Chapter 2:  Adventures in Babysitting

July 19th, Day 1

11:00 PM

It had been roughly two hours since the attack on the two girls. Clementine spent the first twenty minutes comforting an overwhelmed Rachel, and the next half-hour devising a plan for seeking help, particularly for Sandra.

Clementine initially tried to contact her parents, who were still on vacation and blissfully unaware of the situation going on at home. She called for her father, then for her mother, trying to get them to answer over and over.

Nothing. Nobody even hit respond.Rachel had an idea while clutching her toy bunny. She suggested calling her walkie-talkie, which she had accidentally left at home, hoping her brother would pick up and rescue them.

Clementine nodded and handed Rachel the two-way device. Rachel moved the dial with firm fingers until it fell on the shared channel she and Clementine used. She spoke into the radio with hope and anxiety as she squeezed the red reply button.

"Hello?"

This was fucked. All of this was fucked. If Travis had had even the slightest inkling that the world was about to plunge into chaos in less than twelve hours, he would've opted to stay home. He wouldn't have given up his playoff chances to spend time with Jacob Pitcher at Haley Gerrard's house. Looking back, he realized the weed and video games hadn't even been worth it.

Now he was pedaling through the streets of Stone Mountain well after midnight, surrounded by inky darkness, on a mission to find his best friend's missing sister, and he still wasn't completely off his high yet.

**********************************

[Rewind...]

The military had just marched through town, starting a strict curfew that had left everyone further in the dark. Travis overheard his neighbors and local store owners asking questions, particularly to the soldiers, but they received nothing more than vague replies. It seemed no one had a clear answer, or if they did, they weren't talking.
The more chatty residents started spreading rumors that the situation had been prompted by an incident that had happened at the clinic only two hours before the military showed up. And it took the sheriff and a few others to pry the bastard off the old man.

Soon later, soldiers in Humvees, most likely from the National Guard, rolled into the town. They gave the order for everyone to go back to their houses and avoid the main part of town. Travis watched as they questioned residents about possible exposure to anything as they went from house to house. Thankfully, he didn't see anyone being escorted away.

Their entire neighborhood was now labeled as a "Safe Zone," accompanied by a curfew, making him feel even more restricted than the rules imposed by his dad.

Sleep had become an elusive pursuit that night, the bright lights outside constantly intruding through his windows. Just when Travis had finally settled into a comfortable position, his phone's jarring ringtone (courtesy of Haley, who had changed it to "Lose Yourself") jolted him awake.

Squinting at the caller ID through tired eyes, his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the name.

"Dude, finally. Where the hell are you? Shit's been really weird out here." Travis asked as soon as he took the call.

"Oh, man, you're alive!" The voice on the other end sighed in relief. "Travis, we're so fucked."

Travis sat up, scratching his head. "What do you mean? Dude, where are you?"

"In Atlanta?"

"Why?"

"The playoffs! We were on the bus when... shit." The voice sighed. "Okay, look, my parents aren't answering either of their phones and my sister's not with either of them, I need you to—"

Travis pulled his covers off and leapt out of bed after hearing that sentence. "Wait, hold up, slow down. What's going on?"

"I don't know! We were on the bus, a-and then there was a hold up on the road. Those... those things were everywhere."

"Things?" Travis echoed. "What things?"

"Wait, you don't know?"

"No...?"

"...They...they're like corpses. A-At least that's what they look like. They eat anybody they can grab a hold of. They're all over Atlanta, haven't you heard the news on the radio or something?"

Travis swallowed and shook his head slightly. "N-No, I-I've been with Jacob and Haley most of the day."

A small bout of silence went between the two before the voice spoke again.

"We're held up in the school's gym for now. Can you... uh... can you just go pick up my sister and bring her to your place? A-And be careful, those things are everywhere, man."

Travis opened the blinds a little and peered down at the street. At the end of the street, guards were still posted, and a military vehicle was placed behind them with a roadblock.

"Dude, I don't know how I'm supposed to get out of h—"

Beep, beep, beep.

