All We Have

The Group

I shook my head angrily as I looked through the console of my truck. Thankfully my father was gone, I couldn't deal with him right now.

I hate how weak I am. I am not equipped to deal with this fucking zombie apocalypse and I need to learn how to strengthen myself up. I've only killed one zombie so far and that was purely by miracle.

I pulled out the cd case I had and slipped the Shinedown cd into the radio. I needed some music to just calm me down. What I really needed, was to just go for a drive but I clearly can't do that nowadays. Can't waste any gas and there's too much of a liability on keeping me safe.

I heard a knock on the passenger side door and unlocked the truck, allowing whoever it was to climb in.

A girl, possibly my age, with blonde hair slipped in.

"I'm Andrea." She said, smiling a little at me. "I just wanted to introduce myself. I thought it was brave how you jumped over your sister to save her"

"If you saw it, why the hell didn't you help me!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my calm towards this woman.

"My sister and I were out on the lake fishing. We tried rowing in as fast as we could, but that hillbilly already had saved you when we docked. I yelled out for you" She said mildly.

"Oh. I'm sorry for jumpin to conclusions." I apologized, my face instantly getting red.

"Its no problem. Two days ago was when I found out. I got attacked and lost a chunk of hair." She said, chuckling a little showing me a spot on her neck where there was indeed a bare spot. "Ever since then, I tried to practice using a knife. There quiet so it doesn't bring more of em towards you"

I nodded, recognizing her logic.

"I could teach you some tricks" She continued and I smiled gratefully.

"I would love that" I answered.

"Alright, well how about I let you meet everyone and then we can go into the woods a little bit and set up some targets. I don't know much about guns so don't ask me" She said laughing.

"I'm fine with guns, I even have a bow. I just suck when it comes to close range or even ways to attack" I admitted, not liking anyone to know how weak I was. I didn't think I was 'cool' like others did when they learned how good I could shoot or even how skillful I was at it.

"Well I can teach you and you teach me a few things?" She asked, making a deal.

I nodded and she smiled.

"Great song by the way" she said and with that, she departed.

I smiled, Simple Man, yeah this song was one of my favorites. I found I was suddenly in a better mood and I turned the radio and the truck off. I got out and decided to find my sister before I met the group.

I wandered over to where there were kids playing. I saw Ashlyn sitting with a young girl a little older than her.

"Ash" I said, smiling at her gently as she looked up at me.

The other girl got up and left to give us some room as I sat down.

"Ashlyn are you okay?" I asked, pausing to take in her tear streaked face.

She shook her head and then started to sob. I pulled her into my side and rocked her a little bit.

"You know I would never let anyone hurt you, that's why I jumped over you." I murmured trying to settle her down.

"Bu-But you yelled at me" her crying voice announced and I immediately felt bad.

"I had to get you out of there. I didn't know how else to make you leave. I'm sorry, darling, for yelling at you" I said sadly, hoping she wouldn't think I was becoming like our father.

"Its okay Jas. I just don't like it" She said, wiping her eyes and looking back up at me.

I kissed her forehead and smiled against it.

"I love you so much. You know that right?" I asked.

"Yeah yeah, don't be so sappy" She said laughing.

I smiled again, happy to have made her smile.

"So lets go meet the group, yeah?" I asked.

She nodded and we stood up, making our way to the main fire pit, where a lot of people were sitting. As Shane saw us, he stood up.

"Guys, these are two of the new people staying with us. This is Ashlyn and Jasmine." He announced, pointing to each of us in turn. "These is Lori and her son Carl" pointing to a young small woman with brown hair and a boy who looked about 13. "Ed, Carol and Sophia" next pointing out the man I had saw sleeping earlier and a thin woman with salt and pepper hair, she smiled up meekly at me. Sophia, was the girl that had been sitting with Ash earlier. "Dale, Amy and Andrea and Glenn." Shane continued, pointing at an older man atop the RV then to the blonde I had met earlier and her younger sister who looked exactly like her, then to an asian man.

"Morales and his family are sleeping already. You both have met Merle as well, his brother is out hunting. They provide the meat for us. This is Jacquie and Jim. T-Dog is over there" He pointed out a pretty black woman and a skinny man with a beard, then showed us to a black man who was slightly built that was carrying logs to the fire.

Shane pointed out a few more people that came and went. I saw Lincoln and our dad standing by our truck. Brady was sitting next to Carl, giving all his attention to him.

Lincoln started to set up the one tent he managed to grab. I frowned. Where were we all supposed to sleep?

"Those were the first walkers we saw up here" An Asian guy-Glen I remembered, said.

I now decided to concentrate on what they were all saying.

"Yeah, they were hunters on vacation or something" Shane said. "Found their tent"

I sighed, feeling a little relieved that we wouldn't have to worry about the zombie threat.

"Why do you guys call them walkers?" Ashlyn asked.

"Well because they are like the walking dead, so walkers. Sounds better than zombies anyways." Amy said.

Lincoln came up next to me while she was talking and sat down.

"So, Jasmine, tell us about you?" Andrea asked, trying to draw me into the conversation.

I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair. "Well I'm 28. I was working as a nurse before this happened. Linc here is my older brother, and Brady and Ashlyn are my younger siblings."

I didn't want to be too careless with information about me and my family. I don't know these people.

"And that older man you travel with?" Dale asked.

I flinched and Lincoln quickly answered for me. "That's our dad."

Dale nodded and Lori smiled at me. One by one, people started to drift to their tents. Lincoln carried a sleeping Brady to the tent as Ashlyn followed closely behind. Our father was already passed out inside. Lincoln put the kids to one side and slept in the middle between them and our father. I smiled down at the kids as they snuggled into the blankets.

"There's just enough room" Lincoln said, trying to lie.

I shook my head. "We will be too squished. I can sleep in the truck."

I zipped the tent closed and walked to my truck. I climbed into the drivers seat and stretched it all the way back, wrapping the blanket closer and closing my eyes.

'This first day wasn't so bad. Not like I died or anything' I thought morbidly, knowing that I was really close to it. I was thankful for that guy to save me when he did.

'I'm gonna have to thank Merle' I thought as I fell asleep