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Elise hated being in the woods. It reminded her of the first Summer: the heat speeding up the rate of decomposition, enhancing the foul odor of rotten flesh. The smell stuck to her and her cousin's clothing, so pungent that the only way to remove it was with fire. It seemed to be the solution for most problems now - fire. Burn the clothes, burn the bodies. Pick up the flesh that melted off whilst you were dragging the body and burn that too. Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse. Though, no one really called them zombies. Elise had picked up on a few different names in the past year. The Undead, Biters, the Fallen, and the Sick (not used so much anymore.)
Being in the woods reminded Elise of their true nature, the lost echoes of their hunger coming back to life every so often. It was all in her head; she knew that. A Biter hadn't been sighted anywhere near her house in months. Still, every rustle of a leaf and hum of a fly made her fingers pull the string of her bow just a little bit tighter. At some point, Elise had begun to grow suspicious of the trees. They laughed at her, mocked her for having flesh. They watched as she silently jogged between them, hoping a Biter wouldn't eat a portion of her face for lunch. There was a section of the woods Elise refused to enter. Not since last time.
Elise wiped a hand over her damp forehead. Summers really were the worst, its heat wearing out the living and irritating the dead. Elise had learnt a thing or two through observation. Heat sped up decomposition, resulting in the Biters becoming weaker. A lot of them lacked any intelligence, but those that still retained even a slither would retreat to somewhere sheltered, protecting themselves. The woods were a perfect place if dense. Thick with trees, an abundance of shade and, if lucky, a few deer. Their hunger was truly terrifying, making them stop at nothing to consume any amount of meat. Considering this information, it would've made perfect sense for the woods surrounding Elise's safehouse to be loaded with Biters. However, they were empty and quiet, having been located a good distance from the city and any main roads, leaving the deer to be hunted by the living. Or, at least, for the most part.
Elise released a breath. She wished she could return to the house but, no, her and her cousin, Holly, were near starving. It was better to collect game now than wait until they were just a sack of bones. Though, it seemed as if these particular animals had become smarter, forced to evolve. Elise wouldn't actually know. She had never hunted before the apocalypse. But the two had been scaling these woods every day for the past week, two weeks - it was difficult to keep track of time - and they had come up short every day, not a single form of life to be seen.
With each step she took, the thinner the trees became. It made it easier for Elise to notice the patch of brown fur laid upon the grass. She had to refrain from crying out. Elise crept towards it, her bow facing down, and scanned the nearby area for any Biters. Once she was certain it was clear, she moved her attention to the animal, its ears twitching at the sound of birdsong echoing throughout the woods. The girl could've stood there all day, admiring the shimmer of its fur, the glow in its dark eyes. It had no antlers. She had recently read somewhere that this meant the deer was a female. Elise wondered what she was thinking, if anything, and where her family was. For a moment, she completely forgot that she had her own family to look after, be it only her and her cousin, and, with that, raised her bow and aimed.
The leaves above Elise rustled, and her head shot up quick enough to see a black bird take flight. She had little time to consider that the bird may have been watching her, as the doe sprang to her legs and bolted down the woods. Elise started after her but she was fast. She leapt over twigs, glided through the air, her coat still sleek in the golden light. Elise tried to keep track of the deer's movement but it seemed as if the woods wanted her to fail, wanted her to starve.
Grass and weeds snapped around her ankles. The ground became rocky. She felt as if she would soon fall down into a rabbit hole. Perhaps she would find herself in Wonderland, or maybe just surrounded by dirt and worms, but anything was better than this. It had to be. Elise struggled to keep her quiver on her back. A beaming sun began to taunt her. Laughter from some birds above. The distance between Elise and the deer enlarged. She must've stumbled, once maybe twice. Her palms ached. In fact, her whole body ached, burned. Her shoes were on a rough surface now, couldn't work out what it was called again. Elise saw a flash of silver and before she knew it, she was laying face up on a road.
Elise groaned and turned her head to see her bow and quiver of arrows sprawled out on the ground. She reached for them, her whole body shooting into action once she heard a car door close. Elise had always been swift. She had to be if she wanted to survive her childhood. A child forced to listen out for her father's footsteps and determine his mood. A child forced to tread on thin ice all of her life, oblivious of which words, or lack of, will crack the ice completely and send her plummeting into the cold depths.
But, at age sixteen, Elise believed she had survived well enough. Yes, she had no friends and yes, her relationship with her family was no better, but at the end of the day, she was the one who lived.
Elise's jaw was set tight, her arrow no longer pointing at prey, but now a potential predator. There stood a middle aged man, hair and beard streaked with grey. Typically, Elise would muster up some sympathy for someone with cheeks so hollow and eye bags so dark but those were the new beauty standards for the end of the world. Elise gulped, taking a step back. She glanced at the silver car that almost hit her and noticed at least one other individual occupying the front seat. Elise's fingers flexed around her bow when she discovered that the silver car wasn't their only vehicle. There must've been one, two more. Elise's eyes shot back to the man. His dirty fingers were wrapped around a gun that was pointed more towards Elise's legs than her upper half.
"I don't mean to harm you," the man spoke, accent thick. "I was just checking if you were hurt. Are you hurt?"
