Pincushion and Beanpole Take On The Walking Dead

Days Gone By

At least she wasn't alone.

At least she had Emma here. And the dogs, too. They were the only things that kept her sane before the apocalypse; it was doubly true now. Sure it maybe created a bit more danger, but those dogs were just as much family as any human being still alive. She and Emma had decided from the start; wherever they went, the dogs would go too. Soon that was going to include Atlanta.

"Come on." Rachel groaned as she got up off the grass, putting out a hand to help her sister to her feet. "We go to go. Now."

Emma nodded and picked up her hiking pack that had fallen off her shoulders during the attack. After making sure the sleeping back was still strapped to the bottom, Emma took her sister's hand and followed her down the street, smiling as Kuzco loped along behind them. The two girls made their way out of the godforsaken neighborhood, only stopping to breathe once they were finally back on the highway again.

Rachel let go of her sister's hand and pulled the map out from her pocket. Squinting, she looked down at the colors and lines and then back up at the highway stretching out before them. What a time to need glasses to see properly. She supposed she could have retrieved the pair she had safely stowed away in her pack, but decided against it. It seemed like too much trouble when she was only going to need them for a minute or so.

"It should only be about thirty or so more miles to Atlanta," she said, tapping a spot on the map. "We're almost there."

"And then we find that doctor place the radio was talking about?"

Rachel nodded and folded the map back up. "The CDC? Yeah. We'll find it and finally be safe. Come on, Kuzco. Time to go." She grabbed Emma's hand again, and the two continued down the road in silence for the next few hours as the tall buildings of the city began to appear in the distance.

"Maybe we'll even be able to find new clothes for Gidgie!" Emma said excitedly after a while, bouncing a little as they walked.

"Maybe..."

The closer they came to the city, the more uneasy Rachel became. For a city as big as Atlanta, she expected there to be more sound, more activity. Instead all she heard was silence. No cars ran down the streets as they walked off the exit ramp and entered the outskirts of the city. Was the CDC even still running? It had been weeks since the radio signal on the car had gone out, but surely with the military and people a city like Atlanta could survive. What were they getting themselves into?

As she looked up at the sky, Rachel noticed the dark clouds beginning to gather.

"Take out your slingshot," she whispered as they passed through the abandoned buildings, their eyes constantly scanning the area.

She gripped her own weapon tightly, ready to use it if anything decided to jump out at them. Even the dogs seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Gidget had tucked herself so deep into the carrying pack, Rachel could barely see her eyes peeking out from the darkness. Kuzco stuck close to her side, his little nails making soft scratching sounds on the pavement as his legs moved in double time. The whole group was on alert.

They heard the walkers before they saw them. The empty streets and abandoned buildings created a perfect environment that allowed the sound to travel. The sounds of moans and shuffling floated to them on the rising breeze. Rachel grabbed the back of Emma's pants, stopping her before she could turn the corner. She stepped in front of her and peeked around the corner before quickly pulling back. Walkers. There had to be dozens of them all standing and shuffling down the street. They filled the entire expanse from sidewalk to sidewalk.

Thank god they hadn't gone down that way. They'd have been a snack for sure.

Rachel looked around at the buildings that surrounded them. There had to be one they could hide out in until the coast was clear. She backed up from the building they were currently passing and smiled. A mall. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. She put a finger to her lips and gestured for Emma to follow her as she picked up Kuzco and looked for a way into the building. They finally found a door about halfway down the block.

"Please, please, please, please." Rachel whispered as she tried the door handle.

She let out the breath she was holding as the handle turned and the door opened, though the relief was short lived. Gunshots rang through the air a couple blocks away, luring the walkers out from around the corner. She shoved Emma through the door and shut it quickly, turning the lock and hoping the walkers were too distracted by the gunfire to notice them entering the building. At this point, she'd rather take the unknown that existed on the other side of that door rather than the certain death waiting for them out there. Emma was tracing the map on the mall's directory by the time she turned away from the door.

"There's a Petsmart!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled at the young girl. Leave it to Emma to notice a Petsmart.

"Fine. We need to grab some food for the pups anyways."

The duo grabbed their weapon once again and began the short trek towards the Petsmart, not knowing that soon they would have to learn that the dead were not their only enemies.