Life after Death

Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly through the trees that created a canopy over the road, Fletcher drove confidently down the road as we listened to an old hard rock cd we'd found at a truck stop about 90 miles ago. I scanned the map looking intently for a place to camp for the night.
"We can't go down that way that town had a huge population it'll be crawling." Lydia said moving my hand away from the town I'd had my finger on. I take out my sharpie and cross the town off.
"A lot of x's on that map." Fletcher sighs glancing over.
"We should probably just keep heading west less populated." I mutter looking at a different map. I tucked a hunk of matted dark auburn hair behind my ear. I'd kill for a shower and shampoo and soap and food and everything. I push those wants from my mind and look further down the road. Lydia sat back against Trevor and leans her head on his shoulder. Trevor pats her leg. He's been in love with since freshman year but too shy to show it. In fact when all this happened he came to our room first and made sure she was safe. I think Lydia loves him too but at this point what does it matter we're lucky if we make it minute to minute.
The day that things got really bad I'd been with Lydia and Fletcher walking back from our last class of the day when the military came through. We were told to evacuate. Lydia and I made it back to our apartment where Trevor was pacing waiting for her. By the time we made it back down to the ground floor it was complete chaos those monsters where everywhere. We made it to the parking lot looking for Trevor's extended cab pickup. Fletcher found us just in time with his little sister Averie in tow. He was the only one of us that for sure had family left. I was an only child, and I hadn't heard from my Mom who lived in Wyoming and my Dad was a trucker, I had no idea where he'd been when this broke out. I'd given up hope of ever seeing them again.
We got off campus just in time blockades went up all around but it was way too late. It would be just a few hours before the regular radio failed and just a few days before the emergency broadcasts stopped. It had Ben 10 long months of scavenging and traveling. We'd managed to stay alive but just barely sometimes. We had abandoned Trevor's truck a few months back in favor or a four door. It was better on milage and we could all get in quickly in a bind.
Fletcher pulled over to the side of the road so we could look at the map. We sat in , silence as we all looked it over carefully,
"I don't know where to go." Fletcher mumbled rubbing his face with his hands in frustration. "we just need a safe place...."
"Fletch we'll find some place." Averie said "we always do." She rubs his shoulder gently Averie is the most positive of us all, almost to the point of being naive. He nodded and pit the car into gear. Averie sat back confidently. She was one of those people that looks absolutely stunning even in the face of the apocalypse. Fletcher put the car into drive and we started on our way again. We drove on, our life had become a vicious cycle, of scavenging', driving, running and being afraid. Last week Lydia and I wept with joy when we found a library. We spent way to much time and ended up staying the night. The next day we had to fight our way to the car through way too many of those walking corpses. But at least we'd have something else to do besides look out the window and think about death. I pulled my copy of Pride and Prejudice and began reading. I was forty pages in when Fletcher stopped the car suddenly and Lydia screamed. I dropped my book and looked up terror coursing through my veins.
"Oh no." I gasped. Ahead of us was the biggest heard I'd seen yet. They were still milling about so they hadn't heard us yet. Fletcher was gripping the wheel so hard his fingers turned white. We all sat for a minute staring not knowing at all whał to do. I looked down at the map for a side road or something.
"Ok so just up ahead there's a side road to your left. You shouldn't have to drive too far into the creepers." I say finally. "It's the only side road for about 2 miles." I add.
"Oh god we have to drive into those things!" Averie wailed.
"It's fine we'll be fine."Fletcher said confidently. "Get your weapons out if we get stuck we'll have to kill through a crack in the window. Ok. We'll be fine" he said taking the lead. Fletcher would have made a great Leader had the world not ended. I could see him as a political leader of minister or police chief. Averie bowed her head and began to pray the rest of us prepared in our own ways. Lydia squeezed Trevor's hand. Fletcher started and my heart pounded in my ears, I wish it would drawn out the moan and gargles and groans that came from the herd ahead of us. But it didn't. As we got closer they began the first one stumbled towards us it was in some sort of coveralls and half of its face had rotted away. It hit the hood of the car and growled, and Averie whimpered.
