped and got on guard, looking for any sign of movement from the tree lines. Not sure if it was the dead or more people.Suddenly, two dead came stumbling out towards them, crushing some branches beneath their broken and rotten feet. Everyone raised their weapons, with the new four raising their guns.“Don’t shoot! Use your knife.” Rufus told them, grabbing his knife and running towards one, stabbing it in what was one of its eyes.“I got this one.” Russell scoffed and took off towards the other one. The dead man reached out and grabbed his arm, which made him drop the knife in shock.“Don’t just stand there, come help me!” Russell screamed, frantically trying to get his knife back and escape. Rufus and his group just rolled their eyes. Rufus wondered how this group has survived as long as they have.June sighed and came up behind him, stabbing the dead in the temple and looking at Russell before walking back to the group and taking off toward Cartersville.The newcomers all rushed to check on Russell, while the others followed June to the new city.Once they arrived, they looted a few stores and gas stations before moving on to find shelter for the night.They split up into 5 groups, all going in different directions to find shelter.Audrey and Montana were going through a small patch of woods when they stumbled across an old cabin. It looked like it was once used for camping rentals before everything fell. They both looked at each other and shrugged before going up to the front door. Surprisingly, it all looked to be intact. Untouched by the horrors that have overtaken their world.Slowly and carefully, they entered the cabin. It was rather small, with one bedroom and a bathroom on the right. It even had a small bathroom that hasn’t been in service since the outbreak between the two. On the left stood a living room and kitchen. It had a fireplace in the living room, with some wood laying next to it.“This is perfect!” Audrey exclaimed after they had done a sweep to make sure there was no dead inside.“Yeah. Let’s go get the others so we can get settled in and maybe even start a nice fire before dark.” Montana said, heading towards the door.It had been getting chilly out but it was risky to start a fire just anywhere. Too much noise and the dead come running. Most of the time they ruled it better to just be a little cold than to risk it.The two made their way back to the meeting place they had set and waited for the others.“Man, I can’t believe we got so lucky.” Audrey said, resting against an old counter in a corner store.“We’re not lucky yet. It could all go south way too quickly.” Montana said, pacing back and forth.“Oh, would you calm down for once? We might be able to take a small break. And be the safest we’ve been since the start.” Audrey sighed, getting frustrated at Montana for always being so uptight.“Yeah well, I’ll start celebrating when it happens.” Montana continued pacing.After a few more minutes, two of the groups made their way back. Audrey shared their findings and they all got excited, happy that they were lucky for once.Two by two, they all returned and Audrey and Montana shared the news of where they’d be staying. After everyone had gotten back, they all grabbed their supplies and made their way to the cabin. It was small for all 10 of them, but it was cozy and a lot safer than they could have ever asked for. Other cabins formed a small circle around an office building, but they all decided that they should all stay in one. Safety in numbers, they figured.Once they all got settled, Russell checked the kitchen. The cabinets were still stocked with canned and dried goods. They all got excited as they raided the cabinets, grabbing stale crackers and canned fruit.After they had all eaten and finished settling in, they all sat around and talked about what had happened throughout the day. They always liked to do a recap so they were all up to date with each other.They were able to start a friendly fire in the fireplace and they all gathered around. Montana was able to make some popcorn he found in one of the cabinets, and they all snacked.After they were all full and warm, they all lay down and dozed off one by one.June smiled to herself. She finally had a good group of people and was safe for the night.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 t
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