"-still i walk beside the still waters and they restore my soul
but i can't walk on the path of the right because im wrong."-
shawn james, 'through the valley'

Luli had been comatose for three days and counting. After being rescued, the girl was flown in a helicopter along with Parke Lizano and Major Griffith Stone.

The military man wasn't supposed to bring back any civilians and he knew what would happen if he did. In the air he had shortly considered shooting the kids to end their suffering right then and there.

But, he didn't and that made all the difference.

The two unconscious teens were rushed to the infirmary that wouldn't be unoccupied for long. Hundreds of people were expected to show up to the emergency base.

Unknowingly to them, it would only be less than twenty four hours until they stopped taking outsiders in and began shooting on sight.

Dr. Pierce; one of the finest in the medical field would be confused about the two kids that were brought to her. She would have a scared look in her eyes once Major Stone told her the mistake he had made.

Despite all of this, the woman repaired Parke's ankle and put the duo on IV's until they woke up. The boy awoke almost instantly; shooting up from the bed with a gasp like they dramatically did in the movies.

He began bombarding them with questions as the pain from his head grew worse and worse. Panicked, incoherent mumbles spilled out of his mouth like rain drops.

Parke never knew what it felt like to want your family to be so close to you up until that moment.

Dr. Pierce handled the situation with ease, typed his name into the database, and allowed himself to get settled in.

Throughout this all Parke had forgotten about Luli until he was guided through numerous corridors and into a warehouse like building filled to the brim with bunk beds and people.

After three days without seeing her; three days hoping that maybe she'd be a friend through all of this, he concluded that she had died.

All there was left to do was pretend everything was okay.

On the fourth day Luli would awaken, not with a gasp but with a simple groan and the words, "Turn it off." coming out of her mouth.

She was referring to the beeping coming from the machine beside her, thinking for a second that it was her bedroom.

As her hand searched for the snooze button on her alarm clock, the girl only found emptiness. Her brown eyes shot open with a look of confusion.

Luli looked around frantically, only being able to move her head as the rest of her limbs were stiff with terror.

She saw the machine, the IV in her arm, blue blankets and curtains, and finally the smell of disinfectant found it's way into her nose.

The girl wondered if she was in the hospital; finding herself disoriented.

"Hey, you're alright." A soft voice soothed her.

Her head spun to the side only to be met with a woman dressed in scrubs with pitch black braided hair and brown hazy eyes.

Luli swallowed roughly as she began slowly sitting herself up on the hospital bed. Her brown eyes suddenly looked determined, "Where am I?" But, her hoarse voice did not match the way she looked.

The doctor let out a deep sigh, "I'm Dr. Pierce." She introduced ignoring the teenagers question. "You're going to be fine. You've got a couple of cuts and a concussion but you'll be able to go today." She explained quickly as she turned around to grab something.

That's when everything flooded back into her head like lava.

The soldiers, the creatures, Parke, and finally, the event that landed her in the bed she was sitting on.

A small gasp went past her lips as the memory of the flesh eating individuals was vivid in her young mind.

Dr. Pierce turned around with a thermometer, "This is going to go under your tongue." Neither of them said a word as they waited for a short amount of time until the tiny machine made a beeping noise.

The doctor cherished that small moment where Luli couldn't speak- where she couldn't prod for information that the woman never enjoyed giving.

"You're temperatures normal." Dr. Pierce stated, putting the thermometer away. "Does your head feel okay?

"A couple of days?" Luli thought to herself.

She couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the doctor since the girl never got the answer to what she had previously asked. "I'm fine- I feel fine. Just please, where are we?" She tried once again.

Once again the woman ignored her question, "Do you remember your name?" She asked with another sigh.

That annoyed Luli making her clench her jaw, "It's Solano. Luli Solano."

"Can't you spell it for-."

The blonde rolled her eyes, "S-O-L-A-N-O, L-U-L-I." She interrupted frustratedly catching the doctors full undivided attention. "I remember okay? I remember my name, my dogs name, my dads name, my moms, my sisters, the street I live on- I remember everything. Especially those things that aren't alive anymore and fucking eat people so please, I just want to know where I am."

Dr. Pierce was startled at the sudden outburst from the young girl. From her appearance, she wouldn't think that would have happened. After a couple of seconds, the woman did what she hated the most; lie.

"You're in a military base in Dahlonega, Georgia. You're safe here, you don't need to worry."

Luli's heart dropped to her stomach as her fingernails dug into the sheets underneath her. "But, I-I was in Idaho?" She confusedly responded looking towards the doctor.

She nodded deciding that it was time to be blunt, "You weren't supposed to be rescued but a major didn't follow the protocol so now you're here." Her voice was monotone.

Luli suddenly felt like a burden, knowing that ending up in a military facility without permission wouldn't have a good outcome.

The woman's facial expression softened as she noticed the way the girl was now looking at her. She wanted to reach out to the younger girl and reassure her but she had a feeling that wouldn't make her feel better; she only wanted one thing.

