The Hunter or the Hunted

September 19th, 2013. A Myxomatosis Infection sweeps across the United States, infecting thousands. The CDC begins working on a vaccine to try and contain the deadly Myxomatosis Outbreak.

September 29th, 2013. The Myxomatosis begins killing people and infecting others. The CDC announces that the infection has now become airborne, causing it to spread quicker.

October 8th, 2013. Panic arises as more and more people die from the Myxomatosis Outbreak. The CDC announces that the Myxomatosis heart infection has begun to reanimate dead tissue, prompting a Military Evacuation of all major cities around the United States.

Then…
Introduction – Cassie Robertson
Location: Tycoon City High School, Palmont City
Time: 3:00pm
Date: October 8th, 2013
7 Hours before Myxomatosis Outbreak

I stepped out the school gates and made my way to my car. I passed a few L-platers before I unlocked my car and opened the passenger door before placing my books and bag on the seat. I’m Castiel “Cassie” Robertson, a 16 year old high school student studying at Tycoon City High. I had straight black hair with heavy bangs that fell into my face. I had a slim build with a small hint of my chest showing through my top and blue eyes with grey specks. I had many of my Dad’s features, muscular legs, abnormally sharp fangs and being completely blind in one eye. According to Dad, my slim stomach and black hair came from my Mother, who had died giving birth to me. Another trait I inherited from my Mother was her Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality. An example is that one moment, I can be the calm and caring Dr Jekyll but as soon as I get irritated or provoked, I can snap and turn into the sadistic Mr Hyde. I shut my door and made my way around to the driver’s door. Due to budget unavailability, I was forced to drive a rusty beaten up old El Camino Ute with a severely damaged front end, missing grille, mismatched colour panels and mouldy windows. I also had a lot of wooden pallets and random junk in the back of the vehicle, including a spare tyre. I climbed in and shut my door before Amanda came out of the school gates with her friends. Amanda was the most popular girl at school and the biggest bitch. She was always giving me trouble because of the state of my car. I watched her make a big show of getting into her car, a nice black vintage Chevy Bel-Air soft top. I glared at her as she smiled at me in a teasing manner before folding the roof down and getting into it while her friends mocked me from the backseat of her car. I started my car before the engine stalled. I turned the key again as the engine spluttered and cut off. I watched Amanda and her friends laughing at me as I started the engine again as it sputtered and let out a bang. It clunked around and shut down with a puff of smoke. I twisted the key for the last time before the engine made its clunking noises again and started up, the worn out motor letting off dark smoke and sparks from the exhaust while steam and oil sprayed from under the hood. I looked up as Amanda was nearly wetting herself over how worn out my car was. I wound down my window and stuck my head out as Amanda smiled at me.

“Hey Castiel!” she giggled “Having a bit of engine trouble? At least my car is in perfect working order”

“Yeah” I said in a menacing tone “Mock me again and you won’t be driving home in it. I may be poor but I know a thing or two about disabling combustion engines…bitch!!”

“At least I’m not the one driving the shitty old Ute” she said as I hit the accelerator and shunted her vehicle into the back end of a parked truck. I laughed as she stared at my vehicle in shock.

“WHAT THE FLYING F**K IS WRONG WITH YOU, CASTIEL!?!?!” she screamed at me as I pulled out onto the road

“Oops!” I said innocently as I drove off “At least I don’t have to worry about damaging my car!”

I heard Amanda scream insults at me before something hit the back window of my vehicle. I coolly stuck my hand out the window and flipped her off, rounding the corner as I did so. I drove through town before a slight drizzle began falling from the sky. I turned into my street and pulled into the driveway, the old station wagon looking more depressing than ever. I grabbed my books and my bag before shutting my car door and making my way past the Chrysler Town and Country that forever sat in our front yard, stripped of its engine and parts and propped up with cinder blocks. I shut the front door and looked down the hall, a deathly silence falling over the house.

“PAPPA!” I called, my voice echoing off the walls of the house. I waited a few seconds as my voice died down “DAD, I’M HOME FROM SCHOOL!”

