The zombie's skull splattered across the side of the house as the woman swung the bat into its head. She turned quickly as the body crumbled to the ground, almost tripping over the red wiener dog running circles around her feet.
"Kuzco, get out of my way!"
The dog ignored her, however, and continued his assault on her balance as she stumbled across the lawn to her sister. The stop had been a mistake. They were tired, having spent most of the last week on foot since their car had died its final death as they entered Georgia.
Poor Captain Jack Sparrow, she thought as she swung the bat into the neck of another walker, taking the head clean off its shoulders.
She wished she had something better to defend herself against the walkers than the old wooden bat she was currently using. Already, the bat had cracked in several places and she wasn't sure how much longer it could last. That was all they needed; to be left here without a way to kill the brain munching monsters. Typical, really. Momma used to say that if it wasn't for bad luck, they'd have none at all. Fine, whatever. She'd just wrap the thing in another layer of duct tape and hope it lasted long enough to find another weapon.
If only either of them were able to use a gun. But Emma's sensitivity to sound due to her autism made it impossible for her to shoot and Rachel's poor eyesight had made it impossible for her to learn. All that had happened when she tried to shoot one of the handguns they'd picked up off a walker's body was a few lucky shots that actually managed to hit the stomach and chest as well as the general surrounding area but no matter how hard she tried, a head shot had been impossible. Rachel shuddered as she slammed the bat into another walker's face, remembering how close she had come to being an appetizer for the walker. She'd decided then and there to not rely on using guns.
It was a crap shoot anyways. She smiled again, her muscles relaxing a bit at the internal pun.
They'd only planned on staying in the area for a few hours to get some rest, but evidently the last week had taken more out of them than they thought. Once their heads hit the large sectional sofa of the house they'd broken into, they'd fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. Now the sun was high and several walkers roamed the street in search of an easy meal.
"Rachey!" Emma cried as she worked to fight off the snapping jaws that were trying to take a bite out of her own neck.
Rachel lunged at the rotting walker, kicking it off her sister before it could finish her off and quickly killed it. She bent down and picked up the dark blue Cubs hat that had fallen off her head during the fight, raking her short hair back before pulling the cap back down on her head. Apparently sensing that it was no longer in any immediate danger, Emma's own dog popped her head out of the carrier pack strapped to her owner's chest. Her body shook wildly as she looked around, a soft whine escaping her throat. Emma sat up and held the dog close, crooning soft words into her ear to calm the frightened animal.
They sat on the lawn amidst the officially dead walker bodies to catch their breath. It was hard to believe how little time had actually passed since the beginning of the apocalypse. It felt like years. So much had changed. Though when she really thought about it, not all of it had been necessarily bad. There was no more debt, no more constant expectations to succeed at jobs or school. Now success was defined by just staying alive and based on that definition they were doing pretty damn good. There hadn't really been much in either of their lives for the apocalypse to interrupt. They'd been just surviving long before that.
At least Momma didn't have to see this.
Her heart hurt at the thought and the recurring guilt that had hung over her the last few months washed over her once again. But it was true. Momma had been bed bound for the last year, unable to walk or turn over without assistance. If she'd been alive for this? Rachel shook her head, unable to fully verbalize the thought even to herself. There was no way she'd have been able to do it if anything had happened to her. She'd already had to make too many hard decisions when it came to Momma, ones that rested heavily on her shoulders until she thought she might crumble under its weight. No, she could at least be grateful that she never had to see Momma come back as one of the monsters.
At least she wasn't alone.
At least she had Emma here. And the dogs, too. They were the only things that kept her sane before the apocalypse; it was doubly true now. Sure it maybe created a bit more danger, but those dogs were just as much family as any human being still alive. She and Emma had decided from the start; wherever they went, the dogs would go too. Soon that was going to include Atlanta.
"Come on." Rachel groaned as she got up off the grass, putting out a hand to help her sister to her feet. "We go to go. Now."
Emma nodded and picked up her hiking pack that had fallen off her shoulders during the attack. After making sure the sleeping back was still strapped to the bottom, Emma took her sister's hand and followed her down the street, smiling as Kuzco loped along behind them. The two girls made their way out of the godforsaken neighborhood, only stopping to breathe once they were finally back on the highway again.
Rachel let go of her sister's hand and pulled the map out from her pocket. Squinting, she looked down at the colors and lines and then back up at the highway stretching out before them. What a time to need glasses to see properly. She supposed she could have retrieved the pair she had safely stowed away in her pack, but decided against it. It seemed like too much trouble when she was only going to need them for a minute or so.
"It should only be about thirty or so more miles to Atlanta," she said, tapping a spot on the map. "We're almost there."
"And then we find that doctor place the radio was talking about?"
Rachel nodded and folded the map back up. "The CDC? Yeah. We'll find it and finally be safe. Come on, Kuzco. Time to go." She grabbed Emma's hand again, and the two continued down the road in silence for the next few hours as the tall buildings of the city began to appear in the distance.
"Maybe we'll even be able to find new clothes for Gidgie!" Emma said excitedly after a while, bouncing a little as they walked.
"Maybe..."
The closer they came to the city, the more uneasy Rachel became. For a city as big as Atlanta, she expected there to be more sound, more activity. Instead all she heard was silence. No cars ran down the streets as they walked off the exit ramp and entered the outskirts of the city. Was the CDC even still running? It had been weeks since the radio signal on the car had gone out, but surely with the military and people a city like Atlanta could survive. What were they getting themselves into?
As she looked up at the sky, Rachel noticed the dark clouds beginning to gather.
"Take out your slingshot," she whispered as they passed through the abandoned buildings, their eyes constantly scanning the area.
She gripped her own weapon tightly, ready to use it if anything decided to jump out at them. Even the dogs seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Gidget had tucked herself so deep into the carrying pack, Rachel could barely see her eyes peeking out from the darkness. Kuzco stuck close to her side, his little nails making soft scratching sounds on the pavement as his legs moved in double time. The whole group was on alert.
They heard the walkers before they saw them. The empty streets and abandoned buildings created a perfect environment that allowed the sound to travel. The sounds of moans and shuffling floated to them on the rising breeze. Rachel grabbed the back of Emma's pants, stopping her before she could turn the corner. She stepped in front of her and peeked around the corner before quickly pulling back. Walkers. There had to be dozens of them all standing and shuffling down the street. They filled the entire expanse from sidewalk to sidewalk.
Thank god they hadn't gone down that way. They'd have been a snack for sure.
Rachel looked around at the buildings that surrounded them. There had to be one they could hide out in until the coast was clear. She backed up from the building they were currently passing and smiled. A mall. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. She put a finger to her lips and gestured for Emma to follow her as she picked up Kuzco and looked for a way into the building. They finally found a door about halfway down the block.
"Please, please, please, please." Rachel whispered as she tried the door handle.
She let out the breath she was holding as the handle turned and the door opened, though the relief was short lived. Gunshots rang through the air a couple blocks away, luring the walkers out from around the corner. She shoved Emma through the door and shut it quickly, turning the lock and hoping the walkers were too distracted by the gunfire to notice them entering the building. At this point, she'd rather take the unknown that existed on the other side of that door rather than the certain death waiting for them out there. Emma was tracing the map on the mall's directory by the time she turned away from the door.
"There's a Petsmart!"
Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled at the young girl. Leave it to Emma to notice a Petsmart.
"Fine. We need to grab some food for the pups anyways."
The duo grabbed their weapon once again and began the short trek towards the Petsmart, not knowing that soon they would have to learn that the dead were not their only enemies.