"It's a virus." Dr. Pierce began causing the look on Luli's face to slowly fade the more she continued. "We don't know all of the details but the CDC is trying to figure out all they can." She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "All we know so far is that whenever you are bitten or scratched; you turn into one of the infected."

"And those orders the soldiers had?" Luli prodded curiously, her back now straightened. "Were we all supposed to die in that school?"

The doctor felt an eerie chill on the back of her neck causing her head to shake as she dodged another question, "You'll be alright- like I said before, you're safe here. If anything we'll all only be here for a couple of weeks."

They both knew that wasn't the truth.

After all, Luli was just a kid and to society kids like to hear stories. She didn't want to point out everything that was wrong to the woman because honestly, she was exhausted even after being in a four day coma.

Besides, this was the only place that could keep her alive long enough to find her family.

All she did was fake a satisfied smile, "Okay." She breathed to which Dr. Pierce nodded with a tight lipped grin.

Suddenly, the front curtain slowly began opening. A decent sized man with a beard and bright green eyes popped his head in looking between the two.

"May I?" The man questioned to which the doctor referred to Luli who nodded.

As soon as the girl saw the man's entire stature, she immediately recognized him by the way he carried himself. The strong build on his shoulders, how confident he was, and the green eyes that she could never really forget.

Major Griffith Stone; the man who made a mistake.

Although he had saved her life, Luli didn't know how to feel towards the man. The ominous set of words that he had said before knocking her and Parke out made her curious to what lied over the curtain in front of them.

She squinted her eyes, looking right at him, "I remember you." Her voice came out soft. "Major Griffith Stone; you saved Parke and I."

The man nodded, chuckling slightly, "It wasn't all me." He added before pointing a finger at her. "You're pretty brave, you know that?"

His comment made a scoff come out of the girl's mouth, "More along the lines of stupid but whatever you want to call it." She said rolling her eyes making both the doctor and major chuckle.

Major Stone moved beside her bed in order to stick his hand out with a small smile, "I'm Griffith Stone or Major Stone." He introduced. "We didn't get to meet formally the first time."

She didn't hesitate to shake his hand, giving it a tight squeeze, "Luli Solano." The girl replied bluntly trying to force a smile but it didn't work.

The man turned around with a light laugh and began asking questions about the girl's health.

It was odd to Luli, she couldn't pin point why the man was treating her like someone he cared for. After all, she was just a stranger.

Dr. Pierce began handing Luli an orange bottle of pain killer causing the girl's mouth to go dry and her blood run cold.

She shook her head, "It doesn't hurt." It was a pathetic attempt at refusing the pills. Something that could potentially destroy whatever was left of her life.

The doctor smirked, "That's because you're in something to numb the pain but it'll wear off." She informes before resting the bottle of pills softly in the girl's hands. "Take one every six hours for a five days."

Luli knew it was no use so she decided to simply ignore the bottle before picking at the ridiculous white bandage on her head. "What about this?" She grumbled.

Dr. Pierce chuckled, "It's just for safety precautions so I'd recommend wearing it at least for the rest of the day." She answered detaching the girl from the machines.

Major Stone nodded with a grateful grin on his face, "I appreciate everything you've done for Luli and Parke, Dr. Pierce."

A small blush rose to the woman's cheeks, "My pleasure." She started walking towards the exit but stopped at the curtain and turned back to the girl on the bed. "You're allowed to leave whenever you feel ready."

"Thank you."

Once the doctor was out of sight, Major Stone looked towards her with a sigh, "How're you feeling?" He questioned taking a seat on the bed.

Luli took a deep breath truly thinking about it, "It feels like I woke up in the twilight zone." She finally answered. She licked her lips before looking at the man. "So you know, pretty bad."

He felt air caught in his lungs, forcing him to look at the girl with a false sincere look, "There's a chance your family is here but if they aren't, there are plenty of other safe places they could be."

The teenager chuckled grimly seeing through the man like a two way mirror, "You're lying to me." She pointed out causing him to tense as her eyes narrowed. "Everyone from my school is dead except me and one other person so what makes you think I believe you didn't clear out other places."

There was a hint of sympathy in Griffith but as soon as she said that; his mood turned cold. "That place was already too breached; we couldn't risk saving everyone." He shifted but his expression never softened. "Other teams, not including my own, did go around saving civilians. Not a lot but enough."

Luli's eyes averted the man's as a realization came over her, "What if I don't have anyone?" The way it came out would break any sensitive heart into a million pieces. It was as if the girl would rather be dead than be alone.

That's all Griffith Stone needed for a feeling of sympathy to return. He dipped down slightly to follow her gaze basically forcing her to look at him, "Don't give up yet. It doesn't do the heart any good." His advice was truly sincere and so was the reassuring smile he shot towards her afterwards.

Then Luli had an actual thought to the whereabouts of Parke Lizano causing her to look up at the man. As if he read her mind he said, "He's doing good. You'll see him around here in no time."

