We All Have Our Sad Stories

Chapter 1

Ever since the sirens blared, the world had gone downhill. Everyone's normal way of living completely changed; and it would never be the same.

Ness and Lilly walked along the highway, weapons at the ready for any of those creatures that ruined the world. They were searching every abandoned car for supplies to help them survive, looking to add to their ever-growing stock.

They'd been prepared for this moment all 19 years of their existence. Their parents taught them how to shoot when they were young, taking them out to deserted fields and meadows where they learned how to arm and aim a gun. They shot together, sometimes having mini competitions to see who could get closer to the bulls eye. Now, they were so accurate that they couldn't find a distinction between the marks on the targets that displayed who had a better shot. It was good that they had learned and perfected the skill at a young age; they needed it, and it came in handy in times like this when a weapon was always required.

Their combat boots smacked against the heated concrete. They had been walking for nearly 12 hours straight, searching for supplies and shelter. Yet it had been 2 weeks since the pandemic broke out.

"Lilly, look," Ness called, tapping a mutilated body with the end of her shoe. Lilly turned her head to see Ness prying the pistol out of its hands. It was so mangled and torn neither of them knew of the gender. Ness dug through its pockets and a light jingling sound was heard. Lilly turned and saw Ness swinging a pair of car keys around her finger, her dark brown hair blowing in a small breeze. It cooled their flaming skin. It was like the world was congratulating them on their investment.

"We've got keys." Ness smirked at Lilly's relieved expression.

Ness pressed a button on the car keys and a truck a little ways down the road honked its horn. They sprint to the vehicle.

They were fit, but after walking mile after mile with barely any breaks throughout the day, their feet ached. Throwing their backpacks in the back, they hopped in and drove, weaving through the stalled cars and running over a few dead bodies.

Since Ness was driving, Lilly held a radio they had found on a police officer up against the window, twisting dials and searching for a signal other than the one they'd heard pouring out of the speakers that still stood tall. They were looking for a distress call. If anyone else was out there, they wanted to find them. They had lots to offer to the camps, for they had experience in survival skills. Yet they didn't want to get too involved with people, for they found the best comfort and protection within each other. Lilly protected Ness; and Ness protected Lilly.

Their town had been destroyed, and they knew it. As they walked away, they had heard the screams of terror and pain from the people who were too dumb to heed the warnings. Neither of them looked back, forcing their brains to listen to the nonexistent sounds of birds chirping instead of the horror-filled cries.

Ness wiped tears from her eyes angrily, upset with herself for even letting herself think about it. She couldn't change anything, so why cry about it?

Lilly pat her arm, looking away from the radio for a second to comfort her friend. Ness gave her a sideways glance, warning her to back off and leave her alone. She didn't like when people saw her cry. To her, it was embarrassing and it only showed that she was too weak to handle the pressure. Almost growling at Lilly's sympathetic smile, she wiped her tears away harshly with the back of her hand and focused her gaze back on the road, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Lilly said, almost laughing.

Ness only grit her teeth together with more force.

Lilly noticed her reaction and took a calmer approach. "You're allowed to cry. You know that, right? It's just me, and it isn't like I've never seen you cry before."

Ness sniffled, refusing to answer. She was stubborn; too stubborn.

Lilly was only playful around ones she trusted in this world. Others, she would shut out and never show emotion to. Ness was a bit different. She showed emotion to no one except Lilly.

"I don't want you to keep your feelings in all the time. I know you don't share your emotions with others but I've known you my whole life. I know it isn't healthy to keep it all in all the time," Lilly said softly to Ness. Ness just gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles glowing a bright white. Lilly took this as a sign to stop. She knew when Ness was about to blow.

Lilly returned to trying to find anyone who needed help. She turned the knob slightly to the right.

"High school... Survivors... Safe haven." The radio crackled out. Lilly and Ness glanced at each other. They knew which high school it was. It was the only one within communication range of the radio.

"Too dangerous. People probably tried it already and got bitten. That place is a graveyard," Lilly said softly.

Lilly hated that high school. She had lost her brother to a school shooting 2 years ago. That's why she was so closed off. She didn't want to show anyone that it affected her as much as it did. Lilly squeezed her eyes tight to prevent tears from falling out. She missed her brother, and Ness knew it.

I mean, why wouldn't she? He was her family; there's no way possible that she wouldn't miss him. A hole had plagued her heart ever since the day of the accident. After the incident, Lilly wouldn't pick up a gun, afraid she would lose control and take a life. She couldn't bear to be responsible for another person's misery. Ness eventually encouraged her to pick up a gun again, but she was extremely hesitant. It took weeks but she did it. And now every time she shot she made sure to channel her anger into getting the perfect aim.

"There would be too many people there to begin with," Ness said softly, nudging Lilly gently out of her daze. "If even one zombie got in it could contaminate the entire place if the students weren't prepared, which they probably weren't. That signal is probably old, most likely just playing on a loop. We'll scope out the city first." Ness was firm on her decision, and Lilly knew better than to object, especially after her small meltdown.

Ness kept her eyes straight, not looking to Lilly for reassurance. She knew she would listen. After all, she was the one driving.

They continued on, watching bodies and walkers pass by as they traveled at an appropriate speed. Ness turned on the AC, hoping to cool the both of them down before the car ran out of gas and they had to step back out into the smoldering heat. They figured they'd be able to drive around for a bit and find a safe place before the car spluttered and broke down.

Lilly positioned an air vent right at her face, taking down her ponytail to redo it. It had fallen earlier but she was too caught up with the radio to fix it then. She flipped her curly light brown hair over and pulled it away from her face and towards the back of her head. She then flipped back up and wrapped the hair tie around her sweat soaked, unruly hair.

When she finished, she looked at the road ahead of them and saw the tops of the tall buildings that made up the city of Raleigh as they poked up over the luscious green trees. They'd be there in just a few minutes.