Travis looked down to the cell and sees the call abruptly ended. He tried to call back but each time the call went straight to voicemail.

"Shit." Travis cursed under his breath, looking at the time. Twelve-fifteen in the morning. "How the hell am I gonna get out of here?"

**********************************

As soon as Travis left his neighborhood, he quickly understood what he meant by "those things are everywhere". Travis realized he had entered "enemy territory" the moment he reached Main Street. He could make out the shapes of shambling people among the abandoned cars. Or, at the very least, they appeared to be people when viewed from a distance since, regardless of their proximity, they stank to high heaven. If they smelled like a dead animal, he knew to stay away from them.

As soon as he made it to East Mountain Street, Travis took a straight shot down until he hit the cul-de-sac. The neighborhood appeared unnervingly untouched. No national guard posted anywhere past his neighborhood, not even in town now that he thought about it.

Quiet.

No lights.

Travis looked up at his friend's house, which was right at the center end of the circle. Nothing was lit, not even the porch.

Not a good sign, he thought to himself.

He got off his bike and dropped it next to the curb before sprinting up the driveway. Travis climbed the stairs and knocked on the door while waiting for a response.
No answer.

He knocked once more. "Ray, let me in. It's me, Travis." He planted his ear close to the wooden door and called. Nothing.

"C'mon, there's gotta be like, a spare key or something?" Travis searched the porch. He lifted the welcome mat but clicked his tongue when he saw nothing. He neared the bench and threw the cushions to the floor. He almost shouted in frustration until he heard what sounded like a ring of keys shift within one of the cushions. Travis hurriedly grabbed the pillow and quickly unzipped it before reaching around and removing a tiny key ring.

"Fuck yeah...!" He grinned as he combed through the keys until he grabbed what appeared to be a house key. He quickly stuck it into the door and turned it, unlocking it the first turn.

"Bingo."

**********************************

Twenty minutes.

That's how long Travis spent searching the house. The first floor hadn't had a soul on it, and fishing around upstairs showed nothing either. Twenty minutes.

God, where the hell is she?

Travis sat on the bottom step of the stairs in the main hall, his face buried in his palms. With everything going on, he wouldn't be surprised if she ran off on her own to look for help. If anyone would do something like that, it's Ray.

And at that point, anxiety began to gradually set in. What if she got herself kidnapped or worse? Worse being nabbed by those... things in the streets. Those corpses that triggered the National Guard to barricade off half the block and apparently took over Atlanta.

"They eat anybody they can grab a hold of."

Anybody included stupid kids that might run away from home, too, right? Of course. How the hell was he supposed to explain this to her brother when he called back? Hell, how was he going to explain this to their mom?

...

"Hello?"

When Travis heard a voice that seemed to spawn from behind him, he almost flew out of his skin.

"Hellooo?"

That wasn't in his head. The voice was definitely coming from the second floor. Travis climbed the wooden steps gradually until he reached the top. He called out one more time.

"Ray?"

"Are you home yet?"

The voice was coming from Ray's room. Travis moved to the bedroom door and opened it after moving along the hallway. The first thing he noticed (apart from the clutter) when he entered the room was that it was empty.

"The hell..." Travis muttered. "Where is it coming from?"

Click.

"Please, you gotta pick up!"

Travis' attention suddenly turned to the dresser next to the window. A radio sat on top of a pile of books. Travis took it in his hand and pressed the red side button.

"Uh... hello?"

He waited for a response.

"... Travis?"

"Rachel! Jesus, I thought you were gone. Where are you?!"

"I'm at Clementine's house. Why are you at my house? Where's—"

"Nobody's here. That idiot told me to come get you."

"Is he okay?!"

"Yeah, but he's not here, if that's what you're wondering."

"Oh..."

"Look. You're alive, and that's good. Have... have you seen those things? The dead-looking people."

"The monsters? Y-Yeah. They're everywhere. But we're hiding, and they can't get to us."

"Good. Good. Just... stay put and I'll find you two. Got it?"

"O-Okay...! Please, hurry..."

