Young Writers Society

"No, I won't draw my sword on a living person," Samuel said to Mika. There were probably those among them that thought it ridiculous that he would have such a promise to himself, but it made sense to him. Which was all that mattered.

Wyvern left, saying she needed to use the bathroom. But she seemed troubled by something. There was something that she didn't want anyone else to see. When the bandage was finally in place he looked to the forest across from him and saw the almost military-esque woman coming from the trees. The only reason he hadn't already had a knife in hand was that her hand wasn't on the trigger of that silenced rifle.

After some questions for the new woman, Sam, he relaxed a little. As much as he normally did at least. Pulling his shirt back on as he nodded Matt to go after Wyvern, as he was more likely to help her calm down than any one of them. Harry and Sam chatted about their history and what they had been through before an accidental touch sent Harry off into the woods with Blitz.

When Harry didn't come back for a bit he mentioned that someone should go make sure he was alright. If something bit him he would likely be unconscious and unable to get help. Sam spoke up and headed to him. "I'll take first watch," Samuel said, finishing the placement of the last belt on his torso. Pulling his hood up once again, he actually removed the mask he had been wearing, revealing the rather solemn face beneath. Moving to a spot by the barn he leaned his back against it as he moved into the shadow.

Everyone returned, eventually, and soon it was just him awake. Periodically he would move forward, place a log on the fire to keep it going, and return to his post by the barn. Sitting there under the moonlight, the glow of the fire only barely licking at his black shrouded figure, he pulled out a small trinket from his pocket. It didn't seem like much, just a small wooden pendant on a leather cord. The pendant was a small carving of a rose, the only thing he had left of his sister.

He ran his calloused thumb over the shaped petals as he remembered when he got it for her. He had found it outside in the dirt. A broken chain attached to it, and a small stain of blood that almost made it seem like a real rose. He had cleaned it up and put it on a leather cord for her. It was their secret. If his father had found out that Samuel had gone outside without his permission, Samuel would have likely been locked in a trunk for a full day.

The pendant had been in his hand when he awoke from his three day coma. Someone apparently knew its importance and made sure that he had it. The last remains of his beloved sister. When he hear footsteps coming toward him from the group he slipped it back into his pocket, keeping it out of sight and a secret, like he had so long ago.

"My shift isn't over," he said without looking to the person that walked up. "You still have another hour to sleep."

Low

A lot had gone on in the last few days, and it was a lot to take in, honestly. It was now night time and Samuel was on watch.

He was still awake, though. He hadn't slept for three days and dark circles formed under his eyes but he wasn't tired. If anything, he was everything but tired.

Low tried everything not to get involved with anything the group was doing unless they needed him. They probably all saw him as useless because of it, but he ignored the fact that people may think against him. His entire life, he was thought against. Rejected by his parents and all his friends left him after many fights. Physical fights.

He felt his back sting from any wounds that scared his back and he remembered his father's temper, continuously beating him with his belt on his back if Low even talked. He wasn't exactly allowed to talk at his house because it was normally a smart ass comment and his parents hated that. His parents hated him... He rolled his sleeve up and looked at the scars at lined his upper arms. He could've easily fought back, but he didn't.

One hit. A wheeze. Another. Wheeze again. He remembered his father's voice taunting him as he hit his back with the belt, leaving cuts and bruises.

Low wasn't a bad kid; people just didn't know him enough but they made assumptions. He has permanent scars on his back and a few burns covering his torso due to flaming torture by his parents. Low kept having flashbacks of his parents starting a fire and grabbing him roughly by the arms and legs and dangling his fighting body over the fire. He could feel the pain as he thought of it and he felt a small tear fall from his eyes. A shaky breath escaped his lips and he looked back at the scars.

Low sighed, trying to keep quiet as he rested his head against the tree he sat against. He then closed his eyes only to rewatch his mother get ripped apart, then is quivvering self after Becca died. He opened his eyes.

