Gift: A Story Of Love, Hope And Zombies (Work In Progress)

1. Oh Sh*t, There's Zombies

Hannah loved to run.

When she was younger, it was a daunting task that she rarely participated in, but as time went on, and she was required to be in better shape, she learned to love the sport. Not only did running keep her fit and give her the skills she needed to survive in this world, but it was a relaxing break from everything. She could clear her thoughts, focus on her breathing, and just find a moment of peace in her, typically hectic, life.

However today, as she heavly pumps her legs , she does not feel peace, or any sort of relaxation as she is typically used to. Maybe the sweat dripping down her forehead, stinging her eyes, is causing her too much discomfort to be enjoyed. Or perhaps it's the fact that she took a short fall earlier, and now her ankle is sore, which I'll have you know is not the most comfortable to run on. Maybe the screaming pack of the undead chasing her is the reason for her distress, or possibly because she had just lost one of her best friends. Either way, Hannah was not enjoying her morning jog.

As she sprints down the large road, narrowly avoiding the occasional zombie, long blonde hair flying behind her, she catches sight of a small motel. Kansas. She can see Kansas. She's almost there, she's almost home. Forcing her legs to move faster than she even thought possible, she starts screaming.

"ARAVIS! ARAVIS, OPEN THE DOOR!" Panicked tears stream down her face, mixing with her sweat in a sticky, salty glue like consistancy. "Aravis! Lissa, Jaque, Kelby, Jessica, Ethan, Benjamina, ANYONE!" She quickly approaches the door, still screaming for someone to open the door. Just as she's about to collide with the hard metal barrier, the door swings open, quickly slamming back shut as she sprints to safety.

She collapses on the ground, coughing and crying as she tries to catch her breath. She's safe. She's safe. She's safe.

"Oh thank Castiel."

She shakily shifts her head up to see Kelby standing above her. Kelby reaches her hand out to Hannah, hoisting her up and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay. You look awful." She mumbles into her hair. Kelby releases from Hannah to look her in the eyes. Hannah is finally able to take in her surroundings, seeing the rest of her family standing around them, at least the survivors. She chokes back another sob.

"Hey, hey, you're safe now. It's okay." Kelby tries to soothe her. Then Kelby looks around the room at all the other worried faces in the room. Elissa and Aravis hold hands in a small huddle. Elliann is sleeping in the corner of the room, Jessica sitting next to her, hand resting on her thick fur. Ben stands by, concern in his eyes, and Ethan stands hesitantly to the side, subtly reaching a hand out to his sister, wanting to comfort her, but not sure how. Everyone's here- wait, no.

"Where's Oli?"

Hannah shakes her head. Olivia isn't here. She reaches out her hand, opening it to reveal a small silver ring. A collective shudder fills the room. Everyone knows who it belongs, or belonged to but if they hadnt, the tiny size of the ring would have given it away. Only one person had the infant hands to fit a ring that small.

"I only had time to grab this before the zombies swarmed." Hannah attempts to steady her voice.

"No" Kelby whispers. Soft sounds of crying come from Lissa and Aravis. Everyone else is silent, most having grown too used to death to cry over it any more. Except for Elliann. It could not be judged how she would react as she was still asleep.

A small whisper can barely be heard from Ethan. "Who am I going to flip off now?"

The funeral was small and humble, as all the others had been. Without even a body to bury, a small plaque had been made in memorium.