Life Line

Chapter One

As the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the moon rose to take its place, Sarah awoke. She was in a large living-room with painted green walls and a cherry-stained wood floor. On one wall a marble fireplace was alight. All the furniture had been pushed back against the door and windows. One door remained unblocked.

"Hey, easy" the Texan girl appeared through the door leading to a balcony. "Don't move too much, you banged your head somethin' fierce" she reached into her backpack and fished out a jar of clear water. "Here drink this" the woman handed the jar to Sarah who drained it in three gulps.

"Who are you?" Sarah croaked, her voice sore and stiff but worked all the same.
"I'm Jess" the woman held out her hand and Sarah shook it.
Sarah studied her new friend. Her skin was a golden tanned colour from being out in the sun all day, her hair pale yellow and hanging in a sweat soaked ponytail down her left shoulder. A thin layer of sweat laced her skin and even without the use of make-up she was very pretty. Her large, cornflower blue eyes gazed questioningly at Sarah. "And who are you?" Her accent was clearer in person then through a wall.
"I'm Sarah" she gave her name.

Jess wiped her hand against her forehead and held another jar against her face and neck "y'know it's too damn warm for October. Maybe the weather gave up when the human race did"

Sarah sat by the fireplace holding the empty glass jar between her fingers, studying it intensely. "Why am i here?" She spoke up.

"What do you mean? You're here because here is safer than out there with the stiffs"

"Stiffs?" Sarah made a disgusted face "Thats disrespectful i hope you know"

"Disrespectful? Let me tell you about disrespectful" Jess sat up, her voice rose a few octaves with each word "disrespectful starts with a little girl-" she broke off as the balcony door slammed open and a tall, slim red-headed male walked in, a double-barrel shotgun strapped across his back, a black leather duster draped over his muscular shoulders.

Both Jess and Sarah physically jumped at the intrusion, Jess put her hand on her chest and exhaled a stream of curses.

"Hutch i presume" Sarah mumbled, staring into the face of the man she met earlier.

His red hair was floppy and long, covering his forehead and dipping into his deep brown eyes. He had a still pink scar stretching from his nose to his left eye.

"This is the part where you tell me your name" he continued after a pause.

"Sarah, I'm Sarah. Sarah is me" she babbled before Jess cut her off.
"What's the weather like?" She questioned Hutch while handing him a plate of rabbit which had been cooking on the fire.
"Clear but a storms coming" he took the plate and fiddled with the shredded meat.
"Horde?" Jess' voice suddenly got very serious but she didn't stop dishing out the plates of rabbit meat.
"Wait, what? I though you were talking about the weather, suddenly there's a horde?" Sarah exclaimed.
"Asking about the weather is just our way of asking what the stiffs situation is like" Hutch explained.
"Clear means no undead" Jess told her

"Light rain means few stiffs. No problems" Hutch continued
"Heavy rain is a bad situation, lots of stiffs"
"And an oncoming storm is very bad, usually means horde" Hutch finished and sat back "we should probably put out that fire, we don't want to attract any unwanted attention" he smothered the flames and extinguished the light.

"Get some sleep Samantha" He rolled onto his side and placed the shotgun next to him.

"I'll take watch" Jess rose, took her hunting rifle and headed on to the balcony, closing the door behind her.

Sarah laid down. "Its Sarah, by the way" she corrected his earlier mistake.
"Sorry" was his only response before silence took over.

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