Lost and Found

Chapter 1

            Addie had a map spread in front of her, and was studying it, marking it based on her travels, different symbols littering the atlas she found in a gas station in Detroit for this part of the newpocalypse. Nobody else would do it, and she did always want to travel so here she is. She chuckled to herself and that and flipped her pen through her fingers, humming softly.

           Her eyes darted to the door and there was a thump, echoing through the small room. Z's? At this time of year, this far north? You know, maybe they were locked away and knowing her luck she let them out. She sighed and swung her Z-Whacker in circles beside her, backing against the wall silently. 'You know, maybe it was a talker', she thought with a shrug. Then again, her luck....

           She held the red weapon at the ready as the door opened easily and someone stumbled in. She acted quickly, swinging her Z-Whacker at picking them into a wall, holding the handle against their throat. "Walker, talker or human?!" She hissed, giving him a chance.  The guy groaned and gargled. "You got 5 seconds!" She shoved him, and backed up, readying her bat. "Wait!" They rasped, hand at their throat. "I-I'm human..." he says hoarsely, looking up at her. "Wait... Addison?"
        
            "Mack? Is that you?! Oh my God you're alive!!" Addison Carver ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, squealing like a toddler, and throwing down her Z-Whacker. Which is something she does NOT do. She's a badass now. However, in this instance, she didn't care. She thought her boyfriend had been dead for years and now he's here. "Are you ok? How- Who- What?"
         
           She couldn't even form full sentences, but his strong arms wrapped around her. "It's me Addie, it's me.." he said into her hair. She smiled and held onto him tightly before pulling away and looking him up and down. "You look great!" she said, and he grinned back at her. "No so bad yourself!" Mack chuckled and looked around. "Where's the gang?" he sat next to her.

          "Oh I've been on my own for 3 years now. They're all living their lives in NewMerica," she said with a shrug and set her Z-Whacker down with a clunk. 'Does everything look.... brighter?' She thought to herself as Mack tilted his head. "NewMerica?" He asked, confused. She shook her head. "You haven't heard of NewMerica?" She answered his question with another question incredulously.

            "No... What the hell is that?" She swallowed for a moment, still confused by his confusion. Everything talking she'd ever met had heard of NewMerica. Everything. Talker, Human, everyone. "You know what? Nevermind," Mack said, "all that matters is I've found you.." he brushes  a piece of hair behind her ear and smiles at her. "I missed your beautiful eyes," he whispers. She barely he time to process his comment before there was another thunk, and a few moans. They both jumped to their feet and Mack pulled out a knife, and Addie grabbed her discarded weapon. A few seconds later, a Zombie pushed through one of the doors, grabbing Mack and slamming him into the wall. "Funny joke.." she said about the comment about her eyes before mercying it as he pushed it  toward her. "You'r sleeping outside for that, dickhead!"

           Addie then curses as another three stumble in. Logic courses through her mind. She barricaded the outside doors! She's not that sloppy, and Mack should've known. "Mack?! Did you close the barricade behind you?!" He mumbles and struggles with the Zombie. "Not my main concern right now! Please help me damn it! Also, how am I a dickhead for commenting on your eyes again?" She groans and grabs one of the Zombies and pushes it out the window with a sigh of relief. "Because I'm missing one? Obviously..." 'Cant he see? Jeez, he has two good eyes..' she thought as she realized he had tucked her hair that covered her eye earlier. She touched her face and it felt normal. Two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears. "What the fu-" she cut off as she turned toward Mack again, as the other two Z's grab him, and three more burst through the door, reaching for him him. One bites his shoulder as she fights of two of the others.

          She screams with rage and runs over, whacking one, freeing his left arm, spinning past the biter and stabbing the other Z in the temple as Mack stabs the other in the head and pushes he biter off of him, groaning. Addie grits her teeth before mumbling two hasty "Have mercy's." As she turned toward the biter he looked up at her and she gasped. Finn stared up and her before reaching for her. "Wha-" she pushes back away from him, tears springing to her eyes as she watched Mack twitching. She rubbed her eyes and swallowed, continuing to back away from him and push him back with her Z-Whacker. She hit the wall as he reached for her and she screamed- and awoke gasping.

          She wiped the sweat off her face and looking around. She was sitting up straight and still in the office building in D.C. Jeez that was intense.... She wiped her face, feeling the familiarity of her mutilated eye and sighing softly, not sure if she was relieved or regretful. At least she knew she was awake.

          She coughed softly before standing and checking her barricades. She should've known it was a dream when her barricades didn't hold first, and second when that many zombies made it in. Since the black rain so long ago, it's unlikely to find even one zombie, let alone one that aggressive. Mostly just feral talkers, and even then you can just toss them a Bizkit and be on your way, either that, or just mercy them easily.

          She mumbled to herself silently as she packed up, brushing her teeth and eating some jerky as the coffee from the percolator aromated the small office she had holed up in for the night. She poured herself a cup as she pushed the door of the office open slowly, walking out into the library.
   
           She was going through the library periodically day by day to find things to help NewMerica with some history. She'd been traveling for so long and she was getting ready to head back up with her finds. She had an SUV full of documents and artifacts for the museum back home. She was to stay here for two more weeks, or that was plan anyway. She tried to tell herself it wasn't for George but she knew it would make her happy. She still blames George for Danté's death, and part of her blames her for Finn's because they did all that fer her.

           She ran her hand through her hair and took a sip of the bitter liquid that held oh so much energy. She did her daily patrol before doing her daily walkthrough of her next planned section, putting what she was taking on a cart before heading out to scavenge or hunt. She spun her jacket over her shoulder and pinned her gloves on her hands. She grabbed her rifle and hooked her Z-Whacker on her back, walking into the crisp winter air.