Hopeless| A Zombie Novel

Chapter Two

It was five in the morning when Travis shook me awake, telling me to pack my stuff. I did slowly, just thinking if I moved slower my brother would somehow show up, but no such luck. With a can of mixed beans filling our hungry stomachs we packed up our nearly full backpacks, and was on our way.

Now I'd say it's about ten in the morning, not sure since hell I'm not a sun dial, I only know a bit thanks to my brother, whom I felt I was abandoning.

It's kind of clear today, showing a blue sky with only a few clouds, but that's how Washington gets you, soon it'll be snowing out of nowhere. Well I don't know I always believed in global warming, so after all the pollution in the air, constant wildfires and bombings? I'd say we'd be lucky to have snow.

That's just it though. This past months, the fires have stopped, along with the bombing, and shooting. The military was doing it's best to contain this virus, but I guess they've given up,there's no one left to issue orders. Seven months of hell maybe more, I've lost count, and my small calendar book is nowhere to be seen.

"Ya know Travis, you could be the last guy on earth." Amber speaks, they're a little bit ahead of me but I can still hear them. "Ain't I a lucky girl." Ew. Gag. I swear all they do now is flirt, they flirted a lot before but now? It's constant.

"That's right babe." He kisses her forehead gently and winks at me. I roll my eyes and smirk.

"You shouldn't add to his ego, Amber." I chuckle kicking the pebble in front of me.

"He's sooo handsome." She replies looking Travis dead in the eyes.

' This is sooo gross' I mimic in my head smiling at my thoughts. I already knew I'd die alone, before the apocalypse never knew it'd be literally.

"Maybe we can make a stop." Travis whispers thinking I can't hear, I swear these two are like rabbits it's annoying how we always have to stop.

"Oh come on, you guys drag me away from a safe place, just so we can walk for a few hours and then stop to have...relations." I complain. They both burst out laughing at my wording leaving me red in the face with embarrassment.

"You can say it Haley, your brother isn't around." Travis teases pushing me playfully while Amber starts to walk beside me. "Sex. Yes we want to, it's natural, Hal." I roll my eyes and grimace as Amber giggles.

I now walk in the middle of the two, I have a grip on my knife, it has a leather handle and is pretty long, it's a hunting knife I picked up along the way. I don't like guns, they're too loud. Travis has a pistol holstered on his belt, and also a knife, Amber matches him, same gun, same knife.

Amber wears a long sleeve, knitted dark purple sweater with jeans that has fired blood stains, and holes in them. Mine are pretty much the same it's not like we have a washing machine and blood doesn't come out as easy washing it against a rock. She has light brown, lace up boots that have seen better days, Travis wears a simple dark red long sleeve hoodie, baggy jeans and some old converse. Believe it or not that was his usual fashion before this, now we all wear what we can find, and pray it not be too small.

"Hey hey hey!" Amber hurriedly speaks pulling at my arm and ushering Travis and I behind a nearby car. "Shhh" she shushes me before I could even ask what's wrong, she only pints ahead.

A elderly woman screams fighting five of the undead, with more on their way. She's flailing all about causing more harm than good. She tried talking to them, like they're people. Does she not know or something? I take out my knife and am about to go help when Travis, tanks my arm. I glare at him confused as he shakes his head with a sorrowful look in his gray eyes.

"We can't take them all on." He whispers. "We have to leave her." Is he crazy?! That's someone's mom, someone's grandmother, someone's everything.

"Are you stupid?" I whisper almost yelling, but I know to keep my voice down.

The woman has now picked up a nearby tree branch and is struggling just to lift that, I want to help so bad, tears build up in my eyes as I watch her swing, and miss. She takes another swing at its chest, "no the brain, it has to be the brain!" I want to scream but Amber covers my mouth quickly pulling me away from the sight.

"We have a distraction, we need to go." She quickly spits out while I shake my head, tears now falling. "You can't save everyone, Haley." Her tone is rough and harsh.

She takes my hand and Travis follows as she pulls me along down a sketchy looking, yet empty ally way. The only thing I used to fear in these alley ways were druggies and thieves now, it's far worse.

Just as we make it through I hear a pain filled scream, then silence. I snatch my hand away from Amber, I'm pissed, we could have helped her, we've taken on that many before!

"Haley don't be mad. You know it was for the best." Travis tries, but I shake my head, Amber always makes the decisions. "That old lady didn't even see them as monsters, she was talking to them."

"Yeah, plus she would have just slowed us down, she wouldn't want to fight if she thought it was still a human being" I give Amber the bird at her statement earning, one in return.

"So if it was me out there...you'd just leave me?" I speak, my voice thick with emotion.

"What? Haley no! Look you know how this world is now, we love you and we would never let that happen." Travis tries as Amber nods in agreement, her head hanging low in apology.

"You had a choice, Travis." I spit pointing. "Either Humanity, or to be a monster, and you chose to be a monster!" I'm pissed now.

"Hey! Don't you dare, blame Travis for this, stop being a baby and thinking you can save everyone Haley!" Amber is now furious but is only whisper/yelling as we continue to walk and argue. "You're gonna have to realize, you are no hero, you're just like that old lady, a victim in all of this" I roll my eyes and cross my arms, Travis is wide eyed throughout his girlfriends' whole rant.

"Just shut up, Amber. How about we don't talk for a while?" I suggest smartly.

"Like I care!" She growls.

I roll my eyes at her reply and look ahead the long road we are now on, I look back to see the zombies far away from us, eating on what's left of that old lady. We could've helped her, and that will always be on my mind.