I got no reply and figured he was probably still at the garage. I walked upstairs and went into my room before shutting the door. I placed my books on my desk and put my bag next to the door. I took my shirt off and threw it on my computer chair. I took my pants off and placed them over my computer chair before flopping onto my bed. I felt exhausted and yawned as I rubbed my eyes and stared at the ceiling, listening to the eerie silence of the house. Knowing our house had been the site of two murders a while ago didn’t help the fact that it was deathly quiet beyond my door, not even the pitter-patter of rain could be heard in the house. Because of the murders, our house has suffered blackouts, blowouts, faces appearing in windows, angry footsteps, crying and howling, things being thrown and smashed and just recently, I was attacked by a shadowy figure while walking through the house at night. We didn’t want to live here but it was cheap for us so we took it. I pushed the ghostly thoughts out of my mind and thought about tomorrow and how I was going to deal with Amanda and her car. I was still mulling over my thoughts as I fell into a light nap, unaware of the events about to unfold later that night…

***

Now…
Final hour – Escaping the infested city
Location: Robertson Residence
Time: 10:00pm
Date: October 8th, 2013
Seconds before Myxomatosis Outbreak

I woke with a start and looked around me before I heard the sound again. I looked down and saw my phone ringing. I sleepily picked it up and saw it was Uncle David, Mum’s Brother. I answered it and yawned as I put the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I said sleepily as I heard Uncle Dave panting

“Cassie, Sweetheart, is your father around?” he panicked in his Tennessee accent

“I-I think he’s out in the shed?” I said “Uncle Dave, what’s happening, why are you panicky?”

“Listen, Sweetheart, just tell your Daddy to get out of the house” he panted as there was a bang and a few screams in the background

“Uncle Dave, what was that?” I asked as a haunting fear began to sweep over my body

“Cass…ust get o…he house now” he said as the phone was filled with static

“Uncle Dave?" I said as more static filled the phone

“Ca...do...I say...the ho--…” he said before the phone line cut out.

“Hello? Uncle Dave!?” I said as the dial tone answered me. I put my phone back and climbed out of bed before pulling a pair of track pants on. I walked out into the hallway to find the house dark, save for the light filtering up the stairs.

“Dad?” I called as my voice bounced off the walls. I stepped out into the hallway and crept along towards his bedroom. I opened his door and found his bedroom was dark and silent, meaning he wasn’t in his bed. His TV was on, casting a glow around the room.

“What were initially thought of as riots became much worse as the pandemic spreads nationwide. More reports are rising as cities all over the United States begin evacuation. Many safe zones are being set up in places like Houston, Los Angeles and New York City as the U.S. Government tries to control the outbreak of Myxomatosis” said the newscaster as there was a bang behind her and a truck went up in flames

“That gas is leaking, we need to evacuate this area now!” yelled a soldier

“OK, OK, something’s happening here!” said the Newsman as a car exploded, sending a trail of fire running along the ground to a nearby silo

“EVERYBODY EVACUATE THIS AREA NOW!” screamed a soldier as the silo detonated and the TV cut out. I jumped as I heard a rumble and saw black smoke piling above the city

“DAD!” I called, my voice shaking a bit. I shut the door and crept along to the bathroom and opened the door to find it empty, the streetlight was the only thing illuminating the small room. I shut the bathroom door and walked over to the stairs and peered down into the light.

“Dad? You down there?” I asked as my only response was the fridge booting up. I slowly walked down the stairs and into the lounge room to find the TV was off. I stopped as I heard gunshots before sirens wailed. I opened the curtains and saw two Police cars and a riot truck speeding past our house before a helicopter flew overhead.

“DAD!?” I called again as an air of panic took hold of me. I turned and made my way into the kitchen. The room was lit up from the fluorescent light overhead, enabling me to see properly with my bad eye. I slowly walked towards the back door as a dog barked before it yelped and was cut short. I gasped in fright as I walked over to the back door before Dad burst into the house, covered in blood and looking frightened. I looked at him in fear and backed away slowly as I noticed his left hand held something shiny and metallic. It was a gun.

“D-Dad, what are you doing?” I asked as he ran up to me and hugged me. I could smell a faint whiff of death and diesel on his clothes.

“Cassie, baby, did anyone come into the house?” he asked in a panic

“N-No, why?” I asked “Dad, What’s happening? Why do you have a gun in your hand? Uncle Dave called sounding frantic before the phone line died and then…”

“Listen, Castiel, something’s…not right” he said “People are…sick, they’re going crazy…attacking everyone”

No sooner had he stopped talking that a tremendous banging sound came from our back door. I looked over in fright as Dad stood up and pushed me behind him before tightly clasping the gun. I peeked out from behind him as the door gave way and our neighbour, Trevor Stevens, staggered into the kitchen, covered in blood and dirt. His skin had gone deathly white and there was blood all over his mouth and neck. His eyes had gone yellow, save for a white dot where his pupil used to be and part of his neck was missing.

