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Description
Emily signaled for us to be quiet, and we dropped to the ground. I heard some crying for the drug store and a scream. On impulse, Mike and I ran in (back to the whole save people thing again). An Asian woman had just bashed a zombies head in, but she was covered in bites.
“Oh god,” Mike hurried into a corner and puked a little.
“Please find my son! He’s tall brunette, about that age… Oh GOD NO!” the woman’s description fit the walker she had just put down and she burst out crying.
“Why why oh god why? What did I do? What did he- oh god,” the woman sobbed and sobbed and shot herself in the head.
“NO!” Emily shouted.
I heard the wail of more dead approaching the drug store. I grabbed Emily and ran, with Mike closely behind. We took the shelter of a library. We hid in the back between comic book shelves.
“At least there’s some good reading material,” I could tell Mike was trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t working.
“Why did she do that?! You don’t just end it…” Emily murmured.
“That woman killed her zombified son! Would you be able to walk away from that? Rose, back me up!” mike looked sternly at her.
“You don’t just end it because it’s hard! You fight for the ones you care for!” Emily growled.
“The only person she cared for just DIED! And she was covered in bites!” Mike shouted.
“Shh! Be quiet,” I heard a high pitched voice whisper.
We spun around and we saw a girl, who only looked about eight, came out from hiding under a fallen bookshelf. She had short brown curls, similar to mine, and green eyes.
“Holy shit!” Mike looked stunned. “A kid! An actually kid! I haven’t seen a kid in years!”
“Swear,” the little girl looked up sternly at him.
“What’s your name? I’m Emily, this is Rose, and the stupid boy’s Michael,” Emily went down on her knees to be eye-level with the girl.
“Claire,” the little girl whispered.
“Where are your parents?” I asked.
“They’re gone.”
“Where’d they go?”
“They’re dead.”
“Oh god, how’d they die?”
“They were eaten a few months ago.”
Claire seemed sad, but not nearly as miserable as a normal kid would be if she saw her parents killed. I hadn’t seen a kid since the outbreak, so maybe the few left had been forced to leave behind their childhood and grow up very abruptly.
“You’ve been alone all this time?” I asked.
“Yes,” she looked up at me.
“Would you like to come with us?” Mike and I asked at the same time, and Emily nodded.
“Can you defend yourselves?”
“Is the eight year-old seriously asking us tha-“
Claire had already pointed a gun at him, smiled, put it down, and then nodded.
“Yes, I’ll join up with you guys,” she giggled a bit at the astonishment on Mike’s face.
“An eight year-old? With a gun?” Emily and Mike exchanged looks of astonishment.
“Hey, that’s how you survive,” I patted Claire on the head. “Welcome to the family kid.”

“I think we’re ready to head out!” Emily smiled triumphantly as we packed our backpacks. “Who’s got first shift driving?”
“I’ll take it,” I answered as I ran a brush through my hair. “Hand me the keys.”
“Mike, where’d you put them?” Emily asked a she searched her pockets.
“You never gave them to me,” Mike looked at her confused.
“You didn’t leave them in downtown did you?” I looked horrified at her.
“Can’t any of you pick locks?” Claire asked.
“It doesn’t work that-“
I froze as I heard the distinct moaning of the dead. Emily peeked through the peephole and mouthed “20” as she hid behind a couch.
“Don’t let them hear us,” Claire whispered, with blatant terror in her eyes.
“There’s no way we’re gonna get the keys back! We’re fu-“ Emily shouted but then clamped her hand over her mouth.
The dead outside let out high pitched growls and began banging on our door.
Mike stood up and grabbed his Walther P99, only to have the SUV keys fall out of his pocket. I face-palmed, then snatched the keys and we hustled into the garage just as the dead broke into the house.
“Close call asshole,” Emily glared at Mike as she sat in the shotgun seat.
“Why am I in the back?” Mike complained.
“Seatbelts,” Claire reminded us in her best parent voice.
“We have to discuss some things,” I announced as I sped away from the forgotten town.
“Like what?’ Emily asked.
“Like what we do if one of us gets bitten,” I sighed.
“Th-that won’t happen,” Claire stuttered as Mike quickly shook his head.
“If we want to get killed, we get shot. But if not, I think we should just cut off the limb,” I said.
“I think that’s best,” Emily replied. “Also, who’s gonna be the leader? If we keep being our little democracy we’ll probably end up dead.”
“No way!” Mike exclaimed.
“We should vote to or not to,” Claire suggested. “I vote for having a leader.”
“We should have a leader,” Emily said.
“I vote against that! What if we don’t agree with the leader’s choice?” Mike scowled. “Rose you gotta be with me on this!”
“Rose, you know I’m right!” Emily persisted.
“I-I-I vote…”

