The Start of Something New

It's been three days since I left the settlement. I'm at my own secret hidey hole I found back when I was first assigned as a scavenger for the settlement.

The place used to be a private office for some big shot rich guy, so I have plenty of luxuries.

Or I would have if the place wasn't cleared out COMPLETELY!

Anyways, my once hiding spot has now become my base of operations. I plan on staying here for until I need to go out again to get food and resources.

Just as I am about to sit down and think, I hear a yell outside my base.

Deciding it might be important, I jump out the window of the office, which is on the second floor (For some reason).

I land on an Infected, crushing it's head and killing it, and turn around to see a man on the ground covering his face with his arms.

"Hey, you alright?" I tap the guy's arm.

The man removes his arms from his face slowly and replies, "Y-yes I'm ok."

"Good, what's your name?" I ask nonchalantly as the man stands up.

The man looks at me weirdly, "My name is Lucas..."

"Mines Zara, now, what are you doing here?" I ask suspiciously.

"I- uh I was just scavenging..." Lucas replies nervously.

I look at him with suspicion, "In this area? Yeah right, everyone knows this area is filled with infected." I pull out my knife and ask again, "Now why are you actually here?"

He seems a lot more willing to talk now that he is being threatened, "OK! OK! I'm here because I'm running from someone!"

I furrow my eyebrows slightly, "Who?"

"Some crazy scientist who wants to try and make a cure..." Lucas pauses, "They use people in experiments to see if they can make a vaccine. I was going to be killed, I had to run!"

I take a deep breath and sigh, "Fine, I believe you." I put my knife away and begin to walk away.

"H-hey, wait!" Lucas calls out to me, "What?" I ask with irritation.

"Let me come with you, please..." Lucas practically begs.

As I was about to say no, I suddenly remember how I joined the settlement prior to all this.

I had no food, and I was starving. I fell to the ground, unable to continue walking.

When a man in an old trench coat and fedora walks up to me, saying, "You ok, kid?"

I don't say anything, "Would you like some help?" I remain silent.

The man picks me up and carries me somewhere. I fall unconscious before we made it to the destination.

When I woke up, I was in a medical bed, with the man sleeping in a chair in the corner.

I sit up, which causes the man to wake up, "Ah, you're up."

"Where am I?!" I ask in a panic, "Calm down, you're safe." the man says gently.

After a bit, I calm down and ask, "Why did you help me?"

The man smiles warmly and replies, as the memory fades.

"Because it's the right thing to do..."

The man's name was Clement. He died not long after I joined the settlement.

"The right thing to do, eh?" I mutter. I look at Lucas and say, "Alright, you can come with me, but don't expect me to baby you."

Lucas brightens up, "Ah y-yes of course."

I re-enter my base with Lucas in tow and sit down on the floor. After a moment of awkward silence, Lucas speaks, "So... What happened with your hair? A-and your eyes too." I look at him and decide I can tell him a few things, "I woke up with my hair and eyes looking like this. I have no idea what happened." I lie.

Lucas notices my bandaged arm, "How'd you get that injury? J-just curious." I narrow my eyes at him, "That is none of your business." I say with an irritated tone.

"R-right..."

We sit in silence, "Fuck it, we're going out." I say with boredom.

I grab my bag and pull a pipe from it, "Here, Lucas." I toss the pipe to Lucas, who clumsily catches it.

"Why are you arming me?" Lucas asks, "Because I can't really have you becoming food for the infected, now, can I? At least not without putting up a fight." I say jokingly.

"I guess so..."

The sun was starting to set from its peak, so we had to be quick, "Let's go."

We leave through the window of the office and head down the street to a convenience store I frequent when scavenging.

Lucas and I enter through the broken front window before looking around for any usable items.

I find some food and put it into my bag. I look over at Lucas and see he found a bag to store things in, as well as some drinks.

We leave the store and go further down the street. We head into a hunting store and look around.

"Place has mostly been cleaned out, but I occasionally find some good stuff." I blurt out.

We head to the storage rooms, as the show rooms were all empty, and look around there.

"H-hey I found something!" Lucas yells out. I head over to him to see what he found.

When I reach Lucas, he shows me his discovery, "It's a bow..." I look at Lucas, deciding if I could trust him or not. I turn around and grab him by the shoulders, "Tell me, Lucas, can I trust you?"

"Of course! You are letting me stay with you after all, why would you let me stay with you if you didn't trust me?" Lucas says without missing a beat.

I sigh and pick up the bow, before handing it to him, "Take it. That pipe will only get you so far." Lucas takes the bow with a smile, "Just don't shoot me with it."

I don't trust him completely still. But he's earned some trust.

We find some arrows nearby, along with a professional grade quiver. After a little more looting I decide to call it a day and head back.

When we step out of the store and notice immediately, "SHIT it's almost night!" I grab Lucas' wrist and run back to base.

Lucas struggles to keep up with me, "COME ON! The sun is setting, and I don't want to get killed by a Hunter!"

I hear a roar in the distance, "FUCK!" I run faster, practically dragging Lucas at this point.

I turn the corner and see the UV lights I set up, "Almost there!"

*ROAR!* I take a glance behind me and see a Hunter chasing after us, "Damnit!"

The Hunter catches up to us in no time. I watch as the world feels like it's moving in slow motion, as Lucas pulls out his bow and nocks an arrow just as the Hunter jumps at us.

Lucas releases the arrow and hits the Hunter in the eye, killing it, "Holy shit..."

I grab Lucas' hand again and pull him into the base, "Didn't know you were so good with a bow, Lucas."

Lucas scratches the back of his head, "Well, I used to go hunting a lot before moving to New Aeros, so there's that."

"That does help a lot." I joke. I look at Lucas and decide to trust him.

I put my bag in a corner and sit down next to it. Lucas does the same thing in the opposite corner.

I was thinking to myself, when Lucas suggests something, "Hey, how about we build some trust between us by telling some secrets?"

I think, 'I am curious about him so why not?' "Only if you go first." I say.

"Alright, so, I... used to be a Follower of the Bloody Rose." I widen my eyes at the revelation, "I never participated in any of their insane, cannibalistic rituals, as I was only an initiate."

Lucas pauses, "When I was a part of any raids, I usually missed on purpose. I couldn't kill anyone, not without feeling incredible guilt." Lucas looks at me, "So I left during one of the raids."

"Shortly after I left, I was taken by that scientist I told you about. Crazy fucker was injecting people with various chemicals and then injecting them with infected blood. I escaped when one of the test subjects turned and broke out."

"I've been looking for people to call friends ever since."

Lucas looks at the ground for a moment, before looking at me, "I believe it's your turn now, Zara."

Thinking about what to say, Lucas asks about my bandages. I decide that since he told me his dark secret, I'll tell him mine. I reach for my bandages and remove them while saying, "This is something you can tell no one."

I finish taking off my bandages and reveal my bite scar to Lucas whose eyes widen, "I was bitten, but I survived miraculously." I pause, "It's what changed my hair and eye color."

"I think it also gave me powers, since this injury healed in only a few hours, and it was bad."

Lucas looks at me with worry, "Your exactly what that crazy scientist wants, a person who is immune to the virus."

"I forgot to mention, the scientist works with the local military, or, what's left of it at least."

"Good to know." I re-wrap my scar and lie down. Lucas does the same, "Whatever happens Lucas, I'll protect you." I blurt out, "Thanks, Zara."

"Goodnight, Lucas." I yawn out. "Goodnight, Zara."