MARCELLA STARED OUT THE WINDOW AS RICK REACHED FOR THE RADIO,

"Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond." He paused, waiting for a response, "Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice? Anybody out there? Anybody hears me, please respond. Hello, can you hear my voice?"

"Maybe you need to say 'over' like they do in the movies." She suggested, "So they know you're done talking? Or use codewords."

Rick gave her a skeptical look, but she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips, "Just a suggestion."

"Anybody who reads, please respond. Broadcasting on emergency channel. We'll be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. Anybody reads, please respond." No one answered.

"There has to be more people out there." Rick stated,

Marcie nodded, "There are... but they're probably blocking signals, who knows. They were broadcasting saying to head to Atlanta, but they stopped a while back. Maybe their radios are down."

"Let's hope that's the case."

He looked over at her, "You said your parents are in Atlanta?"

Marcie's lips twitched into a bittersweet smile. "Funny thing is, I was in Atlanta when this all started." Her voice softened, "Senior year at Georgia State. When everything went to hell, I drove home to find them. But they'd already left for Atlanta. I've been trying to get back ever since—trying to find that refugee center. It's like chasing a ghost. And cars..." She sighed, "They're too loud. Noise draws the dead."

"You're good at thinking ahead." Rick said,

Marcie shrugged, "You have to, in this world. Otherwise, you're dead. Also I've seen a lot of zombie movies."

Minutes later, the car sputtered and finally died. Rick sighed, reaching up to the sun visor and pulling down a photo of his family. Marcie leaned closer, whispering, "She's pretty."

"They both are," Rick responded softly. Then, turning to her, "Let me see your piece."

Marcie pulled out her pistol from her bag and handed it over. Rick inspected it carefully, "Good piece. Fully loaded." Holding it between them, he showed her how to check the chamber and disengage the safety. "You got more rounds?"

She nodded, "I got a box in my bag."

"Good. Hopefully, you won't need them." He popped the trunk and they duo got out.

Marcie followed him to the back of the car where he grabbed the gas can, "Hey, Rick?"

"Hmm?" He shut the trunk and turned towards her,

"Next time we're near Helen, remind me and I know where there's a shit ton of guns." She told him,

"I'll hold you to that." He smirked.

Tucking her gun in her waistband, Marcie slung her jacket and bag over her shoulder, following him down the road.

After about a half mile down the road, they found a house, "Hello?" Rick called out from the driveway, "Police officer out here. Can I borrow some gas?" No answer, "Hello? Hello?"

"Don't think anyone's home, Sheriff." Marcie stated before walking around the house,

Knife ready, she banged on the windows to rouse any biters inside.

She froze when she peered into a bedroom: two bodies lay there—one on the floor with blood pooling beneath his head, the other slumped in an armchair, his brain blown out, rifle beside him.

On the wall, in blood: God Forgive Us.

Her stomach turned. The man must've written that before he blew his head off. Did he write that in his love one's blood? That's disgusting.

"What do you see?" Rick asked, moving over towards her,

Marcie shook her head, "You don't want to see it. Trust me."

He nodded and stepped back, going over to the truck that he found in the yard. He couldn't find the keys and Marcie wasn't sure if she wanted to go inside to find them.

Rick let out a whistle and Marcie turned to see a horse.

"Seriously?"

He shrugged, "Won't run out of gas."

"Not a lot of leg room, sheriff." Marcie crossed her arms, "You gonna saddle him up?"

Rick looked back towards the barn, "I can try."

Marcie stayed outside the fence, watched as Rick approached the horse with reigns in his hands, "Easy now, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you. Nothing like that." He told the horse,

Man, she wished she had a working phone. She'd love to video tape this.

Rick talked to the horse like it could understand, "More like a proposal. Atlanta's just down the road ways. It's safe there. Food, shelter, people, other horses too, I bet. How's that sound?" 

Marcie raised an eyebrow as Rick wrapped the harness around the horse, "There we go. Good boy. Good boy. Now come with me. Come with me."

