Never Die Alone

Chapter 9: Lucy

Night had fallen and they hadn't seen a zombie all day. Taking frequent breaks, they had walked until the woods were beginning to enclose them in a sheet of darkness. They were getting close to the river.

"I don't wanna walk in the dark." Quinn said.

"Should we stop for the night?" Emma asked.

"I think we should. We need to rest." Michael confirmed.

They dug out some blankets from one of the backpacks and tried to find a relatively dry spot on the moss. Luckily, the weather had been good so they weren't expecting rain.

"That's all you've got?" Michael asked, "No tent?"

"We left in a hurry. We didn't have time to grab a tent." Jacob said.

"Okay, that's fair enough." Michael shrugged, "Who's gonna take first watch?"

"I will." Megan volunteered.

Everyone cuddled together under the blankets except Megan who sat beside a tree and watched the dark forest for any sign of danger. Once her friends had fallen asleep, everything was quiet.

Megan's mind traced back to Kelly's letter. She felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. If she had read it, they would have at least had a machete.

She sat against the cold tree trunk in the dark, listening to the silence. Emma rolled over in her sleep, groaning. Her calf had never stopped bleeding. The bleeding had slowed significantly, but never stopped.

"Emma, you okay?" Megan whispered.

Emma sat up. "I'm fine, just trying to sleep before I need to keep watch."

Megan nodded, "Okay, well then go back to sleep." She was sore and stiff from sitting against the tree but she sat there for another two hours until she almost fell asleep and decided she was too tired to keep watch any longer.

She stood up and her back cracked several times, her legs hurt. Sitting still for so long in the cold didn't do her any favours.

Michael woke up, "Need me to take over, Meg?" He asked.

Megan nodded, "Yes please. That would be great."

She lay down in the cluster of blankets and seeped in the warmth. Heat enveloped her, and for the first time in a while, she felt safe. Her eyes became heavy, and she slipped off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She awoke to Quinn shaking her. The first rays of morning sunlight shone into her eyes. Quinn ripped the blankets off of her, and cold morning air rose goose bumps on her arms.

"Wake up! It's morning time." Quinn sang, "We need to start walking."

The rest of the group was already standing. Megan stretched and then mustered the will to stand up. Her hair was in a slight mess and she ran her fingers through it to even it out. Emma handed her a plastic snack bowl filled with cereal.

"How's your leg?" Megan asked.

"It's been better." Emma admitted. "It feels really sore. I'm not gonna be able to walk very fast."

Megan nodded. She leaned back on one of the hemlock trees, her eyes scanning the low huckle-berry bushes that created the underbrush. Berry season had been over for quite a while so all the berries were moldy and mushy.

"What are we going to do when we run out of food?" She asked.

"I'll hunt." Jacob said.

"Without a gun?" Megan smirked.