“Trevor! Trevor, Stay back!!” warned Dad as Mr Stevens growled and eyed me up. I felt a chill as he crouched down and bared his teeth “Trevor, I swear to God, I’m warning you!!”

“DAD!” I squealed as Mr Stevens dove for me. I screamed again as Dad shot him in the face twice. I shakily looked down at him lying on the floor, blood pooling around his head and chest.

“You alright, Sweetie?” asked Dad as I looked at him in shock

“WHAT THE F**K WAS THAT?!” I screamed as Dad grabbed a bag and stuffed some clothes in it. He pushed the bag into my arms as he grabbed a duffel bag from his room and stuffed some possessions in it. I pulled a hoodie over myself to cover my stomach as Dad grabbed a set of keys and climbed into my car. I climbed into the passenger seat as Dad put our bags behind the seats and started the car. I looked out my window as rain covered the window before I spotted a Military Gunship with a spotlight flying overhead, heading into the city. I saw three police cars streak past our street while a small fleet of cars were fleeing in the opposite direction.

“Dad, what’s happening to the city?” I asked as Dad ignored me. I looked down at my legs as Dad reached down and turned the radio on. There was nothing but static before a radio station tuned in.

“This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test. The Centre's for Disease Control has reported an Outbreak of Myxomatosis that reanimates dead tissue, prolonging life long after clinical death. Symptoms include growling, increased aggression, cannibalism, high pain tolerance and increased physical strength. All citizens are ordered not to approach or attempt to apprehend the infected as they are considered extremely dangerous. The U.S. Government has responded to the outbreak and all civilians are ordered to move indoors and lock all doors and windows and barricade any point of entry. The CDC is reporting that emergency vaccines are being used to try and combat the outbreak. Military Evacuation is impossible as Quarantine Zones are being set up on every road and highway in and out of major cities. The U.S. Government is ordering all civilians to remain calm and await further instructions from authorities. Police and Military Personnel are greatly outnumbered as riots break out and Martial Law has been declared as people turn against each other. Air Force 1 has--…” said the radio before it cut out

I gasped as the radio cut out and began feeling panicky as Dad drove down a dirt road and pulled out onto a main drag before three cars flew past. I huddled closer into my hoodie as Dad drove along before stopping.

“Dammit!” he grunted as I looked up and saw the road was full of fleeing cars, causing it to become gridlocked. I looked around frantically as a guy climbed out of the car in front of us.

“HEY WHAT THE F**K MAN, LET'S GO!!!” He yelled as two infected people grabbed him and tore him apart while three others began eating the family inside the vehicle. I tried to hold back a scream as Dad turned the wheel and drove down a side road.

“Dad, I’m scared now!” I whimpered as he reached over and grabbed my hand tightly. I wiped tears away from my eyes before a taxi flew through the intersection and crashed into a Motorhome, bursting into flames. I held back another whimper as two army trucks, loaded with soldiers, drove past, escorting an M1 Abrams into Palmont City. I squeezed Dad’s hand as he drove through an intersection before there was a loud screech. I turned around just as a truck clipped the back of our car.

“SHIT!” yelled Dad as the car slid in the rain before mounting the gutter and hitting a light pole. I cracked my head against the window as the car spun around before rolling over twice, snapping the axles and crippling the car. I shook my head as I regained my bearings while Dad sat up and wiped the blood off his forehead.

“You OK, sweetie?” he asked as I nodded my head. Since the door had jammed, I had to kick it open while Dad climbed out of the now stricken car and grabbed our bags. I followed Dad as he handed me my bag and began running away from the damaged car. I followed him before there was screaming behind us.

“C’MON, MAN, RUN!” screamed a voice as two women screamed. I turned around and saw people screaming and running away before a couple of infected people came out from behind two Riot Trucks and pursued them. I felt a hand grab my shoulder and spin me around.

“C’MON, CASSIE!!” yelled Dad as he pushed me forward before following me. I ran down the road before a car sped past and smashed into a gas station, sending the immediate area up in flames.

"GET BACK, GET BACK, THEY'RE COMING THROUGH THE FENCE!" Screamed a woman as a power pole fell and crushed a school bus, sending live wires everywhere. Infected people came running from behind a temporary fence and jumped over two police cars before running after us. I turned as an ambulance swerved to avoid me and smashed into a shop window before coming to a stop inside the shop.