What has this world come to?

Julia



Julia had been walking for hours...she could hear the birds chirping and the small animals running across the dead leaves that crunched under her feet. Every so often Julia would stop and listen for sound of pursuing feet or the Infected...even being immune getting bitten was practically a death sentence if anyone saw the marks. She pulled the sleeve of her sweater down further on her arm, attempting to hide the bite mark scars on her wrist.

As she walked she allowed her mind to wander, jumping from thought to thought. She absentmindedly hummed a song she'd heard just before the world went to hell.

She was thinking of Jayden, her baby brother. The way his brown hair fell over his left eye because he refused to let their mother cut it and his big green/brown eyes. She thought as she walked through the forest.

In a world where everything was normal, someone would have thought of Julia as "Goth" or "Emo" but the truth is she wasn't. People regularly thought that she wore contacts because her eyes were a violet color, it annoyed her back when school was a thing she attended. She hated the genetic mutation that caused her eyes to be violet and caused her to be immune to this damn virus, maybe then she wouldn't be alone, she wouldn't have the constantly feel like her brother should have lived and she died. Maybe then she'd be better off.

The snap of a twig broke her out of her thoughts...

Sam Banes

After all the utterly insane happenings of the night, I didn't sleep so well, taking some comfort instead in examining the faces of my new...... friends? It might take a while for that word to sound even remotely normal... I wish I could've found some people like these a few years ago. That would've been great. No use thinking about the past, though.

I couldn't see most of them in the dim firelight, especially with the more spread out sleeping arrangement that seemed to be in place. Mr. Badass is just hanging out over on watch duty... Samuel. I guess that's cool enough- sounding. Viktor or Arnold might do his abilities more justice, though. I almost forget myself and laugh, before clapping a hand over my mouth and sinking deeper into the warm sleeping bag the white haired guy had provided me with. I turn over and watch the shadows play across that boy's face. Harry, huh? He seemed like a nice enough guy. Certainly handsome enough...

I blush, despite myself and pull the sleeping bag up over my head, not caring that no one could see my reddened face. This is no time or place for those thoughts, Sam. If you let anyone in, or let anyone care about you, things only get harder. Still.....

Julia

The man in front of her hadn't even turned around when he spoke, judging by what he said he must have though a friend of his was behind him. Silently she raised her bow and stepped forward.

"Who are you?" She asked...the first three words she had spoken in a long time.

She put an arrow into place and readied herself in case this man was an infected.

Samuel stiffened. He was becoming lax in his watch. Someone had managed to sneak up behind him. His hood slowly turned to the girl that now had an arrow aimed at him. It was the second time in a week he was staring at the at an arrow head.

"I should be asking you that," he said in a cold voice. The shadows hiding his face within the hood. His right hand slowly inching toward a throwing dagger. "My name is Samuel. And with a whistle I can have the rest of my group on you in seconds before you even loose that arrow. So how about you lower that bow and everyone lives."

He wasn't bluffing either. He could lodge his dagger in her windpipe with a flick of his wrist. But there was no point in keeping this standstill going any longer than he needed to.

Julia

She saw how the man's hand was moving towards something that she couldnt see...He didnt talk like a recently bitten so she lowered her bow slightly and put the arrow back. He talked with a voice that felt like he was already stabbing her. Grabbing the end of her long sleeves with her fingers she nodded and set the bow on the ground in front of her. She was being underestimated but she knew that she was agile enough to duck whatever he was reaching for in a second. But she wasnt willing to take that risk.

"Julia" was all she said

She lowered her bow. At least she wasn't completely insane. He sighed as his hand dropped from the dagger to a small canteen. He didn't see anything on her that would suggest that she had any water. He took a drink from it to show that it was safe before offering it to her.

"Julia," he repeated. "I guess another one added to the gang wouldn't hurt things." He slowly stood up and stretched from having sit for so long. "I doubt that you have heard it. But there is supposed to be a safe place in England. We are headed there even if it is just a false broadcast. It's something to do."