"I got it, I got it. Just stay put."

Click.

And now he has to ride a bike to Atlanta. He could only hope that he didn't get shot or eaten on the way.

**********************************

July 20th, Day 2
6:12 AM

Because of the somewhat distant noises of cars colliding, guns firing, and monsters snarling, Clementine and Rachel huddled in the treehouse, their eyes fluttering open every few minutes. They felt vulnerable, not to mention afraid, knowing that their babysitter was alone, hurt, and perhaps being terrorized by a monster. As the nights wore on, exhaustion eventually overtook them, but it was short-lived.

Both of them were startled awake by a loud noise that came from the house. Holding their breath, Clementine and Rachel strained their ears to hear any other sounds. The silence was almost unbearable until they heard the faint murmurs of voice.

Rachel gingerly pushed the wooden entrance of the treehouse open and peered outside, her eyes scanning the yard for any sign of danger. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the fact that the T.V was on. The same T.V that Sandra had turned off just a day before.

"Clem! Look!" Rachel exclaimed, pointing towards the flickering lights. "The TV's on! Maybe Sandra's okay!"

Clementine cautiously peered out the window to see what Rachel was referring to. Sure enough, the TV was playing, and the sounds of something emanated from the open window. But if Sandra was well enough to watch TV, then why hadn't she come outside to let them know? After all, she had looked really hurt earlier. Clementine couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Soon enough, after a few seconds the sound cut off.

"We have to check on Sandra," Rachel urged. "M-Maybe she's scared and she needs our help to get up here."

Clementine hesitated for a moment, her mind racing with different scenarios. Was it safe to go back inside? Had Sandra somehow defeated the monster? After a few seconds of silence, she nodded her head in agreement. "O-Okay, let's go."

Lowering the ladder down from the treehouse, the girls cautiously climbed down, one after the other. As their feet touched the ground, they surveyed their surroundings: dark, silent, and scary. What transpired yesterday evening left them both hoping to hear the sound of an ambulance or other people, but there was nothing but crickets.

Clementine turned to Rachel, who nervously fidgeted with her dress and stared at the orange glow of the streetlights across the road. Despite being the one who suggested they check on Sandra, she was clearly hesitant to return inside, so Clementine took a moment to consider their next move.

Her plan was simple: find Sandra, check the house for monsters, lock the doors, and call their parents. Clementine's parents were in Savannah, but she couldn't recall where Rachel's were. All she remembered was that her mother was in a hospital somewhere for a few days. She didn't even know her phone number, but at least talking to her parents would ease her fears for a little while.

But then a wave of doubt washed over her. What if Sandra wasn't okay? What if the monster had eaten her? What if there were more monsters in the house?

Taking a deep breath, she revealed her plan. "We need to find Sandra... and call my parents," Clementine whispered. "Do you know your mom's phone number?"

Rachel shook her head. "Not really. I know it starts with four... seventy? But I don't remember the rest. I think there might have been a three?"

"Maybe we can ask Sandra for it. She has a cell phone, right?" Clementine suggested. Rachel nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! I think I saw her use it after lunch!" Babysitters usually have parents' numbers written down somewhere. And since Rachel was visiting Clementine's house, it meant that Sandra must have her mother's number in her phone.

Clementine smiled. "Okay, let's go. And be careful."

**********************************

Rachel tip-toed up the wooden steps onto the patio. Getting onto her hands and knees, she slowly crawled her way to the glass door, as to not make too much noise. She peeked into the glass door to see if she could find Sandra. The house looked... bad. At least from where she was crouching. One of the stools were knocked over, the dining table was skewed over and all of its chairs were out of place. Behind that, it looked as if the end table behind the couch had fallen over, and all of the books and paper on it had splayed across the floor.

Man, Sandra was really gonna get in trouble when Mr. Ed and Mrs. Diana get home.

