For a long time, Eden Perkins believed she wouldn't find another human being she would willingly die for - she didn't want to. The past few months of her life, ever since the day the dead had started coming back to life - and maybe even before that...
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╔───── ╝ ☠ ╚─────╗ iii. | STRANGER IN THE NIGHT. ╚───── ╗ ☠ ╔─────╝
THE PERKINS SIBLINGS HAVE BEEN WALKING FOR DAYS, hiding in the depths of a forest Zak said was close to Huntington. If Eden was being honest, she had no idea where that was. At her question, her brother explained that they were in West Virginia. The fact that in about two weeks – if she hadn't miscounted – they had crossed two states had shocked the girl for a moment. She couldn't remember ever walking so much in so little time. However, she also could not remember ever having to flee from man-eating monsters before the outbreak either.
A lot had happened in the last two weeks. Eden had seen many things she would rather unsee, things she could never have imagined even in her worst nightmares. Their actual plan to go to Detroit to follow the message on the radio that had promised them help had fallen into disrepair when they reached the highway. The streets were packed – morning traffic was nothing to the contrary. Each car stood so close that they almost touched, but hardly anyone had cared about that, while they didn't move forward at all – they just wanted to leave.
But none of the cars that had been parked around them did, they couldn't, because walkers, as Zak now called them, had showed up and attacked a family in the car in front of them. They had had no choice but to abandon their car and run away, following the example of many who had not also fallen victim to the monsters.
From then on the siblings had tried to avoid larger cities, knowing that there were more walkers there than in less popular places. The weapons they now carried had been obtained a few days after the outbreak. They were luckier than brains when they discovered a hunting store on their way. Although there had been no guns, Zak had discovered several bows, of which he had taken a compound bow, while Eden had become more enthusiastic about the blades, knowing she didn't have enough strength in her arms for a weapon like a bow, and had therefore chosen a machete and several throwing knives. The possession of these weapons alone scared the girl, especially because of the fear of ever having to use them – and she knew the day would come, hopefully later than sooner. In addition, they took what they would need to survive – tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, etc. – and left as fast as possible, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention.
Lost in thought, Eden played on the bracelet she was wearing around her wrist as she trotted after Zak. His walk was firmer and faster than hers, he didn't look as if he wanted to stop in the near future, even though the sun sat already low on the sky – it would soon set and the night would begin.
With her eyebrows furrowed, Eden looked at the back of her brother's head. His hair was growing longer and Eden wasn't sure if it could be considered a buzzcut any longer. Ever since Zak had picked her up two weeks ago, he didn't seem to be the same person she once knew and she couldn't tell whether it was because of the rising apocalypse or if something happened that changed him before that already. They only spoke when it was really necessary – when Zak woke her in the middle of the night so Eden would take over the guard and let him catch up on some sleep, or when it got dark and they had to camp for the night. It was too dangerous to walk through the forest in the dark with walkers possibly hiding and waiting to attack in the shadows.
