Mad World *Zombie Apocalypse*

The Escape *1*

Crunch. Broken pieces of pavement crumbled under Cadence's black combat boots. They weren't shiny and rubbery-looking like the ones teenagers buy in town. They were matte and fairly worn. It was too hot to be wearing them along with her ripped jeans, but they kept her feet covered. It was one less thing she had to worry about, right?
Cadence Dean was a twenty-four year old woman living in what she believed was hell. A few months ago, everything was normal. Cadence was working in a studio as a photographer in Atlanta, Georgia. She had worked her ass off for years and finally landed her dream job. She had graduated college, lived in a cozy little flat not too far away from the city, and spent most of her free time with her mum, step-dad and her friends. Her life was like a dream, and then it turned to absolute shit. She woke up one day and everything she knew was a total lie. Different states had been sending distress calls and warning everyone that a disease was sweeping across the U.S. Everyone was terrified and flocked to supermarkets and shops to stock up on food and drinks. Cadence's parents had done the same and she left her flat to stay with them. It was just her, her mother and step-father left to survive together.
Before they knew it, the 'disease' had made its way to the city and it was spreading, fast. It infected everyone they knew. Swarms of moaning, reeking bodies stumbled into Atlanta. They walked, acted, and looked like what everyone had played up  a Zombie to be. No one could believe their eyes, until someone was finally bit. Within just a few weeks, Cadence's mother was bitten, could you imagine that happening to you, or anyone? In some cases, people turned in just minutes. In others, it happened in hours. Cadence's mother refused to put her beloved family in danger, especially her only child. She begged and pleaded Cadence's step-father to end it. Her 'life'. The three of them had no other option but to hold each other and cry, you know that this is a tough situation.
Finally, the decision was made, and Cadence's step-father had no choice but to shoot the mother in her head. None of them wanted her to be in pain, none of them wanted her to die whilst suffering, they wanted her to go quickly with a last look of her family. It's just like saying goodbye. They then learned that head shots, or anything that went through the brain would instantly kill them, it's the only thing that really killed the 'undead'. Cadence her mother die right in front of her. It was a nightmare she knew she'd never wake up from. They buried her in their back garden after they regained their composure slightly.
Cadence and her step-father hardly spoke after that night. Cadence picked up on some of his new habits as time went on. He slept more, ate less. When he was awake he curled up on the couch, or sat in a corner, hugging his knees to his chest. Cadence refused to let herself get to that point. She rationed food and water, but too in enough to keep her alive and healthy enough to move. She always made sure to save some for her step-dad. Most days were spent trying to get him to come to his senses. He would manage a smile and say that he was fine, but we all know that this was a lie. Cadence called him out on it everytime. She was twenty-three years old at the time; he didn't have to lie to her like that.
On one particular night, he spoke to her before she went to bed. He sat next to her and went on about how much he loved her and her mother. He made her promise she would keep fighting to get out of this mess even if anything happened to him. She agreed (obviously) and gave him the most warm-felt and loving hug ever possible, but the thing was, Cadence could feel every bone in his body while she was doing this. It made her so upset and scared and it was making her feel as if she was slowly losing him. She had no idea how fast or slow his life will end, she doesn't want her step-father to go as well as her mother.
Nearly ten minutes after he had left the room, Cadence heard a gun go off in his bedroom. It cause her to jump, sending shivers down her frail spine, nearly knocking herself out of bed. She sat up immediately and covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped for breath. Tears started pouring down her face after realising what he had just done. Cadence didn't get ANY sleep that night, she hardly closed her eyes while thinking of everything, thinking of the drastic changes in her life, Cadence even thought on what to do with the body.
The next morning, Cadence gathered her supplies in her backpack. She stuffed some clothes, canned food and water. She also grabbed a few hunting knives and pistols. You could NEVER be too safe in the outside world now. She went into the spare room where the family had kept their weapons, scavenging what ammo and extra handguns na she could find. Cadence put her own pistol in the waistband of her jeans and tucked away a knife in her boot. She didn't stop to say her final goodbyes to her dead parents or her childhood home. She doesn't have time to be upset or depressed. She needed to find somewhere safer, somewhere that is not anywhere near here. Walkers were finding ways into the neighbourhood homes and breaking down the fences, slowly but surely. Cadence double-checked her bag, walked out, refusing to look back.