Rachel subconsciously shook her head. No, Sandra wouldn't be in trouble, that monster would get in trouble. Speaking of monsters... where did it go? She could tell from the door that the front door was still open on account that the streetlight's orange gleam was very evident next to the T.V's blue light. Did Sandra leave to go find help? Rachel would've rather they'd gone with her instead of her leaving them in the treehouse alone. The treehouse was safe, has been for years, but still. She didn't like being alone, or without an adult around.

"Do you see her?" Clementine asked.

Rachel squinted and looked over the room one more time before shaking her head. "The front door is still open, I think she left..."

Clementine's eyes widened. "L-Left? You don't see her?"

Rachel hesitated for a moment, looking down at the threshold before turning back to the door. She knew there was only one way to find out what had happened to Sandra, and that was to go inside. Slowly, she slid the glass door open and tiptoed inside, Clementine following close behind.

As they entered the house, the first thing that hit them was the smell. A musty, tinny stench that seemed to linger in the air, making their noses wrinkle in disgust. It was an awful smell, and it seemed to be coming from somewhere close by. With only the flickering light of the TV and the orange glow of the streetlight illuminating the room, the girls could barely make out the shapes of the furniture around them. Everything looked out of place, as if a big tornado had just swept through the house and left nothing but total chaos in its path.

"Man, that monster made a really big mess..." Rachel muttered.

Clementine strode ahead of Rachel, her footsteps echoing through the eerily quiet house. As they approached the open front door, Clementine halted and peered out into the darkened yard. It was empty, devoid of any signs of life or movement, but thankfully also free of any lurking monsters. However, the absence of Sandra was beyond concerning, and another knot formed in Clementine's stomach as she realized they were really alone in the house.

"Do you see her?" Rachel asked after checking the sofa and noting that she wasn't there either. Clementine frowned and closed the door, locking it.

"N-No... it's empty outside..."

Rachel's face contorted from feigned bravery to immediate fear. "D-Does that mean she's really really gone then?" she stuttered.

Clementine shook her head. "She has to still be here," she pointed towards the wooden staircase. "M-Maybe she's upstairs..."

The girls looked at the unlit staircase. It was normally dark since there was no light directly above it, and that wouldn't bug them during sleepovers or slumber parties. But having a monster on the loose and a missing but still very injured babysitter because of said monster did not make those stairs look any safer. It made them look menacing.
The TV flickered back and forth before landing on a multi-colored screen, followed by words that read:

Emergency Broadcast System

Please stand by and await further instructions.

Clementine turned to Rachel, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "What should we do?" she asked, her voice low and hesitant.

To say Rachel was scared was an understatement probably of the century. Rachel wanted to go up there, maybe find Sandra lying down somewhere in Clementine's room or maybe using the restroom. But the thought of coming across that monster again made her feel as scared as a mouse. It was like an invisible hand was holding her back, a hold that seemed to grow stronger and stronger with every passing moment she stood there.

Despite her fear, Rachel took a deep breath and tried to call out to Sandra.

"Sandraaaa, are you up there?" Her voice was shaky, barely above a whisper, and she half-expected the monster to jump out from the shadows and attack her at any moment.
...

...

"Sandraaaa," she called once more. "It's me, Rachel! We're okay! The monster's not down here!"
...

...

...

Thump.

Something moved.

It was close to the top of the stairs.

...

...

It couldn't have been Sandra, the noise didn't sound like a person fell...
...

...

"Ar—"

SLAM

...

Step... step... step, step, step...

Creak... click.

...

Another moment passed in silence before they heard a series of slow, deliberate steps, followed by the ominous creaking of a floorboard. Rachel's mind raced with fear and uncertainty, her pulse quickening with each second. She knew it couldn't be Sandra.

As the steps grew further and further, Rachel and Clementine exchanged a worried look, their eyes wide with fear. There was someone up there, someone who wasn't supposed to be there. And they were coming.

The two girls were gripped with panic as they bolted towards the kitchen, seeking refuge behind the sturdy island. Their hearts bumped with the realization that an intruder had snuck into the house while they were hiding outside, and it definitely wasn't Sandra. A pregnant pause filled the air before the door to the room where the intruder was hiding creaked open slowly. Clementine tensed up as the footsteps drew nearer and nearer to the bottom of the stairs.