"GO, GO!" yelled Dad as I turned and ran into an alleyway before it opened up. I screamed as the ground fell out from under me before I face planted into some grass. I sat up as Dad skated down the embankment and picked me up before running along the still soggy creek bed, passing a burning army truck and crashed Ambulance. I jumped as Gunshots started going off before an air raid siren began calling through the city.

“C’mon, c’mon!” said Dad as I followed him before three Apache’s flew overhead, followed by a Sikorsky Blackhawk. I ran along the creek bed and followed Dad as he ran towards a bridge that was occupied by the Military. I stopped as Dad was confronted by a Soldier holding an M16 and wearing a Gas Mask.

“HALT!” he yelled as he aimed his gun at us. I hid behind Dad as he dropped his bag

“Please, you have to help us!” said Dad as the Soldier stayed where he was “I need to get my daughter out of the city!”

“Sir, I’ve encountered two individuals trying to leave the city” he said into his headset “Are you serious…but Sir, there’s a child…as you wish”

“Listen man, we've just been through hell! I just-DON'T!!” Dad yelled as he opened fire. I ducked as Dad pulled his gun out and shot him in the face. The bullet went through his mask and splattered blood everywhere before he dropped to the ground. I came out from behind Dad as he grabbed the assault rifle and climbed up the embankment. I followed him as he broke into a Military Crusader and began hotwiring it. I climbed into the passenger seat as he got it started and put his seatbelt on.

“Hang on, Castiel” he said as he shifted into drive and floored it out of Palmont City.

***

Don’t Starve – One month after Outbreak
Location: Unknown Swamp, outside Lightning Ridge
Time: Unknown
Date: November 10th, 2013
Hours before discovery of the school bus

I waded through the murky waters as an animal screeched from somewhere deep in the swamp. I climbed over a log and trudged through thick grass and mud before I spotted an animal running through the grass. I grabbed my bow and arrow and aimed it at the animal before releasing it. It slipped through the grass and hit it with a thunk before the animal screeched and ran off into the mist. I ran over to the spot and noticed a blood trail that had been left by the creature. I followed it through the grass and mud before it reached a waterway. I turned my torch on and shone it through the fog before spotting a blood trail swirling in the water. I waded through it, following the blood before following it up onto the bank before spotting a silhouette ahead of me. I pointed my bow and fired another arrow, hitting the creature in the rump. I heard it screech again before it ran off into the mist. I followed the creature before I heard a thunk in long grass. I kept running and found the creature lying in the grass, the arrows sticking out of its hide. I pulled my arrows out of its body and looked at it. It was like nothing I had ever seen. It was hard to tell it’s colour in the darkness of the swamp but its head looked like a cow crossed with a greyhound’s. Its body was covered in something scaly and had thick meaty legs which ended in giant, split hooves. Its tail was thick and reptilian like, resembling an Alligator’s tail with sharp spines running all the way down to the tip, which was tipped with a ball of bony spikes, like a wrecking ball. I reached down to touch the creature and felt a handful of flesh come off in my hand. It was sticky and oily, covered in a thick layer of moss and muck. I dropped it and wiped the muck off my hand before crouching next to the creature and using my gun to lift up its leg. I dropped it again and decided that I wasn’t gonna waste my health and sanity on this creature. I stood up and tucked my gun into my pants before slinging my bow over my shoulder and crossing back over the murky water. I shone my torch around and began heading back the way I had come, being careful not to lose my footsteps. I jumped over a mud patch and shone my torch around before spotting something yellow over behind some grass and trees. I looked back at the trail and marked it with an arrow before crossing the water. I pushed through the long grass and saw it was a bus. I went around it and climbed up onto the bank before turning my torch back on. The bus was covered in faded yellow paint and graffiti. It had rusty metal slats covering the windows and barbed wire strung across the roof. It had a homemade bumper at the back, with four massive spikes sticking off the back of it. The back windows all had bars on them and the back door was left open. The other side of the bus was partly submerged in water and the doors had been left open. The back wheels were covered by thick steel plates and spikes while the front wheels had bars over them, allowing them to turn without getting damaged. The front bumper had been replaced but since the vehicle was in water, I couldn’t see it. I could see a frame sticking up in front of it before two bars disappeared into the murky water of the swamp. The lights had been covered with steel mesh while three lights sat perched above the front windscreen, which in turn had a cage put over it. I boarded the bus as it shifted and groaned before sinking further into the water. I shone my torch around the interior of the bus and saw it was built like a motorhome. There was a kitchen, bedding and lounge area while a bathroom and shower sat either side of each other. I saw a ladder leading to a hatch that had been cut into the roof. I climbed up and bashed at the hatch before it flew open. I poked my head out the top and saw a 50 Calibre machine gun had been mounted to the roof. I looked around and saw nothing else on the roof of the bus before climbing back down and exiting the bus. I looked over it again before I went up to a tree and put my bow down. I took my tank top off and ripped a strip off the bottom before wrapping it around the tree, marking the bus. I then put my bow in my bag and crossed the river before ripping another strip off my top and hanging it on a branch. I walked along the trail again before tearing another strip and tying it to a fern. I walked off along the trail for a while before I took the rest of my top and hung it on a vine. I then hitched my bag back onto my shoulder and adjusted myself before making my way back to camp. I spotted the fire through the plants and saw Dad leaning against the Military Crusader, which had crashed off the highway and landed in the bog, making it stuck fast. I dropped my bag near the Crusader and sat in front of the fire.

