What in the fuck was happening out there? Mama always said it was bad, she'd tell me stories about it late at night when Tori had gone to bed, but she never described it like this. Buildings were burnt to a crisp, cars were broken to pieces, strewn all over the road. There were bodies, old, rotting bodies on the side of the road - both human and animal, like stray dogs or maybe even someone's pet. I'd been driving for at least five hours now and so far I'd seen more of the infected people, like mama, but I'd also seen the riots. People starting fires, people killing other people in cold blood, some people simply running for their lives from those who were sick, just like my sweet, dead mother. It was complete and utter chaos.


I missed the comfort of my home already, even though we'd spent months living in fear down in the basement. Just knowing that someone was going to take care of us, keep us fed and loved. But I also felt guilty, so fucking guilty that mama had gone out in this mess and got herself sick just to fend for us. My stomach flipped at the simple thought of her body. I was trying so hard not to let it get to me so I could be strong for Victoria, but it was hard. Between people trying to get in our car and threatening us, along with a few of the sick people bleeding all over the windows, she was horrified. My hand had to stay locked on hers the entire time, even though I was driving 90 down a littered road. Nothing mattered but keeping her safe.


She had finally gone to sleep though, leaving me to freely let my tears fall as I muffled my sobs with the steering wheel. I had no idea what we were going to do. There was danger all around us. We couldn't possibly sleep in the car, we'd be dead by morning, which was approaching quickly. Tori couldn't drive while I caught a nap, she'd kill us faster than anyone out there could. We barely had any food and the car was certain to run out of gas soon. Honestly, I felt as if we only had one option and that was to go on foot. We were near a city, I was unsure of which one, as I'd never even left my home town before, but I knew we could find a gas can and gas somewhere. We'd just have to hid the car, and ourselves on the journey.


With my mind made up, I pulled the car into a parking lot just on the edge of town. It seemed empty, the building was already torn to bits and there didn't seem to be any people around, which scared me more than actually seeing them. I had to remind myself that the gas light had come on ten minutes ago and we had no other option. Quickly wiping the tears from my cheek, I grabbed Tori's shoulder and shook her until she awoke with a small scream. She inhaled deeply and looked at me with wide eyes, the nightmare she'd just had still lingering in her mind.


"Where are we?"


"I don't know, but we need gas," I confessed, reaching into the back to grab our bags. "Take this, we don't know if we'll be able to get back to the car."


"Are those people out there, Riot?"


"There's no one here of any kind, Tori. But you have to promise me that you'll stay quiet no matter who or what we see in the city, okay?"


"Yeah," she frowned. "Okay."


I nodded my head and climbed out of the car, motioning for Tori to lock the doors on her sides by hand. We quiety shut the doors and began our journey into town, Tori's hand clinging to mine like there was no tomorrow. Then again, there might not be a tomorrow. From what I'd seen on the drive so far, I knew no part of the city was safe, but the alley ways were the worst. It's where I'd seen the most deaths occur. Sucking in a sharp breath, I gave Tori's hand a squeeze as we started on the strip, fear making my heart sink.


"There's a gas station up there, Riot," Tori pointed with shaking hands. "Isn't that what we need?"


"Yeah," I rose an eyebrow with confusion. This city didn't look harmed at all. Had there been no riots here? "We need to find a gas can, too."


"Gas stations usually have those."


I stopped walking long enough to smile, something I hadn't done in a while. Leave it to Tori to be a smartass at a time like this. I playfully pushed her shoulder before yanking her along again, fearing that we still may catch our death out here in the open. We darted across the road as quickly and as quietly as we could, finally close enough to the place to really see inside. It'd definitely been trashed recently, but it didn't look as dangerous as some of the places we'd traveld through.


"Stay here," I stopped Tori in front of the door. "If you see anything, tell me, okay? And don't scream."


She nodded weakly, letting go of my hand. I slipped through the door, stepping over the mess as I made my way to the back of the store. The fact that there was only one gas can left made me worried. Other people had clearly had the same idea as us, which meant something bad had happened here, too. Gulping, I gripped the plastic and hurried back out the door, Tori's face pale from fear.


"Did you see anyting, Tor?"


"Nothing. But I heard something that way," she pointed in the direction of the car. "We should hurry, Riot."


My body was starting to shake as hard as hers, but I pulled myself together and made my way over to the tanks. Seeing as I didn't have any other choice, I took a credit card from mama's purse, swiping it so I could fill up the can. It only took me five minutes to do so before I grabbed Tori's hand and booked it out of there.


We were about ten minutes from the car now, my arms growing weak from the extra weight. Tori offered to carry my bags, but I knew I couldn't risk slowing her down now, not when we were so close to getting the fuck out of here. But, being that she is a young girl, she made us take another pit stop.


"I have to pee, Riot."


"Can't you hold it? You can pee while I fill up the car."


"I want to use the bathroom on a toilet, though."


Huffing to myself, I fought the desire to yell at her, telling myself that she was just a kid and she didn't understand. There was only one store around this part of the edge of town and that was a CVS. We shuffled forward, our feeting slightly echoing off of the empty streets, until we made it to the front of the building. I put my hand over Tori's chest to stop her from walking. The door had been busted open and there was blood on the ground. It made me even more uncomfortable to know that this was the direction in which Tori had heard noises. In my gut, I knew it wasn't safe for us to be here. Tori would have to settle for the parking lot.


