Little Mouse

Newcomers

"Uncle Dale?" I asked the man. He had a salt and pepper beard and bushy grey eyebrows. He wore a fishers hat that I got him a couple years ago. He gazed at me, shocked.

"Cori?" He asked. Cori was his nickname for me. In a few, long strides, I reached him, throwing my arms around his neck. Burying my face in his shoulder, I sobbed, thanking God that he was alive.

I wasn't all alone.

...

Later that night we were all acquainted. The two blonde girls were named Andrea and Amy. They were rescued by Dale when a group of monsters had them surrounded. Luckily, Dale had driven up just in time. Morales and Miranda, the Mexican couple, were on their way to Atlanta, hoping to get sheltered. Unfortunately, with Atlanta being blown up, they couldn't. Dale was on his way to the quarry originally, but got blocked by Carol's car.

We sat around the campfire. I sat with the kids. I faked a smile, but deep down, the guilt still killed me. While everyone was laughing and having a good time in general, I faked it. Dale noticed. He got up and walked over to me.

"Come with me." He ordered. Getting up, I followed Dale into his RV without question. When he shut the door, he turned to me. "What's wrong, Cori?" He asked.

"Melissa..." I mumbled, clasping my hands in front of me. Tears were brimming in my eyes, and a couple fell.

"Oh, sweetie." Dale mumbled. He wrapped me in his arms, rubbing my back. I sobbed into his shoulder, letting him gently rock me back and forth.

"A monster got her." I cried.

"Shh, it's ok. She's in a better place." He murmured reassuringly, rubbing my back comfortingly.

After a few minutes of this, I pulled away, wiping my tears away on my jean jacket.

"By the way, happy 25th." Dale stated, smiling. I nodded. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to get you." He said, heading towards the back of the RV. Curious, I followed him. He took out a fairly big package from a closet. It was wrapped in pink wrapping paper with little cupcakes. He handed it to me. It was about the length of my forearm, including my hand. I sat down at his table, looking up at him.

"You didn't have to get me anything." I said, even though I was searching for a crease where I could tear it open.

"Yes I did." Dale declared, sitting across for me. Finally, I found a small crease. Using my nails, I picked at it. I tore it open, revealing a plain cardboard box. It felt pretty heavy, which made me curious. Tearing the tape away, I opened the box flap. I gasped at the gift.

It was a knife.

I stared up at Dale, surprised. "Why'd you get me knife?" I asked, taking it out of the box. The blade was very long and sharp. The handle was polished wood. It weighed a lot, considering it was just a knife. The blade shone in the moonlight.

"A pretty girl needs something to defend herself with." Dale explained, smiling at me.

"Why a knife? Why not a gun or pepper spray?" I asked.

"It was your great grandfathers. He used it to get himself out of World War Two." He explained, sitting beside me. "You see those little lines etched into the handle?" He asked, pointing. Indeed, there were little lines carved into the handle. "That's how many nazis he killed." He said. "Now, it'll be pretty useful." He sighed.

"Hopefully not for much longer." I muttered.

"Yeah. Oh, that reminds me. You need to carry it." He said, getting up and making his way to the closet. He pulled out a knife belt. It was made out of black leather, and had several little compartments. "This was his as well. Held several guns, magazines, and knives." Dale explained, handing it to me.

"I feel like I'm going to war." I joked, standing up. Wrapping the belt around my slim waist, I adjusted it so that it hugged me, comfortably. When it was finally situated, I looked at Dale, smiling. Then I took my knife and slid it into a sheath that sat on my right hip. It fit perfectly, the blade sticking out of my shirt.

"You look ready for war." Dale smiled. I pulled the knife out, tilting the knife to the side, trying to look tough. Dale chuckled. "I'll show you how to use it tomorrow." He said, leading the way outside again.

Despite the happiness in his voice, I was still upset.

My best friend died. She begged me to save her. But she died.

Because of me.

...

The next morning, I woke up in the RV. I stretched, twisting my back in awkward angles. I glanced out the window. Shane and Lori were talking with Carol, while Carl, Sophia, Eliza, and Louise were playing in the dirt. Eliza and Louise were Morales's kids. Eliza was slightly older, and carried around a red haired doll. Sophia and Eliza appeared to get along pretty well, as did Carl and Louise.

As I exited the camper, I took a deep breath. The chilly morning air stung my nose. I sneezed as a result.

Miranda, who had a basket, glanced at me and smiled. "Good morning. Would you like to help me and the other girls with laundry?" She asked.

Truth is, I didn't. But I didn't want to appear rude, so I nodded. I turned into the camper and gathered Dale's clothes. He was out, and I noticed that his hunting rifle was missing. My arms full of dirty clothes, I went out to where Miranda, Amy, and Carol were waiting. They each held a laundry hamper, making me feel awkward.

"Do you need a hamper?" Amy asked.

"It's fine." I said, smiling.

"You can share mine. Andrea and I don't have to many clothes, and Dale wears more than all of us." She joked. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ahem." I heard a grunt behind us. Turning around, I found Dale on top of the camper, holding his rifle, and glaring down at us. But I could see the hints of a smile on his face. "You calling me a girl?" He demanded.

"You certainly wear more than us." Amy stated, smiling.

"Well I have to get my outfit on point." He stated, smirking down at us. We all laughed at his comment, then turned to the quarry.

While we were on the trail, I heard shuffling behind us. Whipping around, I saw a monster coming towards us, growling and snapping his jaws. The horrifying part was that the monster had no arms. I screamed, scrambling back. Behind me, I heard the others shriek, and the laundry hampers were dropped.

Suddenly, my tennis shoe caught on something. I struggled to get it undone, with the monster roaming ever so closer to me. While struggling, I lost my footing, falling back. The monster fell on top of me, his jaws snapping for my flesh. I held it back by the shoulders. The girls started screaming for help. Despite my efforts, the monster kept getting closer, biting.

When it was only inches from my face, I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable end. It suddenly stopped, and became heavier. Opening my eyes, I came face to face with the dead corpse. But it wasn't moving. It's white eyes were glazing over, and it's mouth hung open. Gore leaked out of it, onto my neck. I noticed the thing that killed it.

A black bolt with green and orange feathers.