“Find anything?” asked Dad, realising I wasn’t wearing a shirt

“No, only some weird-looking swamp creature” I said “Its flesh was peeling off it so I left it to bleed out”

“Where’s your shirt?” he asked as I stared into the flames before chucking a stick into it

“I found a bus” I said as he stared at me

“You what?” he asked

“I found a bus” I repeated “It’s been abandoned for a while, It’s bogged in mud but it’s pretty well fortified”

“What do you mean?” he asked

“It’s got bars on the windows, armour on the wheels, Barbed wire, reinforced metal bumpers and a 50 Calibre turret on the roof” I said as Dad perked up at the sound of a possible chance of survival. I watched a glint in his eyes as he smiled slightly.

“Where is it?” he asked as I motioned to my stomach and pointed behind me

“Across the Bayou” I said as an animal howled from deep in the swamp before a bird carked nearby “I marked the way with my shirt”

“Are you serious?” he asked

“It’s gonna take some trying to get it free” I said “But it’s set out like a mobile home. It has a bathroom, shower, bedroom, lounge room and kitchen”

“Are you serious?” he asked again as I nodded. I watched him stand up and cheer and punch the air. I smiled as he sat back down and threw more wood on the fire. I grabbed my jacket and pulled it over me, thinking of a nice hot shower. I had been wearing my cargo pants and underwear for a month now and had begun to feel pretty disgusting. I pulled my jacket tighter around me and flattened out on my back and stared up at the sky, the clouds shifting between the tree tops and the moss waving in the breeze. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the swamp and the flickering light of the fire before dozing off into an exhausted sleep. I woke up the next morning to find my jacket open. I had one hand resting on my bare stomach while the other was tucked under my head. The swamp was full of a thick heavy fog that hung low in the air, sweeping across the swamp like a ghostly haze shifting through a graveyard. I sat up and rubbed my eyes before yawning and looking around. I found Dad asleep, propped up against the Crusader, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and an AK47 in his hands. I sat up and rolled the sleeves up on my jacket before heading off into the swamp to use the bathroom.

***

Across the Bayou – freeing the trapped bus
Location: Unknown Swamp, outside Lightning Ridge
Time: Unknown
Date: November 11th, 2013

“Give it a bit more” Said Dad as I slammed my foot on the accelerator. The bus shifted before mud sprayed from behind the bus. I turned the front wheels before the bus made a loud sucking sound. I stopped before flooring it again.

“STOP, STOP!” yelled Dad as I let go of the accelerator. I poked my head out of the door and saw the bus had sunken deeper into the mud. I watched as Dad grabbed a plank of wood from nearby and jammed it under the wheel before bashing it deeper with his foot. I looked at the part of the bus that had been submerged in water and saw the mud had been kicked up around it, turning the water from green to brown.

“OK, go again!” said Dad as I got back in the driver’s seat. I started the bus and pushed lightly on the accelerator as the bus shifted but refused to move. I slowly applied more power to it as the bus struggled to free itself. I finally slammed on the accelerator again while the tyre screeched as the friction between the tyre and the wood grew. I stopped and looked at Dad.

“What‘s the problem?” I asked as he looked at the front end of the bus

“Hang on” he said as he climbed into the water and felt around the front of the bus. I watched as he stared at the water before feeling around again “It’s tangled in weeds and grass. Pass me the machete”

I chucked it to him before he climbed back into the swamp and began hacking at the water. I watched him through the windscreen as he began ripping out the plants that had ensnared the bus. I saw him reach under the water before he began pulling out some thick brown vines covered in moss and swamp muck and threw them up onto the bank. I watched him go around the front of the bus and hack at the water before pulling out more vines and a heap of soaking, rotten wood. I stared at him before he pulled a mossy, mud-covered plant out of the water and tossed it at the bank before climbing out of the water.

