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For about twenty minutes, Natalie followed her instructions, they were in a neighbourhood, that didn't look well off, even with all of this happening. She turned on the radio and started to drive slowly, the streets were deserted, although it didn't look like it was ever highly populated before.

She turned the knobs of the radio trying to find a station that might be able to explain what is going on. The sounds were static at first until she heard something that could perhaps be mistaken for a voice. Still, with one hand on the wheel and the other attempting to find a signal, she managed to find the right station. "The outbreak...unknown cause... water... airborne or fungi or virus... once infected... flu-like sympt... fev... then death... dead... return... rabid like... killing anyone..." Then back to static.

"How are they coming back?" Isabel asked confused leaning forward between the front row seats.

"I don't know," Natalie said truthfully. She was in shock, how had this happened? She had seen what the supposed dead were like, there was no way this was natural. Something must have gone wrong in a lab and weren't able to contain it. "The closest I've seen of this is rabies, but rabies usually doesn't occur around here." She said shrugging.

"Are we close yet?" She asked. They hadn't seen a single person since they pulled out of their neighbourhood back home, only a couple of shacks and then the forests. No dead. No living either.

"We're almost there," Isabel spoke slumping back into her seat. She turned to Emilia and talked with her as Natalie stared on ahead wondering if her family was alright. Wondering if Chris would truly be waiting for them at her father's farm. She sighed deeply.

"This is it," Isabel said as they approached a small brown rancher/cabin house. The three of them didn't move. This was the first time Natalie had come to Isabel's house and she was shocked by the state of it. The front window was smashed in and the wood was mouldy. There was no light emitting from the cabin but Isabel didn't look worried as far as Natalie could tell, from looking at the central mirror.

All of sudden, Natalie realised she knew nothing about Isabel, only what school she went to, her name, her age and what classes she took, and that she was saving the money she got from babysitting for college.  "Izzy, honey, who do you live with?"

"My dad." Natalie nodded. She checked her mirrors to see if there was any dead among them. None. Looks like this neighbourhood hasn't been touched by the outbreak yet.

"Stay in the car," Natalie said getting out herself. She walked to the back and opened up the boot of the car. She found the bag that held all the supplies and pulled out a knife, she wanted a weapon that was quiet so she wouldn't draw any attention to herself. Opening the back door, she looked at both the girls, "I'll see if he's inside and bring him out, then we can leave. Look out for eachother. You've got your knife?" She said now looking at Isabel, she nodded, "Good."

She shut the door and locked it. She pulled out her knife and crept towards the house. She gently knocked on the door. No answer. "Hello?" she said quietly. As she went to grab the doorknob she saw that the door was already ajar. She pushed it open and cringed at the loud noise. "Hello? Mr Diaz? I have your daughter, she's outside." She spoke calmly. But she got no response. The house was a mess. The walls were tattered and rotting, there was a stench coming from all directions. 

She walked into one of the bedrooms, and almost jumped back when she saw a middle-aged man collapsed against an armchair in the corner of the room. "Mr Diaz?" she called out at him. He didn't respond. She saw all the bottles of beer littered around him and more shockingly the white lines of powder on the table next to him. Natalie rushed towards him; she reached for his arm to hold it up straight then placed two fingers on his wrist trying to find a pulse. She couldn't find one. He was gone. By the looks of it; a drug overdose. This wasn't recent Natalie concluded when she let some light into the room seeing the state of him, by the looks of it he had probably been dead for quite some time. Two or three days.

"Jesus Christ." Natalie sighed putting her hand up to her mouth and backing away. She shut the door behind her and stood still in the corridor contemplating what she should tell Isabel. She walked towards the kitchen and looked out to the window to see if the girls were okay.

She decided to have a look around the house, see if there were any resources for the taking. Concluding that there was nothing of value, she decided to leave, but then something caught her eye. A shotgun, up against a set of drawers. She picked it up and saw that there were was two boxes of ammo as well. She scoffed. There was no food nor medicine, but apparently, a shotgun was the most important thing to have. She strapped it onto her body and decided to leave now.

She had no idea what to tell Isabel. Approaching the car, she noticed Emilia was sleeping. She opened up the back door and kneeled beside Isabel. "Did you find him?"

Natalie gave her a small smile, "When were you last home? You stayed at our house last night, I know that, but before that, how long have you not been at home for?" She said grabbing her hands.

"I was here the day before yesterday."

"So you know," Natalie asked gently.

"Know what?" Natalie didn't respond. "He's dead isn't he?" Isabel said looking straight into Natalie's eyes. "Isn't he?" She demanded when she didn't respond. Natalie nodded. "It was bound to happen, with all the drugs he takes and booze he drinks." Isabel sighed. "Better he died now, imagine dealing with the dead whilst you're high," Isabel said smiling but not in a spiteful way. "It's a good thing he's gone - he wasn't a good man. Dealing with him was the worst."

"I've had my fair share of those as well."

"Your dad also a dead beat?"

"No, my dad was the best, kind, compassionate, loving. Although for most of my childhood he was an alcoholic. He became one after my mother left on my fifth birthday, he stopped after he married my step mum and when my younger sister was born." Natalie said, "He was a brilliant father, but I left them. After I graduated from high school, I went to college to become a surgeon, met some brilliant people and people who weren't so brilliant - the worst kinds of people, ones that you never should get mixed up in." Natalie leaned forward to embrace Isabel into a hug, "Drugs do crazy things to people." Natalie stood up, "but all that doesn't matter now, your with me now, you're my family as well, I'll keep you safe I promise." She went to the front seat and sat down. "Come sit at the front, Emmy's asleep, we can talk quietly here."

Isabel smiled and climbed her way to the front. "we heading to your dad's?"

"Yep, you'll like it there, completely different to here and where my house was," Natalie said pulling out and heading onto the main road. "Open fields, animals you can play with, my     family- Oh my god." Natalie breathed out scared when turned the corner.

"Natalie reverse!" Isabel screamed, waking up Emilia in the back seat.

"Mama?" Emilia cried when she saw what was in front of them. The dead no less than fifty crawling towards us. Their snarls were loud and terrifying as Emilia cried in the back seat. Their arms grabbing at them. 

Natalie reversed out quickly, one had made its way on the hood of the car and was growling at them through the window, as the three of them screamed. Natalie still reversing then decided to brake, making the dead fly off.

"GO GO GO!" Isabel cried as she saw the herd from the front nearing, then another one from the right side approaching the girls. Natalie turned around the car and drove back the way we came from.

"You girls alright?" Natalie said panting. Isabel nodded but still held the armrest tightly. "Izzy go back to Emmy, please." she nodded and without a word, she went to the back.

Forager || Rick GrimesWhere stories live. Discover now