A voice pierced the silence, dripping with apprehension and caution. "Rach? You're okay?!" The words echoed through the abandoned house, and Rachel froze in her tracks. She knew that voice all too well.

"Travis?!" she called back, her heart racing as she darted toward the stairs. And there he was, rushing down to meet her. Rachel's eyes locked onto the familiar blue Stone Mountain jacket that he and her brother religiously wear. Even from a distance, it was unmistakable.

As soon as he reached her, the older boy wrapped her in a tight hug. "H-Holy hell...thank God you're okay!" he exclaimed, his relief palpable. "You weren't at your house a-and all the phones stopped working hours ago... I had to hitch a ride halfway from Stone Mountain since my tire was flat."

Travis scanned the room, his eyes landing on Clementine. "H-Hey, sorry for breaking into your house, Clementine," he greeted her with a nod.

Clementine responded with a small wave. Travis stood up straight, his heart rate slowing as he took in the chaotic scene before him. It was as if a tornado had swept through the place, throwing everything into anything. Books were scattered haphazardly on the floor, chairs toppled over. He regarded the girls with a hint of concern etched on his face. "You... didn't do all of this, right? Mainly you, Rach." Travis questioned.

Rachel rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "No, I didn't do this. The monster did... probably," she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Travis' eyes widened in shock, "Wait—one of those things got in here?! It didn't hurt you two, did it?!" he panicked, checking their arms for any scratches, bruises, or signs of injury.

"We're okay," Clementine reassured him. "It grabbed me, but I got away. It got Sandra though..." Her voice trailed off as the memory of the previous evening's events flooded back.

Travis nodded, realizing that if the girls were right then that meant Sandra was long since dead. He'd seen a few share of those things on his trip from Stone Mountain. Those corpse-like things that he soon witnessed eat whoever they get their hands on, or at the very least whatever they get their hands on. Mixed with the people with guns taking wild shots at them and yet they still kept moving. After his whole neighborhood went on lock down, it took a minute to sneak out with being spotted by the dead or the National Guard. It was even harder to move about in his surroundings when he didn't exactly know what to expect from it anymore. He searched Clementine's house for a good ten minutes before the girls made their presence known, and he didn't see any trace of her babysitter anywhere except for a puddle of blood in the kitchen that nearly gave him a heart attack.

Rachel nervously played with a stuffed rabbit, debating whether or not to ask Travis about her older brother's whereabouts. Finally, she mustered the courage to ask, "Is... um... are your friends still at school or something?"

Travis picked up what the girl was eluding to and nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry, he's good. I think he said something about them being on lockdown in the gym at the school we were going to for playoffs."

Rachel looked at him curiously. "Lock...down? If they locked the school then how did you get out?"

"I, uh... I missed the bus yesterday. I knew something was up when the bus never came to drop anyone off. Tried calling him for hours yesterday and when he finally called me back, he told me to go find you. I didn't know you were here until I heard you on the radio. That's what took so long, sorry. Your folks are still out of town, right?"
Rachel nodded. "Mhm. I don't know where Dad is, and Momma went to... uhhh... a hotel—no—a hospital in Savannah...!"

"Clem?"

Clementine chimed in, "My mom and dad went to Savannah, too! They're supposed to come back tomorrow..." Her thoughts trailed off as she considered the mess in the house. Her parents would, in fact, return from their trip tomorrow. She just didn't know how she would explain the mess to them.

Or the missing babysitter. Or the monsters.

"Are we going back to get him?" Rachel asked. Clementine shook her head.

Rachel turned to Clementine, who gave her a sad but resolute shake of the head. "Rachel, I can't leave... my parents will come home, a-and they won't be able to find me...!" she explained, her voice wavering slightly.

Travis heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, I have good news and bad news. Good news is that we won't be leaving, the bad news is because we can't leave. I-It's a long ways to the school and it's even longer to get back to Stone Mountain without a car. Plus we don't know what the fu—," Clementine shot him a pointed look, so he switched his language. "—flip... is out there or how many of those things are roaming around. Our best bet is to just stay put until this all blows over."