He led the horse into the stable and hooked the saddle up. He rode the horse out and smirked down at her, "Alright, fine, don't say 'I told you so'." Marcie wrapped her back pack around her front and threw the bag of guns across her back before Rick helped her up,

"This is not gonna be a fun ride." She mumbled, wrapped her arms around Rick's waist.

"I haven't done this in years." Rick smirked,

"What?!" Marcie exclaimed as the horse took off at a run.

Hours later, they finally made it to the outskirts of the city. Marcie looked around nervously.

One side of the road was filled with traffic. With people trying to leave the city. But why were they trying to leave if Atlanta was the safe zone?

Did Atlanta fall?

And if it did... where were her parents? Did they get out in time? Did they ever make it in the first place?

"Rick." She whispered, getting his attention, "They were trying to leave."

Rick urged the horse to go further as they went through the empty side of the highway. They got further into the city, and it was empty. The streets were filled with abandoned cars and trash.

Where was the refugee center?

The only noise was the sound of the horse's hooves on the cement. It made Marcie feel uneasy.

Rick let them down a street where there was abandoned military vehicles. Helicopters, trucks, there was even a tank that was left behind.

The horse got spooked as they rode by a bus and the biters inside moved. Rick calmed him down and Marcie got her knife out.

"Steady. It's just a few. Nothing we can't outrun." Rick urged as they began to ride past them further down the road.

They stopped by the tank, where there were crows picking at a dead body of a soldier. Marcie felt queasy as she stared at his skull.

"Let's keep going." Rick mumbled,

They paused again as they heard the sound of a helicopter. The two glanced around the sky, trying to spot it, "You see it?" Rick asked,

"No." Marcie looked over her shoulder.

It kept getting louder. The duo looked up at a skyscraper and the glass windows caught the reflection of the aircraft.

"Follow it! It might lead us to the refugee center!" Marcie ordered.

Rick flicked the reigns and the horse took off down the street. But just as they turned the corner, a herd of biters were looking back at them.

"Fuck!"

The horse whinnied and Rick turned back towards where they came from, the biters following. Marcie tightened her grip, praying not to fall off.

Another horde of biters closed them off. They were stuck. There was no where to run.

The horse raised up onto its' back legs and Marcie fell off the back. She stabbed the biters that were trying to grab her and she took off towards the tank, "Rick!"

A biter clawed at the gun back and she threw it off her before climbing on top of the tank, trying to spot Rick.

She took out her gun and flicked the safety off, "Don't kill him, don't kill him." She muttered to herself as she aimed for the biters that got close to him.

She shot one in the neck and cursed at herself before using her knife to take out one that was reached for her boots.

When she looked back, she couldn't find him, "Rick!"

Too many were coming for her. She let out another curse before getting into the tank and shutting the top after her. She crawled towards the back and found an opening. There she found Rick,

"There you are!" She smiled, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. Rick shut the hatch behind him and they both leaned against the walls, breathing heavily.

"Boy, I thought we were gonners there." Marcie panted,

Rick looked over at a dead solider that was inside the tank with them and reached for his gun. Marcie watched the the solider's eyes opened and turned to Rick. He panicked and put his gun in the biter's mouth, "Wait, no!"

Rick pulled the trigger and the sound of the bullet ricocheted in the enclosed space. Marcie covered her ears and felt disoriented.

She stumbled up towards the hatch once again and opened it. The fresh air felt good on her sweaty skin and  her ears slowly stopped ringing.

Rick followed behind and stared down into the street, "The guns..." He mumbled,

More walkers were climbing to reach them and they went back into the tank,

"Sorry." Marcie sighed, "They grabbed onto the bag and-"

"Don't apologise." He told her, "Your life is more important than those guns."

"You say that now." Marcie replied, "But how are we going to get out?"

"Can't we just wait them out?" Rick asked,

Marcie shrugged, "We can try."

Just then, the radio in the tank started to make static sounds. A voice on the other end started speaking to them, "Hey, you. Dumb ass." The two shared a look, wondering if they actually heard someone speak, "Hey, you two in the tank. Cozy in there?"

"Holy shit."