In a world overcome with disaster and chaos, Em sets out on a perilous journey to find safety. With only determination and perseverance to guide her, she navigates through dangerous neighbourhoods and encounters friends and enemies. As she struggles...
The silence wasn't terrifying. It was the slamming of the car doors that followed and the rattle of a gun strap.
They'd seen us and they knew we were there.
"Shit," Josh muttered.
His fingers clenched around his gun and his knuckles turned a distinct shade whiter. "Your gun," he whispered, motioning to my waist.
I pulled it from behind me and held it with shaking hands. Stones crunched as footsteps made their way towards the driveway. Heavy footsteps.
"I know you guys are here... I saw you," a thick Scottish accent cut through the foliage.
My head snapped up. I knew that voice.
"I'm not here to hurt you," he continued, "I'm one of the nice ones," he added, chuckling to himself.
A hunting rifle pushed its way through the branches until the barrel was centimetres away from my forehead.
"If you've got any weapons, I'd recommend you put them down now."
He pushed the branches aside with the gun, revealing his face for the first time. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, the wrinkles around his eyes ever prominent as he squinted down at us. His hair was close-shaven to the point he was almost bald but it was contradicted by the dark beard which protruded from the sides of a white medical mask covering his mouth. It matched his eyebrows which were thick and made his face seem angrier.
I was a rabbit caught in headlights. Nowhere to run, just stuck.
"Come on out of there," the man repeated, lowering the gun and moving the branches out the way with his arm.
"We don't need help," Josh said firmly. "Just leave."
"Come out and we can talk about it," the man gestured with his head. "We can help."
"We?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows and manoeuvring the fabric from my mouth.
He looked almost taken aback by my sudden contribution. "Yes-" he began, only to be cut off by the sound of a slamming door. It was shortly followed by a woman's voice. I looked over to Josh with wide eyes as the man turned to face her.
"Zach, if they don't want our help we should just move on," she chimed impatiently. "We can't waste time here." I snapped my neck back to the man. I did know their voices.
Josh grabbed at my jacket as I scrambled out of the bushes, tripping over the rocks on the flowerbed. I stood face to face with the man and the woman who both seemed startled as my eyes darted between the two of them.
The man was quite a distance taller than me, but the woman was almost the same size as I was. They both wore black t-shirts and camouflage combat trousers and stood with their shoulders back. The woman wore the same white mask as the man, and I felt suddenly smaller as I looked to her. She had a sandy complexion and her dark hair sat frizzy around her face.
"You're the ones from the radio, right?" I blurted out as Josh crawled out from the bushes behind me, still clutching his gun.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He asked with gritted teeth as he pulled his bandana around his neck.
I didn't answer, I kept my attention on the people in front of me.
"Survivor One and Two, right?" I questioned.
"Who?" Josh interjected, his attention turning to the two of them.
They chuckled in response, removing their own masks. "Always nice to meet a fan," the woman replied, smiling. "This is Zach," she nodded to the man in front of me. "I'm Liz," she added, holding out her hand.
I shook it cautiously, "Em," I told her.
She held it out to Josh, but his gaze was firm and unwavering.
"Well..." she said awkwardly, her stare lingering on his face.
"This is Josh," I mentioned, nodding towards him.
"Pleasure," she smiled.
I furrowed my brows and shook my head. "What are you doing here?"
They both turned to me. "We were on a supply run and saw you guys on our way back, thought you might need some help? Or a lift at least? It's getting dark soon," Liz replied.
Josh took a step forward, shaking his head as he lowered his gun. "Look," he sighed, "thanks for the offer, but we're fine," he added through gritted teeth. "Honestly."
I slipped my own gun back into the waistband of my jeans. "Do you have a base?" I asked, intrigued. Josh turned his head towards me, his eyes burning with irritation. I shrugged my shoulders in his direction.
"The base is down in Cornwall," Zach explained, "but, we've made camp near here."
"We'll be heading back tomorrow," Liz added, the corners of her lips turning into a smile.
"Cornwall?" I repeated, my face scrunching.
The woman nodded. "That's right."
I looked at Josh. "Are they the group you know?"
He shook his head, avoiding Liz's gaze. "I don't know them."
Liz gave a smile as I turned back to her. "You're more than welcome to hop in with us," she suggested.
Josh grabbed my arm and leant in close, his breath was hot against my ear. "Don't say yes," he whispered.
I looked at Liz and Zach. "Would you excuse us for a second?" I asked.
They nodded in response, turning to face each other in conversation. I pulled Josh to the back corner of the driveway, trying to create enough distance between us.
"We're not getting to Cornwall anytime soon," I explained. "It'll take us days, maybe weeks at this rate," I whispered, nodding in their direction. "So what if they're not the group you know? They could still help us."
"This is how people get murdered, you know?" He retorted. "This is the worst idea. We're doing fine on our own, aren't we?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "we are. But we may be dead in a few days if we keep it up." "We may be dead tonight if we go with them."
I sighed heavily, "please."
He shook his head as he glanced in their direction, "I've got a really bad feeling about this."
"Gut reactions are good. They keep you on your toes," I joked.
His expression didn't change.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them. "Please," I begged again. "I'm tired of walking miles and miles. Please, just trust me."
His eyes flickered as they looked into mine, searching. He shook his head slowly. "Alright," he mumbled, "we'll go."
I nodded, smiling. "Thank you."
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