The End of Time

Strangers

"Yea so have you ever hacked a database?" She asks me as we walk side by side with Dean and Cass behind us.

"No I can't say I have." I say laughing at the question.

"I used to love computers and hacking into anything and everything. I was really good at. Have you ever done role play?" She asks trying to keep the conversation going.

"Like Halloween consumes?" I ask a little confused.

"No I mean like dressing into a character and acting that character out with several other people in a park or something."

"Oh, no. I mean I used to do it when I was a little younger with my cousins. But not anything in Highschool."

"I used to love doing it. Me and my friends did it in Highschool and right before well you know the apocalypse I was about to be crowned queen for my kingdom I was in." She says smiling.

"That sounds exciting my brother was really into nerdy stuff like that but never had the guts to do it. He loves Star Wars though. He dressed as a different character every year for Halloween." I say laughing.

"Even Princess Laya?" She asks.

"Even Princess Laya." I say and we both laugh.

"He ran out of characters." I say laughing.

"That's funny. What's his name?" She asks.

"Jack." I say smiling.

"Cool."

"So what's the deal with your brother." I ask as we step onto the highway.

"Oh a couple months ago he lost his wife Lisa and his son my nephew to a fire. When me and him had came back from going out to go look for more food the house was already falling apart. Zombies were covering it." She says sadly.

"That's horrible." I say sympathizing.

"Yea, he hasn't barely said much since. He has been all mopey and angry since. And he hasn't had any pie in three months so he is on edge." She says snickering.

"Yea, we just lost a member of our group to a surprise zombie attack in a gas station." I say while in the back of my mind all I can think is how it's my fault.

"Damn, how long ago was that?" She asks looking at me.

"Yesterday." I say sighing.

"So that is still fresh."

"Yea, it hurts. He was a good man."

"Yea you two seem like good people."

"Yea, Cass is amazing." I look back at him and we make eye contact. He smiles at me and I smile back.

"You two are a thing aren't you?" She asks smiling.

"What? Um, I don't really know honestly." I say not putting much thought into it.

"Oh, well so let's just change the subject then. So, where were you when this all started?" She asks getting nervous and awkward.

"In South Carolina. What about you?" I ask back.

"New York. Yea, when the outbreak hit I was one of the first people out of there. As soon as that happened I drove all the way to where Dean and Lisa lived at the time."

"Jeez. I bet New York was horrible to be in when the outbreak hit."

"Yea, and I was only there for the first few minutes. I had an apartment on the edge of the city." She says.

We continue to walk down the highway filled with crashed or abandoned cars and trucks. The conversation died out so we all walked in silence. Soon we are confronted by a small group of zombies and we all look at each other.

I unsheathe my machete and Cass gets out his knife. Charlie pulls out a bat and Dean a samurai sword. As me and Dean slice off heads Cass runs up to zombies and stabs them in the brain. Charlie hits them in the head with her bat and bashes their brains in. Covered in blood we all walk away from the dead in silence.

By dark we have made great progress on the highway and eventually find an old SUV with three rows. We check it and it's all clear. Charlie climbs to the back seat and I take the middle. Cass try's to sit in the drivers seat.

"Out." Dean says.

"What?" Cass asks confused.

"Drivers seat is mine buddy." He says pulling Cass out.

"What the hell." Cass whispers under his breath.

He walks around to the passenger seat and gives Dean a smug look. Dean falls asleep wearing his jeans, flannel, and jacket. I turn to see Charlie taking off her olive green jacket to reveal a black tank top. She rolls her jacket up and uses it as a pillow. She is wearing jeans and combat boots like me but hers are brown. I look at Cass who has already passed out. Which leaves me to stay up first.

Again.