Rachel looked down sadly at this response. She wanted to get back to her brother as soon as possible, and yet her only direct line to him can't even get her there. She could walk, her legs wouldn't even get that tired! She played outside all the time and never got tired!

But she also understood why Clementine wouldn't want to leave her house. It was her home, her safe spot, and her parents would be back soon. Rachel exhaled sharply and hugged Captain Yellowbear close. Fine, they'd stay. But only until Mr. Ed and Mrs. Diana come back, then she and Travis would ask them for a ride to pick up her brother.

"...'Kay." The girl finally relinquished with a defeated sigh. Travis seemed to sense Rachel's disappointment and offered a small consolation in the form of a backpack.

"I brought snacks...? Don't worry about it, we'll just stay here and wait until Clementine's folks come back. We'll figure out what to do from there." Travis walked to the glass door and slid it open.

"It's probably a bit better in your treehouse than it is in here, c'mon—"

"Aghh..."

The three jump and look towards the stairs. A monster was upstairs. Travis cursed and ushered the girls out the glass door and quickly ran to the stairs, pulling the bookshelf down, causing it to block off the stairs.

"Travis!"

"I'm coming!" The teen shouted back as he bolted to the back door and slid it shut behind him.

**********************************

July 21st, Day 3

As the early morning stretched on, the trio found themselves plunged further into a waking nightmare. The sound of military choppers circling overhead was incessant, a far cry from the usual news choppers they were used to hearing. Gunshots echoed through the streets, which turned into an hourly reminder of the danger lurking just below their feet. Travis hoped that the cops or the military were handling the "creature" situation down there, but he also couldn't shake the fear of a stray bullet raining down and hitting him or the girls.

With only a scant handful of snacks between them, Travis tried to ration out the meager snacks he'd managed to bring from home. They scrounged whatever else they could find inside Travis' backpack, cobbling together a sad meal of crackers, pretzels, and hidden away Halloween candy. When they realized that the water line had been shut down, they were forced to sip from three water bottles he'd brought from home. And since there were two kids with bladders the size of walnuts, he had to take turns escorting them to the bathroom (which was now moved to the side of the house) every other hour, a job that grated on Travis' last few nerves.

But the real scare came the next morning, on the third day around eleven o'clock, when the three were awakened by a man shouting right outside the treehouse.
Travis motioned for the girls to be quiet as he slowly pushed open the wooden cover and peered out the window. He saw the source of the disturbance immediately: a man was pounding at the back door, yelling about something. He wanted the still-lit TV that was on inside. Travis wanted to yell out to the idiot, tell him to shut up or something before attracted every walker in the county to the backyard, but refrained from doing so because common sense would have it: calling out to a stranger dumb enough to yell this loud around creatures that are solely brought in by sound is probably not safe to talk to.

At all.

At some point, the idiot tried throwing a rock at the glass only for it to just bounce off the surface and back to the ground, but not without more unnecessary noise. A childish part of Travis wanted to vaguely yell down that "The door's already open, idiot!" but the half of him that fostered common sense helped push back that urge.
Eventually, the idiot got what was coming to him from the get-go as four monsters stumbled into the backyard from the front. Travis, Rachel and Clementine watch from above as the man strafes past the undead beings and back to the streets, bringing the monsters with him.

**********************************

7:20 P.M.

Silence.

The midday sun blazed overhead, casting harsh shadows across the deserted street. Clementine and Rachel sat in silence, their usual playful banter replaced by a heavy, uneasy quiet. Normally, during their summers, they'd play for hours and hours, in and out of Clementine's house until her mom told them they either had to stay in or stay out. They'd play with the neighboring kids, like Alfred with the peanut allergy, Daniel from soccer, Tallulah from girl scouts, or Ashley whom they've known since daycare. The whole neighborhood would play hide and seek, and the winner would get something like a Pocket Monster trading card or a bubblegum pop. Then they'd all retired back home, Clementine and Rachel would spend the rest of their time together for the day watching Disco Broccoli until Rachel's mother came to pick her up. And they would do it over and over until summer ended.

