Undead Reckoning

Chapter Four

Hailey spoke calmly, "You have to take a breath and calm down."

Avery shook her head and kept making her way along the road. She noticed the growing grass along the shoulders and the damp leaves that littered the road. It reminded her about the years that had passed since the initial outbreak. At this point, she had lost track of time. It was hard not to.

They had yet to find a place steady enough to attempt to rebuild something for themselves. It made Avery feel anxious and scared, although she would never admit that. Especially not to Hailey. She had been feeling guilty since the scare at the store. It brought on an anxiety that she was unfamiliar with. Her brain kept telling her that it was her job to find them some type of safe haven.

"We can't stop. We have to keep going." Avery pleaded, turning to lock eyes with Hailey, "Our supplies are low. We have to get some type of home base so we can plan better. You know that."

Hailey sighed and placed comforting hands on Avery's face, "Avery, I understand you want us to figure this out. Which we will. But you HAVE to calm down. You're not thinking clearly right now."

Avery couldn't understand it. Usually being outside with the undead didn't bother her or make her feel uneasy. She couldn't understand where the sudden anxiety was coming from. As Avery and Hailey's eyes met once again, Avery began to feel a calm rush over her and her panic breaths faded the longer she stared.

"We should get going." Avery pulled back and turned away from Hailey.

No sooner had they taken a step before a gunshot rang out. Avery reacted fast, pulling Hailey into a nearby ditch and crouching behind some tall grass. It wasn't long after that another duo made themselves known, emerging from the trees, with four of the undead right behind them.

The man was larger in size and gripped his shotgun with confidence as he beat one of the undead with the butt of his weapon. The woman was average and not much taller than Avery, but handled her nearby attacker with ease as she brought down her machete in the middle of the undead's head.

The woman shifted backwards as her machete was now stuck in the skull and she was unable to quickly remove it. She reached to her hip and aimed towards the last two undead. Two more gunshots echoed as the bodies fell to the ground. The new duo exchanged words, but the distance made it hard to hear what they were saying.

Avery motioned for Hailey to follow her as they remained crouched to the ground, hidden by some tall bushes and grass. They were within earshot now, so they could hear what the two were saying. Avery held her breath as they spoke of their nearby camp. She glanced at Hailey only to see a ray of hope in Hailey's eyes.

"We should head back to camp soon." The woman sighed, removing the machete from the limp body, "It'll be dark soon."

"Yeah, we should." The man replied, a southern twang permeating his words, "We shouldn't have fired those shots. More of 'em are gonna come now. We'd best be gone before they do. C'mon."

The strangers started their way into the nearby trees, seemingly without worry. They weren't scanning their surroundings or trying to be quiet, they were just going on their way. Avery gave Hailey a nudge and pulled her into the trees, making sure to keep a safe distance in case things were to go south.

Avery and Hailey followed the strangers for a little over a mile until the camp finally came into view. It was a small roundabout-like area with wood walls surrounding the area, with a chain link fence as the gates and a few cars scattered in the open areas.

Avery and Hailey watched as the strangers made their way to the front gate. The man brought his hands to his mouth and a faint whistle was heard. After a few seconds, the main gate was pulled open by a single guard wearing an outfit that resembled riot gear. Avery's eyes scanned the area through the gate, seeing more activity within the fortified neighborhood.