I propped my hands against the wall and leaned forwards letting my neck relax and my head to droop. My muscles relaxed as the hot water rolled down my body. Memories flashed through my mind as I relaxed. Taylor, you know I love you right? I clenched my jaw as a pang of sadness shot through me. " I know, Hazel, and I love you", I whispered. I spent thirty minutes in the shower. I waited till I gained control of my emotions and decided that all the blood was washed from my skin and hair. I shut off the shower head and stepped out of the community shower. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection. No one would recognize me if they knew me before the apocalypse. I used to be fat and have long hair, but now my hair is short and I'm far from fat. My black hair is now fashioned into and undercut style and most of my fat is gone and replaced with lean muscle. I run my fingers through my wet hair and grabbed a towel. I wrapped it around my body and walked back to my room. I changed into my normal olive green pants with my tan shirt. I tucked in my shirt and grabbed my pistol and attached it to my thigh.
I began fixing my hair when a knock interrupted me. "Hey, man. You ready for dinner yet?" James asked. I rolled my eyes and pushed him out of my doorway. "I am now you shit", I replied. He laughed and put me in a head lock. We started to horse around and throw fake punches till a scent hit my nose. It was faint, a mix of weed and Pantene. "Stop!" I growl at James. James stared at me confused. "What?" he asked. I sniffed the air again to make sure the scent was still there. "No, there's no possible way". I said to myself. "What are you talking about, Taylor?" I looked at him, "did we find any wanders today?" James raised his eyebrows, "yea, echo team found a whole group of people stranded today around lunch while we were on our raid. They should be about done with processing." I looked the way the scent was coming from. "East wing, right?" I asked. He nodded. I begun a fast paced walk as I followed the scent. "Hey! Where are you going? It's dinner and it's taco Tuesday night!" James yelled at me. I ignored him as I followed the scent. The scent grew strong as I approached East wing.
As I approached East wing the scent was strong in my nose; however, the scent seemed to be everywhere. "Damn it, where are you?" I growled in frustration. I walked to the first door, 304, and knocked. A young blonde female opened the door, "may I help you?" I looked past her and replied, "I need in". The young female looked surprised, "I don't know if your are supposed to be in here?" She replied. My jaw clenched, "I don't give a damn little girl. I need in". I pushed the door open and the girl fell to ground hard". She cried out from pain, but I ignored her. I begun rummaging through the bags in the four person room. None of clothes carried the scent. "Damn it!" I snarled and moved to the next room. I continued, but my attitude got worse as it seemed the scent was no where to be found. As I reached door 315 I was fuming off of fear and frustration. I kicked the door open to reveal and empty room. No one was there, but it showed proof of inhabitants from the bags and suitcases. I ripped open the first bag, and the scent hit me hard. "Hazel", I quietly said. I held the black and red flannel close to my chest and sniffed it.
A fired begun burning in my heart. I stood up and sprinted towards the dinning hall. I burst through the double doors and stared at the full room. 1000 people ate in the dinning hall at once. I felt my heart beating a mile a minute the moment I stepped into the dinning hall. "Where are you?" I asked myself. I sniffed the flannel and let my instincts kick in. My feet begun running as soon as I found the scent. I sprinted for my life. As I ran through the dinning hall James grabbed me, "what the fuck has gotten into you Taylor?" I snarled at him, "get off me damn it!" James let go of me and looked at me lost. I run away from him and towards the scent. It drew me to the middle of the dinning hall. I stopped when I saw her. There she was, the woman I loved. she was about to sit down with her father and grandmother, who were also sitting with my family. I couldn't believe they were all alive. I ran and tackled her. As we hit the ground I cradled her head from smacking the ground. The moment our eyes locked my breathe caught in my throat. She stared at me shocked. "Taylor?" she whispered. I couldn't speak. I was too afraid that it was just a dream, so I nodded. "Is it really you?" Hazel asked as tears began falling from her eyes. I wiped away her tears, "It's me, Taylor". A smile broke across her face. I stood us both up and she pulled me into a tight hug. I relished in her warmth. "So many people didn't make it
", she whispered to me. "I know" I whispered in her ear. "I was afraid you didn't make it", she whispered.
I shook my head, " I did. I survived and so did you". She smiled at me. A voice called behind us, "get your damn hands off my granddaughter!" A short elderly woman yelled at me. "Mrs. Elise Moore do you not remember me?" I asked the elderly lady. When the woman got close enough she gasped when she saw my face. "Taylor Rivera?" The woman asked. I nodded and gave her a smile. "It's been a while ma'am". She covered her mouth and looked at her son and my family. "Let's all get some dinner and I'll explain everything", I said. Everyone nodded in agreement. After everyone sat down and began eating their food I started my story. "After the apocalypse spread to the south, I was separated from my family. I spent maybe three weeks on my own before I was found by Keegan." My mother spoke up and asked,"who is Keegan?" I stared at her, "the man who started all of this". "Keegan was a former gangster from New York, but his father was killed early on in the apocalypse. After his father's death his own mother took her life and he was left with no one and multiple cashe of guns, money, and ammunition. Keegan began this safe haven later on after he was protected by an elderly couple. As the years moved on he began advancing everything here and more people began joining--". Richard, Hazel's father, interrupted me, so what is the point of this place?" he asked. I stared at him hard, "the apocalypse has brought on more than just death. It has started the need for colonization. The whole United States is now split into factions.