Julia

She watched him as he drank from the canteen and then tried to hand it to her. She took it, grateful someone had offered it. The she remembered. She could still be a carrier of the virus, being immune didnt mean she couldnt pass it along. She lifted the canteen a few inches above her mouth and drank.

Once she had drank some she handed it back and nodded her head in thanks. He started talking about that safe zone in England...The one she'd heard from her hand crank radio. She didn't trust anything she couldn't see but the man had a point. What else was there to do?

She pulled her bow around herself and nodded and then sat against the tree nearest to her and picked up a stick and proceeded to whittle it with her small dagger. It was quiet...and she was enjoying the silence...she was used to it.

Samuel looked to Julia, who seemed to be whittling something with a small dagger. He smirked withing the darkness of the hood and looked up to the stars.

"It's funny," he said with a voice that seemed both amused and dead. Like he had lived too long with things that amused him. "On such a quiet night, you wouldn't think the world had gone to hell."

He rested his left hand on the handle of his sword and sighed. A small group was slowly growing into a big one. With that came challenges. A bigger group was harder to hide. If they were stopped they would have to fight. Samuel didn't like things as they were going.

Julia

Julia glanced at this strange man every so often and continued whittling. She wished she could just get a glimpse of his face but that hood would make an interesting profile if she could get the folds of it right.

Every so often she would wipe little bits of wood off. She only really stopped to staunch the blood from her thumb when she accidentally cut herself.

Harry Falconer

Harry had been sleeping peacefully when suddenly, he awoke. His eyes were still closed, but he was awake. He wasn't sure what had awoken him, but years of experience told him to trust his instincts. And his instincts said something was wrong.

Carefully, He opened his eyes a degree, to narrow slits. And then he froze. Through the haze of his eyelashes was a shadow, which seemed to show someone looming over him.

Quickly, Harry kicked upwards, and was rewarded with a cry of pain as he leaped to his feet. A scabbily dressed man was standing in front of him, clutching his jaw. Samuel rushed to them, sword out, as the others stirred out of their slumber to come to the scene, including a girl he didn't know.

"Who are you?" Samuel asked in an edgy tone.

The man looked fearfully at the group with their weapons out. A syringe fell from his sleeve, and they closed in, Blitz growling."

He held up his hands. "I...I didn't want to do it, I was just trying to survive."

"By killing Harry?" snapped Sam, her big sauer inches from his chest.

"No no!" h declared emphatically. "That would have just made sure he slept long enough for me to take him and collect the reward from Yuko."

Everyone exchanged looks. They knew what this meant. They had another enemy to watch out for.

"What reward?" muttered Harry, cursing his luck to have not just Yuko's death squad, but also other survivors as new hurdles.

"A year's worth of supplies. And as many weapons and tools as I can carry." he replied. "I needed it...so I stole this and moved on you. I was told the wolf would follow you. I had to do it quick, before the death squad got you first."

"What's a death squad?" wondered Matt aloud.

"Five of Yuko's best." replied Harry. "With a complex skill set that makes them an excellent team, perfected and trained to kill or capture. And we have forty-eight hours before they find us."

"How do you know the time?" asked Wyvern, narrowing her eyes at Harry.

Harry swallowed. "I met a friend in the woods last night. He gave me my old pistols back and said that he'd keep the squad astray for forty-eight hours." He omitted the part about how his 'friend' had been pointing the guns at him first, as he thought it might make them think that Chuck was untrustworthy, when Harry knew that he was, and was only on the other side because he had been forced to be.

"and you didn't tell us before?" she growled.

Harry sighed. "Well, we'd been through so much...a dog attack, and the argument, and the attack on Samuel...I just wanted us to have one good night's sleep before I told you."

"Well it nearly got you killed." said Samuel, eyeing Harry. "Wait, how did you know who Harry was?" he asked, turning to the man.