"It's ok Averie." Fletcher whispered assuringly. It clawed at the window and drooled on the glass my stomachs turned. "Swayzie go ahead." Fletcher said nodding at me. I cracked my window and shoved my knife through the things eye. It fell down instantly. Fletcher started to go faster and more of the creepers came closer. We all started stabbing to get through the herd. Averie got it together and continued to stab them, Fletcher pushed down on the gas and we accelerated.
"Ok Fletch it's right up here." I said loudly.
"I see it." Fletcher nodded and began to turn. "Once we get clear we accelerate and Fletcher ran over two of them he accelerated again and turned down the old road. As
soon as we were clear Fletcher hit the gas and we were off. I had the map open looking
for our next road. I laughed with the feeling of success.
"Thank God!"Averie squealed. We all joined in laughing.
"There is a little town up ahead a few miles we could see what's there." I offered. "It
looks pretty small so there shouldn't be a ton of creepers."
"Awesome lets...."
"Fletcher look out!" Averie screamed. Fletcher swerved but it was too late he hit another car deploying the airbags deployed and the SUV spun around and around. Then we flipped over, it happened so sudden and so fast I don't think anyone had a chance to even scream. We had stopped but I didn't know how long we'd been stopped. I gasped for air and my head throbbed. "Fletcher." I croaked.
"It's ok "Fletcher says I look over to see him bleeding from a cut just above his eyebrow and covered from the dust of the airbag. I tried to move to help, a huge pain worse than anything I'd ever felt before Shoots from my leg all the way into myspinr I
"Shhhh." Hissed a voice. I glanced over to see Fletcher bruised bleeding. "Survivors at the other car" he whispered . I felt my vision going fuzzy and the car spinning.
"He's still alive!" I heard a boisterous voice call out. I tried to turn around to see if Lydia Trevor and Averie were ok. I heard sniffles from the back but couldn't make out who it was. Gun shots from the other car drew my attention to them. My breathing quickened and I felt faint again.
"Fletcher go, get them out." I hissed.
"I can't get you out Swayzie I'll need help." I closed my eyes.
"Fletcher just get them out ok go find a place ok." I managed. "Please I don't want all of us to die here please." I watched as the survivors looted the other car. Fletcher began moving around as quietly as possible as more gun shots rang out.
"C'mon Averie help me with Trevor and Lydia," Fletcher said. Thank god she was still alive.
"I can't get Lydia she's knocked out." Trevor hissed. I watched as the survivors pulled someone from the wrecked car. A girl she looked a little younger than Averie.
"It's all right we'll get you some help." The survivor said to the girl as he tied something around her arm.
"They're letting that girl live."I hissed at Fletcher. "Take Trevor and Averie we'll be ok." I ordered.
"I can't just leave you guys what if they're crazy."
"We're all a little crazy...you have to save them ok we'll be ok." I held back tears.
"I'm not leaving Lydia." Trevor said.
"Trevor you won't do anything for her dead you have to go. We'll see each other again I just know it, please they're going to come over here any second." I held back a sob as best I could. Fletcher put his arms around me gently I cried out with pain.
"Be safe." He said
"This isn't goodbye." I snapped. "Go" I hissed as my cry had called the survivors attention to us. Fletcher crawled through the back Averie and Trevor behind him. I shut my eyes and prayed they made it to safety. One of the survivors came to my window. I gasped and began breathing rapidly as fear overtook me.
"Calm down little girl your gonna be alright." He drawled in a thick southern accent.
"Please....please."I begged looking at his arm instead of his face.
"Don't worry girl this is for biters this ain't for you." He said holding up his arm where in place of a hand was a long knife appendage. "C'mon I'll take you and your little friend here back and get you all fixed up." He said again prying my door open. I gasped at the sudden pain that washed over my entire body and the world around me faded to black.