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chapter one | the way the world is now
IT WAS QUIET. To most, this would be soothing and peaceful, but for others, it was both unsettling and deafening. Especially in a world like this.
The world has ended, to put it in simple words. The dead have started to walk and feed on the living. It was straight out of the comic books Laurel's brother used to read or the horror movies she used to love to watch with her little sister. Laurel never actually thought the dead would come to life and destroy everything she once knew.
There's nothing left, that was the one thing she knew for sure about all of this. The government was one of the first to fall, then everything else came down with it. The military was the last to fall, of course. They set camps all around the city, trying to keep the living in and the dead out. But, the dead always won in the end. Even with the bombs the military shot down on Atlanta. She's not even sure how she was even alive still. She was positive it was pure luck because she wasn't a survivalist by any means. She doesn't even know how to shoot a gun. Sure, she was quick on her feet but that's about it. It was just pure instinct that has got her and her family this far.
Laurel readjusted her pack that rested on her shoulders as she walked mindlessly through the woods with her younger brother and sister in tow. Her muscles burned and ached as they walked through the trees, dodging low-hanging branches. Her tank top was damp with sweat and dirt and blood covered every inch of her body. She was exhausted. But, she had to keep moving. That was all she could do at this point. They barely had any food and water left in their backpacks. She knew they had to scavenge for some more supplies or else they were going to be screwed. They just barely escaped Atlanta and there was no way they could go back there anymore. It was a death sentence if they even tried. The city was full of the dead and the dead were starving.
Her throat screamed for some water but she resisted the temptation of reaching back into her backpack to grab some. She tilted her chin upwards, the sun was shining through the leaves showing it was almost noon. They have been walking non-stop since early morning. They camped a few miles back just outside of the woods for the night. Luckily, Laurel had a few hours of sleep since there were no geeks roaming close by. The heat was quickly rising as she walked deeper into the woods with her siblings. No one has spoken a word, all three of them were way too tired to open their mouths and none had the energy to form words. Laurel glanced behind frequently, sending small smiles of encouragement to her youngest sister who walked between her and their brother in the back.
Leaves rustled a few feet away which caused all three of them to stop in their tracks. Laurel's hunting knife she scavenged from a Bass Pro Shop in the city was immediately held up in front of her as she spun around, trying to find the source of the noise. "What is it, Laurel?" Cassie whispered, her tiny fists held onto her brother's flannel tightly. Ethan shushed her as he pulled out his own knife he grabbed from their apartment before they had to leave.