Along the way she stumbled across a group of people who knew her parents. They took her in for awhile and started heading towards the city, just miles from her parents home. There were refugee camps across the state that provided medical help, food, water and also shelter. Supposedly, there was a large one set up in the city. That was their only option for the moment.
Cadence traveled with the group for a good while until an incident occurred while she and one of the group members were hunting. He had almost gotten her killed by walkers to save himself. Out of anger and spite, she turned it around on him and he was the one that got perished. Once the rest of the group found out, they physically attacked her and forced her to leave. She was allowed to take her guns and items she had gathered herself along the way. Without another word, she set out on her own again.
Now she was in the outside of the big city. Atlanta was a death trap from what she has been told, but she had no idea until she had made it to the outskirts of the town. Poorly made signs hung on the outsides of the houses, saying that the city wasn't safe. She cursed under her breath and walked around the side of an abandoned house. She took off her backpack and laid it in the grass. She sat down next to the bag and tried to think of a new plan while she ate a chocolate bar. It took her a few minutes but she finally decided what her next course of action would be. She tossed the wrapped aside and pulled herself to her feet again. Once she was up she started feeling a little dizzy. She shut her eyes for a moment and hoped the spell would pass. She started thinking about her group and what she had done. The screaming, the blood, the knife, the fighting.
Cadences' eyes seemed to fly open, she swallowed hard and tried to forget it all but she couldn't. I mean, how could you? The memories and physical scars would stay with her for the rest of her life along with the ones her biological father left on her. Cadence tried to shake her head to rid herself of her thoughts. She slung her bag over her shoulder and continued in the direction of the city. She wished she could've driven her car but, of course, somebody had stolen it a week after she came to stay with her parents 'friends'. Cadence stopped her surveyed her surroundings. She wasn't far from the city limits, maybe another mile or so and she was there. She could she the tall buildings past the trees planted in the neighbourhood she was in. She just needed to hold out for a bit longer.
Once she was in the city, Cadence became stealthy and moved silently. She had to take caution and think out every move. If she had to go near walkers she wrapped her hands with medical gloves and a think jacket she had stolen from a convenience shop, and carried limbs of deceased walkers with her. She had also smeared some of it on the jacket to mask her scent. Her current goal was to find a drivable car at a dealership, break in, hot wire it, and get the hell out of there. All of the ones she tried breaking into already where out of petrol or completely trashed and rusted out. Just her luck.
Cadence was able to sneak through different alleyways after some idiot police officer rode into the city on a horse. The guy either had a death wish, had major balls or had to idea what the fuck he was getting himself into. She caught his eye, seeing as how she was the only other living thing in the city. They locked eyes momentarily before he was knocked iff of the horse. It had gotten spooked by a group of walkers and bucked him off. It drew more attention to them which caused kore walkers to gather in that area. He shot Cadence a horrified glance. She chose to stay hidden behind a pile of dead bodies instead of helping him. Cadenced stayed long enough to find the relief that the police officer had escaped into an abandoned tank while the walkers devoured the poor animal. You know, Cadence wasn't completely heartless as she was glad to see him survive that long, nobody else she knew could do that. She wanted to help him, but she was almost in shock. That, and she had to keep moving to keep herself alive during this period of time. She took a deep breath and quietly scurried through back alleys (as always). While she was heading towards a used car lot, she heard voices and shouting. It sounded like it came from on top of the smaller building that was placed in front of her. She knew she wasn't going crazy, she just knew it. Maybe they could help that man. I hope they do...
Once she came up to the lot, she pulled out her knife and started working at the lock to get inside of a car. She was able to get it open within a few minutes. Hanging out with a few thugs in her secondary school actually paid off, especially in these situations! The alarm blared in her ears while she messed with the wires. She quickly disabled the alarm because she does not want to go deaf, she then checked her surroundings once again. Walkers started heading her way. Shit. Cadence immediately went back to fiddling with the wires.
