EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
[ chapter zero—end of the line ]

Another hint of Nick's existence had sent Madison Clark into another spiral. The Clarks had ended up at the Mexico border, where they were ambushed by what they believed and hoped to be the military.

They'd come up to a fork in the road though from what they could see ahead was an old military base. Infected body parts surrounding the perimeter. The men pushed them into a truck, and Travis into another heading toward the other side of the base.

"Travis!" Madison fought with the guard for answers. "It's alright, Maddie!" Travis assured, fighting the men on either side of him to keep his gaze on Madison to assure her that he indeed would be fine.

The eldest Clark watched from the couch as her younger sister and mother searched the office they'd been placed in. "Anything?" Alicia asked, stepping back from the window.

"No," Madison answered, looking through a stack of papers. Nadia dragged a chair from the desk and stood on top of it. "Found something?" She asked, helping the girl to remain steady.

"I just thought we should check the roof." She shrugged, pushing the roof tile upward.

Alicia sighed as the girl shook her head. "We shouldn't have come here." She muttered, "I second that." Adaline mumbled, looking up at her mother who continued to search the room.

"We had to." Adaline stared down at her hands as she began to pick at the skin around her nails, biting her tongue in order to keep the peace between herself and her mother.

Adaline loved her brother, but she hated what he'd done to their family, addiction or not, their family would never be the same.

"No, we shouldn't be looking for him," Alicia argued. "Chasing him." Another sigh left her lips. "It always blows back on us."

Madison turned to her daughters, pushing the chair toward the desk. "Why is it you two only get along when you're bullying your brother?"

Adaline smirked, as her eyes met Alicia's who shared her grin. "Who said anything about bullying Nick? We're just agreeing that he's a big boy, making big-boy decisions." Madison raised her brows, "Ah." She mumbled sarcastically.

The lock on the office door clicked, and the door was pushed open by a guy not much older than her with brunette hair and eyes that reminded Adaline of the beach. "Hi. Sorry to keep you." He apologised, glancing around the room for merely a second as he made his way to the desk in the middle of the room. "I'm Troy." He placed a tray of hot drinks on the desk and offered Madison a seat, one she did not accept.

Troy nodded his head slowly as Madison stared back at him. "I, uh, spoke to my men." He began as he pushed the door shut. "You shouldn't have been handled so roughly."

Lee rolled his eyes, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "So, why we're we?" Alicia spoke up.

"You came from the border." Troy began, his eyes flickering back at Adaline. "Boarders dangerous."

Adaline scoffed, "Only danger is you and your men." Troy glanced back at the girl sharing a disingenuous smile. "I'm sorry you feel that way." He muttered. "We've had attacks-"

"We weren't attacking, Troy." Madison cut off. "Where's Travis?" Troy turned around, rearranging something on the desk. "Being processed.. separately."

"And what does that mean?" Alicia asked.

Troy turned back to the family, "I need to know where you came from and who you came with, and if anyone else is joining. Then I'd need to know who, how many, and what direction."

"We came alone." Their mother spoke up. "We're just looking for my son, Nick. We need your help."

Troy nodded, leaning against the desk behind him and reaching into the pocket of his pants for a small notebook. "And uh, you traveled north from Mexico. Why- why Mexico?"

"We had a friend. He had a place there." Madison answered.

"Travis?"

Madison hesitated to answer. "No. He's- he's.. we're together." Troy nodded slowly, opening the notebook and scribbling into it. Lee's jaw fell slightly, and Adaline looked up at her brother pressing her lips together. Troy sat obliviously as he scribbled into the notebook.

Alicia glanced back at her sister, furrowing her eyebrows. "It's gonna get cold," Troy spoke up. "What?" Nadia hissed.

"The tea." Troy glanced up at the girl. "My mother only ever drank it piping hot." An awkward silence washed over the room.

Adaline watched as her brother hurried to cover his mouth. "Sorry. There's uh.. no Americans here. Besides my people." No Americans. Adaline thought, glancing at her childhood friend who shared an equally confused gaze with the girl.

"Then let us go." Madison pleaded.

Troy smiled assuringly, though it did nothing to give the family hope that he was indeed a good person. "My son. He's- he's out there somewhere, alone. I'm sure if you were lost in the wasteland, your mother would do anything to find you."

Troy's eyes widened, chuckling slightly. "My mother passed. Ma'am." Adaline's eyes widened, trying to advert them from the mess in front of her. "I'm sorry," Madison mumbled.

