Divided In War

Prologue

Tommy was his name; he was a tall older man who was out on a patrol. He had to look over a new side of the lake that was close by to his home in Jackson, clearing out the area from the infected. Riding his horse around the bend he heard splashing, thinking nothing of it he continued down the path nearing a few cabins that had lined itself cross the shoreline. Gaining ground, Tommy could hear the disturbing cries of a few runners and maybe a clicker or two. He quietly stopped and got off of the brown horse he had been riding and tied the beast to a tree nearby. He pulled out his shotgun and put on his backpack before continuing to investigate these cabins.

During his clearing of the infected, he could hear cries, screams, and whaling of someone or something down the shoreline where he had came from. He thought maybe it had to be the thing that was causing the splashing he had heard before. Tommy got curious and sneakily started to travel his way to the clearly upset thing. As he was closing in on the crying creature he had pulled out his shotgun, but quickly put it down as he saw a young girl. The girl had drenched clothes and brown hair which was pushed back into a ponytail as she sobbed holding the hands of an older man and an older women. Assuming that they were her parents, he put his weapon onto his bag, and stepped out in the open.

The girl's head snapped in his direction and quickly jumped to her feet with a branch she picked up at the ready. Tommy put his hands up noticing her panicked state.

"Hey. Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you." Tommy took a step closer but only for the girl to react by shuffling back.

"I'm serious, I'm here to help you. Only if you let me." The girl's face eased up, and she slowly lowered her 'weapon'.

She had soon relaxed somewhat and crawled back to her parents sides. "What happened to you.." Tommy whispered while kneeling down to her level.

Still holding onto them she spoke, "We were going to this town my mom thought would be safer for us... we were on our way there when we... I led them the wrong way and its all my fault..." tears started to pour out of her hazel/ green eyes. "I didn't mean to, I wanted to take a short cut. I-"

"Shh. Shh. Shh. No one blames you. It was an accident and you'll be okay. What's you name kid?" Tommy asked as he placed his rough hand onto her shoulder as a way to comfort the girl.

"It's Sylvia... Sylvia Charnette Osbourne" Sylvia had finally looked up at the man who saved her.

"Well Sylvia, where were you guys headed before the accident happened?" he asked her while standing up and her following his lead.

"Um, I think it was called Jackson?" she looked back at her parents through her puffy eyes and sniffled again before adding. "Can we bury them?"

Tommy nodded, "My name is Tommy and I live in Jackson, how about I bring you guys there and we can bury them at the place they wanted to be." He turned to smile at her, only to be faced with giant tears brimming her eyes as she jumps on him for a hug and continues to cry into his chest.

"C'mon kid, let's go before infected find us." He gently pushed her off and walked over to carry her mom and dad's bodies to the horse a couple dozen meters away.

While walking back to the horse, Sylvia heard rustling in a bush. When she turned to look what it was, a runner came jumping out. She quickly pushed Tommy who was holding both her parents out of the way. Them all falling into the dirt, Sylvia turns over and leans over Tommy's backpack pulling out the shot gun and blowing off the side of the runner that had turned to come after her. The runner flew back screeching in pain before going limp and quiet.

Tommy quickly stood up, dropping the bodies, and grabbing Sylvia's arm and quickly dragging her to his horse. More screeching could be heard a few ways away.

"Wait what about-"

"There's no time. More are coming." He cut her off as he takes the shot gun from her shaking hands, attaching it to the backpack. He untied his horse, helped her up and then getting in front before telling the horse to sprint through the thick woods. Sylvia held onto his back, while turning her head to see the runners taking chunks out of her parents slowly shrink and fade away.

"You did good kid." Tommy spoke breaking the silence.

"What?"

"You saved me back there, you're not too bad with a gun." A small smile crept onto her face as she said thank you and they continued through the woods. The adrenaline slowly seeped away from her, and her drenched clothes started to make her shiver.

A few minutes passed and once again, Tommy speaks up "We're here"

Sylvia popped her head over his shoulder and saw the view of tiny houses in the valley of the mountains around. "Woah." Sylvia hadn't seen a city like this in years, somehow she was excited. She knew all she wanted was to live the life that her parents always wanted for her. For that, she was indebted to Tommy saving her life.

The reached the larger gate towering over them as he calls out. "It's me Tommy! I have a little girl with me!"

Sylvia rolls her eyes and whispers to no one, "I'm 16 man..."

"Whatchu say?" Tommy turned his head towards her.

"Nothing." She said as the large gate opened up for them. Tommy rides his horse inside the walls and three people gather around them. Tommy turns to another older man standing next to the horse, "Joel, she needs medical attention, I think she got hypothermia or somethin, she's been shiverin." He told him seriously before getting off the horse and walking off. The man presumed as Joel walks over to Sylvia and helps her off the horse before he leads her to a house a couple streets down. Once at the porch of the house, she can hear a TV playing some kind of action movie, and other people talking. Sylvia got nervous and put her arms around herself to try and calm down, plus to somehow to keep herself warm. Joel, noticing her anxiety he put a hand on her back and encouraged her that everything will be okay now and opened the door. The voices silenced themselves and she walked in seeing three people on the couch in front of the TV that was still playing.

Joel took a deep sigh and said, "This is Sylvia, she'll be staying with us till the mornin. Ellie? Ya got some spare clothes she could borrow?"

"Oh. Yeah sure I guess." The assumed girl stood up and jogged upstairs. Leaving the other two bodies to keep a heavy stare at Sylvia.

"Umm, hi?"