PROLOGUE, 000
❝ END OF THE WORLD ! ❞

SILAS, standing in the middle of chaos, grabs the arm of a woman who looks a few years younger than him. "Come on!" He keeps tugging her away from the people who yell and scream as others rip into their bodies.

"What — he was dead?" The woman splutters out words as she tumbles backwards and lands on her bum, tears brimming in her eyes as she now tries to move away from Silas. "Who are you! What's happening?"

Silas pulls the woman up, his hand tightening around her arm, which has her looking him right in the eye. "I can leave you here on your own, or you can come with me and live. Choose, now." When he speaks like that, he sounds like a mean old dick with no soul, but he's far from that, he has two children he needs to get back too.

The woman gives him a nod, and he takes that as an invitation to point him towards the road he knows his truck is on. He directs her through the trees, away from other people and right to his rusty old blue truck.

At one point she had tripped and fell, her knees scraping against the small gravel on the ground. Silas ignores her cries and pulls her up again, his grip firm but not unkind. "We don't have time for this," he mutters, glancing over his shoulder at the the other people they left behind. The sounds of screams and the eerie silence that follows send chills down his spine.

Finally, they reach the truck. Silas yanks open the passenger door and practically shoves the woman inside. In the backseat, his two children, a boy and a girl, huddle together, their eyes wide with fear.

"Dad, who is she?" the older boy asks, his voice trembling, confused as what all was happening and the screams he had heard from the live broadcast only moments before, the screams he had covered his sisters ears so she didn't have to hear.

"Just someone who needed help," Silas replies, running around to the driver's side. He jumps in, slams the door, and starts the engine. The truck roars to life, and he peels out onto the dirt road, leaving the zombies -- are they even zombies? silas had no idea what they were? cannibals maybe? -- behind.

The woman, still trembling, looks at Silas with wide eyes. "Where are we going?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Somewhere safe," Silas replies, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "What's your name?"

"Maggie," she says, her voice steadier now. "Maggie Greene."

"Silas," he responds, glancing at her briefly before he returns his gaze to the road in front of him. "Do you live far from here, Maggie?"

Maggie shales her head, a small look flashing across her face as he watches the all too familiar surroundings pass by her. "Two hours or so, my dad is waiting for me. He probably has no idea what's happening."

"What is happening, daddy?" The girl, slightly younger than her brother, leans forward and attempts at getting her fathers attention. When he gives her a stern look through the mirror, she leans back and adjusts her seatbelt across her body. "Sorry."

"We're gonna take Miss Greene home, and then we're gonna go camping, how does that sound?" Silas asks his children, who nod and give a small smile in return of his question.

As they drive, the tension in the truck is thick. Silas keeps his eyes on the road, his knuckles white as he grips the steering wheel. Maggie glances back at the children, who are huddled together, their eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. "Are you two okay back there?" Maggie asks softly, trying to offer some comfort.

The boy nods, his eyes darting to Silas before looking back at Maggie. "I'm Luke, and this is my sister, Malie," he says, his voice trembling slightly, but he tries to hide it, showing that he isn't scared even though he is.

Maggie smiles gently at them. "It's nice to meet you, Luke and Malie. We're going to be okay. Your dad knows what he's doing."

Silas glances at Maggie, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you," he murmurs, his voice barely audible over the rumble of the truck.

The road ahead is long and winding, the landscape shifting from open fields to dense forests. The sun is beginning to set, casting long shadows across the road. Silas knows they need to find a place to stop for the night, somewhere safe where they can rest and regroup. He doesn't want to force his children to keep going in the backseat of his truck, despite Maggie's home probably not being too far away. He wouldn't ask to stay there, not when they had their own things to worry about.

"Turn left," Maggie points to a mailbox that has the word Greene written across it in green paint, funny how Malie chuckles at it but doesn't try to be loud at what she saw. "There's a gate you'll need me to open, and then it's a five minute drive up to the house after that."

Silas nods but doesn't say anything as he slows down and then comes to a stop in front of the gate. He unlocks the door, eyes darting around their surrounding as Maggie jumps out and pushes the gate open, waving Silas in and closing it behind him. He stops, giving her the chance to jump back in before he continues up the road.

Before he even comes to a stop, Maggie is already throwing the door open and sliding out of the truck, rushing towards who Silas assumes is her father and sister. He comes to a stop, stepping out and allowing his children to step out to stretch their legs.

A younger teenager, blond hair pulled up messily, and wet cheeks throws her arms around Silas. "Thank you."

DINNER, was awkward to say the least. Hershel, Maggie's father had invited them into his home for dinner, where he thanked him once again for getting his daughter home safely.

They all gathered around the wooden dining table, the children sitting next to Silas, while Maggie and her father took their seats opposite them. Others had joined them; Beth, Annette, Shawn, Otis, Patricia and Jimmy, those who all lived on the Greene farm with them. The table was set with simple, yet comforting dishes: a pot of stew, freshly baked bread, and a pitcher of water and juice for the children.

As they began to eat, the tension slowly started to melt away. Maggie's father, who introduced himself as Hershel, thanked Silas repeatedly for bringing his daughter back safely. Silas nodded, his focus on making sure his children were eating and feeling secure in the unknown place.

"So, what happened out there?" Hershel asked, his voice gentle but filled with concern.

Silas took a deep breath, glancing at his children before answering. "We're not entirely sure. It all happened so fast. People just started attacking each other. We had to get out of there. I had went to grab gas, but I didn't have the chance."

Maggie nodded, her eyes still wide with the memory of the chaos. "It was like something out of a nightmare. But Silas got me out. He saved me."

Hershel reached across the table, placing a hand on Silas's arm. "Thank you. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need."

Silas gave a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, but we need to keep moving. I have to make sure my kids are safe."

"They will be here," Annette spoke kindly, passing the children a fresh slice of bread. "You saved our daughter, let us help you, please."

"Just for a few days, dad." Luke said, glancing upwards to look at his father. "You saw what was out there, you don't wanna go back."

Malie gave a lopsided smile, "Please daddy?"

Silas nodded. "For a few days, and then we'll be out of your hair, does that sound okay?"

Beth grinned. "Perfect, we have a space bedroom for you three to share, does that sound okay? I think I have some clothes that may be too small for me and might fit Malie, and Jimmy would have clothes for Luke."

So that night; Malie is dressed in pajama's that are a little big, Luke is dressed in ones that give him a small itch because of the warm fleece texture. Silas is laying on the bed, a child on one side of his body and the other on his other side. He holds them as the start to fall asleep, smiling softly when Malie starts to snore.

The three are safe.