Troy shrugged, "I don't get lost much anyway." Lee choked as he finished his sentence. "so.. what happens to us after we're processed?" Alicia asked, hitting the palm of her hand against Lee's shoulder.

"Well, we don't want to send you guys out to the slaughter, but I mean you get this squared, you get supplied and we'll send you on your way." Troy tilted his head, "that good?"

Madison nodded, "good." Troy glanced back at Adaline once more before leaving the room, a wide grin spread across his lips.

Madison shook her head frustratedly as Troy left the room.

Alicia grabbed a cup of tea, pouring it into a plant beside the couch. Madison flipped one of the chairs from the desk over, trying her hardest to break one of the legs off.

"He's gonna kill us," Alicia spoke up, Lee tilted his head. "Really? I thought he wanted to have a tea party?" Alicia glared at her brother, throwing the empty paper cup at his head.

Madison ignored her son's comment, "he's treating us too well." Nadia furrowed her eyebrows. "Why do you think that is?" She asked, sitting down on top of Lee's legs as he stretched out along the couch, placing his head on Adeline's thighs.

"I don't know." She huffed, moving to the next chair. "He seems to like us."

"Others more than most." Lee taunted, Madison looking up at the boy. "What?" Nadia muttered, everyone turned to look at Lee confusingly.

Lee smirked, looking up at Adaline. "Lee, stop being a dick," Madison muttered, turning back to the chair.

"You think he's into Addy?" Nadia asked, Lee ignored the girl looking down at his fingers. "I don't want to be a dick." He shrugged, Adaline glanced at Nadia the pair rolling Lee off their laps and onto the ground.

Alicia shook her head. "He didn't just bring us to drink tea and let us go." Lee stood up, throwing himself back onto the couch. "Or he's keeping us here for Adaline."

Adaline shook her head, rolling her eyes as the boy chuckled.

Lee's laughter ceased as Madison threw the chair back onto the ground, throwing her foot against the chair. "There's got to be something here!"

Alicia placed her foot on the armrest of the couch. "Mom." She mumbled, pulling her switchblade from the inside of her shoe. "I hid it before they took us."

Madison took the blade from her daughter. "Baby..." she whispered.

"I didn't think about it. Just did it." Alicia continued.

"You saved Travis."

"Yeah, to what end?" Alicia hissed, rolling her eyes. "I'll get us out," Madison assured. "How?" Adaline spoke up.

Madison glanced at the children on the couch. "Killing, if it comes to it. And if it does- when it does, it's me."

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Adaline adjusted herself in the armchair, seeing a figure seated across from her, his gaze set on the notebook as he used the pencil to shade something on the page.

Lee slept sitting up, his head resting on the back of the couch while his older sister lay on his shoulder, Nadia curled up beside Alicia, while their mother slept with her head rested against the palm of her hand in an armchair facing her children.

"are you drawing something?" Adaline spoke up in a soft tone as she sat up in her chair. Across from her Troy lay eyes on the blonde. His gaze shifted to the teens on the couch as she looked back at him.

"Uh," he began, closing the book in his hands. "It's just observations." The blonde nodded, her eyes lay on the paper cup on the side table next to her, steam rising from within the cup.

"Observations about us?" Adaline asked, taking the cup into her hands. "I just-- I mark things down," Troy answered, placing his hand over the book. "It will matter later."

Adaline looked down at the coffee in her hands, bringing the cup up to her lips. Troy glanced at the girl's mother and back at her as she brought the cup back down onto her lap, hoping he hadn't taken notice to the fact she'd pretended to drink from the cup. "I'm not a bad person," Troy spoke again.

The blonde girl clenched her jaw, shaking her head slightly as she began to speak. "I never said you were." Troy jerked his head to the side. "But your thinking it."

Adaline shook her head lightly, a warm smile left across her face. "Your men kidnapped us." She chuckled. "And, they made us walk from the border to..." the blonde glanced around them. "...wherever the hell we are."

Troy's lips curled into a smile, chuckling lightly. "I need to know." Adaline began again, holding the boy's gaze. "Is my step-father, is Travis dead?" tears weld in the Clark girl's eyes as she watched Troy look away from her.

"It would hurt you if he was?" Troy finally spoke, shifting his gaze back to Adaline. "It would hurt my mother more."

Adaline's eyes fell on her mother in the chair, "you care about her feelings more than yours?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. "My family's safer when we all have a clear mind."

