Chapter 7: Thicker Than Water

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"No matter how much you like being inside or weather you hate nature or just the wind or the heat or the cold, nothing is as magical as watching a single bird fly through the open air above you, or watching the clouds graze over the moon before it gets dark, or even watching the orange and pink light reflecting off the tree line while the sun is setting. Those are the kinds of thoughts that keep me from sleeping at night. Because they give me hope. They remind me of how life used to be before it was about fighting and surviving every day. Back when you could relax and play guitar on the doorstep, or have family gatherings and barbecues. I miss those days a lot, and sometimes the quiet just helps me remember them".

Leslie and Gwen hug for several minutes. They just stand in silence as Gwen cries. After what feels like forever, Gwen slowly pulls away, standing up straight as she looks into Leslie's eyes. "Gwen, what are you doing out here? You could've been killed", Leslie says as she notices Gwen turning her gaze to the ground. "I was so worried about you", she adds, taking Gwen's hand, and placing one of her own on Gwen's face. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you". Gwen stands there in shock, trying to figure out what Leslie was saying. She then puts her free hand over Leslie's, which is still resting on her face. They stand in silence for another moment or two before Leslie starts to speak again. "We should be getting back. Everyone is probably worried about you", she says, taking her hand off Gwen's face. Leslie turns away from Gwen and starts to walk before she hears Gwen speak. "I don't want to go back" Leslie turns back to face her friend. "W-what?" she says, confused. "If I go back, I'll be in so much trouble. My dad will keep me in my room and have food and water delivered to me until he decides I've learned my lesson. I can't go back". As Gwen says this, Leslie notices a single tear run down her face. "But your family and friends are all there. Everything you own is inside of that community". Gwen looks at the ground without saying anything. Leslie takes a moment to think before speaking yet again. "What...what if...what if we didn't have to go back yet? We could stay out here for a while and let your father have some time to cool off before we go back? You and I could take a trip or something and not have to think about it until we go back. The community is pretty far from here so we could just walk in that direction for a while until we reach it. I know it sounds crazy but it's just an idea-" Leslie gets cut off by Gwen. "It sounds perfect". Leslie looks up at Gwen and they both smile at one another before Lelie reaches her hand out. Gwen reaches for her hand and they lock fingers as they start walking. 

They walked and talked for hours together, just goofing around, telling jokes and talking about their lives before. Not when everything happened, just the happy moments with family and friends. "Have I ever told you about the dorky guy that used to live next door to me?" Leslie says with a laugh. "No, I don't think you did", Gwen says smiling. Leslie smiles again and continues her story. "Well he was always flirting with me, and once my mom made me go to his house to play video games once. Anyway, the guy tried to kiss me and I wasn't having that so when he leaned in, I threw my controller at him, and of course, his parent heard him crying, so they burst into the room and well, long story short, I was never allowed back at his house", Leslie finishes with a giggle. "I bet he learned his lesson", Gwen says, also giggling. Have I ever told you the story about the time I broke my mother's vase?" Gwen asks. "Nah, I don't remember you telling me that one". "Well, I was around 12, maybe 13, and my dad was at work. He ran his own company so we had a big house with lots of rooms. In one of the rooms, was my mother's most prized possession. Her favorite vase. My mother had passed away several years beforehand so my father made sure to dedicate a room to her belongings in order to keep them safe. One day while my dad wasn't home, I snuck into his room and took the key for the other room. After I unlocked the door, I went inside and started playing with her makeup and jewelry, and I started dancing in the middle of the room and I fell onto the pedestal that was holding the vase. I heard a loud shattering and when I got up, I saw that my mother's vase had shattered into a thousand pieces. My dad went into the room after work and he send me to a boarding school to "improve my behavior", as he put it. I was only there for about a month because they sent me back after realizing that I was a good kid after all". "Wow, that sounds-", Leslie is interrupted by an explosion ahead of them. "Isn't that-" Gwen cuts Leslie off again. "Home", Gwen lets go of Leslie's hand as she starts running in the direction of the explosion. "Gwen!", Leslie yells, chasing after her friend.

