Breathing the Dead ~ H.S

Chapter Six

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait - I just battled a buttload of Writer's Block for this chapter. But my ideas for this chapter extended too long to fit in one part, so hopefully Chapter 7 will come much quicker!

CHAPTER SIX: DARKNESS IN THE HEART

"This place is weirdly quiet," I told Hailee as we walked through the deserted town that was over the wall of our base.

"Don't be fooled," Hailee said quietly, "this town's dangerous,"

"How?" I asked.

"There are creepers around every corner," she told me, "all they need is one noise to lure them all out. This place is one of the worst to be in,"

I frowned. "So why stay here? Why settle down and build a base in this town if it's so precarious?'

"The site of the warehouse is one of the biggest around," she replied, "and also one of the most secure. With Haz's modifications...it's the perfect sanctuary. For us – the pros of this place outweigh the cons,"

"Even though it's full of walkers outside our walls?"

Hailee nodded. "Even so,"

I nodded back before changing the subject. "So, uh...what exactly are we doing out here?"

"It's time for our daily scavenge. A few of us spread out into town each day to find supplies,"

"Haven't you picked this place clean yet?"

Hailee shook her head. "It's really hard to get around with these monsters all over the place; especially since we're aiming for the more dangerous areas of town these days. It's our best bet to find supplies – since hardly anyone's got the balls to go into those places,"

I gulped in fear at the statement. "But, uh...you've been in some of them before, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Louis & I have been in and out of plenty," she said with a nod, "but not so much anymore...I mean after all we have Eric to think about,"

"Of course," I nodded, "so...you get used to being around these dark areas then?"

"Mhmm. As long as you're good with stealth, you have nothing to worry about,"

"Stealth?" I bit my lip, "that's, er...something I could use some brushing up on. I'm more of a, um...straight-out killer,"

"Well, that's fine and dandy if you're just facing a few," said Hailee, "but when it's a whole big group of them, there's no way you can face them off on your own,"

"I know," I sighed, "it's gonna land me into trouble one day if I don't try to improve my stealth,"

"How come you prefer to kill than to avoid?" She asked; looking at me.

"I can't...stop hating them," I said; feeling anger beginning to boil up inside me as I spoke, "they took away everything...everyone that I loved," I inhaled sharply; angrily tightening my grip on my hatchet, "every fucking time I see them...I just want to mutilate them all,"

"I can understand that," said Hailee with a nod, "but...the key to surviving these things is learning how to control your hatred, Laura. If all you want to do is kill them...you're gonna end up being the dead one. Or undead,"

"I know," I sighed, "I'm trying my best,"

"Well, here's your chance to prove that,"

Confused, I looked up at her and frowned – only to see that she was looking directly in front of us instead. Following her eyes, I felt my jaw drop at the obstacle in front of us. A giant truck crashed into the side of an office building – leaving a gaping hole in the window just above the vehicle.