"Come on. Come on!" She pleaded as her hands shook nervously.
Vroom.
"Yes!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. Cadence tossed her bag in the trunk and shut the door to the Honda Civic. She revved the engine and listened to the motor, it wasn't her ideal getaway car but she didn't have much to choose from.
After putting the car in drive, she high-tailed it out of the used car lot. Walkers attempted to chase after her but they were of course left behind. The ones that were standing in her way were pushed aside (more like ran over) by the front bumper. Some were completely under the car. It reminded Cadence of the speed bumps that were ahead and she almost laughed at the coincidence. Almost.
Cadence left the city and everything she once knew behind, in hopes of finding another shelter in a nearby town. She travelled through country roads and hills. She rolled down the window after lighting a cigarette and let the wing blow through her long, brown hair. She smiled to herself and for the first time in a long time, she felt okay. She was going to make it out alive and be somewhere safe and new, be in another city or even another state. She would survive this. Cadence would make her parents proud.
Cadence glanced down at the fuel gauge and noticed a light kicked on. She was running low on petrol, of course this had to happen right now. Cadence looked back up on the road and gripped the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles were turning white. Surely she could make it a few more miles. Maybe she'd come across another shelter or even an abandoned petrol station, which is even better. She glanced down at the gauge again. Yeah, I can definitely make it at least to the highway. She thought to herself, but she couldn't be any more wrong.
The car sputtered and began coasting down the road. Cadence cursed and continuously slammed her foot on the gas pedal. It was no use, the car had died and was slowly coming to a stop.
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Cadence pounded her fist against the steering wheel.
She wished she could have siphoned gas from other cars before she jacked the damn thing, but she could've sworn she had enough to make it far enough out of the city. Cadence rummaged through the car and came across the owner's manual and a few papers from the dealer. Unfortunately, it was all useless. She skimmed through them before remembering that they probably didn't keep much petrol in these things for this very reason. Incase they were stolen.
Cadence groaned and leaned her head back. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, she had no idea how to get out of this mess. This car was the last chance to make it out and now it's broken down on the road with no petrol station or a shelter in sight. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was where her life would end. Hasn't she been through enough already? She had no other choice now. What could she do? Heading out on foot would mean certain death. Just because there were thousands of walkers in the city didn't mean the woods weren't safe, right? Cadence was low on food and water, all she has on her were the few guns stashed in the trunk of the car along with her bag, the pistol tucked away in her boot and a few pack of cigarettes she had stolen from a corner shop. Maybe she could have survived a few nights if she had more food, but she did't.
Cadence let out a shaky sigh a slowly reached for her gun. A knot had formed in her throat as her fingertips brushed the handle.
"Fuck." She whispered to herself. She says that a lot, she couldn't believe this was it. Cadence had nothing left to live for. No family. No friends. She had no idea where else to go from here. She was pretty much lot. Life seemed pointless from this point outwards, but she was still terrified at the thought of putting a pistol to her head and pulling the trigger. She even promised her parents that she would carry on fighting after they were gone and she intends on keeping that promise. She wasn't going to let herself die. Cadence was doing well up until this point.
After fifteen minutes of sitting in silence and scorching heat, she exhaled and finally pulled the gun out. Her hands were trembling like hell. She could barely take the safety off let alone pull the trigger. Cadence raised the gun to her temple and started whispering to herself and shut her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to hard, but I can't do this anymore. I'm weak. I'm stuck. I'm not going to let those fuckers get me. I'm sorry. I-"
"Hey!"
Cadence jumped and her eyes immediately opened. She quickly lowered the gun, frantically looking out the windshield. Standing a few feet away from her was a grey-haired woman and a younger blonde. Cadence swallowed hard and stared back at them.
"Are you alright?" The younger of the two, who seemed about seventeen, asked her. Both of them looked concerned. After studying them for a second, Cadence decided they were unarmed. She slowly opened the door and stepped out but she kept the door ajar and her pistol at her side. She stared bith of them diwn, wondering what the hell they were doing out in the middle of nowhere. Did they wander off into the woods? Could they even survive like that?
