Who are You?

"I've always thought about just leaving, going on my own and skipping from city to city. Always wanted to travel and now it's free," the woman let out a semi-forced laugh. "The sights just aren't as good anymore."

"You get what you pay for, huh?" A lighthearted laugh escaped my lips. "It's probably easier said than done. The dead are everywhere now. More than likely worse in more populated cities."

"Yeah, we thought so too," she sighed. "Cam and I traveled here from Michigan. Thought we'd be able to find a place where it's safer than out there. It's no better here."

"We came from Ohio," I informed her ironically. "Natural rivals. Downtown the major cities were a disaster."

"Natural rivals," she repeated in a joking manner. "What's your name?"

"Jake," I introduced myself hawkishly, still a tad skeptical of the woman. "You?"

"I'm Anna."

I examined her. She was more than likely in her late twenties. Her green eyes were bright even when the sun wasn't around to illuminate them. Her pouty lips were pressed firmly and a serious expression remained on her face.

"You don't have anybody else, Anna?"

"No. My mom was a nurse so she didn't make it through the beginning — she was the only parent I had. Cam and I were trying for a baby and I — we lost it. I couldn't tell him before he died. He was so happy we were finally going to have a child."

"I'm sorry," I huffed apologetically. "I didn't mean to —"

"Why be sorry? What's happened is the truth. You can't run from the truth. Might as well accept it."

We stood near the campfire we set up temporarily. I volunteered to guard and keep an eye on Anna as the others attempted to rest. Christie and Vick guarded the minivan and the other side of the campsite.

It was dark and the light flickering off of the flames was the only light we had. The warm glow illuminated Anna's tan face as she held her hands out to catch some heat.

"You're right. I lost my girlfriend of twelve years a couple days ago."

Silence fell upon us. I wondered if I was too outright.

"I'm sorry," She apologized sincerely. "It's never easy. It's even harder now. You have to keep going though. It's what she would want."

The sun began to peek out from in between the clouds and it was a sign that we would be heading out soon. A beautiful pink to purple sunrise revealed itself and it was a bittersweet reminder that even when you die, the sun rises again. Even when you lose everything, the world keeps spinning. 

_

"If they try anything, do not hesitate. Do what you have to in order to keep living," Vick lectured as he drove the minivan we traveled in. "This could help us but if they're not friendly, there will be a problem."

"Maybe we should send a couple people in first, that way the rest of us are there incase they try something. All of us going in there at once might seem a bit intimidating." Nista suggested from the backseat.

"Good idea. Two people should go in —"

"I'll go." I immediately volunteered, cutting Vick's sentence short. "I don't need anybody else. It's better off I go alone."

"No," Christie objected. "I'll go with you. I'm not letting anybody walk in that place alone."

"It's a big place surrounded by fencing and trees," Anna explained. "If they don't detect us, we should be able to get close enough to observe and strike if needed."

Christie and I approached the rolling gates before exchanging skeptical glances with one another.

"Drop your weapons!" A man called from the other side of the gate. "Now!"

I placed my handgun on the ground. Christie did the same.

"We're looking for a place to stay," I called out. "Just for a few days until we get back on our feet. We're barely surviving out here."

"If you can't help yourselves, what can you do for us?" An unfamiliar woman's voice called from the other side of the gates. "We don't need useless people here. We can't take care of anybody who can't take care of themselves."

"We can scavenge, we can fight — there's just not enough of us to go into the cities for food. They're loaded with zombies."

"You'll have to ask her." The man responded simply.

I turned to the woman.

"Not me, asshole." She scoffed, "Tabitha. She's inside."

We entered the building with the man and woman nudging us in the backs with their guns. They directed us until we reached the main lobby. Tabitha revealed herself.

She was thin and dressed in clean, dressy clothing. She had to have been close to fifty years old — her crows feet told it all. Her dark eyes pierced through mine and I could hardly speak.

"You have signs out there pointing here. We need help."

"We need help, too." She kept her gaze firm as she spoke. "People are a resource when they're the right kind of people. What can you do for me?"

"Anything that will keep my group alive." I stated confidently, "I'll scavenge, I'll play look out — whatever keeps a roof over our heads until we get enough supplies to travel again."

"There are others?" She questioned, "so you plan on leaving when all is said and done? How does that help me?"

"You can take half of whatever supplies we bring back, no questions asked." Christie interrupted, "we keep the other half in our storage until we go."

Tabitha's gaze shifted to the man who escorted us inside. She nodded and he quickly grabbed Christie.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I barked, "let her go!"

"You're going to go and bring back the others in your group," Tabitha directed in a cold, flat tone. "Go, now."

I ran outside and through the gates. Where are they?

A zombie wandered towards me. I whacked him and sent his body tumbling to the pavement. I hurried to the spot where we were supposed to meet in the woods down the road.

They're not here.

I stood near the 'meeting rock', staring down at the large rock with a red x marked on it. Vick used berries to draw on it in order to make things easier.

"Vick? Courtney?" I called out.

My voice attracted nearby zombies. Both approached, slowly trudging through the thick mud. One was a woman and one was a man. I kicked the woman to the ground. As I attempted to kick the man to the ground, my foot got stuck in the mud.

In result, I fell. The dead man was immediately on top of me, growling in my face and sending flecks of blood onto my skin from his mouth.

"Fuck!"

I attempted to pull my knife. The woman was now up and coming toward me. She fell on top of both me and her friend. Their weight knocked the breath out of me as I struggled to grab a weapon.

Finally, I got ahold of my pocket knife. I shoved it into the man's skull before pushing the woman away. She came at me relentlessly as I tried to pull my boot from the mud. When I succeeded, I dragged myself away from her. She grabbed my muddy boot, pulling it off and setting me free.

I'm now missing a boot.

I turned to notice a handful of dead ones shuffling through the trees and immediately ran off.

"Courtney? Vick?" I called out again, this time desperately.

I have no choice. I have to find somewhere to go.

This time, I'm alone.

_

Whoosh!

I barreled through the front door of the first home I saw. Almost immediately, I smelled the scent of decomposing flesh. I knew what would come next.

Grrrgghh... rgghhh..

Both a dead man and woman approached. Both had noticeable bites and the woman was still in uniform — she was a nurse. I put them both down before scavenging the kitchen similar to a hungry animal.

All I found was a box of stale crackers and canned cheddar cheese. I ravaged the snack, putting a tower of cheese on the cracker the way I used to with Kara. It was our favorite snack. The candle I lit sat in middle of the room, providing some light and helping just a little with the smell.

"God, Kara, you'd love this." I spoke out loud.

I ate until I couldn't anymore. Eventually, I found myself in the bathroom, hunched over the toilet as I threw up cheese and crackers.

Months ago, I was living a normal life. Now I'm throwing up canned cheese and stale crackers into some dead stranger's toilet.

I stared into the mirror above the bathroom sink. The stubbles along my jawline have turned into thick, dark hair that now covered the once stubbly jawline. My blue eyes were cold and empty. The flecks of blood on my face were smeared.

I stared into my own eyes and whispered the question, "Who are you?"

Grrrgghhh!

"Shit!"

A zombie swung at me from behind. We fell to the tile floor of the bathroom and rolled around in a struggle of life versus death. When I finally got him off of me, I slammed his head into the corner of the bathroom sink until his face wasn't a face anymore. With the blood now splattered on the vanity mirror, I stared into my own eyes once more and repeated three words.

"Who are you?"