Description
Emily signaled for us to be quiet, and we dropped to the ground. I heard some crying for the drug store and a scream. On impulse, Mike and I ran in (back to the whole save people thing again). An Asian woman had just bashed a zombies head in, but she was covered in bites.
“Oh god,” Mike hurried into a corner and puked a little.
“Please find my son! He’s tall brunette, about that age… Oh GOD NO!” the woman’s description fit the walker she had just put down and she burst out crying.
“Why why oh god why? What did I do? What did he- oh god,” the woman sobbed and sobbed and shot herself in the head.
“NO!” Emily shouted.
I heard the wail of more dead approaching the drug store. I grabbed Emily and ran, with Mike closely behind. We took the shelter of a library. We hid in the back between comic book shelves.
“At least there’s some good reading material,” I could tell Mike was trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t working.
“Why did she do that?! You don’t just end it…” Emily murmured.
“That woman killed her zombified son! Would you be able to walk away from that? Rose, back me up!” mike looked sternly at her.
“You don’t just end it because it’s hard! You fight for the ones you care for!” Emily growled.
“The only person she cared for just DIED! And she was covered in bites!” Mike shouted.
“Shh! Be quiet,” I heard a high pitched voice whisper.
We spun around and we saw a girl, who only looked about eight, came out from hiding under a fallen bookshelf. She had short brown curls, similar to mine, and green eyes.
“Holy shit!” Mike looked stunned. “A kid! An actually kid! I haven’t seen a kid in years!”
“Swear,” the little girl looked up sternly at him.
“What’s your name? I’m Emily, this is Rose, and the stupid boy’s Michael,” Emily went down on her knees to be eye-level with the girl.
“Claire,” the little girl whispered.
“Where are your parents?” I asked.
“They’re gone.”
“Where’d they go?”
“They’re dead.”
“Oh god, how’d they die?”
“They were eaten a few months ago.”
Claire seemed sad, but not nearly as miserable as a normal kid would be if she saw her parents killed. I hadn’t seen a kid since the outbreak, so maybe the few left had been forced to leave behind their childhood and grow up very abruptly.
“You’ve been alone all this time?” I asked.
“Yes,” she looked up at me.
“Would you like to come with us?” Mike and I asked at the same time, and Emily nodded.
“Can you defend yourselves?”
“Is the eight year-old seriously asking us tha-“
Claire had already pointed a gun at him, smiled, put it down, and then nodded.
“Yes, I’ll join up with you guys,” she giggled a bit at the astonishment on Mike’s face.
“An eight year-old? With a gun?” Emily and Mike exchanged looks of astonishment.
“Hey, that’s how you survive,” I patted Claire on the head. “Welcome to the family kid.”

“I think we’re ready to head out!” Emily smiled triumphantly as we packed our backpacks. “Who’s got first shift driving?”
“I’ll take it,” I answered as I ran a brush through my hair. “Hand me the keys.”
“Mike, where’d you put them?” Emily asked a she searched her pockets.
“You never gave them to me,” Mike looked at her confused.
“You didn’t leave them in downtown did you?” I looked horrified at her.
“Can’t any of you pick locks?” Claire asked.
“It doesn’t work that-“
I froze as I heard the distinct moaning of the dead. Emily peeked through the peephole and mouthed “20” as she hid behind a couch.
“Don’t let them hear us,” Claire whispered, with blatant terror in her eyes.
“There’s no way we’re gonna get the keys back! We’re fu-“ Emily shouted but then clamped her hand over her mouth.
The dead outside let out high pitched growls and began banging on our door.
Mike stood up and grabbed his Walther P99, only to have the SUV keys fall out of his pocket. I face-palmed, then snatched the keys and we hustled into the garage just as the dead broke into the house.
“Close call asshole,” Emily glared at Mike as she sat in the shotgun seat.
“Why am I in the back?” Mike complained.
“Seatbelts,” Claire reminded us in her best parent voice.
“We have to discuss some things,” I announced as I sped away from the forgotten town.
“Like what?’ Emily asked.
“Like what we do if one of us gets bitten,” I sighed.
“Th-that won’t happen,” Claire stuttered as Mike quickly shook his head.
“If we want to get killed, we get shot. But if not, I think we should just cut off the limb,” I said.
“I think that’s best,” Emily replied. “Also, who’s gonna be the leader? If we keep being our little democracy we’ll probably end up dead.”
“No way!” Mike exclaimed.
“We should vote to or not to,” Claire suggested. “I vote for having a leader.”
“We should have a leader,” Emily said.
“I vote against that! What if we don’t agree with the leader’s choice?” Mike scowled. “Rose you gotta be with me on this!”
“Rose, you know I’m right!” Emily persisted.
“I-I-I vote…”