But now, it seemed like the world had come to a standstill. The streets were empty, devoid of the usual sounds of laughter and games. Even the cars that usually lined the driveways of their friends' homes were missing, and it had been a while since they had seen any of the neighborhood children. It made them realize...
They haven't seen Alfred with the peanut allergy, or Ashley from daycare, or Daniel from soccer, or Tallulah from girl scouts... or their parent's friends, or just other people... in days.

Clementine peered down to the left of the street from her perch in the tree, surveying the deserted landscape with growing unease, she never noticed that the cars that usually sit in the respective driveways had been missing since Saturday. All of them, simultaneously. It was as though the neighborhood had been abandoned, just left to the mercy of whatever had caused the sudden appearance of the monsters that scared them all away.

The street has never been this quiet during the summer. It was scary. The whole neighborhood was gone, left, like they've moved to a safer neighborhood.
They wondered if they would have to move to a safer neighborhood too.

When they asked Travis if they could go down from their safe perch in the tree, he denied their request without hesitation, reciting the danger outside. Even though he could keep watch over them, he wasn't willing to take any risks. And so, the three of them remained stuck up in the tree. As the day wore on, they realized that they had officially run out of food and water. Rachel reluctantly ate the last cracker, which was stale and unappetizing by that point, and would have preferred to give it to Travis or that squirrel outside their door instead. And with no other options, they were left with nothing to do but sit in silence, surrounded by each other's company.

It was a monotonous and dreary existence.

Clementine's eyes kept darting towards the driveway, hoping to see her parents' car pull in. But the hours ticked by without any sign of them. How long did it really take to drive from Savannah to Atlanta?

Rachel tugged at her stuffed companion's ears harder and harder as the day went on and Travis slept. He said they'd go find her brother as soon as Clementine's parents came home, but it seemed like they were never going to arrive. She didn't have a clock, or a watch, or a TV guide telling her the time. But her brother always said that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. And she, being something of an outdoors expert, had been tracking the sun's movement across the sky and could tell that it was starting to dip towards the west. And they still haven't arrived. Seriously, how long did it take to drive from Savannah to Atlanta?

However they thought the day would go, it clearly hadn't, and they were back to being as scared as they were the first night they spent in that, now, again unsanctified treehouse.

"Clem?" Rachel's voice broke the silence, drawing Clementine's attention away from the book she held in her hands.

"Yeah?" Clementine replied, looking at Rachel as she toyed with her stuffed rabbit's ears.

"I... I gotta go. I need to go," Rachel said, her tone anxious. Clementine frowned, not understanding what Rachel meant.

"Go? Oh, do you want me to wake up Travis? I don't have to pee, but maybe I could grab another book from inside?" Clementine suggested, confused.

Rachel shook her head, pointing to the exit. "No, I wanna go to the school that my brother is locked in."

Clementine's eyes widened in shock. She hastily tried to stop Rachel's escape plan. "No, Rachel! You heard what Travis said, you could get hurt!"

Rachel shushed her friend, not wanting to wake up Travis who was still asleep. "I have to! It's the only way I can help him. We can't sit here forever... that's... stupid!"

Clementine knew Rachel was right, in a way, but she was also scared for her friend. "No, I'm mean... it might be. But... Travis said you have to wait for my mom and dad to come home."
"But we've been here all day, and they haven't come home yet. Are you sure they were supposed to come back today?" Rachel asked, worried.

Clementine stayed silent, wringing her hands together as she stared at her feet. She thought her mom said they were coming home today, she kept saying "They'll be back in a few days!" whenever she asked Sandra about them, so clearly that meant today... right?

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The sudden sound of a man's voice sent shockwaves through the quiet woods, causing the two girls to freeze in place. Their hearts racing, they exchanged a look of confusion. One thought ran through both of their minds: 'Who was that?'

