The Fight to Survive

Chapter 1: The Message

PART 1: THE ROAD AHEAD

Chapter 1:

"I don't know what started it all... How it spread so damn fast. Nobody knew how
to handle it really. Do we kill the infected? Lock them up? Are they dead? Alive? All we knew was that they were dangerous. When the disease reached Washington, the government simply shut down. Went home to protect their families. Someone thought it would be a good idea to set the city on fire. Around that time the news stopped. It was the same stuff on the radio. Day in and day out. All that the recording said was the "stay inside. Don't let strangers in. Don't panic" bullshit that they force fed us to make it seem like everything was under control. Everyone that was still alive at this point knew that there was no rescue. We were all on our own. A month after the news stopped, most all of the power went out. By this point, my friends and I already knew that there wasn't much hope. We gathered supplies, fought our way through stores, and barricaded ourselves inside of an abandoned motel. The location was good. It was easy to block off. Close enough to civilization to make runs, but far enough to stay hidden. Not everyone was as lucky as us. Some people trusted the government. Simply stayed at home. Those people aren't alive today. But we are. We haven't had a loss yet. But we know this is only the beginning. It's been three months since the power went out. Since civilization itself collapsed... Since the beginning of the end." Nick set the small Radio microphone down and stood up from his seat. He was alone in the dark room that he shared with his girlfriend. Every day he would repeat his message. He hoped that someone somewhere would hear him. It started off just as a cry for help. But since then, he decided it would be better to just tell their story. Maybe someone would feel bad for them. Or come help them. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to keep hope alive. Nick was a bigger guy, about 6 feet tall, 215 lbs. He had light brown hair, and a beard which didn't quite match the color of his actual hair. His Blue eyes showed no emotions, even when he was in danger. He wore a leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans which were a bit big on him, as he had lost weight since the apocalypse started. Nick was the leader of his small group, having led them to safety from the start. The group credited him with saving their lives, but he wouldn't go that far. He was just an average college student. Before all of this, he cared about grades and money and a social life. All of that disappeared towards the end. When he saw the reports, it was Nick who made the calls. He got everyone together to survive. They started out with four guns, some knives, and some canned goods, but through heavy scavenging they were able to keep their stash stocked. Everyone now had a gun of some type. It was necessary in this world. And not just for the biters. As Nick leaned against the wall, looking out the partially boarded up window, his thoughts were interrupted as someone entered the room behind him. "They're all waiting." A feminine voice said. Nick turned around to face his girlfriend, Kelsey. She was short, with tan skin and dark hair. Her big brown eyes seemed hopeful, despite the circumstances. She wore simple clothes, one of Nick's hoodies, which was a bit big on her, and a pair of jeans. She was pretty by anyone's standards, but Nick saw her as the most beautiful woman in the world. Though they hadn't been together for long before the apocalypse, they had only gotten closer since then. Though the group credited Nick for keeping them together, Nick credited Kelsey for keeping himself together. He knew he wouldn't have been able to do any of this without her support. Despite being the only woman in the group, she got along well with everyone and she was more than capable at taking care of the biters, sometimes even showing Nick up in that department. Even though if you saw her killing a biter you would think she was a cold hearted badass, she had a kind heart, and she cared deeply for everyone in the group, especially Nick. "I'll be right out." Nick said as he leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She smiled at him, nodded, and walked back into the lobby of the motel, where the other members of Nick's group were waiting for an update. For a plan. Nick had been brainstorming all week. The supplies were running thin and they had already scavenged all that they could from the surrounding areas. They didn't have many options left, unless they wanted to move. Nick left the small room, closing the door behind him as he approached the lobby. Everyone was sitting on the few couches that were in the room, with the exception of Kelsey, who was standing and waiting for Nick. As he walked in the room, Nick looked at the other people in the room. They all looked tired, but hardened. Noah was sitting on the end of the first couch. He was the gun expert of the group, having owned almost all of the guns that the group started out with. He was about Nick's height, but in better shape. He looked like he could be a military man. He had a camouflage pair of pants on, some boots, and even a bulletproof vest which they had scavenged off of a dead cop. He had short blonde hair and he looked very focused as he waited for Nick to talk. Sitting next to him was Ashby, Nick's old roommate. He was a smaller kid, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was the speedy one of the group. He had run cross country and was good at getting in and out of buildings quickly. He was obviously tired, and his face reflected that as Nick walked in. Next to him was Brian. Brian was probably in the best shape of the group, and he was a good fighter. He was the one that the group could always count on to be sneaky, yet attack when necessary. One time he even hid in a tree to avoid a small group of walkers, only to jump down and take them out once they had passed. Next to Brian was Richard. Richard looked somewhat geeky, and his personality matched that. He had been the valedictorian of his senior class, and his skills came in handy recently. He'd used his smarts to insulate the motel, keeping everyone warm in the harsh winter temperatures, and he'd also been able to purify most of the water supply, making it safe to drink. He was currently working on a way to get cars going without using as much gasoline, though that project was far from complete. The last member of the group was Alec. Alec was thin, with brown hair and he looked pretty innocent. No group would imagine that he was an expert sniper. He'd saved everyone's ass two weeks before when he took out a group of walkers that was headed towards the motel. He had gotten on the roof and taken them out from there, and he was back inside before anyone even knew what happened. Alec looked scared, but Nick knew that if put to the test, Alec could survive in almost any scenario. The group was strong. They all had a purpose. And they operated like a well oiled machine. They were really only kids. Before all of this, most of them were college students who never had to survive anything like this. Nick himself was only 19 years old. He had no experience with anything like this. But now his friends looked to him for answers. And he had them.
"I know you've all been wondering what we're gonna do. Whether we should stay or go." Nick began, taking Kelsey's hand as he talked, almost as if he was drawing strength from her.
"Our supplies are low. We have no idea where else we can scavenge. But we also don't know what's out there. I don't think it's smart to leave. Not yet." He said.
"Then when? When is the right time?" Ashby shot back at him.
"We're gonna starve if we stay here too long. We should take what we have and go." He argued. Noah shook his head.
"I don't know if that's a great idea. Like Nick said, we have no fucking idea what's out there. We could get killed. Or worse." He argued. Richard then took his chance to speak.
"I know it seems like a long shot, but we could find a place out there." He said.
"If we leave, some of us won't make it. It's that simple." Kelsey said, defending Nick's position. Alec looked around and shrugged.
"Can't we just vote on it?" He asked.
"This is way too important for a vote. I say we go. Take our chances out there." Brian said.
"Guys don't you fucking realize how lucky we've been? We've had food, water, and shelter. We've been kept warm because of Richard, but if we leave we have none of that. We don't even have a car. All of the ones in the area have been scavenged for gas or destroyed during the riots at the start. This is our best-" Nick was cut off as he heard a noise coming from the radio in his room. He looked at Kelsey, then back at the door as he rushed to it. He swung it open as the rest of the group stood up to see what was happening. On the radio, a Deep voice was speaking. It was staticky, but Nick could hear part of what they were saying.
"If... Survive... join us. Food.. shelter.. water.. we are safe here... Vermont Safe Zone.... Strength in numbers..... If you make it, you will survive."
Static took over the radio again, leaving everyone in the room silent.
"There's a place out there." Richard said.
Nick shook his head in disbelief and turned around to face the group. They all had the same thought, but Nick knew they were waiting for him to say it.
"If there's a safe place, we need to find it. It's time to go." He said.