 As they approach the community, they see that it's being burned to the ground, with dead pouring in. Gwen runs through the open gates, leaving Leslie behind to fight the dead. She pulls out her knife and does her best to be quick. After taking down three or four of them before having a path to the gates. She doesn't take a second to breathe before chasing after Gwen. She runs into the community, panicking as she sees people being attacked by the dead, as well as the people who caused the fire. Leslie runs toward the admin building as she's being shot at by the attackers. Right before she reaches the building, she's shot right through her left leg. She screeches in pain as she falls to the ground. The man that shot her runs up to her with his gun pointing at her head. She struggles to crawl away, as the man puts his boot on her leg, putting all his weight on that foot. Leslie shrieks as the man lowers the gun, leveling it with her face. She looks up at him taking her final breath as she closes her eyes. She hears a loud gunshot along with the sound of a body hitting the ground, but she still feels the pain of her open wound. Then she hears a voice yelling her name. "Leslie? Leslie!". She opens her eyes to see that she's alive. The man why was pointing the gun at her was now lying on the ground with a gunshot through his head. She then looks in the direction from which she heard her name being called, to see Alex, who seemed to shot the man. "Alex!", she yells, struggling to stand up. "Leslie, what happened?", he says, putting her arm around his neck as he helps her to her feet. "It's Gwen". "You found Gwen?", he says, carrying her to safety inside of the admin building. "I found her last night. She was being attacked and I saved her. We got back here and she freaked out and ran in without me". Leslie explains as she and Alex enter another room, to see Gwen kneeling down next to her father. He seems to have been shot clean through the neck. Gwen is holding his hand, crying as Leslie lets go of Alex to fall to the ground next to Gwen, hugging her. "He...he's..." Gwen says, trying to form words as she's crying. "I know, I know", Leslie says, trying to comfort her. "Look, I know you're upset, Gwen but we really need to get out of here", Alex says, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Don't touch me!", she yells, slapping his hand away as she leans down closer to her father's body. "I'll give you a few minutes while I go get something. When I come back, we have to go, okay?", Alex says, waiting for a response. But he doesn't get one. Leslie looks up at him and nods. Alex then leaves the room and Leslie and Gwen are left alone. "Gwen...Gwen, we have to go", Leslie says, rubbing Gwen's shoulder. "If we don't go soon then we'll end up just like that", she says, looking down at Gwen's father. "I...I know but..I just can't...leave him..." Gwen continues to sob before finishing her sentence. Before even a few seconds pass, Gwen's father starts twitching. "Dad?", Gwen asks. After less than a second, her father grabs her by the arm and tries to bite her. Before Leslie can react, Gwen's father is shot in the head. Leslie turns to see Alex, still holding his gun, along with a small child in his other arm. The child seems to be about three years old. "Dad! Noooo......", Gwen screams. "Gwen, he turned. You know what would have happened", Alex says, not regretting his actions. Gwen sits on the ground, still crying as Leslie and Alex hear gunshots outside. "Come on, Gwen we have to go right now", Leslie says, grunting as she tries to stand up. Alex steps toward Leslie and hands the child to her. "You take Willow, I've got Gwen", he says running to Gwen, and helping her to her feet. Alex keeps his gun out for protection, as he holds on to Gwen, who can barely walk. Leslie also struggles while holding Willow, as she follows close behind Alex and Gwen. Luckily, they make it out alive, and head into the woods nearby.

 They travel in silence for a while before finding a small cabin. Alex leads them inside to ensure their safety, before deciding on what to do next. " Hey, Leslie? I need you to stay here with Gwen. I'm going to take Willow somewhere safe and then I'll come back for you both, okay?", he says, taking Willow out of Leslie's arms. "Somewhere safe? Where do you plan on going? Everywhere around here is gone", she argues. "When I found Willow, there was a bag left near her bed. It was full of food, water, ammo, and it even had a map of another settlement a few miles away from here. After I get Willow there safely, I'll come back for you, okay?", Leslie looks over at Gwen, then back at Alex. "Yeah, okay. Good plan" Alex smiles before leaving with Willow. "It was my fault he died. I ran away because he was yelling at me. I don't want you to say anything but maybe...maybe if I was there I could've protected him, maybe he would be okay" Gwen says, sobbing. "Maybe. But maybe you wouldn't be", Leslie says in a calm tone. Gwen looks down and continues to cry. Leslie looks around, realizing what just happened. She lost her home, most of her friends, and she almost lost her life. She takes a handkerchief out from inside her pocket and wraps it around her gunshot wound. Luckily for her, the bullet went clean through. She leans her head back against the wall and takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes and she thinks to herself, "Why couldn't it have been me?"

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