She nodded, not sure how she should feel as they both fell into a deep silence. The older man stood up and handed her a pair of clothes that looked like they were just about her size.

"Here; I'll be outside when you're done."

So Luli got dressed and found herself feeling envious at the fact that the clothes fit her better than what she owned.

Afterwards, the duo found themselves walking the same corridors Parke Lizano and another soldier did only two days ago.

And just like the boy, her eyes widened at the sight of everyone when a large sign that read 'MILITARY PERSONNEL' caught her attention.

She found herself hoping they would be able to stop whatever was happening.

"Here you are." Griffith announced.

The blonde girl looked straight ahead to see a bunk with only one or two feet of space around it that her and her bunk mate could call their own. There were hundreds of similar beds in the secluded area just like it.

She tilted her head to the side in curiosity, "We're not the only ones dealing with this are we?" It was straightforward as she knew the man would tell the truth.

"Everyone in the military was drafted to to bases all over the country; some even out."

Her eyes widened at the fact this was happening nationwide. The information have her a terror that was hard to ignore but she didn't want to worry the man so she simply nodded.

Before she could forget, the girl turned to ask the military man a question that had been burning in her mind since he went to visit her. But, she was too late as he began explaining the rules and duties of the camp then left her to settle in.

Luli clutched her schoolbag that she had found in the trunk at the foot of her bed. She sat down and began looking for something useful; useful for what? Well, that part the girl didn't know but whatever it was all she didn't find it in there.

There was a book, a journal, gym clothes, and thousands of useless things stuffed in there for school.

Her eyes spotted the white phone charger but as her hands dug through her belongings, she threw the bag down remembering it was left behind.

Luli was alone; really alone for the first time in her entire life. She had felt the aching pain of feeling like she was the only one in a room full of people and everyone said that was always worse; they were wrong.

Just above her was a girl; one with flowing dark brown hair and eyes to match. And Luli jumped once that said girl began descending the small ladder.

As soon as the person stood in front of her; both of their mouths gaped open for it was not just a human; she was a miracle.

They immediately embraced each other tightly feeling the warmth of having a sibling in a time of need take over their hearts.

"You're here!" Pearl, Luli's (half) older sister exclaimed as they pulled away.

The blonde was dumbfounded and simply nodded as it took her voice a couple of seconds to return, "Y-Yeah. Is Holland here? Mom? Dad? Jayla?" She asked frantically; head snapping in everywhere direction expecting to see the rest of her family.

"No, they're not here." Pearl informed in a saddened voice. "I tried to call but it didn't go through."

They began having a conversation but Luli found herself unable to continue it. There was something lingering around her that she needed to get away from. And when Pearl left to explore the base camp; the girl found her opportunity.

She sat back down on the mattress, her hand cooled around the orange bottle of pills. Her throat began feeling clogged as forcefully shoved the medication into the backpack.

And that feeling grew stronger; one that made you want to run away and never come back in anyway that was possible.

The girl ripped the bandage around her head and dug her hands back into the bag. A cigarette was what she gained and with that, she was satisfied enough to step outside.

It'd be a lie if Luli said the tobacco helped her relax as she sat down in a small space between a building and the next. Someone's presence caused the girl to lazily hide the cigarette before she looked up to see Griffith staring down at her.

Her heart began racing as his stare was stern but just like before, his mood changed drastically. The man chuckled, showing off his pearly whites, "You know it still lit right?"

Luli chuckled nervously, shrugging before deciding to say 'fuck it' and put it against her lips and took a drag. As she puffed it out, his eyes grew wide and he pointed behind her, "Someone's coming!"

She jumped slightly as her own eyes widened and her head spun around the pilar only to see no one there. A small sigh of relief escaped the girl's lungs as she scoffed.

The man smiled widely at his stupid prank, "Got you." He said before reaching forward. "Now, give me that- you shouldn't be smoking especially with a concussion."

Luli didn't protest but couldn't help but feel agitated at his statement, "Yeah, no thanks to you."

Griffith frowned in anger almost instantly. His eyebrows furrowed down, "Hey, cut the bullshit. Neither of you would be alive if I didn't do what I did." He reminded sternly.

Luli gulped at the sudden change of his voice and wondered if it was the man's personality or if all soldier had mood swings.

Getting tired of being lied to or never being told anything of importance her entire life, the girl prodded.

"What did you mean by what you said to us?"

There was a small pause and a slight breeze as he looked towards the large fence that kept them secure from the horrors that lied beyond it. They could feel the tension from the question and everything in between.

After a couple of seconds, he simply looked towards the girl, "Things just aren't always what they seem to be." He stood up and in an emotionless voice said, "Just go get some rest."

Griffith walked away and Luli watched as he disappeared into the specialized military station.

She felt the ominous feeling that she had when she first arrived growing by the second. The man spoke in riddles and they were all gut wrenching.

Major Stone obviously meant something by what he had just told the girl and when she looked into the window that gave a view of all the civilians crowded inside, her mouth went dry.

It was only a matter of time until the "safe haven" showed it's true colors.