When August Ends

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"I think we're going somewhere,
We're on to something good here,
There's only one thing left to do,
Drop all I have and go with you."
-Relient K, Pressing On

Hannah's P.O.V.

I hate being lookout. Nothing ever happens and it's so boring. All I do is walk around the perimiter with my rifle, check that no Infecteds are around, and then report back to Stevo after an hour. It's so boring. I have been walking for ten minutes and it feels like it's been a year. Plus it's so hot out today. Too hot for patrolling. I don't even have good hearing why am I on watch? This is dumb. I look around, I've wandered a good bit from camp but I can still see it in the distance through the trees. Maybe I'll go into the clearing and look around in the distance, see if I can spot anything. I walk through the tall pines. They have been here a long time but I don't think they care that an apocalypse has broken out. Why would they? Their trees. Why am I thinking about this? This whole thing is ridiculous. Dead people eating living people. This is like a cannibal supernatural thing. I feel something crunch beneath my feet and I jump. Looking down I see a creepy sight. It's a human skeleton. No meat on it. Just bones. I crushed a rib with my feet. GROSS.

Sprinting out of the wooded area, I feel much more releived to be out in the open. Something about skeletons freaks me out. I take a deep breath and walk towards the horizon, further away from my group. I hope I'll see SOMETHING. Even an Infected for me to chase down. Anything to do. The wind whips my curly gold hair around and I sigh in frustration. I sling my rifle over my back, and take a black hair band off my wrist. As I tie my hair back in a pony tail, I realize it's actually getting a bit chilly. I suppose it wasn't the best choice to wear shorts and a white tank top today. I put my hands on my hips and observe the far horizon. Everything is still. Silent and unnmoving. Great. But then I see something. It's too quick to be an Infected or a person, too big as well. It's fast. It's a car. And it's heading straight for us. What do I do when something happens? Tell Stevo? I think I'll do that. I turn and bolt back to camp. I actually walked further than I had thought and the car is gaining. "Stevo!" I shout. "Stevo!" I scream as I get closer. I can see Stevo running towards me with JP, Parker, and Morgan. "Car coming!" I shout but I'm sure they can see it speeding towards us from behind me. I have a bad feeling about the inhabitants of the car, and panic surges through me as the engine roars closer. Closer. Closer.

"Run Forrest! Run!" I hear someone shout and I look to the car driving beside me to find Troy laughing his stupid face off.

"Troy!" I shout angrily and stop running. His laugh echoes through the wind as the blue and white truck pulls up to our camp driven by brunette guy I don't recognize. I think I saw Grace between them. As I approach everyone files out of the truck. My heart skips at the sight of Rachel hopping out of truck bed with a boy. "WACHEL!" I shout and everyone erupts in laughter at my mispronunciation. R's are hard for me. I embrace her and she hugs me while laughing.

"I missed you Hannah." she smiles when we part.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" I beam. Suddenly KP is in our midst hugging Rachel like a bear.

"Rachel oh sweet Rachel!" she shouts in relief squeezing the life out of the poor girl.

"I missed you Kip!" Rachel laughs hugging her back.

"How sweet." Troy says standing beside the brunette guy, and Grace. "Now listen up guys!" he calls out comandingly. Once everyone has redirected their attention to him and our visitor he resumes speaking. "This is Matt. Matt saved my one handed self and Mace's while we were out there, and Craig helped take care of Rachel these past four days with their group. They are staying in a little apartment complex and have secured the area. There are fences and doors and buildings with beds to sleep on! It's secure and they have invited us to stay with them. Their leader is really uhm, stressed out right now, so Thomas is here representing them at the moment. I have decided that we are going to stay there with them for the time being." he says enthusiastically and then looks at all of us expectantly.

I don't know what exactly he's expecting us to say or do. He looks like he's waiting for us to burst into song like this is Highschool Musical or for us to all leap up and down. We've been comfortable here and even though we were leaving tomorrow, I don't know how we'd feel about settling down somewhere for any amount of time.. I know it sounds weird to me.

"Guys," Grace speaks up and steps forward. "These are good people. As good as can be considering what world we are in today. They saved my life, they saved Rachel's! And Matt has opened up their home to us. It's a weird idea, but it's a good one. I back Troy one hundred percent and you all should too. There's nothing better to do right now honestly. We're all exhausted. I know I am." she says firmly and looks around at our group.

We all look at her, Troy, Matt, Craig, and Rachel. Stevo looks at them quizzically. Morgan, Andrew, and Parker are whispering among themselves. KP is beside me with her arms crossed as if she is deep in thought. JP is making circles in the dirt with his shoe. It's here that it hit's me they are so right. Our group is exhausted. I'm tired too. I don't think we'll be able to keep going like we are much longer. "It could be nice to settle down for a bit," I sigh and Grace smiles at me. I notice Liz flicking her lighter on and off.

"Alright then, I'm in!" Liz says closing her lighter.

"I'm tired of being in the open, I'm in too." JP says weakly stepping forward.

"I think Maya would like this idea," Stevo says suddenly and that causes all of us to go silent. She probably would. Too bad she's not here to give that opinion.

"Whose Maya?" Craig asks innocently. I see several people wince, in particular Grace, Troy, Stevo, and Andrew grimace the most.

"She was a friend," Stevo says.

"And we lost her," Andrew adds heavily.

"To an Infected. We didn't kill her though." Grace mutters, her lower lip quivering slightly. After a moment of silence I look up. Craig looks awkward like he wishes he hadn't asked a question.

"She cut my hand off." Troy adds with a melancholy grin. "Kinda hard to forget a girl like that. She's missed. But we've all lost something or other in these times, all we can do is remember and move. Let's pack up guys. We have a new step to take. Let's take it." he says passionately.

After a good two hours of packing we all pile into our vehicles and begin following Matt's truck that Troy is riding in as well. It's a good twenty minute drive but when we pull up to the complex, I get why Troy chose this place. It's not just safe. This place could be a home. We could settle down here. Grow up and live happy lives. Maybe we could last in here, untouched by anymore infection. We could perfect the fences, fortify the place perfectly. There's grass that I see they've already begun to plant things in. It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. This place? In this place, I wouldn't mind keeping watch.