“Try it now!” said Dad as I turned the bus on and began pressing the accelerator. The bus shook as the tyre gripped the bit of wood and began screeching again. I pressed it harder as the bus began slowly pulling out of the mud with a slight bubbling sound. I adjusted my position before stomping on the accelerator. The bus’ engine let out a grinding, clunking noise before it jolted backwards suddenly with a loud sucking sound. I kept my foot to the floor before the bus ripped free.

“STOP!” Yelled Dad as I let go of the accelerator. I watched Dad go behind the bus before there was a couple of clunks. I waited before Dad’s thumb appeared behind the door. I hit the accelerator again before the tyre screeched and the bus eased itself out of the swamp. I twisted the steering wheel and helped the bus free itself before it slipped out of the water and up onto the bank. I felt the water splash up onto my legs as the bus rolled up onto the bank of the swamp. I stopped and climbed off the bus as Dad hugged me and kissed my cheek.

“Thanks Dad” I said as he smiled at me and boarded the bus. I looked at the front of the bus and saw the front bumper for the first time. It had a frame built around the front end, guarding the headlights and the grille. There was two bars that extended off the front of the bus, connecting to another set of bars that hung just above the ground. The four bars met in a point that was covered by a reinforced steel scrape plate, which featured the word “RUN” scrawled in either blood or red paint. I boarded the bus as Dad sat in the driver’s seat and shut the doors to the bus.

“I’m gonna go for a sleep” I said as Dad nodded and shifted the gear stick. I went down the back of the bus and flopped onto the bed before closing my eyes.

“So tired of the apocalypse” I mumbled as I rolled over and got comfortable. I felt myself shift as the bus began rolling over the uneven, swampy ground as Dad either made his way back to the highway or back to the bogged Crusader. I slowly felt myself dozing off before I fell into an exhausted sleep.

***

A hope for humanity – Finding the Military Outpost
Location: Old Ghost Road, outside Palmont City
Time: Unknown
Date: December 7th, 2013
Hours before finding the Military Quarantine Zone

I opened my eyes and sat up before looking around. I grabbed my tank top off the end of the bed and put it on before hopping off the bed. I saw Dad was still asleep on the bottom bunk as I grabbed my grenade belt and wrapped it around my shoulder. I put my boots on and slipped a knife into the holster on my thigh before putting my rucksack on and grabbing my carbine rifle off the rack by the door. I pulled the doors of the bus open and stepped off before straightening up. The morning was white and foggy, with a small layer of snow and ice covering the road and nearby grass and trees. I put my rifle over my shoulder and shut the doors to the bus before adjusting my top and walking into the trees. I walked through wrecked cars and fallen trees before I came across a crashed Gunship that was badly burnt. I looked at the body behind the controls of the Helicopter before shrugging and moving on through the bush. I stopped and looked around in the misty white abyss that had surrounded me before I heard a strange noise ahead of me. It sounded like clunking and shuffling, like a dog sniffing out a car for drugs. I quietly snuck ahead and peeked behind a tree to find a dark shape, bent over the back of a crashed taxi. I got closer and crouched behind a bush and saw a young girl, about 15-16, rummaging through the taxi, throwing random stuff out of the boot of the cab. She was completely unarmed, save for a hammer, a gun holster and a bag on her back. I stood up and carefully walked towards her before she looked up and pulled out a small handgun and pointed it at me.

“GET BACK, GET F**KING BACK!” she screamed as I dropped my gun and put my hands up

“WHOA, HEY, HEY!” I yelled “I’m a friendly!!”

“STAY THERE!” she yelled “TRY ANYTHING AND I’LL PUT ONE IN YOUR SPINE!!”

“I’m not gonna hurt you” I said as she cowered slightly behind the safety of the taxi. She had a pretty face with blue eyes and dark brown hair. She was wearing dirty brown boots with a pair of cargo pants and a torn and tattered T-shirt, which was ripped at the waist and had blood staining the whole right shoulder. She had dirt smudged on her arms and face, showing she’d been living rough for quite a while.

“Bullshit!” she growled “Last person who said that tried to rape me!!”

“I’m seriously not going to hurt you!” I said as she came out from behind the cab. I backed down before I stood my ground and put my hands down. I watched her grab her gun and pull the cock back.