"Don't move."
Cadence looked past them and saw a man with jet-black hair walking in their direction . She noticed he had a gun in his hand and an angry expression of his face. Even with those two words she picked up on his accent. Though she had heard Georgian accents for the past few years of her life, it was still a huge difference than the accents she grew up with in South Carolina.
"Stop," Cadence ordered in a stern, but calm, tone.
The man raised a thick brow at her and slowed down. The two woman glanced back at him. He continued walking towards them.
"I said stop, asshole," she raised her voice this time.
"Carol, Amy. C'mere." The main said loud enough for Cadence to hear. The two slowly started backing up. "Put your gun down, miss."
How did he know? Could he see it from that far away? The two women had to have known. She wondered what gave it away. Fuck it. Might as well make this interesting.
"You first," she replied with a challenging smirk.
He shook his head in the negative. "I don't think so, girl. Put. The. Gun. Down. Now."
Candence shook her heard stubbornly like he had done and shut the cad door with her free hand. She kept the gun lowered. He'd definitely shoot if she moved it. She wrapped her other hand around the handle and din't break their stare. The man spoke again after a moment of silence.
"We just wanna talk. You're the first person we've seen out this way. We've got a group up the hill and we've got eyes on you. Don't pull any stunts, kid. Our RV's broke down and we need a few parts. We saw you were travellin' alone and we want to make you a deal."
Cadence raised her brow, "Yeah? And what's that, cowboy?"
"We strip the car for parts and we take you in. We fix the RV and head out. We've got room left and I think that a decent compromise. You can't have much supplies left. That car is practically empty from what I can see."
Candace shook her head, still smirking. She had finally come to realise what had happened,
"How do I know that you're tellin' the truth? You set me up by distracting me with these two and show up outta nowhere? How do I know you're not gonna take me to your so-called-group and just shoot me and take my shit?"
The man chuckled, "Don't you think we would've done that by now? We woulda shot you the moment we saw your car had run outta gas?" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb pointed towards the hill.
Cadence looked above him to see the exact RV he was speaking of. On top of it was an older man with binoculars. Next to him was a man with a cap aiming at her with a gun, with a scope attached to it. She assumed it was some kind of assault rifle. Hell, maybe it was a sniper rifle. She couldn't really tell from the position she was in and the distance between them. She suddenly rolled her green eyes, unimpressed by his attempt to frighten her. Cadence had seen too much evil in the world to be scared by a man with a gun.
"Wheres the rest of them?"
He loop surprised that she had asked.
"What?" She all but laughed. "You think I'm stupid? I can see some of those tents set up right there. It's not just the five of you."
The man sighed, "Honestly? We've got quite a few back at camp. One out in the woods hunting for food and the rest are back in the city gathering supplies."
So that's who I heard yelling in that building. Cadence thought to herself. They're fools if they thinkthose idiots are comin' back. The only thing that are being supplied right now are the walkers on their flesh...
Cadence could here the honesty in his voice, but it still didn't make her feel any better, she shifted her weight to one side and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was still dehydrated and weak. She needed water and food, and she needed it now.
"Come with us," the older woman nearly whispered. "We can help you. You can stay with us."
Cadence thought about it, weighing her options. It wasn't such a bad idea, really. She needed shelter, it was there. She needed food, it was there. She needed water, it was there. She had nowhere else to go. And if things went sour, she could easily defend herself. Hopefully they wouldn't try to take her guns. If they did, she'd take off on her own.
"Please, we could really use your help, 'specially if you have a weapon." The younger girl pleaded.
Cadence side-eyed each of them and looked at the two men on the RV. Her eyes landed on the man again, she could tell he was bad news. There was just something about him that she didn't like, she could usually read people with such ease. He would cause trouble later down the line, but what should she do? She did need the help.
"I'm not sure if I can trust you."
He sighed and shook his head at her, "We ain't gonna hurt you. Only if you hurt one of us. We're only tryin' to help you."
Cadence sort of laughed at him, "No, I believe you're trying to help yourselves."
