Abigail Marsh
Settling Elaine down took longer than Abbie had anticipated and there were worried creases around her eyes as she finally moved away from her family huddle. Of course, it was right that Zoe should stay behind, Paul wasn't himself these days. God knew he loved their little girl, but he wasn't himself these days (or he was too much of himself; Abbie never knew which one it was).
Almost everyone who was leaving the bunker had already left by now and Abbie could feel the stares of those remaining behind, burrowing into her skin. They were a mixed bag of nuts these stares: half jealousy, half fear. Abbie walked at a brisk pace to the hatch and found Byron just on the other side, his hand extended to help her out. Abbie accepted it gratefully and with her other shielded her eyes against the sun.
It seemed a while before she could see anything of the world and even after the glare died down, it was still there, a fuzzy halo hanging over everything she saw. But oh, she saw! Not everything had been destroyed afterall.
There were some buildings still standing in the distance and some torn in half. It looked almost like some great machine had scooped bowls of the earth away, taking building, trees and all and leaving hollow craters in their place.
But, it wasn't all lost. Over all the ground, weaving in and out of the railway tracks, clinging to the rusted rear of a car, over everything was a patchy carpet of lush, green moss.
Abbie cleared her throat, then she did it again, more loudly and the talking died down as the group turned to her. She'd become something of an unspoken leader in the group.
"Remember the plan everyone, we have to get this base organised and stocked up. Brian, Theo, Lucy, Dex, Olivia. You're all with me. Jonathan, take Jasmine, Samuel, Helen, Rheyalyn, Minestrone, Hallie, Aaron, Lance and Byron. We need blankets, food, water." Abbie nodded or smiled at each person in turn and encouraged the groups to gather close together.
"We're going to see if the hospital still stands." That had been on the outskirts of town to the East, in the opposite direction of the shops. "Try- try not to go too far this first trip and at the first sign of any trouble breathing, turn back. We don't know what we're dealing with."
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