A Fan Till Death Do Us Part - Anthology / CLOSED

Alone - @adagioacquiescence

Philadelphia Avenue was silent, so much that if a pin were to be dropped, it would be heard. Litter floated up and down the street in the light summer breeze, the aftermath of the rapid devolution of civilization. The wind picked up, its rustling through the lush treetops the only sound that would be heard should anyone be there to listen. Only every few hours or so did something disturb the peaceful, albeit uneasy, atmosphere. Typically, it was the groan of some dead corpse roaming the streets at that particular time.

Once upon a time, the road was a busy place, errand-running parents hustling through the street, teens hanging out and shopping, and kids playing at the small park after school. It was also one of the first places to fall in that small Georgia town. There were plenty of people in the area, walking around instead of staying inside the safety of their cars, not knowing the danger lurking around the corner.

The silence was broken by not one, but two pairs of worn-out boots hitting the pavement. The girl, in her mid-twenties, and the man, around thirty, tread carefully, as their world completely changed over the course of a few weeks, and nothing seemed to have improved over the past five months. They looked into each window they passed, constantly disappointed upon seeing the only remaining items in each store strewn across the floor, broken or useless.

"Hey, Nate. What about there?" asked the girl timidly. She didn't know him too well even though they had met months earlier while running from the monsters. She'd never been one to make friends easily, much less talk to people she didn't know. Plus, he was mature, strong, and intimidating, exactly the type of person she didn't have much experience with. But he kept her alive.

Nate, on the other hand found her soft, stuttering speech adorable. This was due to the fact that he was older, and she reminded him of his little sister. She seemed innocent as could be given the current circumstances. "Looks good, Lucy. Let's head in."

The two survivors cautiously knocked on the door of the little shop and surprisingly didn't hear anything from inside. When Nate tried to open the door, however, it made sense. The store was locked, which explained why it seemed to be untouched. Lucy took a pin out of her hair, which was still all done up from her friend's birthday the day before the world crashed. She'd never been quite ready to let go of the old world. She knew it was silly, but it was something. She popped open the lock and they entered.

They crept in slowly, wincing when the bell above the door jingled. With a few nods, they split up and began searching the place for anything they could use.

Lucy stashed some food in her bag which was dangerously empty. She hadn't eaten anything in a day and her stomach growled at the thought of digging in to the beans she now possessed. She was in the process of trying to reach a box on top of a shelf when there was a thump.

She looked all around but didn't see anything, so she kept trying to reach the mysterious box. She'd always been short and her friends used to call her all sorts of nicknames based on that feature. She'd almost gotten it when something grabbed her arm and she jumped so high that her hand hit the box, which promptly tumbled off of the shelf and hit her head. That was the least of her worries, however, as she reached for her knife and swung around to kill the monster.

"Woah! No need to get so violent, Luce. It's just me," exclaimed Nate.

She sighed and lowered her arm, having been inches from stabbing Nate in the head. "Asshole," she mumbled, picking up the supplies that had fallen off of the shelf. He only smirked and walked off, clearly being efficient.

Things like that worried Lucy. She was afraid that his carefree demeanor was too risky for how the world was now. His seemingly permanent smile he always had etched upon his lips cheered her up somewhat, but to be honest, it was rather unsettling. How could someone be happy anymore?

She knew that he wasn't always so joyful. Back when she'd first met him, he had just escaped a camp that had been overrun with monsters; roamers, he'd called them. He'd been overcome with guilt for someone called Randall. Apparently, he'd left the boy to die and it had been eating him up ever since. He seemed to have swallowed that all up though, as he barely showed any emotion anymore.

But he kept her alive.

She continued down the aisle, feeling luckier with each item she piled into her bag. She was even able to locate a cookie, something she was aching to sink her teeth into. Scavenging came first, though.

As she continued, she couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. She didn't hear any footsteps; Nate should've been just a few aisles down.

She wasn't left wondering for much longer, as she soon heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot and a door slam. She dropped her bag and ran to the back of the store, not bothering with the food she'd found. Nate was in trouble.

She reached the door and opened it, screaming as she laid her eyes upon what awaited behind it. There was Nate - and ten monsters.

"What the hell do you think you're doing back here? Kill them, I'll help!" she screamed, not ready to lose her only friend.

But Nate shook his head, eyes meeting hers with a haunted look she'd surely never forget. "There's too many, it's okay," he said, his voice oddly calm, but hoarse, almost as if he had been crying.

Lucy sobbed, not able to understand. "No, Nate, I can't leave you!" she yelled, gaining the attention of two of the monsters in the process.

He simply nodded. "You have to, Luce. I don't think I could've gone much longer, anyways. I've never been strong...but you can be. I know it."

And with those words, the monsters reached him and bit into his arm. The bone-chilling scream that came out of him caused Lucy to go numb, not being able to process what happened. She was too stunned to lift a finger.

"GO, LUCY! GO!" He yelled, Lucy waking up as more screams came out with each bite. She didn't know how to move, but her feet did the work and she ran out, grabbed her bag, and headed back outside.

As she walked down Philadelphia Avenue that summer morning, all Lucy could think about was the blood. It was all over the place, sprinkled across the walls and floor. The last time she'd seen anything like it was when she saw her parents suffer the same fate. This was somehow more frightening though; she felt as though he would survive all of this. If he couldn't, how would she?

With those thoughts lingering in her mind, she kept going, terrified and alone.