"There are posters with his face and the reward all over." he replied. "Others saw them too. Everyone wants to do it to get in the good books of the most powerful man in North America."

Wyvern groaned. "A manhunt! Just what we need."

"Well, I'm not going to let that happen." said Samuel, looking directly at Wyvern. "We're keeping Harry safe."

While they were distracted, the man kicked Samuel in the shin, forcing him to drop his sword before running into the woods. Matt started to go after him but Wyvern grabbed his wrist. "Oh, no you don't." she hissed. "You won't be able to catch up. Besides, he won't go to anyone, or he won't get the reward. He'll most likely try and think of a way to get Harry on his own. There'll probably be others tonight though."

"Not if they don't see Harry." pointed out Samuel. 'Harry, go to your sleeping bag and pull it up over your face. We'll figure something out to hide you in the morning."

Harry nodded and returned to his sleeping bag. As he stayed in it , he heard Samuel introduce Julia and, despite the circumstances, Mika immediately started flirting.

Typical Mika thought Harry, and he realized that he already felt like he knew Mika's personality well despite having only met him the day before.

Later, when everyone returned to their sleeping bags to steal a few more precious hours of sleep, and Samuel put his sleeping bag down on Harry's right (with Sam on his left), Harry decided to that he owed him some gratitude. "Thanks for sticking up for keeping me with you guys." he muttered.

As Samuel lay his head down, Samuel replied, "You have the vaccine that could save our race in your blood. Plus, you helped save my and Low's life with those dogs. That's more than enough reason to keep you."

Harry smiled and closed his eyes, the sleeping bag covering his face. He law awake thinking about the future for another few minutes before finally succumbing to sleep.

Samuel Evans

Samuel had been silently watching the woman whittle her small figure. He couldn't help noticing that the head looked a lot like his hood. He was about to say something when he heard a cry of pain from the edge of the group.

There stumbled a shadow, trying to right itself from a kick from Harry. Samuel was gone in an instant. He figured it was another infected but was surprised to see a regular man there with a syringe in his hand.

"Who are you?" he growled not recognizing him from anything in his own past.

A small conversation consisted of Yuko sending out a man hunt for Harry. Truth be told he wasn't surprised. He had a vaccine in his blood stream and then there was his wolf that could sense the infected. It made sense.

Forty eight hours isn't long, he thought to himself as he tried to run the outcomes in his head. "Well, you keeping quiet nearly got you killed." He paused a moment as he looked to the man. "How did you know which one was Harry?"

"There are posters with his face and the reward all over." he replied. "Others saw them too. Everyone wants to do it to get in the good books of the most powerful man in North America."

Samuel let out a growl as he realized that their trip to England just became scaling Everest without any gear.

Wyvern groaned. "A manhunt! Just what we need."

"Well, I'm not going to let that happen." said Samuel, looking directly at Wyvern. "We're keeping Harry safe."

The moment was all the man needed, kicking Samuel between one of the plates and making him lose his grip on the man. The man ran off into the darkness, beyond what Samuel could make out.

"There'll probably be others tonight though."

"Not if they don't see Harry." pointed out Samuel. 'Harry, go to your sleeping bag and pull it up over your face. We'll figure something out to hide you in the morning. I know a few tricks."

Samuel took a moment to introduce Julia before they all turned on her. Of course, that only made tensions higher as their small group was slowly becoming an army.

With everyone moving to sleep, with Wyvern on watch, Samuel moved his place beside Harry. He was the one being hunted now.

"Thanks for sticking up for keeping me with you guys." he heard Harry mutter.

"You have the vaccine that could save our race in your blood. Plus, you helped save my and Low's life with those dogs. That's more than enough reason to keep you."

He paused a second before adding. "And I know what it's like to be hunted and no one watching your back."

Samuel didn't really sleep. He rested but he never really dozed off. Even if the man didn't tell anyone, they were likely to meet others.