"We need to leave," I adjusted the weight of the can. "Now, Tori, come on."


"But Riot, I have to pee!"


Though my voice had been a whisper, Victoria's came out plain as day. My heart sank in my chest. Without even thinking, I gripped the can as tightly as I could and began pushing Tori forward. There was a new panic in my heart, one that I didn't even understand, but we needed to get out there. Tori tried to fight me on the matter, he young brain not comprehending the danger around us, which forced us to stop at the edge of the sidewalk, the big building still so close.


"Riot, please. No one is here, we're fine!"


It was at that moment when I saw the man come flying out of the building, running straight towards Tori. I dropped the can, gas spilling all over the place and shoved my little sister to the ground. I could heard her cry out in pain, but I didn't care. The man looked just like mama had looked before she died. I inhaled sharply, preparing myself for the impact of his body, my fingers digging around in mama's purse trying to locate the gun, but I was too late. His body smashed into mine with such a force I went flying back a bit, my head tilting to the side so my the side of my face was torn open by the pavement. I let out a cry of pain as his body came down on top of mine, Tori now screaming to the top of her lungs. I couldn't let him take me, I had to keep Tori safe.


My weight shifted below him so my hand could grab his disgusting face, pushing his teeth away from my skin. He was growling, trashing above me, bruises forming all over my flesh. Mama hadn't been this strong.


"Tori," I breathed out, tears streaming down my face now. "Get the gun!"


She stood frozen for a moment, watching the stranger try to take my life, before she grabbed the bag and started digging for the gun. She was frustrated, her small voice coming out in sobs, but eventually her fingers wrapped around the gun. I was thankful, there wasn't much fight left in me.


"Don't shoot him!"


Tori lifted the gun to the voice. I couldn't see past the sick man trying to tear me apart, but I knew there was more than one person around by the footsteps.


"He's with us."


Someone pulled the man off of me. I sat up quickly and let out a loud cough, my entire body aching from the fight I'd put up. I brushed some hair away from my face and stood up, wrapping my arms around Tori and taking the gun from her tiny hands. Without hesitation, I held it up to the man, knowing damn well what was going to happen to him.


"He's just sick," a man with caramel colored hair tried to convince me. "We came here to get him some medicine. Please, don't shoot him."


"Do you know what happens to people when they get sick?" I cried, preparing the gun to take my shot. "He needs to be killed!"


"We know what happens," the boy confessed, struggling to keep the man in his arms from attacking even himself. "We've lost so many people already, though. There has to be a cure."


"There is no cure. Haven't you people seen the news? Step away from him or I'll shoot you, too."


"He's my best friend, you can't just kill him!"


"Dude, I had to kill my mom," I growled, my heart pounding in my chest. The sick man was almost out of their grip. "Let him go or I'll kill you all."


The infected man let out a loud cry, his mouth hanging open as blood dripped down his face. I could feel my stomach churn. It was tragic that they were trying to save their best friend, but he was already dead on the inside and I had a little sister who deserved to keep breathing with her own soul in tact.


"Colussy!" The caramel hair man cried, dropping his friends arm. "Matt, we're losing him. There has to be something we can do!"


"There is," the man I now knew as Matt hissed, also letting go of the arm he was clinging to. The infected man hit the ground, his eyes locked on me with pure hunger. "Let him go, Alex. He's suffering."


"Dude, just.. Fucking no!"


The two of them started to argue over their friend, neither of them realizing that he was now crawling toward me and Tori, the desire to kill us being his driving force. I took a step back and shoved Tori with me, my finger locked on the trigger. Before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I pulled it, the gunshot making everyone shut up. In front of me was the body of an infected, his flesh splattered all over the ground. The two friends nearly stopped breathing, tears forming in their eyes. For a moment, I took pity on them.


"What did you do?" The man named Alex asked, his tears freely falling. "What the fuck did you do?!"


"Don't take it out on her, Alex!" Matt stood in his way, his arms wrapping around the taller man. "We knew it'd have to be done at some point. It's okay, bro, it's okay."


I collected out bags off the ground and pulled Tori into my arms. She was sobbing pretty loudly as well. I couldn't blame her, on top of the attack and the fact that the gas toppled over - We were fucked. Squeezing my eyes closed, I released Tori from my grip and staggered over to the can. I shook it, hoping at least a little was left, but it was bone dry. Shaking my head, I tossed the can on the ground and yanked Tori towards the car. At the very least, the gas would last us long enough to find another car to steal.


"Where are you going?" Alex shook his friend off, his voice loud enough for us to hear. "It's not safe out there for two young girls. Do you have a group somewhere?"


"No," I sighed, turning on my heel to face him. "That gas was our last hope. Thanks for ruining it."


"Come with us," Alex mumbled, extending his hand as an offer. "We have a group and a safe place to stay. Even if I don't like you at the moment, I wouldn't feel right just leaving you out here to die."


"I- I don't know."


"Please. Just until we're in another town, at least."


Tori looked up at me with big eyes, silently asking me to take her back to the safety of a group. Forcing myself to swallow my pride, I nodded to her, pulling her along so we could join the men once more. Better to be protected with a group than to be protecting Tori alone.

Notes

Uh, yeah.