“DON’T MOVE!!!!” she screamed as I stood where I was. I took my knife and gun and placed them in front of me before dropping the grenade belt. I stood up and looked at her as she took the safety off her gun and aimed it at my face.

“DON’T F**KING MOVE!!!!” she screamed as I put my hands in the air and backed away.

“I told you, I won’t hurt you” I said as she lowered her gun and stared at me

“Is that all your weapons?” she asked as I nodded. I watched her lower her gun and slip it back into her holster before she looked at me.

“What’s your name?” I asked her

“Kira” she said “My…my name’s Kira”

“Kira?” I said “OK, cool, I’m Castiel. How long have you been out here, Kira?”

“Two weeks” she said as she kept her hand on her gun “I was with a group of about six or seven other survivors. We were camped just outside Hurricane Valley then one night our camp was attacked by a wandering horde of Walkers. I had no other choice but to run and leave everything behind. I haven’t eaten anything since then and haven’t been able to find anything in this car graveyard”

“I think I have something in my bag” I said as Kira grabbed her gun but didn’t pull it out of the holster. I picked my bag up, making sure she saw I was unarmed, and began searching through it for food. I dug around under my spare magazines and other fiddly things before coming up empty-handed.

“I think we have some food back at the bus” I said as she pulled her gun out again

“Don’t think I’m falling for that” she said as I put my hands up

“Kira, I swear I won’t hurt you, we have a bus back at the highway” I said “It has a shower, bathroom, bedroom, lounge room and a kitchen stocked with food and water. I think you should come with me. Trust me, I won’t hurt you”

“OK, dammit!” she reluctantly accepted “But take a look at this hammer for a second. Look how solid it is. If you try anything, and I mean ANYTHING! I will kill you with it and don’t you think I won’t”

“OK, fine” I said as I picked my stuff up and began walking back to the bus. I looked behind me as Kira hesitated before following me. I trudged back the way I had come, passing the crashed Gunship and retracing my steps through the abandoned cars before the tree line opened up onto the road. I looked behind me to make sure Kira was following me before I crossed the road and opened the doors to the bus. I stepped aboard and turned around as Kira hesitated at the doors of the bus.

“Kira, for the last time, you’re safe” I said as she sighed and cautiously stepped aboard the bus. I watched her look around before slowly stepping ahead into the kitchen. I watched her look around again before she sat down on the couch opposite the counter. I placed my bag next to the T.V. as the curtain was pulled aside and Dad came out from the back of the vehicle. I saw Kira stand up and reach for her holster as Dad stopped in the kitchen of the bus with a shocked look on his face.

“Ca-Castiel? He stuttered “What happened? You look different!”

“Uhm…Dad, this is…Kira” I said, pointing to Kira, who had moved towards the driver’s seat, still holding her holster “I found her scavenging through a taxi out in the graveyard”

“I, uh…you…uhm, we uh…Hi, Kira” he stammered as he put his hand out to shake. I watched as Kira grabbed her hammer and held it in a threatening pose.

“If that hand touches me, it’s coming off, you understand!!!” growled Kira as Dad snapped his hand back and widened his eyes

“You don’t have to worry about us hurting you, Kira” he said as Kira nodded her head

“As Castiel has repeatedly told me, I still don’t fully trust you two” She said as she hitched her bag higher on her back and kept her hand on her gun “If you don’t mind, I haven’t slept for four days. Do you have a bed?”

“Back there” said Dad as he motioned towards the back of the bus. I watched as Kira cautiously made her way to the back of the vehicle before she turned around.

“Just so you know, I’m armed” she said “If you try anything at all, I’ll blow your brains out, understand?”

“Yeah” said Dad as I nodded. I watched her vanish behind the curtain before there was a loud creak as the bed buckled under her weight. I looked at Dad as he looked at the curtain and back at me. I nodded and signalled him not to say anything as he shrugged his shoulders and climbed into the driver’s seat. I sat down at the dinette and grabbed a book before sitting back and reading. I felt the bus shake as the engine coughed into life before Dad started driving along the road. I saw snowy trees and abandoned cars pass us before Dad slowed down. I sat up and saw the cars get thicker as Dad pulled up to a freeway, full to the brim with abandoned cars. Some of them still had their lights on while others had their doors and boot lids open. Bags and possessions were scattered everywhere while some of the cars had dents and broken windows covered in blood. Clothes and limbs littered the ground while grass and weeds had begun to grow over the roadway. I got up and walked up to the front of the bus and peered through the cage that covered the windscreen as I noticed an army truck with a camouflage canvas covering the back of it. I looked ahead as there was a flipped semi-trailer with the front end buried in the side of a transit bus.

