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Never Return: Part 2

Hey y'all. This chapter starts to describe the mental breakdown Fawn has after the events from the previous chapter. Sorry, it's short. Part 3 is coming soon.

Flashback

"I need to get away from this place," Fawn worried.

She drove for what seemed like days, weeks maybe. Her food supply was running low and so was her gas. She was down to one gallon. Thirty-two miles later, the truck screeched to a halt.

"Finally out of gas," Fawn exasperatedly said to herself as she stepped out of the truck.

"Need some help?" a voice boomed from behind her.

Fawn slowly turned around to face a tall, blonde man who looked to be about thirty. She shuddered at the thought of what he might do to her after her last encounter with strangers.

"Don't worry," the man cooed as he took a step closer. "I'm not gunna hurt ya."

"Don't touch me!" Fawn yelled, pulling out her knife in one, swift move as she pointed the tip towards the strange man about ten feet away from her.

"No, no, no. You see...well, my name is James," the blonde man continued. "You can put the knife away if you want."

"I'll keep it, thanks," she retorted.

The man rubbed the back of his neck in the heat of the sun.

"Man, you're a feisty one, ain't ya?" James laughed.

"What do you want?" Fawn growled.

"What do I want? Well, I want this apocalypse crap to be over, my dead wife back, and a nice, cozy bed to sleep in, but unfortunately, that ain't goin' ta happen," James snickered, taking another step closer.

"Stay back!" Fawn threatened, her outstretched hand shaking.

"Alrighty. I'll comply...not that I needa'," he soothed as he pulled out a pistol from the back of his belt and kicked it away from him.

Fawn's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the gun. It looked very similar to the one that killed Vern. Although the shooter was too far away for her to see the weapon clearly, it looked about the same.

"See?" the blonde man asked. "I'm not tryin' ta hurtcha."

"Where did you get that gun?" Fawn shouted, her eyes locked on the barrel.

"What?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Uh, well, um...no. I, uh, got it from a gun store," he answered.

"When?"

"I dunno."

"When?!"

"Okay! Okay! Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Fawn yelled.

"Alright! About six years ago before the crap hit the fan."

"You're not lying?"

"No...."

Fawn snapped her eyes up.

"You're lying."

"What?" James worried.

Fawn slowly started lifting her left foot from behind her to meet the ground in front of her right one. She did it again with her right foot this time. She was slowly inching her way towards the man.

"Hey, now. Hey!" the man cried out. "I'm the one who threw his gun at yer feet!" he shouted. "Remember?"

Fawn just moved closer, her knife at eye-level. She lowered it to her waist as she started to charge.

"Wait!"

Another voice.

A different voice.

A woman's voice.

Fawn stopped the knife from plunging into Jame's running back just in time. Although Fawn's feet were now planted in the wet soil, the man kept running until he got behind a tree apparently where the voice came from.

From behind the same tree, a shorter woman peered at Fawn. She looked to be about the same age as James, but she had tired eyes. They seemed to scream for help after each blink, each glance. Her shoulder-length, dark hair blew slightly in the summer breeze of the afternoon. Her fair skin indicated the fact that she had been sheltered. No one could be that fair in the heat of Georgia's July.

The woman slowly approached the dead-eyed girl.

"P-please...d-don't hurt us," she begged.

Fawn's blank stare skimmed right past the woman.

"H-hello?" the woman asked, noticing Fawn's non-responsiveness.

Fawn sighed.

"What do you want?" the poor girl mumbled.

"I...um, m-my name is Deb. I just want to know if you're okay," the woman comforted.

Fawn's eyes slowly rolled over to meet Deb's gray ones.

"I'm fine," Fawn groaned.

"You look like you're in pretty bad shape," Deb eased as she inched her way closer. "Are you looking for shelter or food?"

There was no response.

"What's your name?" Deb asked gently, picking up Jame's gun simultaneously.

Still, there was no response.

Deb raised the weapon and pointed it toward Fawn.

"We're going to need some answers," Deb sighed, making it clear to Fawn that she was now being held at gun point.

After a moment of silence, she spoke up.

"Fawn."

"What?"

"My name is Fawn."

"Well, that's a lovely name...Fawn. Do you have a camp?"

"No."

"Food?"

"Some."

"Family?"

Fawn's heart skipped a beat. Memories of Vern flooded her mind.

"Hello?" Deb asked, snapping Fawn out of her daydream.

"Not anymore."

Deb put the gun down at her side. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Fawn sighed. "I guess not."

"There. Alight, James. What do you think?" she called.

The blonde-headed man stepped out from behind the tree and came forward.

"She-uh...sure. Why not take a chance?" James replied.

"It's settled then," she smiled. "You're going to live with us at our camp."

A small glint of life began to glow in Fawn's eyes.

Maybe now, she could have a family again.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes."

For the first time since her brother's death, she smiled.