"Look, how about this? You stick around for a day or so and see if we're trustworthy. If we ain't, we'll help you fix your car and you can leave. If we are, you stay with us and we use the parts for our RV and get the hell out of here. Deal?"
Cadence stared at him for a good while before finally sighing. She put the gun back on safety and tucked it in the waistband of her skinny jeans. Her eyes rose to meet his again. "I'll come with you. We're gonna need help pushing this thing up to your camp though."
"Don't worry about it. We'll probably just leave it here until we have more people to push it," the man nodded at her. "Name's Shane Walsh. This is Carol," he pointed to the older woman, "And this is Amy. What's your name?"
"Cadence. Cadence Dean."
"Well, Cadence Dean, welcome to our little family."
Cadence rolled her eyes at his comment. Family. Yeah, right. She walked around to the back of the car and unlocked the trunk with the keys. She shoved them in her back pocket and started pulling out her backpack. She pulled the straps kn and made sure her pocket knife and hunting knife were tucked away safely.
"Need help carrying anything?" Shane started walking around the car.
"I got it." Cadence exclaimed cooly. She didn't need him thinking that she was hiding something.
Shane asked for the keys to the car. Without hesitation, she pulled the. Out of her pocket and tossed them to him. If she wanted the keys back, she'd get them. Even if she had to take it by force. Carol and Amy motioned her to follow them. It was a pretty short work to camp - just up the hill - but they didn't want her to go up by herself. Shane stayed behind them, in case Cadence decided to cause trouble. Cadence started following the two women, but she didn't get very far. Halfway up the hill she grew dizzy and collapsed in the dirt. Her bag softened the fall for her but her head still jolted off the rough ground. She heard Carol try to sit her up, but there was no point in trying.
"Dale, Jim! We need some help down here, now! Shit, I think she got overheated..."
Cadence felt herself starting to drift off. She could hear what was going on around her but she couldn't move. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep. While she was zoning out memories flooded her mind.

"You ungrateful bitch!"
Cadence covered her ears and rested her head back against her bedroom wall. She could still hear him shouting. He was angry at her again. All she wanted was a toy from the shop. He reacted badly when she started sniffling. He made a scene, asking why she couldn't just be happy with what she had. He had given her shelter, food and the clothes on her back. Why couldn't she just be happy with that? She told herself she was stupid and she should've never asked if she could get a new toy. Cadence's mum tried calming him down in the other room. Cadence heard him slap her. She squeezed her eyes shut and hot tears travelled down her pink cheeks. Suddenly the door flew open, causing her body to jump. She held her hands out, trying to push him awAy from her, but she was only eight. She didn't stand a chance against a thirty-five year old man with a vicious temper. She cried and begged him to leave her alone. She apologised over and over, and he ignores it. He yanked her up by her wrist and threw her roughly across the room. Her fragile body smacked against her wooden draws. The sharp corner dug into part of her back, leaving a deep gash which would leave a scar for the rest of her life. Cadence's mum rushed into the room, sobbing and trying to pull him off their daughter. Her dad then shoved her mum away and grabbed Cadence by the neck. His grip tightened, blocking any air that she tried to breath. Cadence tried gasping. She clawed at him and pounded on his chest.
"I work my ass off so I can pay for this house and food, and how do you thank me? You cry over a goddamn toy! What do you need a toy for, girl? You've got plenty! You stupid little brag!" He began shaking her.
He let go and slapped her across her small face. She fell to the floor and gasped, trying to such down air. She pushed herself up from the floor, but did't make it to her feet. She heard her father take off his belt. She screamed in pain as the metal buckle came down on her back. She could feel like cuts start to welt and bruise. He lashed her a few more times before kicking her in the ribs, knocking her back on the floor. She instantly pulled her knees to her chest and covered her head, crying into the carpet. She felt dizzy and her vision became blurry.
"Cadence," her mum dropped to her knees and tried to console her.
"Cadence. Cadence look at me!"
"CADENCE!"

Cadence groggily opened her eyes to see Carol staring down at her. Carol pushed the hair out of the girl's face before Shane picked her up bridal-style. "Cadence? You're gonna be okay."
Those were the last words she heard before she fell completely unconscious.