Wyvern

When morning came around, we all sluggishly got out of our sleeping bags, and broke camp. We skipped breakfast, wanting to preserve the little food we have left. Samuel, our default group leader, suggested we have two people scouting ahead. He seemed a little skeptical about the idea, but we agreed to it none of the less. Mika volunteered, with his crossbow, and Harry seemed keen to follow. Lyle was a little anxious to see his older brother's back, but Low assured him that he'd be okay, Blitz is with them after all. I didn't have much faith in Harry with his guns, but Blitz and Mika would be able to handle themselves.

With everyone ready to leave, Samuel sets off in the direction Mika and Harry went. Matt gives me a warm smile, and I return it half heartedly. I rush over to Samuel's side, wincing as my small backpack pressed against my almost healed wounds.

"Samuel," I begin. He looks haggard, like he hasn't slept for two or three days. His cheeks are gaunt, like he hasn't eaten well either. He really doesn't look good. I suppose I don't look any better, so I should stop criticising his appearance. "Samuel."

"What?" Samuel looks down at me with narrowed eyes.

"Look, I know this is a topic you probably don't want to discuss," I venture cautiously.

"Is it about The Tournamen?" He snaps.

"Er, no, that's your business," I shake my head. "I ... Want to talk about Harry."

"Right," Samuel gives me a cautionary look. "What about him?"

"You know we'd be safer without him," I suck in my bottom lip. "He's not exactly a liability, but hes going to put us all in danger. For what?"

"For the cure that runs through his veins, Wyvern," Samuel glares at me. "We're doing it to save our world."

"Right, and what if we don't even make it to England?" I shoot back. "What if we all get killed before we even make it to the coast? The death squad after Harry might get to us first. Then what?"

"People are after me, Wyvern," Samuel points out. "I don't see you arguing to leave me behind."

"There is a difference between you and Harry," I counter harshly. "You can fight with a weapon that doesn't make loud noises, you have experience with hand to hand combat obviously, and you're our leader."

"Hardly," Samuel grunts.

"You haven't noticed?" I stare at him incredulously. "We all follow you, Samuel. We all turn to you for ideas. We do what you say, and go where you go. You're the most resourceful person here, and the most battle weary."

"Wyvern is right," Matt pipes up behind us. "Ever since that night in the house, you know where there was that Infected girl, and that Infected crashed through the staircase."

"We know the house, Matt," Samuel deadpans.

"Uhm, yes," Matt looks away from Samuel's withering gaze. "My point is, since then, we've all seemed to follow you."

"I'd say the only other person that could rival you is Mika, but he doesn't have the seriousmess you have," I add. "And we trust you."

"Trust," Samuel spits the word out. "How can you trust anyone in these times."

I smile lightly at him. "Because you've risked your life for me," I tell him, voice soft. "And you haven't left me behind when you could have."

"Your point?" Samuel snorts.

"Stop being a stubborn arse, Samuel," I roll my eyes. "And admit that you're grateful to have us around. To have backup."

"And someone that knows basic first aid," Matt adds.

"That too," I nod.

Samuel sighs. "Okay, okay," he looks away. I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but I think he's smiling a little. "Can you leave me alone now?"

"Yes, Samuel," I salute him, and drop back beside Matt.

"Do you really thinks it's a bad idea having Harry with us?" He murmurs.

"I'm just raising a point," I shrug. "And when push comes to shove, how do we know he won't just save his own skin? We barely know the guy."

"We all barely know each other," Matt challenges me.

"I know, but would you think I'd leave you all? Or let you die?" I give him a fierce look.

Matt reaches out and grips my hand in his. "I know you wouldn't leave me," he whispers.

My throat closes and my cheeks heat up like a fire. "No, of course not. We're all in this together," I shake my head.

"Together," Matt squeezes my hand.

My cheeks only grow hotter.

