Silent Fighter- ENGLISH VERSION

The Life we used to know

Jodie stared at the tent ceiling. Although she was exhausted and had been in her sleeping bag for two hours, she couldn't fall asleep. Currently she shared her tent with Marsha and Cindy. Melvin had been against it, but since he couldn't 't give a good reason why his stepdaughter couldn't share the tent with two the same age girls, it had been okay. There was not enough space for four people in his own tent, so he agreed to the offer of the girls and their parents. '

Cindy and Marsha were twin sisters who, except for the hair color, looked very much alike. Both were tall and athletic and had long curls. Marsha and Cindy were both a year older than Jodie, but very nice and openminded. Jodie, who had always been shy, had immediately felt comfortable with both of them. Most of the people in the camp where they were right now seemed nice. By now they were about seventeen people and to keep track, Jodie had drawn a picture of almost everyone and written the names below.

Jodie sat up when she heard a whimper. It seemed to come from outside. Then a soft sob. Jodie swallowed and took a deep breath. She knew the sounds only too well. Melvin was probably angry about something and had found a way to punish Jody's Mum Molly. He had probably dragged her somewhere to a sheltered corner, shut her mouth so she wouldn't get too loud, and hit her. And Melvin's biological daughter Clara was probably in the tent in her sleeping bag and didn't notice anything at all. Or at least she pretended so. Jodie felt the urge to run out of the tent and help her mum. But she stayed seated. For two reasons. First of all, her mum didn't want her to help and would defend Melvin again and again, and secondly, Melvin would then start beating Jodie as well or make it even worse for her mum. She remembered the last time she tried. Melvin had beaten Molly in the kitchen, Jodie, who had heard her mother's screams, had run to her, trying to pull Melvin away. Wanted to help her mum. But Melvin had just turned around, shoved Jodie into the kitchen counter and punched her in the face. Molly had told Jodie in tears that everything was alright and she shouldn't worry.

How could she have believed a stupid apocalypse would change Melvin's character? Although undead people were running around outside, eating other people alive, Melvin seemed unable to let go of old habits. For example, beating Molly or occasionally Jodie and putting them in their place. At least it had been less since they were in the camp. There were other people around them and privacy was very limited. Which was a bit annoying on the one hand, but in this case also a blessing.

If the situation wouldn't been so serious, Jodie would have thought that they were on a camping trip with complete strangers. But it wasn't like that. She had already seen things she would never forget. When the situation escalated, Jodie and her family had gone to the CDC to seek shelter. But they hadn't even come close to the building when the slaughter started. They had been standing on the highway, waiting to be let into the building when suddenly the infected people stumbled from all over out of the forest beside the highway and started to attack the people in the cars and on the street. Soldiers had stormed out of the building, starting to shoot wildly into the crowd. No matter at infected or normal people. It didn't matter. There was no difference anymore. Jodie fled to the woods with the others. And finally, they had come to the camp, where other people had been. Couples, families or loners. Melvin had warned his family not to be too friendly with the others, because he distrusted everyone immediately. That was Melvin. Either he controlled the people around him or he mistrusted them. That had been like that from the beginning. Since Jodie was very reserved anyway and suffered from the family situation, she avoided most of them. But Cindy and Marsha had welcomed her so warmly and accepted her as she was, that she couldn't help but befriend the sisters.

The whimpering stopped and footsteps went away. It was over. Jodie took a deep breath, then lay down again and within a very short time, fell into a deep sleep.

The camp was an abandoned warehouse where tents were set up and there were several corners for cooking and washing. There was also a river nearby where you could bathe. Jodie liked the hall. There were many corners where she could retreat and think without being disturbed. So, she had found one or two hiding places from Melvin and his annoying daughter Clara. While she was doing the laundry with Cindy and Marsha this morning, Clara sat outside in the sun on a camping chair, not even thinking about helping them. All that matters were, she was sunbathing and got what she wanted.