Impregnable {A Walking Dead Fanfiction}

One

    I woke up to the sound of angry traffic outside my window. There had been another car crash, at least the third one this week. I heard yelling and chaos from outside, was someone hurt? I pulled myself out of bed, trudging over to the widow and opening the curtains to let the sun pour in. An ambulance and three cop cars surrounded a heap of red and white metal in the middle of the road. Two people were on stretchers surrounded by paramedics, three or four more sat on the curb. Should  I go down there? The police and EMTs looked like they had it under control. I wouldn't want to get in anyone's way. There was another crash behind me, the sound of glass breaking. I shrieked and spun around to see my yellow tabby standing on my nightstand, looking up at me with big innocent eyes, surrounded by shards of glass that used to be my lamp. "Simba!" I said in annoyance, tiptoeing over the shards and scooping him up to safety. I made my way back through the glass maze and out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me. 

    "What was that?" a flat voice called from the living room. Cameron, my on-again-off-again boyfriend was sprawled on the couch while the news blared through the TV. "There was a car crash, and Simba got scared and broke my lamp," I said, but there was no response. That kind of silence wasn't uncommon for us. Things had been rocky recently, to say the least. I walked over to the linen closet to grab our dustpan and broom before returning to the bedroom and shutting the door behind me. Cameron entered the bedroom just as I was finishing. "I told you getting a cat was a bad idea," He said, walking into our bathroom. "I think he's worth a ten dollar Ikea lamp." "Well just wait until he breaks something expensive or costs us our security deposit." I could tell from his tone that today was one of his bad days. The less I said, the better. 

    I lingered in the bedroom and did my best to look busy until he left, then walked into our bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked so tired for a twenty-one-year-old. I stuck my toothbrush in my mouth and washed the sleep out of my eyes, doing my best to start the day on a good note. 

    "Hollie, come see this!" Cameron called from the living room as I spat toothpaste into the sink. "Coming." I walked back into the living room to see that he'd returned to his spot in front of the TV. "You just missed it. Give it a minute, she'll talk about it again." He said, speaking over the middle-aged lady in pink chipperly explaining ways to save money on groceries. "I don't like the news, I've told you that," I said quietly, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch and bringing my knees to my chest. "This is worth it," He said. A few minutes later, after hearing about how a four-year-old boy was killed in a car accident, there'd been an armed robbery at the gas station just up the street, and the church on Peony Road was holding a blood drive tomorrow, the lady finally brought up the topic Cameron had been waiting for. "Here, listen," He said. Her tone suddenly turned serious, her smile fading before she spoke. "Now Ladies and Gentlemen, onto our main story. The overcrowding in hospitals throughout the Metro Atlanta area is becoming a serious problem. The Atlanta CDC has released the following statement: 'We are experiencing an outbreak of an infectious disease which has not currently been identified. We are working tirelessly to identify the source and method of transmission of this disease and assure you there is no reason to panic. However, until further notice, we ask that you please not come to any hospitals or government buildings if you experience any of the following symptoms:  high fever, chills, nausea, delirium, fainting, hair loss, or hallucinations. We advise you to stay indoors and isolate yourself if you begin to exhibit any symptoms.'" The lady in pink continued talking, explaining that there was no reason to be afraid. She wasn't doing a good job of convincing anyone. Something deep in my stomach felt unsettled, but I pushed it away; we'd survived worse than this. 

    "Do you think it's still safe to go to work?" I asked, turning to Cameron. "Don't be crazy, we need the money." "I just want you to be safe." "You mean you don't want to get sick. Someone has to make money around here," He said, scoffing. "Cameron, that's not what I meant. I..." "Just stop." He stood and walked to the door, grabbing his keys. "Cameron!" I yelled, the first time I had ever raised my voice with him like that. He turned around, looking just as surprised as I felt. "Please don't leave without saying goodbye, and please stop saying that I don't care," I said, walking over to him. I desperately wanted to reach out and hold him, but his dark eyes told me no. I settled for his shaky touch on my shoulder. "One day at a time, right?" He said, walking into the hallway and closing the door softly behind him. I backed away into the empty apartment, pushing away the thoughts flooding my mind. 

    The TV was repeating the same stories. I switched it off and hid the remote under the couch cushions so Cameron wouldn't turn it on the second he got home. I walked over and opened the kitchen window, letting the humid Georgia air in before sitting down at the kitchen table and opening my laptop. No new emails. I'd sent in seven job applications a week ago, everything from Starbucks barista to stable hand at a ranch forty miles out of town. I was getting desperate, and nothing was biting.  I grabbed an old book I didn't like and started reading it next to my laptop, hoping and waiting for a response. I'd been there for a while when there was a frantic knock at my door. "Who is it?" I asked, walking over and looking through the peephole. A small, trembling school-aged girl stood in the doorway sobbing in tattered clothes. "I'm hurt, please let me in!"