Me and Sophia were walking on this path, we had trees on our left and trees on our right. We didn't know where we were going, just looking for somewhere, I guess. Somewhere worth going. "How you doing?" I asked Sophia, breaking the hour-long silence.

"I'm good. For the millionth time. You don't gotta keep asking me." She laughed under her breath.

"Well, what you went through sucks. I gotta check in on my favourite girl." I defended.

"Yea, it sucks. But, I'm okay. You stopped him before he could go any further... That's the main thing." Sophia nudged me, gently.

"Doesn't matter how far he got. What he did was... Inhumane. What he was going to do as well. It's okay if you're not okay." I tried.

"Woah, inhumane, that's a big word for you." Sophia grinned.

"I'm serious, Soph." I stopped in my tracks to turn to her. "What he did is not a joke."

"Sorry, I'm just playing around." Sophia furrowed her eyebrows. "Why are you so hung up on this?"

"I told you bout Isabella's boyfriend who died? Well, he was an inhumane prick. Nobody checked up on me. Nobody cared. I'm telling you that I care about you and what you went through. Not to mention I shot a man in front of you and you're like anti-death and all that Christian crap." I explained.

"He... Isabella's boyfriend, he..." Sophia trailed off.

"She called me an attention whore and said I was lying. So, yea, I'm a bit hung up on this." I told her before I started walking again. I turned around after a few steps and noticed Sophia standing in her place and staring at the floor. "You coming or not?"

She slowly looked up to me. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "He got what he deserved. You might call it's God's plan or whatever."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Sophia offered.

"Maybe one day." I answered. "I can't today." My voice cracked slightly so I cleared my throat. "Come on, let's go."

Sophia nodded and walked to keep up with me. "Does dad know?"

"Nope." I popped the p. "Tried praying to God. Took the big guy months to come through. So, I gave up. And that's all I'll be saying on the subject."

"Can I hug you?" She questioned.

"Can I punch you in your mouth?" I challenged.

"Is that a yes?" Sophia asked. I turned to her with a sigh, stopping in my tracks and spreading my arms. Sophia smiled softly at me before bringing me in for a hug. I sighed into her, hugging her back tightly. "You're so strong... But you don't have to be. Not all the time. You got me now."

Me and Sophia were approaching a bridge when a noticed a sign in front of it. "Hold up." I told her, pointing at the sign which she read aloud. 

"Sanctuary for all, community for all, those who arrive- survive." Sophia read.

"Terminus." I nodded. "You reckon it's still up and running?"

"Might be. We got anywhere better to be anyways?" Sophia laughed.

I heard rustling in the trees behind us. We both turned, I whistled to see if a walker came out. Nothing. I turned back to the sign which had a map underneath. "We walk over the bridge and then for three miles. Turn right once we get to the tracks by the looks of it."

"It's where all the tracks meet." Sophia realised.

"Ya know, if anyone else got out of the prison... And they saw these signs?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's where they would be." Sophia nodded. "Mum could've seen these signs."

"Let's not get our hopes up for anything. This place could be overrun like everywhere else, maybe nobody else made it out of the prison... But, I do think it's worth checking out. It only looks to be a three or four day walk. If that." I explained.

"Let's go, Ron." Sophia smiled at me.

"Lead the way, Hermione." I stepped back and let her walk-in front of me onto the bridge. 

I caught up and walked by her side. "How many spiders does it take to make an app?" I questioned.

"How many?" She smiled.

"None. They only do web design." I wiggled my eyebrows.

Sophia scoffed a laugh and shook her head. "That was terrible. Well and truly terrible."

"I thought it was amazing." I muttered.

"And that my friend, is why you're Ron Weasley." Sophia commented.

"And you're Hermione Granger. A chronic buzz kill. It was a fabulous joke." I muttered. She laughed at me; her laugh made me smile.

I heard a click behind us. I turned around and I thought I saw a ghost. There he stood; gun pointed at us. James. His left hand was holding onto where I had shot him a few days ago, his shirt was blood stained but I'm guessing he stitched it up himself.

"How are you alive?" Sophia asked.

"You shut the door before you could see the walker get me. I managed to fight it off. You ain't the only ones who've been surviving out here." James reminded us.

I took off my backpack and let it drop onto the floor, it would let me fight better. I put my hands up and stood in front of Sophia. "Put the gun down, James."

"And why would I do that? You left me for dead!" James raised his voice.

"You're a paedophile." I reasoned with him.

"No, I'm not! I didn't even look at kids before this! The end of the world changes people!" James shouted.

"You trying to bring every walker down on us? Lower your voice." Sophia scolded.

He sighed. "Please, I'll let you go after. Just... Let me. Please. Nobody has to get hurt."

