Risen from the Grave

i'm trying

A/N: much later than intended. i recently went back to school (so fun), so i was a bit behind, but its the weekend now, so ill 100% get the last two chapters finished for you all <3

title from 'i'm trying'

The journey home was silent. Owen's body was stuffed in the trunk, his small frame wrapped in an old blanket. I briefly glanced at Luke who was sat beside me. Willie, Julie and Dad were in the other car just ahead of us. "Are you okay?"I asked, already knowing the answer.

"It just sucks,"he replied, looking out the window at the passing landscapes. "You made the right decision though. None of us are in the right headspace to be fighting. We need to be home. Well, at the prison I suppose."

"We really need to find a forever home. One that's away from any people who might want to harm us, and we can fortify it completely and start farms on it. Maybe we'll find more survivors to recruit and start building a new society,"I thought out loud. "We could create something."

"Then we need to go far,"Luke added. "There's no way we'll kill all of those lot. Some will escape and survive, so maybe we need to go to another state. Just far, far away. Maybe another country entirely. We could live in Canada!"he exclaimed excitedly. I smiled, thinking about the new society we could create together. Thinking about how we could make farms and grow our own crops, raise cattle for milk and beef, build a sustainable world that doesn't need us to go outside the walls. Dad could make a hospital, and maybe we'll find more doctors and they can work together to find a vaccine or cure. We could repopulate, and teach the children about life before the infected came. The possibilities are endless. But that was all plans for the future. For the time being, we needed to get back to the prison, see if Mitch is still there (and alive) and find a proper game plan for taking down Ryan and Ben.

"There are risks,"I began, standing in front of Dad, Julie, Willie and Luke who were sat around the table. Mitch was still safely locked away in his cell, but was clearly listening. "We could lose people, and we aren't able to have that. There aren't enough of us left to be able to fight them, because somebody will die, and I'm not willing to put us in a situation where we could lose someone. So, instead, we need to find more survivors. Maybe even more groups, the more the better. Once we have more people, we have a better chance of taking them down and we're less likely to lose people. We know where their base is, but they know we know, so they'll probably try and move in order to get the upper hand back. They also know where we are. So, two things need to happen. One, we need to ensure we keep track of them, and two, we need to get the fuck out of here. We'll find temporary refuge in an apartment block perhaps, then once we take down those fuckers, we'll go as far as possible. We'll travel until we're out of gas, out of energy, out of whatever. We just need to get away as soon as possible. So, Julie and Dad, I'm putting you in charge of tracking Ryan and Ben. Willie, you check maps for anywhere we can head to, somewhere far far away,"I instructed. "Me and Luke will go out looking for people to help us. Say maybe..."I paused, thinking for a second. "Four weeks. A month. Then, we'll attack. Yes, we may lose the element of surprise if we take so long, but it's what is needed so we don't lose anyone else. Everybody understand?" They all nodded and set off with their respective tasks, Willie tracking down our maps and Dad and Julie brainstorming how to follow Ryan and Ben without them realising. I sat down beside Luke, carefully taking his hand, his gloved fingers giving me a squeeze of reassurance.

"Where were you thinking of looking?"he asked, pulling out a tiny pocket map.

"Maybe we could check the coasts,"I suggested. "It would be a smart place to set up camp as you aren't vulnerable from all sides and there's a consistent food source. People who think like that are the ones we need for this fight." Luke nodded, marking out the route from the prison to the coastline.

"It'll take us a good few hours to get there, so we'd need to pack some supplies. May need to spend the night." I agreed, and together we made a list of what we'd need to bring. As we began to finish the list, Luke paused for a second, then glanced over at Julie, then back at me. "I'm just gonna go talk to Julie for a second,"he explained, before walking over to her. I ignored it and went over the list again, counting the items. We'd need some blankets and pillows (we'd sleep in the car), some bottles of water, some canned food, a map and maybe a radio. If we could find some radios, communication would be much easier, which is crucial during this time when we'll all be split up. I explained this fact to Dad, who listened and said we could go out and check a police station nearby today. We alerted the others of our plan and headed out in the car towards the local station.

It only took us about thirty minuets to get there, and when we did the place was packed with the infected. The building was only one story and very boxy, with a small bump out on the left side. 'Maywood Police Department' was plastered on the front, and there were large glass doors leading inside. A huge fence encased the building, and it was full of the infected. Carefully, we approached the back area, trying to locate a back door that we could use instead. Finally, we found one, and quickly made our way in, smashing the heads of any infected inside. I searched the main office for radios while Dad looked in the armoury for any more guns and ammo. Eventually, I found three, which was the perfect amount, as we had three separate groups. I stuffed them in my back-pack before heading out to find Dad. He was in one of the cells, completely blocked in by the infected, desperately stabbing their heads. Thankfully, the cell door was shut and locked, but I didn't see a key anywhere and hoped Dad had it in his belt loop. I rushed in to help him, shooting the infected from a distance with the crossbow I'd found in the office. I'd never used it before, so I missed quite a few shots, but arrows are reusable, bullets aren't. I soon got the hang of it, and could easily take down the infected. A few noticed me and turned to attack me, but it wasn't many, whereas if I'd used my gun, it would've caught the attention of pretty much all of them. I heard Dad yelp briefly, and my mind immediately turned to the worst, but I soon pushed those thoughts aside, hoping he'd just caught himself on the knife or something. Finally, all the infected were taken down, and Dad unlocked the cell door, letting himself out. "Are you okay?"I quickly asked, concerned. He nodded and assured me he was okay, and together we left through the back door again, almost running to the car.

The drive back was almost silent until we were about five minuets from the prison. I was driving, and Dad was looking out of the window, his posture and position reminding me of how Luke looked when we first met him. Uneasy, not looking at anyone and just gazing out of the window. I got concerned, wondering what brought on this behaviour, so I asked him what was wrong. "Oh hijo..."he began, and I realising he hadn't called me that since Mom died. "I..."he paused, not finishing his sentence. I panicked, starting to get scared by his out of character behaviour.

"Dad?"I asked, pulling over and looking at him. Carefully, he pulled up the bottom of his shirt, revealing a gaping bite mark. I froze. He pulled his shirt back down, and I felt the tears starting to prick at my eyes. That yelp... it was him being bit.