Love, Lust and the Dead

Chapter 2

Jay's POV

It's a summer day in late July, we have been heading north along a shallow creek for about two hours and sweat had already stained our shirts. This morning's earlier events had been unspoken of and pushed to the back of our minds, but not forgotten.

    "Let's fill our canteens." I said, interrupting our walk. Kylie and I stop and pull out our canteens and fill them with water.
    I stumbled across Kylie when I was passing through a small town after escaping the palace which had been invaded by them. My father's army was too weak and they weren't able to contain the outbreak. Nobody knew how they came to be, but what we did know was that it was spreading. And it was spreading fast. Thousands of people turned everyday. Entire families turned into flesh eating monsters within minutes. I've lost my entire family. Five brothers and both of my parents. Everybody I have ever cared about, gone. Although it was a very slim chance, I could have been the ruler of England. The possiblities, gone.

    I think that is how Kylie and I have grown to be apart of eachother. Both of us were left with nothing. Trying to survive in a world that was collapsing. And when I found her all alone, cornered by a hoard of about a dozen surrounding her in a cabin, I knew she needed help just as much as me. She was defensless and I wasn't. I saved her that day, and we have been together ever since. Growing up as a princess with five brothers, it was like she was the sister and friend that I never had. We needed eachother, and that's all that mattered.

    After filling our canteens, we began our journey once again. We didn't even have a particular destination in mind. We just wanted to find a place where we could be safe. Well, as safe as we could get.

    The woods seemed to be the safest bet for traveling. We were away from large Walker populations in cities and towns, and the trees concealed us from any real possible danger. Also, being on foot, kept our journies quiet. About once every week, Kylie or I would go hunting and normally show up with some sort of game that would last us for a few days. And if we showed up empty handed, we depended on Kylie's snare, and trap making skills. Before I met Kylie, and I was on my own, I managed to teach myself to thrive out here in the wilderness. I expected Kylie to lack all knowledge of survival when I began to teach her, but I completely underestemated her and her skills. She actually taught me a few things. I don't know where she learned how to do anything like that. But she doesn't talk about her past. And neither do I. We respect each others buisness, which makes our relationship work so well.

    The creek seems to end in a deep pool of muddy water and we are left with nothing to follow. We stand there, looking at the ground, mentally coming up with a plan. Clink. What sounded like chains rattling startles us and we look up. The noise continues along with the sound of a Walker's low moan and it seems to be coming from up ahead. Drawing our weapons, Kylie and I inch towards the ruckuss. The shaking noise and groaning gets louder. About ten feet away is a chain linked fence, vines and leaves tangled within the links. The suspected Walker has it's boney fingers linked in it and shakes the fence frantically. When it sees us, it's moans become louder and he shakes the fence even harder, pressing his face up against it. Relaxing my stance, I walk over, stick my blade through one of the links and stab it in the head, and the Walker falls to the ground with a thud.

"What is a fence doing in the middle of the woods?" Kylie asks.

"I have no idea, but we're about to find out." Putting away my sword, I grab hold of the fence and hoist myself up.

*    *    *

    It didn't take us long until we realized we weren't in the middle of the woods. About fifty paces from the fence we reached the tree line and in front of us stood the ruins of a village. Only a few buildings remained standing.