6 Feet Above

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May 4, 2001
3 hours after the outbreak

Maya sat up and looked at the world around her. It was like a ghost town. She got up but fell to the ground after putting weight on her left leg, a sharp pain shooting up it. "Shit.." She muttered. She got up again but put most weight on her right leg.

Maya started hopping from car to car, seeing if she could find anyone or anything useful. She had found a backpack in one car, water and food in another, and a 9mm Sig P365X7. "Hm. This could come in handy, it looks like the people in these cars were fleeing." She said, turning the gun over in her hand. She started to hobble over to and ambulance that had crashed into a telephone pole. She climbed in through the back and started going through the cabinets. "Score!" She said, grabbing a medkit and splint. "Okay, lets see if I can make a makeshift cast for this damn leg." She said, sitting in the passenger seat and rolling up her pant leg. "Ow fuck.." She cursed, looking at the massive bruise on her red, swollen calf.

After Maya had fixed her leg she started looking for more meds and things. As she was looking through the cabinets she knocked an empty glass bottle down and it shattered when it hit the floor. As she continued looking she heard a sound. It was someone groaning. "Hello?" She asked. She hadn't heard or seen anyone in a while, and nobody was in the ambulance with her.

The sound continued, followed by snarling. She saw the blanket on the gurney moving and pulled the blanket off. "Fuck!" Maya shouted as a thing- no we need a better name- a freak jolted at her. She looked around and saw a pair of scissors on the lower cabinet. She reached for them but the freak grabbed her leg and pulled her to the floor. "Goddamnit!" She screamed, kicking at the hand. She broke the arm and she was let go, scrambling away before the freak could get her again. She pulled herself up and grabbed the scissors, spinning around and plunging them deep into the freak's skull. She sat panting. "Well, I guess thats what people have been running from."

Maya climbed out of the ambulance and started walking into town. 'Maybe I'll find someone here.' Maya walked through the streets, stopping occasionally to check the pulse of someone laying on the ground or to dive into an alley to avoid another one of those things.

As she was walking she felt something grab her arm. She fumbled for the scissors she had kept from the ambulance, but heard a voice. "Shh, i'm not one of them." It said. She turned to face the source of the voice. It was a man, about 6'0. He was quite a bit taller than Maya. He had fluffy brown hair, messed up and sweaty. He had grey eyes and a fairly muscular build. Yes, he was handsome, but now was not the time to swoon over the first gorgeous man she came across. Especially since he grabbed her and dragged her into an alley. I mean, in a normal world, that would be creepy.

"O-okay what the actual fuck?" She whisper-shouted, trying not to draw in any unwanted visitors. "Sorry, but look.." He whispered back in a calm, gentle tone, pointing back and the road. She turned her head as her eyes followed his finger. 'Holy shit..' She thought to herself, seeing the swarm of freaks in the road she was in moment before. "F-fuck-" she muttered, stumbling back, running into the man. "Woah, you need to be quiet or they will hear you." She nodded. "I'm Gray." He said, holding her close so the freaks wouldnt see or hear her. She was small and fragile, he wanted to protect her.

"I-i'm Maya." She said, shaking. "Hey, its okay. We need to move. Come on, I have a safe house." Gray said, holding Maya's hand. "Do you trust me?" He asked. Maya thought for a second. "What choice do I have?" He smiled and started running. She couldn't keep up. Not with her leg like that. "Shit, can you not run?" She shook her head and rolled up her pant leg. It had gotten worse, it was a deep red and the whole thinf had swollen to almost double what it was originally. "Shit, okay.. Come here." Gray said. Maya hobbled over to him and he picked her up.

She felt safe, even though she had met him only a few minutes ago. He started running again, slightly slower, but definitely not slow. He was fast and strong. As he ran through the alleys Maya watched him. He focused on the groud mostly. If he tripped it would hurt her bad. He did not want her to hurt more. He wanted to protect her.