Troy nodded, glancing at Madison once more before he stood, dragging the office chair behind him as he moved closer to the girl.

"Two ways it cuts, huh?" He began again, lifting his gaze off of her family. "You can't sleep 'cause of what's weighing on you or bad times just waiting for you when you wake."

Adaline leaned forward, pressing her elbows into her knees. "What do you want?" Troy glanced back at her family once more. "This area's burned. You shouldn't go back out there."

The blonde girl sat back in her chair, "we're leaving. I can bring you home with us." Troy inched closer in his chair. "You and your family." Adaline looked the boy up and down, meeting his gaze again. "And Travis?"

Troy began to shake his head, avoiding the girl's gaze. "Our resources are limited--" The blonde leaned forward in her chair. "Is he alive?" Troy looked away from the girl, and the room was silent again.

"I'll release him." He offered. "I will." The Clark girl began to sit back when he spoke again. "If you come."

Adaline pressed her lips together, shaking her head lightly. "That's all you want?" Troy clenched his jaw shut tight, his mouth opening to speak closing sharply again as a gunshot rang out.

The Clark girl took Troy's hand as he stood vastly, "don't hurt him." Troy took his hand back, rushing out the door.

Around Adaline, her family woke. "No, Troy wait!" Their mother exclaimed, running toward the door as Troy ran out, locking it behind him.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, rattling the door handle. Lee turned in his seat peering through the blinds. "They're heading to the other side of the base," Nadia muttered, looking back at Madison. "to Travis." She mumbled, looking back to Madison watching as worry fell over her face.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Madison pressed her finger to her lips as the hallway door swung open. Alicia grabbed Lee's wrist tugging him down behind the couch. Madison had came up with a plan, to get their family out of the base alive.

Nadia glanced over at Adaline as they squeezed in beneath the desk. The door swung open, Troy stepped inside looking around confused.

Madison jumped out from behind the door blade in hand. Troy turned to face the woman, diverting her hands.

Nadia jumped as Madison was thrown onto the desk, Troy slammed her hand down against the desk, again and again attempting to disarm the woman and despite Madison's efforts the blade was thrown against the wall and clattered onto the carpet.

Alicia and Adaline jumped up running after the knife. Troy shoved Adaline back, throwing Alicia up against the wall and reaching for the blade.

Madison jumped onto Troy's back pulling him back from her daughters. Adaline stood in front of her sister protectively grasping her hand as their mother plunged a spoon into Troy's eye, threatening to pull it out in one wrong move.

"Go!" Madison exclaimed, Adaline grabbed Nadia's hand as she emerged from under the desk and hesitantly ran for the door.

The pair ran toward the other side of the compound, in search of her stepfather whilst Alicia and Lee went out in search of a truck.

A truck blocked off the exit to the building they'd been searching, men in us military uniforms rushed out of the vehicle and began to shout after the girls. "Hey, Stop!" The men exclaimed, sending the girls toward a door marked with an X in white paint.

Adaline stopped abruptly as she entered the room, her eyes widening as they met a string of men who'd been cuffed to the shower pipes above them and shot through the heart. "What the fuck." Nadia muttered shortly after she'd locked the door behind her, jumping as the soldiers shouted after them.

Adaline spun around looking for anything to defend themselves with. Nadia kept her gaze on the door of the shower room as the men outside the door attempted to break it down. Adaline rushed over to one of the military soldiers who lay beside one of the men cuffed to the shower pipes.

Adaline knelt beside the man, her heart thumping out of her chest as she slowly began to unbutton the claps on the mans pistol, her gaze flickering back to the man's face hesitant whether the blood that covered half his face was from a successful attempt at putting him down or an unsuccessful one.

Adaline examined the pistol as she'd safely removed it from its holster, removing the magazine and gazing the full mag. Nadia sighed as she turned about the room seeing no escape other than another door she feared to see the other side of.

With the magazine back in place, Adaline stood hurriedly as one of the men cuffed to the shower pipes growled and threw himself against the shower wall behind him. The blonde inhaled sharply taking her friend's hand as she stumbled back.

Adaline pulled Nadia through the door she'd fear to see the other side of, as the men burst into the shower room, bullets merely missing the girls as they rushed to close and lock themselves in the room. Adaline's breathing heaved as she turned to face many people seated around the room. In a moment she began to hear their pleases for help. Another one of Troy's men came out from around the corner raising his gun at the girls.