Rachel instantly sprang into action, shoving the wooden window open and reaching for the branch down before Clementine grabbed her dress. Clementine hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up her mind and decided to join her friend.

"I-I'm coming too...!" Clementine whispered. Rachel's expression turned from indigence to that of slight relief as she traveled down the ladder. Clementine stole a glance at Travis, still asleep and oblivious to the commotion outside. She felt the need to reassure him that they were just checking something out, without waking him up. She whispered to him, "We'll be right back, okay?" before joining Rachel outside.

**********************************

Clementine met Rachel on the ground, who was hanging on the fence, peeking over. She dropped down and faced Clementine.

"So, do you want to take the long way, or..." she pointed to the fence that she hung on moments ago. "This way?"

Clementine frowned. "I don't think I can jump that high..."

"I can lift you over," she said, pulling the barely shorter girl by her hand. "Don't worry, I've jumped a fence before! I'm a climbing master!"

Rachel stood confidently by the fence, her knees bent slightly and her fingers interlocked together. She beckoned Clementine over and instructed her to place one foot in her hands and push up with the other as she lifted her upwards. Clementine followed each step and almost lost her balance after she swung her body over the fence and landed on the other side. Rachel jumped up and grabbed the fence with slight ease, scaling up with her feet and climbing over.

Clementine pointed in the direction of the loud noise, which had the muffled sounds of someone yelling. But before they could even follow it, the sound of a really, really loud gunshot rang throughout the woods, causing them to freeze in their tracks. With their hearts racing, the girls cautiously stepped forward until they got to the first dip in the incline. From there, they could see over the wooded area and down the incline to where their eyes fell onto a man on the ground. In front of him, they could make out the shape of another man or monster, sprawled out in front of him, and behind him was a car.

The sitting man, however, didn't initially notice their presence and was apparently talking to himself. "HEY! ARE YOU DEAD?" he yelled at the unmoving body in front of him. It didn't reply back. The man looked around for a brief moment before his eyes met the girls'.

"Help!" the girls jumped at the stranger's sudden cry for help, realizing he could easily see them from afar. "Go get someone! There... There's been a shooting!"

The girls looked at each other with wide eyes before slowly backing away into a full sprint.

**********************************

With adrenaline pumping through their veins, the girls clambered up the fence and scaled the treehouse with an urgency they had never felt before. As they burst through the door, Travis was looking frantically with worry etched across his face.

"Oh, thank God—you're okay! Where the hell did you two run off to?!" he exclaimed.

"There was a loud sound outside so we went to check it out," Rachel explained, breathless and wide-eyed. "There was a car crash!"

"What?!"

"Yeah, we saw someone out there and he saw us too, but we ran away," Clementine added.

"WHAT?!"

"But we're okay, though." Rachel nodded, and Travis face palmed. These brats... Travis let out a frustrated groan and face-palmed. He had woken up to the sound of a gunshot, only to realize that the two girls were missing. He ran back inside, out to the front yard and back just to find out that these two decided to go and take a "field trip" to investigate a crash site out in the woods. He couldn't even sleep for a few hours.

The three were interrupted however by the clamorous banging and groaning of monsters at the fence below. Travis gestured for the girls to remain silent, although he'd be lying if he'd said he wasn't fighting back the urge to yell for help himself if the monsters' combined weight managed to break down the fence.

They held their breath and waited, until the distant sounds of gunshots broke the eerie silence. Travis assumed it wasn't the loud shotgun blast they heard earlier, but another shooter in the distance. The monsters outside quickly ceased their attack on the fence, likely lured away by the gunshots.

Relief washed over Travis as he released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. For now, they were safe. He looked at the girls, causing them to avert their gaze and utter a quiet apology. Travis sighed and leaned back against the rough wooden walls of the treehouse. He wondered how Sandra even managed to keep up with these two, because even he was struggling to do it alone. This shit was way beyond the capabilities of an only child. Suddenly, a voice echoed from below, startling Travis out of his thoughts:

"Hello? Anybody?"

He groaned inwardly. Travis couldn't catch a break today.