After Armageddon (Finished)

Ch 3 - A New Group

I stood startled; slowly I looked down at were his knife had landed, directly in the skull of a snake. I had been so focused on killing the potential threat I hadn't noticed the tiny white and blue danger that was waiting to strike it's pray; me.

Quickly I put my foot down and looked back at him. His hair was brown, and his eyes were as blue as a clear sky on a spring day. He was almost as tall as towering El and was well built, especially for his size. He looked to be a bit older than I was, seventeen or eighteen maybe.

I realized the awkward silence between the three of us, and decided to finally break it.

"I could have saved myself, but thank you. Now who are you?!" I said jabbing my knife up into the air next to his throat. He held his hands up higher and tensed up. El jogged forward to stand behind him and block his exit.

"Hey, calm down, my name is Lane, I have a brother Tad -he's my twin really- and a little sister, she's fifteen her name is Crystal we have a camp just a little ways away from here, it's just us and our dog Mojo. You two can join us if you want to, it's a nice place out on the country side, no one ever came there before so there no zombies almost ever... Please d-don't kill m-me." He stuttered. He had tried to sound sure of himself up until begging for his life. I was tempted to go with him.

I looked over Lane's shoulder to El who very obviously wanted to go with him. I lowered my knife and pulled out the one from the snakes head, turned it, and handed it back to him. He slowly took it and picked up the snake. I looked at him with a very judgmental glare, even starving I wouldn't go for snake food. Partly because I still avoided meat at most costs. He shrugged his shoulders at my look and smiled in the corners of his mouth.

"So, you two coming back with me? I can help with the bags."
El started over to the duffle bags along side me and Lane.

"Ya, I think the three of us will." I said as we reached the bags. I pulled Nina up from the pile and held her close to my side. I hadn't liked being so far from her now, even for this long. Before everything had happened I always made my aunt keep her in another room. So much has changed in a week...

El and Lane easily picked up the bags; five to El and three to Lane. Lane cooed at Nina as she slept in my arms and lead us slowly back to camp. Only stopping to gather water from a small creek into a canteen around his neck.

After about half an hour, we broke out into a clearing. In the distance was a quaint house sitting atop a tall hill. Behind it was what looked to be a dog house, painted red. It looked ordinary, a few rock scattered about, white posts against the blue outer house, and bright flowers growing in beds along the sides. As we got closer I noticed it was only about two storys tall, and had windows almost everywhere. All along the front porch, on the two peaks on the second story and above the tended flower beds. Once we reached the door Lane knocked a pattern into it. I made a mental note about the rhythm. Soon, a girl about a year younger than me appeared behind the screen door, looking at us in turn, finishing on Nina, who was now mumbling in her dreams something about 'habbada nana.'

"Oh um ya, Crystal we have new people. We have to let them in, they're all alone. Besides they have stuff we could use, and they have a toddler. Come on." Lane begged Crystal. She rolled her eyes and let us in, "It's not up to me remember? We all signed that contract when we were little saying everything in an outbreak is up to Mojo." She said dully. Lane gave me what I'd expect to be a 'she's nicer once you get to know her' look. I sure hoped so.