Ruled by the Undead

Chapter seventeen(:

*Mac's POV*

I'm frozen. Did I imagine that? Am I going crazy?

"Mackenzie, is that you?"

I turn around and am shocked.

"Andrea?!"

Before I can react she pulls me in for a hug. I hug her back. Her clothes are tattered and dirty and her hair is a mess, but she's alive. In the same town as me, alive. But there's a problem.

"Where's Amy?" I blurt. Sometimes I can't help but think out loud.

Her smile fades a little. She's about to say something but stops. "How about we go somewhere and talk?"

We go to the gardens where they are growing fresh foods and a few kinds of flowers. There is a picnic table which we sit at. Neither of us say anything for awhile until I decide to break the silence.

"So, where did you go after we got split up?" I ask, not wanting to bring up Amy again.

"Well Amy and I, uh, ran up the mountain for the longest time just trying to get the walkers off our trail," She pauses and closes her eyes, "They wouldn't stop coming. After awhile we came across a group with a little camp. There was a woman there with a small boy, thought her husband was dead."

"Thought?"

"Yeah, thought. One day we decided to go on a supply run in the city and found a man who knew nothing about any of this. We brought him back to camp and it turned out he was the woman's husband."

"Wait why did she think he was dead in the first place?" I ask.

"He was in a coma before all this started. They had to leave him behind and just assumed he'd die without any equipment I guess."

"That's insane, that he was actually alive."

"It really was. He became the leader of our group. He took us to the Center for Disease Control, he figured they might have a cure. But there is no cure. There was only one guy left there and he was crazy. The place ending up exploding and then we-"

"It exploded?!"

"Well there was something with the generators. When they run out of fuel, they have to kill every germ and virus that was in there." I nod. "Well anyway, we ended up at a farm and it became overrun. It was maddness. I ended up getting left behind. Now I'm with Michonne."

"That's awful! So now you don't know where Amy is?" I exclaim. I don't know what I'd do if my family left me.

"Amy..Amy's dead."

"But you don't know that-"

"Yes, I do. It happened a long time ago. Before I was left behind." She stands up and walks towards the exit. "I'll see you around." And then she's gone.

++

I stayed seated at the picnic table longer than I planned to after Andrea left. I keep thinking about our conversation. She got left behind. How does that happen? And Amy's dead. I can't wrap my head around this.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

"Jeez, Braedan you scared me." I say. I then notice how dark it is and wonder how long I've been out here.

"Sorry. So why are you in the garden this late?" He asks.

"Just thinking." I say. I start shivering and Braedan notices.

"Here, have my coat." He takes his jacket off and wraps it around me. I smile.

"Thanks. I kind of gave my jacket away." I giggle.