"Nobody has to get hurt?" I raised my eyebrows. "I'm ten. Sophia's barely fourteen. It'll hurt."

"Not if you do it right. Please, I'm begging you." James pleaded.

"You'll shoot me before I let you touch either of us." I challenged.

"I don't wanna shoot you." James shook his head. "But, I will. I'm the man with the gun. I'm in charge here. You'll do what I say. Take your clothes off now."

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. "How is it possible that you're dumber than you look? I'm not doing anything you say. Neither is Sophia."

"I don't even know why I'm asking. You're kids. I can make you." James pocketed his gun and strode over to us.

I wasn't so good at fist-to-fist fighting... He grabbed my arms and pinned me to the wall of the bridge which ended at my lower back. Under the bridge was a thirty feet drop to fast moving water. Sophia went for him, but he tripped her up and pushed her, so she hit her head on the wall and fell onto her back. She looked dazed as blood ran down her temple. While one of his arms were off me, I reached down and grabbed the first weapon I could get my hand on. It happened to grab my boomerang, I took my opportunity and rammed the blade into his crotch. A very, very loud scream ripped from his mouth as he backed away and fell onto the floor. 

I grabbed Sophia's hand and pulled her to her feet. She still had her bag on her back. "You okay?" I questioned her.

"Fine." She muttered, wiping the blood from her head. She reached down to grab her gun from the leather belt mum had made her. All of a sudden, James had gotten back up and he pushed her. He pushed her so hard she went over the short wall of the bridge.

"No!" I screamed, grabbing onto her hand in time. I kicked back so I kicked the fresh wound on his crotch. He screamed and fell again. I looked back to Sophia and tried pulling her up, my right hand gripping her right hand as my left hand gripped her right wrist. "I'll pull you up." I assured her, and tried pulling her... But I couldn't.

"You can't. Ellie, you're malnourished, and this bag is really heavy." Sophia shook her head. "You gotta let me go and kill him. Kill him before he gets up and hurts you."

I looked down to the rushing water, thirty feet below the bridge. "I can't risk you dying. You can't die, Sophia!"

"You'll be okay. You'll survive. I know you will... You gotta let me go, El. Just let me go." She assured me, her voice as soft as ever, her eyes kind and caring as my grip on her began to slip. "Let me go."

"I'm gonna hold on till the end. I don't want to live without you, Sophia." I cried, I turned to James who was still crippled on the floor. "If you help me bring her up you can do whatever you want to me! Just help me!" I screamed at him.

"Let the bitch die!" He shouted back at me.

A sob escaped my lips as I looked back down at her. "Please, Soph."

"I love you, Ellie." She told me.

"Don't... No, Sophia!" I screamed as her hand fell from my grip. I watched as she fell into the water. It was like slow motion. A bloodcurdling scream left my mouth as I watched my sister fall towards the rapid depths of the water. A loud bang echoed in my ears, and I fell to the floor. 

"No!" I heard Sophia scream before a splash. I looked down, James had shot me in the thigh. With his gun in hand, he started crawling towards me. The warm pain I'd felt last year spread throughout my leg, he crawled over me and put his hand over my mouth.

"Once you're dead, just know... I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want to you." He hissed. My left leg was shot, my right knee came up to knee him in his very broken crotch.  He screamed again, I managed to grab my boomerang and hold the knife end to his abdomen. He saw the deadly look in my eyes and rolled onto his back. I pocketed my boomerang before grabbing my pocketknife. I stabbed him in his chest... Again, and again, and again.  He screamed and yelled; the sound of the water must have distracted any nearby walkers. I kept bringing down the knife, angry sobs leaving my mouth as I stabbed him over and over and over again. He was dead, but I kept stabbing him.

I finally stopped, sobbing loud as I leaned back against the wall of the bridge. I put my knife back before standing up and peering over the side. No sign of Sophia. I limped to the other side of the bridge, maybe she survived and crawled out somewhere. I couldn't see her though. I didn't know if she was alive. I didn't know if she was dead. What could I do?

"Sophia! Sophia!" I screamed at the water. Obviously, there was no reply. I turned away from the water, sobs leaving my mouth, I hunched over before falling to my knees and screaming loudly. I'd lost everyone, whether they were alive or dead... I'd lost them. I fell down onto my side and let sobs escape again. I couldn't control myself anymore. My chest was rapidly bouncing up and down with the heavy breaths which could've very easily been a panic attack as I started struggling to breathe.

After a few minutes, I stayed quiet as I stared up at the sky. Tears still falling from my eyes. My knees bent, my left-hand gripping onto my bullet wound in my thigh as my right was outstretched. I noticed movement. I saw James. His walker body starting to come to life already. He saw me and started dragging his body over to mine. I didn't move. I just let the walker come at me. What was life worth without my family?