Cosmos II The Walking Dead

𝙸𝙸. 𝙰𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚙𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎// 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚆𝚎 𝙺𝚗𝚎𝚠

Due to the Center for Disease Control being located in Atlanta, Georgia, the National Guard provides greater defense and security to the city. One of the largest refugee centers in the country is established in Atlanta, and people in the surrounding rural areas of Georgia are recommended to evacuate there.

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Sunday August 29th, 2010
Memphis-Arkansas Bridge
10:11 am

They weren't able to travel through the night anymore; a police officer had found them and escorted them to a local motel. Curfews had been enforced, and they were moving slower than ever with this new limitation.

The cars were lined up bumper to bumper, incessant honking as men in uniform stood at the other end of the bridge. They were checking IDs of people passing through. Since the announcement of there being a refugee center in Atlanta hundreds, if not thousands of families were rushing in that direction.

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Monday August 30th, 2010
Forest Dale, Alabama
6:39 pm

Little progress was made in their travel, Helen had become worried they would never make it to Atlanta. The curfew was becoming a pain in the ass and it was almost impossible to find a place to spend the night.

Mary had suggested they pull into a random parking lot and spend the night there, of course the idea freaked her out. She was in an unknown area, mass panic was happening around the world, and anything could happen to the two women who were traveling.

She didn't want to think the worst, but couldn't help it. Helen was fifty, yes, her mind was strong, and she could still handle her own. But if it came down to it, how much of a fight could the two of them really put up?

Mary wasn't entirely weak. She had some muscle mass that she had gained from unloading the hefty bags of ingredients from the delivery truck to the back of the bakery. Her shoulder, however, was a problem. She didn't suffer from any fine motor skill issues in her hand, which she was thankful for, but she couldn't handle strenuous activities for too long.

Helen finally settled on the idea when it was suggested that one of them keep watch, they would rather be safe than sorry. Mary immediately took on the job, if she wasn't going to be driving then Helen should get all the rest she needed.

So after stocking up the cooler once again and a fresh bag of ice dumped in, they settled in for the night. Other cars packed the lot, whether they were empty or not was unknown. They were supposed to be indoors at this time, but if no places were available and they couldn't travel anywhere, what else were they supposed to do?

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Sunday September 5th, 2012
Kings County, Georgia
8:11 am

Mary stood awkwardly in the middle of a house, Helen's childhood home, to be exact. She crept along the empty living room, fidgeting with her fingers, unsure of what to do with herself.

They had finally made it, and everything felt wrong. The air was thick, and there was this silence that felt unnerving. Helen hadn't been to the house in almost thirty years, after leaving home at twenty-one when she married Richard and moved across the country to California.

She never returned, she swore to herself she never would. Yet here she was, and she had dragged Mary along with her, but they had nowhere else to go. The key, hidden years ago under a fake rock and now covered in dust, granted them entry.