One Survivor

13 'Four years later'

"Davis says we can head back, not much left in this section" Sam tucked the radio back into his pocket and walked with Luke as they headed back towards the community.

"You checked the gas station right?" Luke asked him as Sam nodded.

"Nothing but expired candy and a few dead" Sam sighed and kicked the stones in front of him.

They heard a twig snap form behind them and they both pulled out their guns and turned to where the sound came from, "Hello?" Luke called out and gripped onto his gun tighter.

"Hi" a voice whispered in his ear before he and Sam where kicked to the ground, the figure drove a pole into his arm to keep him down as Luke yelled out in pain. The figure straddled Sam and held a pocket knife to his throat.

"Where's Justin?" the figure asked, and they recognized that the voice belonged to a girl. Sam stared at her and analyzed her face, two big hazel eyes that stared down at him and her hair was platted in different knots and braids. Blood covered almost all of her face and hands, she was wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans.

"Who?"

Luke and Sam were tied to two different tress as the girl sat in front of them, a small fire was lit next to her as she stared at them, "Where's Justin?" she asked again.

"We told you already, we have no idea who that is!" Luke tried to move out of the rope that bound his wrist together behind the tree.

She stood up and held a knife to his throat, "Davis is your leader, correct?" she looked at both boys and they nodded, "That man took everything from me and I know he has Justin, so I ask you again, where is Justin located?" she pressed the knife further into Luke's neck.

Sam grunted and gave in, "He's keeping him in the community holding area. He's alive" Sam confessed.

"He—he's alive?" they heard the slight crack in her voice.

"Yes. Davis is keeping him because he wants this girl to come back and pay for what she did four years ago" Luke added to Sam's confession as the girl removed the knife.

"I know" she muttered, "He wants me..." she started and both boys exchanged looks,, she turned back to them and started at them.

"My names Ava"

Four years. A lot changed, ever since that night when they destroyed Davis' community and she lost Edward. Ava, Justin, and Malcom where the only ones left. That was until five months ago when the twenty-year-old girl was coming back from a supply run only to find Malcom dead on the living room floor and Justin missing.

She had been looking for Davis' new community ever since and tried to figure out a way to rescue Justin and have the two of them back on the road again. But ever since that night she'd changed, she went looking for danger instead of trying to stay out of it. She looked for Dead Runners and killed them with such force.

Ava stumbled back and sniffed as she crawled out of the blood bath, one year without Edward and this is what she was becoming. She stood up and stared at the pile of DR's completely slaughtered at her hand. Her face was smeared with their blood, her entire body stunk of guts and shit.

"Ava" a soft voice spoke up from behind her as she turned to see Justin standing there, eyeing the pile of dead.

"What is it?" she asked and walked past him and towards the lake.

"I need you to listen to me" he followed her as she took of her jacket and walked into the lake, washing off the blood form her face and hands.

"I'm listening" she mumbled and started washing her face.

"I want you to stop" he ordered, and she dropped her hands and turned to him.

"Stop what?" she asked  inocently and strode out of the water, picking up her jacket.

"This!" he pointed to the pile she just made, "You need to get yourself under control. You wake up in the morning continuously looking for danger, what is it you want to achieve?" he asked and gripped her shoulders.

"I need to--... I can't help it Justin... a part of me is just begging for me to kill something, anything. And I can't get it to shut up" a tears made its way down her cheek.

"Jesus, Ava. Doing this is not gonna take away the pain, you lost someone special to you, I know. But you are turning into something that scares me. You've become distant, cold, and I can't help but think..." he watched her eyes dart up to his, "I can't help but think about what you'll do when we run into another human being" he finished as she narrowed her eyes at him and clenched her jaw.

"I am not turning into anything. This is what the world has done to us and we just need to accept it, it's time you did too" she glared at him, shoving him away and heading back to the house they'd been staying in.

"You're her?" Luke stared; disbelief written all over his face as he watched her nod gently.

"Justin is all I have left, I don't normally do this and believe me by now I would have slit both your throats" she stared, "But can you please help me get him back?" she asked them and they both exchanged looks.

"What's in it for us?" Luke asked.

"Your life" she glared at him and flipped up her knife.

The two boys nodded their heads simultaneously making a small smile creep onto Ava's face.