Dead But Not Gone

(Re-civilization) The Family

Hazel

I held my breath as Derek decided on who would be spared from death. One part of me wanted to die. Another wanted to live. Alex was beside me, on her knees, lips and body trembling. I looked around for any chance of escape, any hope to get out of here alive. The both of us. However, as fate would have it, I couldn't find one. The only way out was for one of us to die.

"I- I want Hazel to live." Derek choked out.

"Huh? Speak louder boy." Rodney taunted.

"Hazel! I want her to live!" Derek yelled louder but sounded softer due to the pain in his quivering voice.

I looked to my side and saw Alex release one last tear. It slid down her cheek slowly and Rodney pulled out his pistol. He pulled the trigger and the bullet went through the back of her head. Some of Alex's blood splattered onto my face and I whimpered. It was over and I was going to live.

Or so I thought.

"It's too bad. You didn't choose quick enough." Rodney stated.

"Wait, what? No!" Derek exclaimed.

I was confused. Then, I felt a sharp, agonizing pain sear through my back and I fell over. Derek screamed in anger and rushed to attack Rodney. He was stopped in his tracks when a bullet hit his leg. He tripped to the ground and clenched his wounded leg. It was weird though. I couldn't move my head. Everything around me, sound, vision, just kind of tuned out. In fact, this whole scene played out in third person from a birds eye view.

Then, John and Lucy started shooting at Rodney and the remainder of his men. They killed 4 out of the 6 attackers and Rodney fled the scene in a hurry, hopping in his truck. Lucy freed Xander and the others while John made sure the enemies were gone. Then, I saw a guy in a mask lift Derek up and wrapped his shoulders around his neck for support. Derek took a last look at me before passing out.

Alessandra went to check on me but was stopped by a Rotter. Lucy saved her and mouthed the words "Let's go". Aless didn't want to leave me but had no choice. Xander and Star killed the Rotters heading towards me and ran out of Gunther. The remaining survivors were killed by Rotters or they just ran away when John came in.

I then felt something enter my shoulder. I assumed it was a Rotter biting into me but it wasn't. Somebody put a needle into me and I quickly regained control of my body. My vision and hearing came back as somebody fireman carried me away from the carnage. I tried calling for Star but only a faint whisper escaped my lips. The pain was still present but it wasn't hurting as much as before. I tried turning my head to see my kidnapper but still couldn't move it. I eventually gave up on trying and allowed myself to slip away into the darkness.

About 5 hours later...

My eyes fluttered open as I inhaled a large amount of air. I rapidly looked around the room I was in and saw somebody sitting on a chair. I went to move but the pain made me wince and change my mind. The person, a girl, noticed it and rushed to my side.

"She's awake! Come in here quick!" She called out to the hallway.

A man and woman entered the room and studied me.

"I'm glad you're awake." The woman said. "We found you in a town after we heard a loud explosion." She finished while pointing to both her and the man.

The man shifted his posture and looked out the window. Rotters were clawing away at the glass and it visibly bothered him.

"We're sorry for abducting you but when we saw you were still breathing, we injected you with some adrenaline and carried you away from the fire. The other girl was dead, sadly. I'm sorry."

I looked at the the wall. Then, I managed to ask, "Where am I?" My voice sounded hoarse.

"You're not to far from the place we found you at. We're in Maywood." The man answered.

Maywood... Fuck I have to find my friends and let them know I'm safe. "I appreciate the hospitality but I have to go. My friends think I'm dead." I tried getting out of bed once more but was stopped by the agonizing fiery sensation in my back.

"I'm sorry sweetie but you must stay here until the pain subsides. You're in no condition to move, let alone find your 'friends'." The woman said.

Her use of "friends" bothered me. "What do you mean by 'friends'?" I asked with anger visible in my voice.

The woman looked taken aback and reworded her statement. "What I meant to say is that if they were your friends, they wouldn't have left you surrounded by Biters."

"They thought I was dead."

"I suppose you're correct. On another note, my name is Amanda. This here is Danny. Our daughter's name is Layla." Amanda announced.

"I'm Hazel." I responded.

"Well Hazel, nice to formally meet you. Although I wish it were under better circumstances."

I remembered hearing the name Danny somewhere but brushed the thought aside.

"Can we interest you in something to eat? A sandwich? Maybe some green beans?" Danny offered me.

"A sandwich would be nice, thank you." I answered.

Danny nodded and walked out of the room. Layla followed him out. Amanda took Layla's seat.

"How long until I get better?" I wanted to get out of here and find my friends. To find Derek...

"I don't know honey. We'll keep giving you shots and checking up on the wound but for now, you have to stay here." Amanda told me.

My heart sank and I looked at the ceiling. Danny came back in with a tray. It had a sandwich and a cup of water on it. I graciously grabbed the tray and took a bite out of the sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly.

"So Danny, can you tell me more about yourself?" I asked through bites.

"Well before the world went to hell, I was in the military. When people started eating each other, I found my family and left. We started out in New York and ended up here. I wanted to get my brother but he wasn't picking up his phone. When I went to his house, the place was destroyed. I then went to Newark and found a military safe haven but it was overrun by Biters. His friend John was half eaten but turned into a Biter. From there, I couldn't track him anymore. His last known location was the George Washington Bridge but when I investigated, I only found his bag by the ocean on the shore. I assumed he was dead. I gave up on finding him and took my family to safety." My eyes widened as Danny described what happened to his brother. The story sounded familiar.

"What was your brother's name?" I needed to know.

"Derek."

A note from Justice: POV change?? :O Ha well this is going to be the new format. The story will of course still focus on Derek but we get to learn more about him from someone else's point of view. Hazel is still alive, yes and no I didn't pull a Glenn from The Walking Dead. A logical explanation will be given soon. I hope you all enjoy this new Ark. I have 165 reads (I think) and I'm really excited. Thanks for the love!