𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓

︶꒦꒷★꒷꒦︶

Claire didn't know what woke her from her sleep, maybe it was the crackling of burning flames, or the smell of smoke, or maybe it was the screams. Whatever it was that woke her up, she wishes it didn't.

Confused, the girl swung the blanket off her legs and looked around, taking note of her little brother not in his sleeping bag. She quickly slipped her combat boots over her worn down socks, and quietly, she grabbed both her knife and her gun, turning off the safety and making sure it was loaded before taking a step towards the entrance of the tent. She could see bright orange light flickering through the light fabric of the green tent. With a deep breath, she quickly unzipped the tent and held her gun up as she stepped out.

In an instant, everything became increasingly louder. Gunshots were rippling through the air and hitting the dead that was feasting upon her group.

Stumbling back, the girl looked around, at the tents on fire, the destroyed campfire, and half eaten bodies, so many bodies.

Snapping back to reality, the girl looked around frantically, searching for those three familiar faces. "Mom! Dad! Eli!" She screamed over the crackling from the fire. Moaning from behind her caught her attention, and she quickly turned, aiming her gun at the zombie limping towards her.

She still hadn't gotten used to the gun yet. She went shooting with her family growing up, due to her father being a Marine, but she had never had to actually shoot somebody until 3 weeks ago.

Her finger pressed the trigger, and with a loud ear-piercing bang, the zombie dropped to the ground.

Spinning back around, she watched as the remaining people of the camp scattered, ran, killed zombies.

Tears fell from her eyes as she stumbled messily through the camp, her jeans becoming increasingly dirtier as she trudged through mud, blood and smoke. "Mommy!" She cried out, but no reply.

"Eli!" She screamed louder, hoping to reach someone, anyone. "Claire!"

The blonde began crying at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Eli! Where are you!"

"Claire!"

Claire began running through the chaos, before coming to an abrupt stop at the sight of the blonde woman in front of her.

"Mom?"

She turned around with a moan, and Claire shook her head, "No, mom."

They got her.

"Mommy, please, it's me. it's me, Claire!" She was desperate to wake up from the nightmare she was in, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them a few times, she shook her head when she realized; this was real, she wasn't dreaming, and one of her worst fears came true.

The woman didn't listen to her pleads, instead beginning to trudge her way towards Claire. "Mom, please."

"Claire!"

Claire looked behind the zombie, who's attention was now on the very alive, blonde boy behind her.

"Mom?" Eli spoke, the grip on his dirty stuffed bunny tightening at the sight of his half dead mother. "Mommy?"

She began walking towards Eli, who had no real idea of why his mom wasn't responding to him.

"No, Mom no! Eli, run!" The boy's eyes widened in fear as their mother stepped into the light of the fire, and with cautious steps back, the boy ran in the opposite direction, dropping his bunny as Claire lifted her gun to her mother.

"Mom, stop!"

She knew her pleads would do nothing, it wasn't her mother anymore. The once fun, kind woman who would bake sweets when she was sad and hold her when girls were mean to her, was now soulless, just a corpse.

Aiming the gun at the woman, who was still making her way towards Eli, she clamped her eyes shut and pulled the trigger, the sounds of the bullet entering the flesh echoed in Claires ears and she grudgingly glanced down at the now dead corpse.

Bending down, she looked back at the zombies that were now approaching her, and she grabbed her mother's gun and knife, "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Looking up, she watched as Eli disappeared into the trees, and she took off after him, bending down and grabbing the stuffed bunny as she ran, "Eli! Stop!"

The boy, however, could not hear his sister over the chaos, still booking it through the trees.

"Eli!"

She was fully running after him now, immerging herself in the dense forest, the only light coming from the moonlight peeking through the trees.

"Eli please! Stop it's me!"

The girl slowed down when she realized she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.

Spinning in circles, the girl shook her head, tears brimming her eyes, "No, no, no, no." She cried out, gripping the roots of her hair.

She took off again in the direction he was running.

She'll find him. She has to.

★

Rummaging through abandoned grocery stores was getting increasingly more difficult with not only the rise in zombies, but the rise in need for food, water and medicine.

Claire had been roaming the outskirts of Atlanta for about 5 days looking for Eli. Still no sign of him. Her bullets were dwindling quick, but she was smart enough to rely mainly on her knives; close distance and no noise was better than gunshots from a distance.

Quietly, the girl walked through the abandoned corner store, picking up random things like ramen, pudding cups, tampons, chips, napkins, whatever she could get her hands on, really.

Walking past what once was the cooler section, she sighed. Nothing on one the shelves. Her eyes glanced downwards in defeat, just as a gasp comes from her lips at the sight of a stray water bottle, tucked between the cooler doors and the floor.

Bending down with a smile, she grabbed it, stuffing it in her backpack, which she luckily found in an old store, stuffed under a pile of clothing that she was rummaging through.

Standing back up, she looked around the store. Nothing left.

With a sigh, she pulled out the can of half empty spray paint from the water bottle holder on the backpack, stepping over the broken glass and standing in front of the window.

With a shake of the can, she began writing.

ELI. HEAD EAST. FIND ME. - C

Standing back, she nodded and placed the can back, swinging the other strap over her shoulder and headed off east, into the woods, off the roads. Better safe than sorry.

People do crazy things when they're scared, anyone's a murderer if you make them one.

The constant walking was grueling, the sun was hot, air humid. Claire was lucky when she managed to find on old tank top that fit, considering her school hoodie was much too warm to wear in a constant state of walking.

Sweat collected on the tank top as she walked through the dirt, pushing down leaves on trees as she walked.

She didn't know how long she walked; all she could think about was finding Eli. Wherever he was, she could only hope that he used the knife their father gave them. He was smart, he knew to keep moving and hide when he needed too. She just prayed he was safe.

With a look up at the beating sun, she sighed, looking over at the woods.

"What harm is it?" She mumbled, grabbing her knife from its holder on her belt, gripping it tight as she walked straight into the woods.

★

Claire was exhausted. Killing zombies in 100º weather was a lot more grueling than it seemed. Her limbs hurt, her hands ached from holding her weapons, her back and neck hurt from her backpack.

But she kept on, how could she stop when her brother was out there scared, hungry, and lost? He was 13, there's only so much a 13-year-old can do to protect themselves.

Just as she thought her legs would give out, a field and a fence came into view. Barbed wire connected by wooden stakes surrounding a large farmhouse.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips, maybe Eli was in there.

Emergin from the woods, she stepped into the field and booked it towards the fence.

Once she made it, she looked around for any zombies or humans, before beginning a plan to get over the barbed wire. She had no wire cutters, just her knife, but she wasn't goanna risk dulling it down to get through it.

During her thoughtful building of a plan, she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her, or the gun cocking.

It wasn't until she felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of her head that she snapped out of it with a gasp.