All We Have

A Family's Strength

Lincoln put Ashlyn down to start to gather our things and put them into my truck. His car wasn't very equipped to hold all of us or our things. I quickly closed the door after him, taking the children with me and sitting on the couch.

"Look guys, you know both Lincoln and I love you very much. We need you to be strong now, okay?", I asked them, pausing to get a reaction. When they nodded their heads, I continued, "I haven't gotten to see what is out there yet, but I will protect you both with everything I have. You do not need to be scared, because we all are together and we have each other."

I kissed both of their little 6 year old heads, trying to not look to scared in front of them. Linc hadn't told me what was out there but I saw on the news these things, attacking others and biting them. I don't know what happens after you are bit, if you die or become one of those grotesque things, and I did not want to find out.

'No matter what, I will protect these kids with my life'. I thought to myself as I looked down to them.

Lincoln came back inside, grabbing the food bag and yelling at us to get up and get ready to go outside

"Did you get teddy?" Ashlyn asked me.

"Yes dear, he is in your bag. Oh shit-" I swore, running upstairs.

I grabbed Brady's blanket, thanking God that I had remembered it. While little Ash had her teddy bear, Brady still slept with his blanket and he refused to be without it at night. As I passed my room, I went in to grab my photo album. I know my family wasn't much and didn't have much, but I still needed something to remember them.

I ran down the stairs with the things in my hands and to the door, seeing my brother waiting for us.

"I grabbed the knives out of the drawer, we might need them. Grab Ash, I've got Brady" He commanded me as he picked up our little brother.

I know it might have been stupid but I took a second to lock my home and then grabbing my sister and rushing to the truck. I put her in her seat in the back then slammed the door shut as a 'thing' rushed towards it and slammed its face against the window.

"Jasmine!" Ashlyn screamed, scared by the zombie-like being.

"Its okay baby, don't look at it." Linc told her as he closed the door and shifted the truck into drive.

I didn't hear anything from Brady though, so I turned around to look at him and he had his head in his hands, shaking with tears.

While Brady may have been the boy, he was quieter and more emotional than his twin. I sheltered him from our father, because he liked to talk down to him and make fun of how 'girly' he was. I took my seatbelt off and got into the backseat with the twins. I pulled Brady close and ran my hand through his hair, knowing it would calm him.

"It's okay darling. Do you need your blanket?" I asked him, wiping the tears away from his face.

He nodded and I handed him the blue fabric. As soon as it was in his hands, he fell into an exhausted sleep and Ashlyn soon joined him.

"Linc what are we going to do? What are these things?" I whispered quietly, still holding onto Brady.

"All I know is you've gotta get em in the head, I hit one in the head with a shovel and it went down and didn't move again so I figure that's how they go. As far as where we are going, I heard Atlanta has a shelter up for everyone-"

"That wont work at all and you know it. These-these things they will kill and turn everything, Atlanta will be overrun."

"If ya wouldn't have interrupted me, I would have told you that." he threw a smirk at me in the rearview mirror.

"What about dad?" I whispered quieter than before. Lincoln still lived at the house of our father, trying to get him to get back onto the right path and stop drinking. It all became worse when we learned about the twins. He turned into a monster, demolishing anything in his path, constant drinking every night, and I was thankful I had moved out already. Our mother must have went back sometime and saw him and then conceived our little siblings. She dropped them off a year later with a note, both almost a year old and scrawny as anything. The note told us that she couldn't properly care for them and she had no other choice. She had written the names down and their birthday as well. Once I had learned of the babies, I immediately went and took them from my father and he never seemed to notice. The only time our father seemed to acknowledge them was when we would all visit for a few hours and usually he would threaten them and we left earlier than intended. I refused to let my siblings suffer the same treatment I had.

"He told me to leave him. I locked the house up and the last I saw of him, he was finishing off a bottle of Jack Daniels and singin' The Coal Miner's Daughter. What was I gonna do Jas, he wouldn't listen to me." Lincoln said.

"He was our father Linc, we cant just leave him to die."

"He almost killed you! How can you show sympathy for him!?" he exclaimed, clearly shocked.

"Its the end of the world, I refuse to leave him. Drive to that house right now!"

Lincoln unenthusiastically turned the truck around and drove the 15 minutes towards our fathers home. Along the way we saw many of those monsters walking around and attacking others. A few even tried to jump at our truck, unsuccessfully.

Once we arrived at the house, I told him to leave the truck running and just lock the door so the children would be safe. I had the spare in my pocket to unlock them after we got back.

I ran inside, the door ajar and blood on the floor. I heard maniacal laughter and followed it upstairs to my fathers room. He lay on his bed, a dead zombie at his feet. He had shoved a plastic knife into its eye to kill it. I shuddered at the sight.

"Dad, come on we have to go." I murmured trying to pick him up.

"No, leave me here bitch" He slurred, trying to pull back.

"Linc!" I yelled for my brother, hearing him run up the stairs. "Grab him and put him in the truck, I'll get his clothes." I handed him the key and he picked our father up, taking him outside.

I grabbed a bag and put clothes for my father in it, not really bothering to worry what the things looked like. I also noticed he had a 7 millimeter 08 in his closet. I grabbed that and the bullets and ran down the stairs. I ran out the door and straight into the arms of a waiting zombie. I dropped everything, screaming and thrashing.

I saw movement come towards me, but I was too busy worrying about the things mouth getting closer to my face.

"Help me!" I screamed.

My father shoved a knife into its head, watching in satisfaction as it fell down. I wiped the gore off my arms and face and I stared at him in shock.

He picked up his things and walked to the truck, throwing them into the back, all trace of alcohol seemingly gone.

"Get your dumb ass in the truck!" He yelled.

Well the moment was ruined but at least he saved me. I walked to the truck and got in between the twins.