Without a thought going through the girl's mind Adaline took the safety off and pressed down on the trigger.

The man pressed his hands to his stomach gasping as he fell back against a counter top behind him. The people inside the room jumped up, grabbing ahold of the weapons that remained in the man's holsters. A woman grabbed hold of Adaline's hand, entwining her fingers in hers. "Gracias."

Adaline nodded her head, moving away from the door as the men outside pressed their body weight against it, fighting to get inside.

As soon as the door opened, the shooting began. Nadia pulled Adaline to the ground, covering their ears. The girls sat in one another's arms for what felt like ages, and before they knew it soldiers grabbed onto their arms tugging them up from the ground.

Adaline glanced around at the bodies that lay lifeless on the ground, they spread throughout the rooms the girls had previously passed through.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

"Addy!" Madison exclaimed as they turned a corner, the men on either side of them letting them go. Madison wrapped her arms around the girls.

Madison wrapped her eldest in her arms, past her mother's shoulder Troy stood behind her stepfather, pressing a bloody piece of cloth to his wounded eye.

Adaline glanced at the pit beside them, the corpse's spread across the dirt, their bodies impaled on steel bars, their brains smeared across the rock walls of the pit.

As Madison took Alicia and Nadia into her arms. Adaline found her stepfather leaning against an old shed, "are you okay?" Travis looked down at the young girl smiling, "I'm okay, I'm good." he mumbled, pulling her into his arms.

Nick fought with the men beside him as they pushed him toward his family. "Nick?" Madison mumbled, moving toward her son. "Let him go." She mumbled, taking her son into her arms. Nick reached out pulling his brother and sisters into his arms.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Adaline stitched Luciana's gunshot wound, while Nick walked around his sister anxiously. "Nadi told me what happened." He mumbled, wrapping his arm around his sister. "You got a lot of them out."

The girl knotted the end of the suture string, shaking her head. "I hid."

"You gave them the right to choose how they die." He assured. "Because you opened that door, because you killed that guard."

Adaline turned to her brother, opening her mouth to speak when screams interrupted. "Infected! Go get out of there!" Madison exclaimed, the siblings turned toward the other end of the medical tent, the dead flooding in.

Nick and Alicia grabbed onto Luciana pulling her out of the tent. Adaline pushed the beds toward the dead for enough time to grab supplies from around the tent.

Lee hurried after Adaline with an open bag and a hunting knife in his hand. "Hurry!" He exclaimed as the dead began to get past his barricade. The girl grabbed ahold of the bag throwing it over her shoulder. Her hand grasped her weapons belt and clicked it around her waist.

Adaline took out her gun, letting off three shots into three of the infected's heads as they lunged at Lee and herself. Lee took ahold of the girl's arm pulling her out of the tent and toward the truck they had ready, now swarming with the dead.

"Lee!" Travis exclaimed, taking out the dead that swarmed around the helicopter. "Adaline!"

The siblings looked over the swarm of dead, their mother and brother climbed into the tray of a truck.

Lee tugged her sister's arm, pulling her after him toward the helicopter. Adaline sat beside Luciana, checking over her bullet wound. Travis closed the door as Dead ran toward them.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Adaline sat across from Luciana and Alicia unloading and reloading the clip of her father's gun. Travis turned around to face the front. "How much longer?" He exclaimed.

"We're about twenty out!" Jake exclaimed back. Lee looked down at Luciana as she mumbled something. "You'll see him soon," Alicia muttered.

Adaline gripped the edge of her seat as a gunshot jolted the chopper. The girl clicked the clip back into the gun. Another bullet flew through the window of the chopper.

"We're taking fire!" Travis exclaimed, looking over at Jake. Another bullet flew through the front window and into Travis' neck.

"Travis!" Alicia exclaimed as sprayed across Adaline's face.

Adaline climbed across her seat to the empty seat beside Travis, pressing down on his bullet wound. Tears flooded the girl's eyes as she muttered "your gonna be okay. I promise." A promise she knew she couldn't keep.

Travis wiped the girl's tears, smearing blood across her cheek. "Look after them for me." He whispered weakly as Alicia and Lee screamed over the chaos of the world around them.

Travis placed something in the girl's hand and pressed her fingers against her palm. The man closed his eyes releasing Adaline's hand from his.

Travis fell from the helicopter, giving himself back to the earth.

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word count — 3112

finally uploading this after rereading it five times a day. please comment and rate !!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ₊˚ପ⊹ *:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