Melody Dixon, a ten-year-old girl, and Archie Dixon, a fifeteen-year-old boy, were born to Merle Dixon and their mother. Unfortunately, Merle and their mother had separated, which meant that Merle had his children over the weekend. Merle, who was a drug addict, was an unsuitable father, while Archie, who took after him, was not much of a role model either. On the other hand, Melody was more like her mother - a teacher.
Melody was crying quietly in her bed, missing her mother. Her older brother, Archie, sat on the edge of the bed, trying to console her. "It's okay, Melly. It's not so bad here. Just go to sleep," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
Most nights, Archie and Melody had to share a bunk bed in their dad's house. Melody often cried, missing her mother, and Archie did his best to comfort her. "Stop crying, Melly. Everything will be okay," he said, wiping her tears with a tissue. "I know you miss her, but we have each other.”
"i miss momma" Melody continued to sob loudly, her brother Archie trying to silence her. "Shh, you're going to wake up dad and Daryl," he whispered, looking worried.
Daryl, Merle's younger brother, was nicer than his older brother. He was a better person overall, but still wasn't the ideal role model for Archie and Melody.
Archie saw that Melody was crying and picked up her doll, Charlotte, off the ground. Daryl had bought the doll for Melody at Goodwill, and she was one of her most prized possessions. Charlotte had a light blue dress, rosy cheeks, green eyes, and blond hair.
Melody and Archie were in bed late one night. Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the living room, which made them jump out of bed. Archie got up and walked towards the door, leaving Melody alone in the room. "Archie, please don't leave me," Melody pleaded, holding her doll Charlotte tight. She was scared to be alone in the dark but also terrified of what her father and uncle would do if they found out about the noise.
"It's going to be okay, it's probably just a stray animal or... or dad. He might have come home drunk. I'll only be a few moments," Archie said, trying to reassure his sister.
Melody nodded and Archie left the room. She felt a little safer now that her brother had gone to check things out, but she couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong. She held her doll, Charlotte, close and whispered to her, "It's okay, Charlotte. I'm here to protect you.”
Archie ran into the room and locked the door behind him. "Archie, what happened?" Melody asked, feeling panicked. "Pack your bags now!" Archie yelled, and Melody quickly jumped up and grabbed her pink backpack, which was already packed thanks to her mother. Archie grabbed his bag and quickly stuffed some of his clothes inside before flinging it over his shoulder.
Melody and Archie were both shocked to overhear their dad, Merle, yelling outside the room door, banging at it.
"We gotta go!" Merle yelled, and Archie quickly opened the door. "Close your eyes, okay? Don't open them until I say so," Archie told Melody, who quickly shut her eyes tight.
Archie grabbed Melody's hand and they ran to follow Merle to his truck. Daryl was already in the passenger seat, and Merle quickly got into the driver's seat. Daryl yelled, "Get in, let's go!"
Archie quickly picked up Melody and put her in the back seat, then jumped in himself.
"Don't open yet, okay?" Archie said, and Melody nodded, covering her eyes with her hands. They could hear screams and sirens, but Merle drove the pickup truck, trying to avoid the chaos around them.
Archie saw dead people laying in the streets, and they looked like zombies. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and felt a chill run down his spine.
"Charlotte! I forgot Charlotte! We have to go back, daddy! We gotta go back!" Melody yelled.
