Evolved ON HOLD

Chapter 3

It's been a week since I scavenged the dollar general and since then I've been doing the same thing to other stores and other houses as I continue moving looking for live people. I marked down all the houses with hidden supplies on my map. I'm getting close to kings county now I'm hoping the farther into country tiny towns I get the more living I'll run into. It's getting dark so I find a good place to park away from the road and hop in the back to get settled in for the night.

I don't worry about sleeping when I got Nyx. In Iraq I learned she will wake up at the tiniest sound of danger even if she's deeply sleeping. So when I'm woken up by screaming and not Nyx, I'm immediately jumping into action grabbing my tactical belt strapping it on luckily from my military experience I know to sleep with my cargo pants and combat boots but it was hot so I just have on a sports bra with my dog tags hanging between my boobs. I quickly sling my swords on my back followed by my quiver and I keep my bow in hand as me and Nyx jump off the back and take off running to where there is still screaming. As I run I grab an arrow and nock it. Running around the building we had parked behind I see a young couple standing on top of a car trying to keep away from a dozen roamers. Before I even get close I have already shot four in the head.

"Oh Thank God! Thank You!" The girl starts repeating loudly.

"Quite! You'll draw in more!" I say just loud enough so she can hear me. Taking out the three that were out of the back of the car I run to the front of the car and continue shooting. " I cleared you a way hurry up and get down! Nyx take them to baby. Follow her I'm right behind you." I say to them while continuing to shoot. They quickly get down while Nyx runs over grabs the girls shirt in her teeth and slightly drags her to the truck with the boy following. By the time they make it behind the building, I'm shooting an arrow through the last roamers eye. I go around retrieving my arrows while my body comes down from the adrenaline rush. My heart beat is pumping in my ears and I'm so used to Nyx having my back I don't see the roamer behind me until it's teeth are in my shoulder. Reacting quickly I take the arrow in my hand and stick it in its head without looking or thinking. I quickly scan my surroundings and see it's clear. Then I realize what just happened... I was bit. I look down at my right shoulder and see the bite mark. If I had my gear on the roamer wouldn't have even broke skin.

Tears come to my eyes as I think about what will happen to Nyx when I'm gone as I walk back to my Baby. OH MY BABY! Some dirty guy will probably take her and not take care of her properly. I now have silent tears streaming down my face that I quickly wipe away as the truck comes into view the couple is sitting on the tail gate of my Baby with Nyx on the ground already looking at me. She runs over happily before taking a sniff and whimpering smelling my blood. I rub her head as I pass.

The couple is having a hushed conversation when they notice me. They both look at me with grateful smiles before they see the bite.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry! You saved us and we couldn't even stay back to make sure you would be okay! I'm so sorry! You shouldn't have.." the girl exclaims as she starts crying. I give her a soft smile before cutting her off... she is most definitely a rambler.

" You did exactly what I told you to without hesitation. My own foolishness got me bit because I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," I replied quickly. " My names Haley. This is Nyx." I said sticking my hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Tyler and this is my little sister Ashley," the boy says as he shakes my hand and his sister follows shortly after.

"Are y'all out here by yourself?" I asked seeing just how young they are up close.

"We are trying to get to my uncles house. Then we ran out of gas and we got surrounded pretty quickly. We don't have any weapons and don't know how to fight we lost our dad two days ago. He told us to get to his brothers house and that's the only reason we left our house in the first place," Tyler replied with a depressed look on his face. I nudged him to scoot over and climbed in the back of the truck. After finding them I came back out with two wooden bats that I had puts nails in because I thought it be a cool weapon and handed them to them. They each took one with wide eyes.

"Go on then give it a try," I said. They both hopped down and started swinging it was obvious the boy must have played baseball at some point but the girl was just swinging like crazy. I hopped down and walked to her. "Stop. If you use it like that you'll get nowhere. Stand up straight, feet shoulder width apart. Hold the bat over your shoulder. Elbow up, knees slightly bended. Now swing and follow all the way through," I explain while moving her the correct way. As she swung I heard the swoosh of a powerful swing. "That was good and that's how you swing properly,"I complimented her. Right after though Nyx gives a soft growl as a warning.

"Alright. Get in the cab we gotta go," I said while closing the tailgate and camper top. Nyx hopped in the car before I did. The kids were quick to hop in the backseat.