“Looks like everyone tried to leave the quarantine zone in a hurry” I whispered as Dad crawled past a Military bus that was parked in a pile of snow. I noticed all the dead bodies propped up against the bus, their bodies preserved by the snowy weather while over the other side of the road were a heap of gridlocked cars.

“Wow, here we go” whispered Dad as he approached an overpass. I looked over at the abandoned cars and saw a Semi-Trailer lying on its side while a Garbage Truck had crashed off the side of the overpass and was propped up against the bridge. I looked up at the road sign and saw a rusty red Ute hanging off the side of the bridge. I looked at the road as Dad passed an M1 Abrams and a couple of Military Vehicles. I saw a barricade next to the tank which had a road closed sign and a Quarantine sign on it. I smiled as Dad stopped under the overpass, next to an abandoned transit bus and opened the doors of the bus. I stepped out and looked around me at the panic that had once entangled this place before I made my way past the two army trucks to find five army tents set up under the overpass.

“Wow, we could make this our home” I said to Dad “It has tents, probably full of supplies, it’s under an overpass and we can use the cars for protection against the Walkers”

“Yeah, we could” said Dad “And we have a tank over there with two 50 Calibre guns on it”

“I can’t believe we finally found a home for good!” I said to Dad as I hugged him. I went around the front of the bus and made my way through the abandoned vehicles before I found a Military bus parked under the overpass. I walked around the bus and climbed aboard before I found a few Walkers still on the bus. There was a steel cage protecting me from the Walkers as they got up and dived at the cage. I stepped back and climbed off the bus before I shut the doors and made my way back to the camp. I saw Dad was checking out the tents and trucks as I climbed onto the bus and went to wake Kira.

***

A place called home – At the Military Quarantine Zone
Location: Gridlocked Highway, outside Palmont City
Time: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Three Months after finding the Outpost

I climbed under the bus and looked around before grabbing a severed Walker arm. I saw it was tangled around the rear axle while flesh and tendons were wrapped around the Differential. I grabbed the hand and tugged at it as the remaining cloth on the arm ripped a little. I crawled towards the back of the bus and tugged at the hand again before there was a slicing noise and the arm tore free, spraying me with blood and chunks of flesh.

“Oh shit, oh that’s not nice!” I said as I wiped myself over with a rag and crawled back towards the axle. I grabbed the remaining tendons before tearing them from the bus. I chucked them aside and began untangling a heap of entrails from around the brake pads. I wrapped an intestine around my hand and began unwinding it from around the wheel. I ripped it free and chucked it into the pile of Walker limbs beside the bus. I rolled over and crawled along to the front of the bus before finding a crushed Walker skull mashed against the front axle and the undercarriage of the bus. I grabbed it and ripped it free before chucking it aside. I looked around at the underside of the bus before finding a set of legs wrapped around the driveshaft. I grabbed my knife and cut the legs in half before pulling them out and chucking them into the pile of limbs. I climbed out from under the bus and dusted myself down before I began pulling Walker parts from the front bulbar of the bus. I ripped a torso from the bars and threw it aside before grabbing all the little fiddly bits from the front end and chucked them aside.

“Note to self, don’t drive through a horde of Walkers next time” I whispered as I grabbed a shovel from the side of the bus and began shovelling the body parts into a garbage bin. I rested the shovel against the bus and carried the bin over to the bonfire and poured them onto it. I chucked the bin aside and began making my way over to a nearby army truck.

“Hey Castiel” said Kira as I found her dismantling the engine of a 4-Door sedan “What’s up?”

“Just cleaning the bus” I said as I climbed up onto the truck and grabbed a jerry can “I’m about to burn some Walker limbs, that’s all”

“Fair enough” she said as she bent down into the engine and pulled something apart before coming up with a fanbelt. I watched her chuck it aside and reach back down into the engine bay. I climbed down off the truck and went back over to the bonfire as I spotted Dad fixing up a breach in the defence system before I opened the jerry can and poured Gasoline over the pile. I looked around for a second before I lit a match and dropped it on the soaking pile. I backed up as it sparked before exploding in flames and walking away. I made my way into a tent and took my shirt off before pulling on a clean one and chucking the dirty one into a basket by the door. I looked around at my bedroom before smiling and heading back outside to tend to the bonfire…