Where is Home now?

Chapter 1

Brooks and Scott weaved in and out of the trees quietly. They were on a supply run while Ryan held down the fort, though he was mad about it.

Scott wore mostly black and worn grey. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt, wore gray cargo pants and black gloves. The jacket he use to wear was now worn by the smaller comrade. The new jacket he wore was black leather with white skulls on the shoulders. It had three pockets on the front, two large ones on the bottom and one smaller one on the shoulder. The end of the sleeves were tattered and torn but held together. The top of the jacket had three straps with buttons. One at the top of the collar and two just below that. Brooks on the other hand wore black and red. He still had his black tattered jeans and his red flannel torn over time. He also had the black faded leather jacket. By this point in time his Combat boots had been traded out for sneakers and his brown bag that was once filled with random nick nacks and weapons, held a gun and a few knifes, most of the nicknacks lost and forgotten. He wore one black, fingerless glove as the other was lost with time.

"I'm worried about Ryan..." Brooks said softly. Scott nodded his head softly in agreement as he kept his eyes ahead of them.

"I am too but I don't know what we can do other then give him the space he wants." Scott stopped just outside the limits of the city with Brooks right beside him.

"But is that really best from him?" Brooks asked softly as he looked at Scott.

"I don't know..." Scott sighed, "But we can't think like that right now. Winter is setting in and we need to find supplies..." Brooks gave a soft sigh before he nodded his head and walked into the town quietly, his knife drawn at his side. Scott followed quietly, Ryan's crossbow in hand.

As Scott and Brooks entered the city Scott felt a chill run down his spine as if they were being watched, but no one was in sight. Scott had a bad feeling they weren't alone though as he looked around them quietly. Brooks had already wondered to the first building.

"C'mon Scott!" Brooks shouted over his shoulder to Scott. Scott followed quietly, shrugging off the feeling before the two began scouted the building.

They searched three more building before Scott heard something. He snapped his head over to the tree line where they had come from and froze.

"Brooks..." He softly called over his shoulder quietly, hoping he was loud enough for Brooks to have heard him. "Brooks stop and get over here." He heard the footsteps behind him slow.

"What's wrong Scotty?" Brooks called softly. He could hear Brooks walking up to him.

"I heard something in the tree line. Where we came from. I don't trust it." Scott whispered softly as he took cover behind a dumpster with Brooks following closely.

"Are you sure it's not Ryan?" Brooks asked softly.

"If it was Ryan I wouldn't have heard him..." Before Scott could finish speaking a women broke into the clearing. Scott stood slowly and aimed the crossbow, afraid she was infected. As soon as she saw him, she threw her hands up and screamed, "Not Infected." Scott kept the crossbow drawn as Brooks gets to his feet slowly.

The girl stood roughly 5 foot 3 inches and was beaten to hell. She wore a tattered bloody blue flannel under a brown leather jacket with skulls on the upper arms. The sleeves here longer than the torso, longer than her arms. The leather looked almost like patchwork as it was layered There were two pockets on the chest and above the left one was a patch that read U.S. ARMY. She wore an old tattered, checkered scarf that covered the two necklaces she was wearing. One was a choker, it had a heart with a dragon wrapped around it while the other was a shark tooth. Her jeans were large and baggy with pockets on the hips and lower legs. The best was a loose fitted brown belt that could be tighten if needed. She wore knee high boots, straps and buckles along the outside. She didn't seem to have any weapons on her but that didn't make Scott trust her anymore then he already had.

"Drop your stuff. Put everything on the ground." Scott said lowly. Brooks glanced at him before he looked back at the girl.

"Look at her, Bro. I don't think she's really got anything on her. Why don't you cut her a break."

"You know what fine but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Scott said eying the girl cautiously.

The girl walked slowly closer as if she was scared she'd be attacked any second. Scott eyes followed her the whole way till she stopped and sat across from them.

"What's your name?" Brooks asked softly as he sat down in front of her.

"It's Lyra." She brushed her long blonde bangs from her eyes as she glanced at the ground between them. Brooks could feel Scott glare into the back of his head but he just brushed him off.

"Would you like to come back with us?" Brooks asked with a soft smile.

"I really don't think that's a good idea..." Scott grumbled softly as he rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Would that really be alright?" Lyra asked softly.

"Yeah. I mean I'm sure you and Ryan would get along and Scott would warm up to you sooner or later." Brooks hummed as he looked over to Scott who was looking back the way they came.

"If she's comin then we need to leave now." Scott called over to the two.

The three wandered back to their camp, Scott silently taking the lead as Brooks and Lyra spoke quietly behind him.

"What's his problem, anyways?" Lyra asked out of the blue as she pointed to Scott.

Brooks sighed softly as he looked over to her, "Well you see. Our other friend hasn't really been the safest person when it comes to new people. Not since he was forced to kill one of his closest friends a few months back." Lyra nodded softly as she glanced back up to Scott.

"We're here." Scott says softly as he stops walking. They were standing in the middle of a clearing.

"Where are you staying? There's nothing her?" Lyra asked as she looked around.

"Look up." Books said softly in her ear. She looked up and gasped. Above them was a large, but not over the top, treehouse.

"How do we get up there?" She asked, a soft smile dancing on her lips.

"Like this." Brooks said softly as he and Scott slung their weapons over their and climbed the tree. Soon they were on the porch of the treehouse waving down at her.

"Come on. Get up here." Scott called down to her before he looked over to Brooks and quietly whispered, "Where's the kid?"

"Do I look like I keep tabs on him?" Brooks asked softly.

"What are you guys talking about...?" The groggy voice came from behind them, scaring the boys.

"Oh hey... There you are Ryan." Scott smiled as he turned around. "You scared us."

Lyra climbed up onto the porch and smiled at Brooks softly.

"Who's that?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Oh. That's Lyra. Brooks brought her back with us." Scott explained. Ryan nodded his head softly and went back inside silently.

"That went well..." Scott muttered as he and the others followed the smaller male inside.