The Undead

Let The Bullets Rain

Ever since the outbreak things had been different; the dead were starting to rise from the ground, snapping their jaws, rotting and hungry for flesh. Places were evacuated, vacant, family homes were deserted - and the highways were littered with vehicles on the way to nowhere. Buildings were looted, and suddenly it was every man for himself.

The CDC were stuck along with the government, and eventually they gave up on finding a cure. The place was nothing but debris when a group of college students stumbled upon it. That's when it happened, that last bit of hope that thrived at the back of peoples heads just perished. It shriveled up and died.

They were not longer set on finding a cure, just a little bit of hope - in the form of food and shelter. And when they came across untouched tents on a run, inside a broken down Walmart, they didn't hesitate to grab them. The place was bound to collapse soon, especially with all the destruction, which one could assume was inflicted by the military at the time of the outbreak. The military were just as hopeless.

They were now settled near a thick forest just outside Georgia, close to the road. With their tents strewn next to each other, survival wasn't so hard anymore. If you excluded the dead, and the people in wolves clothing.

"I could use a cold glass of water right about now..." Erik grumbled, tucking a lock of stray dark hair behind her hair. The Georgia heat, combined with the lack of fresh water, was taking a serious toll on her body. The multiple struggles of survival were finally catching up.

She was in the process of reloading Phin's revolver, perched at one of the logs near where the fire had been lit last night. She knew it wasn't her job, and it was proving to be rather difficult with her little to no experience with assault weapons. She was still determined to help him out one way or another.

After all, she did slip into his tent late last night. With shaky hands and a trembling voice to match, she told him all about her nightmare, and he acted like he wasn't already terribly sleep deprived. Tracing circles into her back with his index finger, he waited until he could feel her relax and drift off, he then too - fell into a deep sleep. It was better than most of his nights alone, wrapped up in a flimsy sleeping bag. Maybe it was the warmth radiating off her body or just the feeling having her sleep next to him, that made the night a little easier to close his eyes too. Maybe both.

She was so stuck on reloading Phin's revolver that she didn't catch the sound of a zip coming undone.

"Is that my gun?"

Jumping slightly, Erik turned her head towards the source of the voice. It was Phin, and as he popped his head out of the canvas shelter, she took note just how much sleep he seemed to be lacking. With the slight bags underneath his hazel eyes, followed by the very little facial hair, and dishevled mop of dirty blonde hair atop his head. Unbeknowst to her, or any of the others, his dreams were plagued with the face of the dead just as much as the next guy - except he wasn't so keen on sharing it.

"Indeed it is, I'm just repaying you for last night I guess." He nodded, watching her with a lazy grin as he plopped down near her feet. On the other hand, she was nervous under his gaze and scared to mess up. He wanted her to experience using handguns as much as possible, it was essiental, and if she did happen to stuff up - he'd be there to guide her.

"Everybody gone out or what...I thought we were leaving at the crack of dawn..." he scratched his head, eyes briefly scannning over the campsite. There were the tents, a mix of different colours from brown to red. Not another single soul, no laughing or anything, just the sound of his breathing and the rattle of his gun being handled. There was the chirping of birds, and the occasional rattling of leaves swaying in the wind.

But nobody else seemed to be around.

"Stephanie said the Red Army can wait, they've gone out to hunt for deer."

Phin cringed at the though of yet another plate full of venison. It was a source of strength, and enough to fill his stomach, but after a while it got old. The crimson red meat, and it's gamey taste were enough to kill a man after a while.

"God, no more fucking venison.." Phin muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"You can say that again, here!" Erik chuckled as she handed his weapon back. It took time, longer than she'd like, but she was finally getting the hang of guns after using a bow and arrow for such a long period of time. It was much more quiet, a silent killer, it didn't attract the attention of both the dead and living. And she'd usually let Jazzmin take them on her infamous hunting trips, especially when she'd tag along, but the weaon was stored away in her tent.

"So...you wanna go pick some wild berries with me?" Phin asked sheepishly, earning an eager nod from his companion.

Wild berries; packed with nutrtional value that was needed during a time like this. That would be their excused if the others tore into them for leaving the campsite with nobody to watch over it. People did come along, and people did have the urge and rummage and steal everything they could get their hands on. But the pair weren't worried about that, right now they just wanted some fruit.

The woods stood tall, and the atmosphere was unnerving. Maybe it was the fact the place was rather dark, with the treetops so close together, the forest was rarely lit.

Everything was fine. They were in the middle of picking wild berries. Laughing quietly, and cracking jokes. Sharing looks and then going back to giggling like school children.

But suddenly they were alert at the sound of twigs snapping, and if they had dog airs they'd be standing up. On instinct, Phin reached for his revolver in the back pocket of his jeans, only to come face to face with a worried looking young Asian man.

"Your...your friend has been shot!"

It's not like someone had come along and stolen the fresh air right out of their lungs.

- P