I wake to Jayden shaking my shoulder.
"Hey time to wake up, Graham said you wanted to be waken a hour before we leave" he says softly
I sit up and rub my eyes. He exits the room and walks away, I get out of the bed and change into some other clothes from my bag and brush my hair into a high bun. Soon walking over to were the twins lay fast asleep.
"Wakey wakey" I smile
They open their eyes and sit up. I grab a spare change of clothes from their bags and throw it on each bed.
"We won't be walking much today, just driving" I say
"Yay.. so we're driving to the farm?" Lilith mutters
Shit, I forgot about the farm... but.. I'm committed to the team now!
"No, not the farm, get dressed and pack up your things" I reply, exiting the room
I walk downstairs, blankets lay messily on the couches and the arm chair cupboards and draws left open in the kitchen.
"Morning" Graham mumbles
"Good morning" I say, still partly asleep
"Hey Ariana, we took a closer look at the car and saw it had some problems with it and the fuels running low" Aiden reports, coming out from the bathroom
"I knew there had to be some sort of catch" I sigh
"So pack as little as possible so we can be lighter on our feet when we walk" Jayden says from the kitchen
I nod, go back to my room and pull out my bags. I empty everything onto the floor and start to figure out what I'll actually need.. I pack in a writing book, pencils, my torch, fingerless gloves, trail mix, the knife wrapped in a sock, the wedding rings, the pendant, family photo and a large water bottle into my old black school bag I'm already wearing my floral shorts, grey shirt and maroon jacket so I'll think I'll be okay for clothes. The boys packed a lot of food, I think so I won't have to worry about that too. I make the knife more accessible by putting it in a side pocket before swinging the bag over my shoulder and meeting the twins in their room. They've packed up their stuff and are now sitting and talking on Liam's bed.
"Are your bags heavy?"I ask
They test their bags by lifting it, I see the struggle in their little faces.
"Maybe take out a shirt and a toy or two, I'll carry your drink bottles" I say while putting their bottles into the side pockets of my bag
They obey and do what I asked them to do then swing the bag over the shoulder. It might be slightly less heavy. They flow me downstairs, still hiding behind my legs we pass the guys and into the garage. I seat belt them in and throw a blanket over them from below the seat in front, they make them self comfortable.
"Stay here, were just about to leave" I whisper
I walk back to where the guys are.
"Ready to go?" Aiden asks, zipping up a jacket he must have found in one of the bedrooms
I nod, we walk back to the car and hop in, but theirs one problem... there's 6 of us and five seats. I hop in and place Liam on my lap, Lilith close beside me. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Graham reeves up the engine and pulls out of the drive. Just last night I meet these people, I basically trust Graham but now I'm sitting in the back of their car trusting them not to crash. We sped through town, passing a few of the dead. The disease really has spread rapidly. Probably someone that got bitten, drove to here then turned and bit a few people, and those few people did the same and history kept repeating itself. I wonder if people will rise up from their 'final' resting place at the grave yard. Jesus I wouldn't want to see that... but if that was true the dead will be rising up from everywhere all around the globe. But humanity isn't doomed until we say so, until we all die out but even then millions of years later if earth manages not to explode life will repeat itself. At least that's what I heard when I was awake in science. Lilith looks at the handle of the knife, not knowing a blade is safely secured in the sock beneath it.
"We're are we heading dad?" Aiden asks
"As far away as here as we can, maybe to somewhere we can make into a fort" Graham answers
"Me and the twins were heading to a farm, maybe we could go there or find one and secure that?" I suggest
Jayden nods approvingly
"I guess, we could save a few animals like two sheep or something and breed them up for food" Graham says
As cruel as it sounds, it's a good idea.
"We need some guns or better weapons other than knives" Jayden mutters
Liam must've been listening and looks at him in shock. I grab out the twins tablets and place it in front of their face. Sure to keep them occupied.
"It's probably out of our way but I was at a cabin two days ago and there was a pistol and two rifles, there was some bullets two but I don't know how much" I say quietly
Graham stops the car in its tracks.
"How far away" he asks, turning the car around
"We walked for like ten hours" I say
"Maybe if we can get another car with more fuel we can drive there and be back in town before sunset" Aiden comments
"Doesn't sound to bad" Graham grunts
I think I'm proving I'm worth staying with these good ideas. We all get out, Jayden kills a few walkers stumbling after the car. We're just on the outskirts of the small town, I stick close to the car with the twins while the males search for a suitable car. I give Lilith and Liam their water bottles, they drink as I keep a close eye on our surroundings. I scan windows of houses, suddenly my eyes lock with a female, peaking through curtains at me and the twins. I stare her down, she looks harmless, soon she disappears behind the now shut curtains, I keep my eyes locked on the window. She's in the third floor of a six story apartment. A walker stumbles down the end of the street, me and the twins out of its radar. I glance back up at the window to she her staring back at me, I gently push the kids behind my legs. She disappears again. I hear a engine rev up a few houses away, a bright orange and black pick up truck with Jayden behind the wheel pulls out from behind a house.
"Just over half a tank!" He shouts
We all pile in after transfering most of our supplies. Me with Lilith on my lap sit in the front to direct Jayden poor Liam sits frightened between Graham and Aiden. But I can't have both of them sitting on my lap at once. I guide Graham the way we came, finally arriving there in two and a half hours.
"I'll go in and get them" Jayden says, opening his door
"Wait! They're in a cupboard, bring someone with you, there were some of them there" I comment
Graham gets out, they both walk down the dirt road and into the wooden cabin. I swap places again and sit back in the back with Lilith. She leans into my shoulder, still on her tablet, I'm surprised that that they both don't get headaches. I stare out the window, wind brushes past the trees and lone leaves fall to the ground. Soon they return with the two rifles, the pistol and some amo. They get in, Graham and Jayden get the rifles and Aiden left with the pistols, no gun for me but... that's okay. They will protect me.