After a few minutes he darted into a building and into the basement. "Okay, we will be a lot safer to travel through here." He said, moving a few boxes and peices of old furniture to reveal a hole in the wall covered by cloth. He push the cloth aside and it revealed a tunnel. It was well lit and big enough for her to stand up straight in. She was 5'3, so Gray would have to crouch quite a bit. "Its a long walk and its slower than up there, but its way safer." He said, looking into her eyes and holding her hand close. "O-okay." She said, stuttering from the pain in her leg. They went through the tunnel in silence. An hour of comfortable silence. When they arrived there was a door, a little smaller than Maya. Gray knocked twice, paused, and knocked three more times. He turned and looked at Maya. "The first knocks show how many people are with you, the last three is to prove you are apart of the group. Light knock, light knock, hard knock." He whispered. She smiled. He was clearly planning on keeping her. The door opened to reveal a small community. Maya recognized it as one of the small communities on the outskirts of the city.

Gray swiftly moved around the community, checking in on everyone and making sure everything was okay. Still holding Maya's hand, he went into the infirmary. Gray placed his hands on her waist and gently lifted her up onto a medical table. She was a small girl, especially compared to Gray. He left the room to go look for the doctor that loved in the community. Maya looked around at the posters and books. Her eyes glanced at the tray that was covered in medical tools. She looked away, hoping she would never have to be met with the cold metal of the scalpel on her skin. Gray came back with a tall man, slightly shorter than him. He had blonde hair that was up in a bun. His eyes were green and he looked fit. He was attractive, but not nearly as attractive as Gray. "Hello Maya, im Dr. Beckett." He said, smiling and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Gray told me what was happening." Dr. Beckett said rolling up Maya's pant leg. She watched as Dr. Beckett's eye brows furrowed. He pressed on different spots, some hurting an almost unbearable amount and some just barely hurting.

After around an hour Dr. Beckett came out with a cast to put on her leg. She glanced at Gray, who was leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "If you need to go somewhere you can, you dont need to stay." He looked at her and his facial expression softened. "No, I'm okay right here." He said while Dr. Beckett put the cast on. "Alright, were done here!" He said, clapping his hands together and smiling. "You need to tey and avoid walking on it for a while, so here is a pair of crutches." Dr. Beckett said handing Maya a pair of crutches. She got up and adjusted the crutches to fit her small figure.

Gray and Maya walked out, Gray placing a hand on her back to help her with the crutches. Gray walked up the steps to the porch of a house and took out a key. "This is our house." He said, smiling kindly and unlocking the door. "No, i'll stay somewhere else. Your girlfriend-" Maya started, getting interrupted by Gray. "I dont have one, its just me and Mack." Maya's eyebrows raised in confusion. Thats when Gray sat on the ground and an Irish Setter strode in. "Hey boy." Gray said, smiling softly. "This is Mack." Gray stood up and walked to Maya, wrapping a hand around her waist and pulling her close. "This is Maya, boy. She wont hurt you." He said as Mack walked over to Maya sniffing her. He then dropped to the ground at her feet and seemingly snuggled close to her. "Aw, he likes you!" Gray said, beeming. Maya smiled and reached down, petting the large dog. He led Maya upstairs, Mack following close behind, to her room. "This is your room, it's right across from mine." Gray said as Mack walked in and climbed into the bed. "I guess he is sleeping with you now." He said, frowning. "Sucks to be you." Maya said, hopping up into the bed, cuddling Mack close. Gray smiled, leaving the room. Maya looked into Macks eyes and smiled. "So boy, whats his secret?" Maya asked, rubbing Mack's back. He huffed and he opened his eyes slightly, then closing them again. "Why doesnt he have a girlfriend? Is he some crazy axe murderer?" Maya asked again, Mack not moving at all this time. Maya pulled the blanket over her and Mack, eventually falling asleep.

Maybe she could live happily here.