Zombies

VIII

{Author's Note}

{Another Chapter! Since I got such a tremendous amout of feedback from the last chapter, I worked really hard to get another one written today. Also, I wanna know what perspective you like the best! Comment or message me, I'm genuinely curious. Enjoy!}

Ashley: 

The next morning, I felt a sense of adventure from last night. I actually desired to experience the adventures of a scouter. I saw Jack and Maria chatting, before Jack pulled out his radio and talked into it. Once he put it down, I sheepishly approached him. “Excuse me, Jack?” I asked quietly. “Yes ma’am?” He looked at me with a foreign smile. “Could I undergo a scouting mission? I want to serve a purpose here.” I asked. Jack looked shocked, but pleasantly surprised. “Sure. At your own risk of course, but yes, that would be great. In fact, follow me.”  Jack led me upstairs briskly, then into the fenced backyard. “Here, I got a compound bow ‘ere. I don’t want an amateur like you wasting bullets, so this bow ought to provide for you well. Give it a shot,” He offered, handing me the quiver and bow, as well as gestured to the large target. I fumbled with pulling a sleek arrow from the quiver, and fit into the bow. I took aim, and released it, placing it near the target’s center. Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Mm, not too bad with the aim, a little slow with loading, but I bet you’ll be fine.” He smiled, roughly patting my shoulder. “I’ll call a quick patrol to attention. Then you guys will be on your way.”  He disappeared into the house and returned with Mitch, Ryan, a guard from last night, and an unfamiliar male. “What are you doing?” Mitch asked me, perplexed. “Pulling my own weight around here.” I replied sassily. “That’s right, Ashley here is gonna join you. Now head on out.” Jack ushered us out in an almost hurried manner. 

Once we were outside, and ready to scout, the unfamiliar man pulled out a small notecard. “Right then, Red Hawk made us a little list. It says we need to find some food, maybe some water bottles, obviously collect any weapons or ammo…” His eyes quickly scanned the card, as he trailed off. “Yeah, just the regular. “Alright, Hayden, Ryan and I will go explore that other neighborhood we found yesterday. Mitch n’ Ashley, scout out around the far houses of this neighborhood. Understand?” The unknown man asked. Nobody asked anything, so we set off. We walked a little ways until I was confident the other group would no longer be able to hear us. I opened my mouth to speak, but Mitch spoke first. “Hey Ash, how are you holding up?” He asked. It sounded like his old self, not the emotionless shell he had been acting like. “I’m…managing.” I replied, unwilling to admit it almost felt good to be of adventuring. “And you?” I responded politely. “Stressed, but I’m sure we all are right now. It can’t get too much worse though can it?” He half smiled. “No, don’t jinx it!” I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. We continued to walk down the eerily empty road before finding a well locked household. “I doubt this place has been raided yet.” I said gesturing to it. “Yeah, looks like a pretty good bet. “Let’s check it out.” Mitch agreed. We stealthily crept forward, and searched the perimeter for any way to get in without smashing a window. Shockingly enough, I found a key hidden under a flowerpot in the backyard. I opened the backdoor, and the empty eeriness engulfed me. “Should we split up, or stay together?” I asked. Mitch shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. I doubt their are any zombies in here, but if you want to be accompanied everywhere, I understand.” Mitch offered. As much as I would have preferred to stay near him, it would be more efficient to separate, and I wanted to show off my scouting skills in broad daylight, rather than under the darkness of last night’s shenanigans.  The house only had two floors, so I took the main floor while Mitch explored the upstairs. There were, of course, the kitchen knives, but nothing out of the regular for weapons. The refrigerator’s food was mostly spoiled, except for a couple plastic water bottles. The pantry also had an abundance of crackers, crisps, and other little snacks. It was something to eat, so I doubted that Jack would turn it  down. I also found some kitchen towels, and stacked them with my other stolen goods. They could make for a bandage if needed. Mitch joined me at the back door, and we prepared to leave when I gunshot rang from outside.