We walk for the majority of the day, stopping when we spot Mika and Harry in the distance. They tell us that there is some tall fencing nearby, and they decided it might be best to give it a wide berth. Samuel, after giving me a snide look, agreed it would be a good idea to avoid anything that might indicate civilisation or clean survivors. Happy with the decision, Mika and Harry left again.

"When are we going to stop?" Julia asks. She'd been keeping away from us, watching with narrowed but curious eyes.

"We have stopped," Samuel shrugs.

"I meant for the night," she gives him a droll look.

"Who knows. When we find a place," Samuel frowns.

"Mika and I would board up abandoned houses," Lyle tells us.

"Do you want me to ask them to keep an eye out for a house?" I ask Samuel.

"Yes," he nods.

I grin and walk over to Matt, who is sorting through his first aid kid with Lyle, comparing what they have. Both look up at me as I approach, and I change my smile as I stop in front of Matt.

"Hey Matt," I flutter my eyelashes at him.

"Y-yeah?" Matt seems surprised by my sudden tone and coy expression.

"Could you take my backpack?" I hold it out to him.

He reaches up and grabs it. "Sure," he murmurs.

"Thanks," I wink at him and bound away.

I run through the forest, in the direction Mika and Harry had gone. The trees begin to thin, and soon I'm standing in an open area, farmland stretched out before me. I look around for Mika and Harry, but can't see them anywhere. I spot a flash of white near a crumbling shack, narrowing my eyes to try and make something out.

It's Blitz. He walks through the tall, yellowed grass, pausing in his loping stride to look at me. Harry comes out of the building and spots me, turning around and waving his arm. Frowning, I run through the grass, over to the three standing by the skeleton building.

"Hey guys!" I call.

Harry waves his arms urgently, and Mika comes running out of the shack, a ferocious look on his face. For a second I think he's been infected, but he doesn't seem to have been bitten. I open my mouth to ask what's wrong, but his hand wraps around my mouth as he runs into me, holding my body close to his.

"Don't make a sound," he whispers. "If I let you go, promise you won't yell."

I nod. His hand moves away from my mouth. "What is it?" I ask quietly.

"Signs of a camp," Harry answers. "Just over there."

I follow his finger, but it seems to be indicating a point behind the crumbling shack.

"And we think there might be some Infected," Mika adds. "What are you doing here, gorgeous?"

I flip him the bird. "Samuel sent me. We want you two to look for a house we can spend the night in. One we can board up," I tell them.

"Ah," Mika nods. "Lyle."

"How are we going to find a house out here?" Harry grumbles.

"Of you use your eyes, you might see one," I snap.

"Alright, settle down," Mika gives me a disapproving look. "Its a fair question."

"Farm houses," I shrug. "It's what I grew up in. I'm sure we could find one around here."

"Good thinking," Mika nods.

I nod and turn around to leave, when Blitz starts growling low in his throat. My eyes follow his gaze, and land on a group of people walking in our general direction. They haven't seen is yet, thankfully, but I'd imagine a few more metres and they'll notice us.

"Shit," I curse, dropping down into a crouch.

"Oh crap," Harry chimes.

"Well," Mika shuffles awkwardly toward me on his hands and feet, followed by Harry. "What do we do?"

"Wait for Samuel," I bite my lip. I'm not even armed. Damn. "Someone is going to have to get to them."

Silence meets my words. I look over my shoulder to see Harry and Mika giving me expectant looks.

"Are you serious?" I spit. "What if I get seen?"

"First of all, you don't have a weapon," Mika stage whispers. "Second of all, you're probably faster than the both of us."

"Send Blitz," I jab my thumb in his direction.

"He's a wolf, he can't talk," Mika rolls his eyes.

"And he doesn't leave my side," Harry adds. "Yuko wants him more than me. If he gets seen they'll attack at once, whereas they might hesitate with you, seeing as they wouldn't really want you, with no reward on your head."

I grit my teeth.

"Fine," I shuffle forward. "I'll be back, or something."

