"And so the night falls once again. Mom's still outside. I can't bring myself to help her. You were always stronger than me when it came to that. Brother. I miss you. Please come back to us soon.
With much love,
Sandy"
As Sandy closed her book, she sighed quietly to herself. Had it really been 4 months since she'd last seen her brother? When the crisis hit he had been one of the first to step up and protect their family. Unfortunately for them, his girlfriend was part of that. Of course when she ran off, he was set on bringing her back. That was four months ago, back when there was five of them. The events in the last months had torn apart her family, and now all Sandy had left of them was herself.
Putting the pen and tattered journal on the ground, she stretched her legs out and yawned. Her digital watch read 3:15 a.m.. Its florescent green lights illuminating the area in front of her face. "Is it that late already?" She thought to herself. Rising from the floor Sandy felt her legs creak and ache from the many activities and sports she did in her youth.
At 27 Sandy was now a woman. She was not old in her bodies sense, but her mind was hardened from what had happened recently to her. The months of pain and anguish. Pain from losing everything that was ever held dear to her. Everything except...
Wham! A large body crashed into Sandy. "God damnit Sid!" Sandy whispered harshly. "Calm down! You don't know who could be outside!" Sid whined quietly, backing away with his tail hung between his back legs. Sandy found Sid about a month ago while searching the town. By the look of his dog tag he had once been a drug dog for the local police force. It was lucky for her that she had found the poor dog. He had been malnourished and scared, but his nose could instantly detect when one of the "things" were in their area. With a little training to sniff them out, he became her most prized possession.
After harshly berating the dog Sandy instantly felt remorseful. "Aw Sid, come here. I didn't mean to scold you, but you have to stay quiet! You know that!" Sid bounded happily over and curled up next to her legs. In the dark Sandy could barely see him so she turned on the LED flashlight to illuminate the room. The German shepard's dark fur glossily shone in the new light. Raching down to pat him on the head Sandy whispered "Alright Sid, let's go get ready to get some rest."
Before going to bed Sandy had to do her nightly check. In a world full of monsters you never knew which day or night could be your last. The house she was staying in now had only three rooms. A bathroom, a kitchen/living area, and the bedroom. This made hiding easier, but she also had to be very careful with how barricaded herself in. Over each window there were two large boards nailed to the wall. There was no door, she had made sure of that, and the only way out was a system of tunnels that could be reached through a hole in the floor. It was an ideal getaway, and she had practiced the journed many times for hours in anticipation of having to quickly leave her perfect building.
Walking around now, Sandy checked the three windows in the house making sure they were secure. Slowly, she tiptoed along the edge of each windowsill, running her hands along the edges of the wood. Sid follow faithfully behind her, the sound of his nails tapping against the cement floor of her hideout.
At the last window, Sandy stopped and turned her ear towards the outside. She heard a faint moan, and the scuffling of feet in leaves. Instinctively at the sound she lowered her hand to her M1911 pistol and unholstered it from her waist. The gun had been her father's when he was in the war, but it had probably induced more casulties in the past four months than it ever had when it was in her father's possession. She decided against persuing the noise, for there was nothing she could do from her position and it would just attract more of them to her area.
Re-holstering her gun, Sandy walked quietly back to her bathroom, and stood in front of the mirror. Using the flashlight she shone it up to her face and inspected the damage. Although she was young, the past few months had taken their toll on her. Her face was covered in grime and dirt and her short brown hair had mats of mud and blood layered within it. Looking at her reflection, she could see that lines were forming in the creases of her dark grey eyes, and her eyebrows definitely needed a trim. Sighing, Sandy clicked off the flashlight, retreated from the mirror and into the bedroom, where she laid down on her flannel sleeping bag bed. As her head the grimy pillow, she felt Sid come over and spread out next to her. His warmth radiated from his body and spread into her tired joints. Sandy felt her eyes close at the comfort of him being there and eventually let herself drift off into a restless sleep.
