One Survivor

18 'I don't belong to anyone'

Ava sat in the backyard sharpening the end of the pole with her switch blade, "Ava, can we talk?" Ed asked and sat down opposite her on a tree stump.

"Okay" she continued to sharpen her weapon.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through all this time, but I can help you, bring back the old Ava. My Ava" she stood up so fast Ed didn't see it coming as she grabbed him by the shirt and held her knife to his throat.

"I don't belong to anyone. How many times do I have to tell you, the old Ava is never coming back" she glared at him, "You know I risked my life coming to find you, but I'm obviously not the only who changed" she stared at him and let go of his shirt.

"What did I do to make you hate me?!" he yelled and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from walking away.

"I'm glad you're alive, Ed. But the fact you've been with he man who tried to kill me and slaughtered our community, that I can't accept" she glared at him and tried to get her arm back, but he grabbed he rother arm as well.

"They told me you were dead, that they hunted you down and murdered you. If you were gone then what was the point? You wouldn't be alive to tell me right from wrong. So I'm sorry, Ava" he loosened his grip.

"But at least I didn't become what everyone thought you were" he let go of her and shoved past her, "Murderer" he muttered before going back inside.

Ava stood there for a minute, she heard what he said. She heard him loud and clear, "I can't help what this world turned me into" she muttered before dropping her knife on the ground and grabbing her weapon, jumping over the back fence, and stepping into the woods.

She gripped the pole and walked forward, "HEY!" she yelled into the forest and soon heard quick footsteps running in her direction.

"Hit me... come on" she muttered as a DR came at her and punched he across the face, trying to grab a hold of her, she dropped the pole on purpose, holding her fists up and punching it across the face, it dropped to the ground and tried to stand up. She straddled it and grabbed it's head, slamming it against the ground as she let all her anger out on this creature.

It was dead. She stood up and picked up the pole, heading deeper into the woods. "YO! UGLY!" she yelled as three of them came in all directions, two either side of her as she waited for the perfect timing and then dropped to the floor, holding the pole up above her as they both ran into an end of it.

She stood up and pulled it out of them and struck the last one across the face, it fell to the ground and she stood over it, "Who said you can get a second chance at life?" she spat and stabbed it in the head.

She bent over with her hands on her knees, she breathed heavily and tried to calm down. Maybe Ed was right, she was a murderer. She had killed people, actual human beings. She had stared at them in the eyes and killed them with this exact weapon. She tried to remind herself that she only ever killed if it were necessary.

She gasped when she realized what she done, she fell to her knees and looked at the blood on her hands. "I'm a murderer" she panicked and let out a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry" she whispered and looked up to the sky, she remembered that the first human being she had ever killed was Paige, she had told herself that she did it because Paige asked her to, she couldn't help but think that that was the start.

She remembered that the other's she had killed had either tried to kill her, injure her, or take her hostage and tried to use her as a walking blood bag. She knew that that was no reason to kill them and she needed a way to redeem herself, a way to finally feel like she somehow did some sort of just when she took their lives.

She heard a twig snap and she stood up, clutching her weapon, and scanning the trees. She saw a small figure hiding behind a tree, "Hey" she walked closer and could finally see their face.

It was a small boy, he looked to be four or five years old, he had sandy blond hair and brown eyes. "Hey, are you hurt?" she asked and tucked her weapon away.

He shook his head, "Where are you parents? Who's taking care of you?" she asked and stepped closer.

He pointed to the DR's she had just killed, and she sighed, "Do you know how they became one of them?" she moved closer.

He pointed directly at their bodies where a stab wound was and a few bullet holes, she sighed knowing that this kid was all alone.

"What's your name?" she was two feet away from him now.

"Lucas" he said quietly, and she smiled at the name.

"Hey, Lucas, do you wanna come with me, I can take you somewhere safe" she reassured him and stretched out her arms, he nodded and walked forward. She picked him up and held him in her arms, he looked confused at the blood platters on her face and blood on her hands.

"Uh... it's ketchup" she smiled and ran with him through the woods, she could her DR's from behind them and she began to panic, she stopped.

"Close your eyes" she whispered, and he did just that. She gripped onto her weapon in one hand and used her other to support the weight of Lucas.

She spotted a Dead Runner come at her as she ducked out of the way and twirled around, holding out her weapon as it struck it across the face, and she stomped ono it's head to finish the job.

"You good?" she asked the smaller boy; he nodded and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

She saw another one come directly at her as she held out the pole in front of her it ran straight into it and killed itself. She looked around and noticed it was getting pretty dark and she couldn't see any more DR's, so she bolted it back to the house.

"Sorry about this, buddy" she whispered and threw him over the fence listening to hear a thud and she did followed by Lucas crying.

She climbed up herself and jumped down, she picked him up and ran inside, "I bring child!" she yelled and walked into the living room, dumping Lucas on Justin's lap.

"Holy, infant on my crotch" he held his hands up, not wanting to touch him as Ava collapsed onto a chair.

"Ava, this is where you explain why there is a child here" Justin smiled and handed Lucas back to her.

"Well I was in the woods making friends and I killed his Dead Runner parents and now I brought him here to keep him safe" she smiled and played with his hands.

"You didn't think this through, did you, Small?" he asked her and stood up.

She stood up as well and left Lucas sitting on the couch, "What was I supposed to do? Leave him there?" she stared up at him.

"No. I'm sorry it's just— I don't like the thought of you being out in the woods alone" he cupped her cheeks in his hands, and she smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

"I love you, Ava" he whispered and kissed her hair.

"I love you too" she said in a muffled voice against his chest.

Ed leant against the wall listening to everything they were saying, it all started to make sense now. Why they were in love one minute then they see Justin and she hates him. He grunted and walked down the hall and into an empty bedroom.