"Go!" Mika hisses.

After watching the group of people for a second, I dart forward, through the grass. I pause when a head turns in my general direction. I wait until they've looked away, and run again, heading for the trees. I pause again, watching them. The group is well armed, with about eight of them makimg up the force. Three women, five men. We outnumber them, but barely. Oh, but I don't have a weapon, unless I use Matt's bow, which means he won't have anything. Lyle and Low won't be able to fight, either. I don't know about Julia or Sam, but if they've made it this long, they must be good. Samuel won't draw his sword on these guys, either. So that's really four against eight, with a possible two extras.

Damn.

Shaking my head, I make a break for the trees when none of the group are looking, and hightail it back to Samuel. Hopefully Mika and Harry don't get seen.

Matt Walker

A cool wind blew through a small opening in my sleeping bag, awakening me. The others were already stirring, and Samuel was of course already packed. I almost smile before my back cracks in protest to the hard ground. I wince and slide out of the bag, stuffing it into my pack and pulling the straps over my shoulders. Time to head out.

After everyone was awake, we congregated around Samuel. It was easy to follow him, though he seemed resistant to leading us. He recommended that we send scouts ahead, to make sure the way was clear of the new threat we faced in Harry's pursuers. Mika's hand went up first, and Harry was soon to follow. The two headed out silently with nods to the rest of us.

I fell in behind the group as we started off, and Lyle gravitated towards me. I offered a small smile, and to his credit, he did as well. It can't be easy to let his brother go ahead... Wyvern breaks from the group and heads up towards Samuel, and the two begin to exchange soft words. Samuel looks over at her with concern clear on his face, and I quicken my pace to catch up.

"You know we'd be safer without him." Wyvern says with a pause. "He's not exactly a liability, but he's going to put us all in danger. For what?"

Harry.

Samuel's eyes turn cold. "For the cure that runs through his veins, Wyvern. We're doing it to save our world." A noble idea anyways... I'm walking beside them now, and Samuel nods in acknowledgement. Wyvern sighs and continues.

"Right, and what if we don't make it to England? What if we all get killed before we even make it to the coast? The death squad after Harry might get to us first. Then what?"

I don't like the idea of leaving anyone behind, but she has a point. Samuel clearly recognizes the risk, but he also obviously has the same reservations.

"People are after me, Wyvern. I don't see you arguing to leave me behind." Wyvern almost scoffs.

"There's a difference between you and Harry," she says. "You can fight without a weapon that doesn't make loud noises, you have experience with hand to hand combat obviously, and you're our leader."

Samuel looks at her quizzically. "Hardly."

They continue for a time this way, until finally Samuel seem to grudgingly accept that we all look to him for leadership, regardless of whether or not he thinks himself fit for the task. He looks tired, but maybe less tired all of a sudden. I would swear that he's almost smiling. "Can you leave me alone now?" He asks almost comically.

"Yes, Samuel." Wyvern salutes with a flourish before falling back beside me. I nudge her.

"Do you really think it's a bad idea having Harry with us?" I try to keep my voice down.

She looks at me and shrugs. "I'm just raising a point. When push comes to shove, how do we know he won't just save his own skin? We barely know the guy."

I frown. "We all barely know each other." As soon as I say it, I regret my words. It's the truth, but we both know the situation is different.

Her brow furrows and she shoots a glare at me. "I know that, but would you think I'd leave you all? or leave you to die?"

My breath almost catches in my throat and I reach out to take her hand. "I know you wouldn't leave me."

Wyvern swallows and looks at the ground. "No, of course not. We're all in this together." She says shaking her head. I squeeze her hand. "Together."

We walk on in silence for a good part of the day, luckily largely without issue. Most of us are really too tired to talk much anyways. Several hours into our trek, two forms appear in the distance, and we're all glad to see Mika and Harry walking back towards us. There's apparently a tall fence a few miles ahead, and we all decide it's best to leave some distance between us, given our track record with other groups. After their report, the two head off again, and we follow, slower.

The newest addition to our group, Julia, speaks up. "When are we going to stop?" Her voice startles me from my thoughts, and seemingly a few others as well. Samuel looks back over his shoulder and deadpans. "We have stopped." You'd have thought that such sass would have died with the rest of the world...

She gives him a look. "I meant for the night."

He frowns and shrugs again. "Who knows? When we find a place."

Lyle speaks up for the first time then. "Mika and I would board up abandoned houses."

Wyvern looks up to Samuel. "I could go tell them to keep an eye out...?" He nods. "Yes."

Lyle and I at this point are kneeling by our packs, sorting through our first aid supplies and trying to keep the most important items at the top, ready to use in an emergency. Wyvern is suddenly right beside me.

"Hey Matt." I look up in surprise. "Y- yeah?" Her eyelashes flutter about and my words catch in my throat. What the...

"Could you take my backpack?" I glance around before reaching up for it. "Sure...?" She doesn't break stride. "Thanks." She winks and skips away. What just happened? I look after her as she flits off into the trees and vanishes from sight. "Huh." I turn back to Lyle, and we pack up the supplies once more. I offer another small smile and nod to him and the others as I pass them, heading over to Samuel.

"We're doing good with our first aid supplies. We should keep an eye out for clean bandaging though, there's never enough of it and we never know what could happen. He nods uninterestedly and looks over at me. "You and Wyvern need to keep your heads clear."

I blink. "W- What are you talking about?" He holds up his hand.

"It doesn't matter to me, or anyone else I think if you two have each other. Just make sure you have everyone in mind if the shit hits the fan, all right?" His tone and face make it clear that this isn't a request.

I nod silently. "Good." He says.

I wander away and busy myself with sharpening my machete and knife, then checking that my pistols are loaded just in case. The other new addition, Sam, is sitting alone and running a relatively clean rag through her rifle, and I walk over to say hello.

"Sam, right?" She looks up with a start. "Oh, hey. Yeah, Sam. You're Matthias?" I nod, and gesture at her rifle.

"That's quite a gun. How much ammo do you have for it?"

She looks down at it and runs the rag down it's length again. "It's kept me alive, anyways. I don't use it unless I have to though. I've got two full magazines and a box with another 16 rounds."

She looks at me before I can respond. "You have pistols, right?" I nod and pull my M9 from my belt, checking the safety and handing it to her. To my surprise, she smirks as she looks it over. "9 millimeter," She looks me over before taking her own pistol from her holster and handing it to me. My eyes widen at the hulking thing. "What the hell do you shoot at with this? Buffalo? Bears?" She laughs.

"It gets the job done anyways. Use less ammunition when one bullet does the trick just fine." I nod. "Fair enough." We hand the weapons back to each other, and she looks like she's about to say something when Wyvern explodes from the treeline.

Everyone jumps to their feet, weapons drawn while Samuel and I run to meet her. "What's happening?" Samuel demands, "Where are Mika and Harry?"

She looks whiter even than usual as she catches her breath. "Hiding. When I found them they were hiding in an old building." Samuel glances over at me before she continues. "There are people. A lot of people, maybe as many as us." Oh shit.

Samuel is clearly thinking the same thing. "We need to get there fast. How far?" Wyvern shakes her head. "A mile? Two?"

Samuel nods and waves in hand in a circle in the air. "Let's move people! Looks like we're getting ready for a fight. Check your weapons and follow Wyvern. We're running." Everyone takes a deep breath and shoulders their packs. I pull mine onto my back and hand Wyvern hers. I put a hand on her shoulder and hand the bow over to her. "You're a better shot than I am with this. I've got my trusty blade here." I pat my machete, strapped across my back. "Hopefully we won't have to use them, but I have a bad feeling..."

She hesitates before I push the bow into her hands and she nods reluctantly.

Then we run.