She glared at him, the appearance of the man beginning to frighten her. His nose and cheeks were a harsh red, though his forehead was more a concerning shade of white and smeared with brown. Slick, dark curls were hanging around the upper portion of his face, dripping some substance onto the tattered shirt that was glued to his clammy body. Elise struggled to determine what the original color of the shirt was - not that she could focus too much on that, as the odor emitting from this individual was making Elise rather light headed.
"I apologize," he continued. "I wasn't paying attention to the road. I only‒" a door opened from another car and Elise instantly lifted her bow higher.
"Hey, what the hell is goin' on down there?" a rough voice emerged.
"Everything's all right," the man called out, dark eyes still trained on Elise. "Just get back in the car."
Elise risked a glimpse at the new individual but all that was visible was his broad back and damp hair. She wondered how long it would take this group to leave her alone. She had been out of the house long enough already and was not willing to chat to a stranger about her potential injuries.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm gonna put my gun away, okay?" Elise watched as he did so, keeping his hands raised afterwards. "We're looking for somewhere to stay. Do you know how far the nearest neighborhood is?" the man asked.
Elise scanned the entire man's body. Was it worth responding? "Half an hour. That direction," she nodded her head towards the city, the direction they were already going.
"Thank you," the man backed up.
Elise could stay silent, let them leave. She owed these strangers nothing. But she could see the desperation dripping from the man, along with his sweat, and thought about what an extra few hands around the house would mean. They had lasted around a year in the apocalypse already so they must have had some skill. Elise and Holly could finally eat proper, go on supply runs. The man wouldn't be able to refuse the idea of security, medicine and a comfortable bed. Not when, he too, had a family to care for.
It was a generous offer. Though, Elise couldn't stop the whisper emerging from the depths of her mind: what if they kill you? Surely, the risk was worth it if it meant they no longer had to wander the woods for food.
Her eyes found themselves fixed on a boy in the back seat of the silver vehicle, and her stomach twisted. The child still had a father, a mother. Most of all, they had a chance.
Elise often wished some savior had emerged from the woods and offered her family security. Instead, they were left to turn savage, make sacrifices that haunt them day and night. To allow them to enter the city would be to condemn them to a gruesome death. Elise may as well have killed them right then and there. She wasn't going to let another child experience such horrors, not if she had any influence over it.
"But it's not safe," Elise spoke up, dropping her bow. "Nowhere close to the city is. Every neighborhood has been taken over by the undead." The girl shuddered as her mind replayed her own time in the city. Her and her family going house to house; every day the Biters inching closer to their building until, eventually, they were forced to flee to the wilderness. "It's safer out here," Elise said, quietly.
"You know a place we can go?" The male stepped forward, his eyes slightly lighter than before. Elise swallow hard and forced a nod.
When Elise saw the just how large the group was, her stomach had dropped. For some reason, it shocked her to see twelve people stepping out of three different vehicles. Perhaps Elise had gotten use to the lack of living beings around here, except their elderly neighbors who they traded with. It had been a while since they visited the neighbors. Elise had nothing left to trade.
The male was named Rick, a slender adult who Elise presumed was the leader. They had been at the house no longer than ten minutes, yet everyone had turned to him for answers at least once. Introductions were made but Elise struggled to remember them all: Glenn, grey-faced and dripping with sweat; Carl, Rick's son with a sheriff's hat almost big enough to hide his sunburnt face; and Beth, a pretty blonde girl, around the same age as Elise, with her arm around a plain looking Jimmy.
Holly had asked how they were going to feed all of these people. All they had remaining was enough pasta to serve four people, at a stretch, and a few tins of mixed fruit. Elise had told her that the only important thing was making sure they didn't want to leave. This was what she was waiting for, a reason to keep going. She couldn't afford to lose them, especially for Holly's sake.
Elise had discovered that she had adapted to this new world quicker than most. She recognized what this crisis demanded: survival. They had to hunt to survive. They had to hide to survive. They had to kill to survive.
All those people Elise had lost along the way were not prepared. It was an antagonizing thought, Elise realized, though there was truth in it. She was willing to fight when there was seemingly nothing left to fight for because Elise refused to believe that this was all there was to life nowadays. Loss after loss. There had to be some purpose. Holly, however, stopped trying once Elise's mother had died, her last adult figure. With no experienced driver, how could they go on supply runs? With no experienced hunter, how could they feed themselves?
"Is it just the two of you here?" Rick asked, his eyes scanning the foyer. Elise watched as the group entered, their own eyes widening at the sight. It was a large house, a manor in fact. It consisted of twelve bedrooms, excluding the four guesthouses round front. There were multiple studies, dining rooms and living rooms.
Elise, too, was taken aback by the house when she first arrived. It was a drastic improvement from the shadows of the trees, or the wood cabin that suffocated them with mould. In her eyes, it was a palace ruled by promises of happiness and new beginnings.
"My parents are currently in the city gathering supplies," Elise replied smoothly. "They'll be back later in the day. For now, we don't have much food but we'll try and make sure everyone gets something."
"Thank you. I appreciate that," Rick nodded.
How much of the apocalypse had Elise spent trying to escape the maze that was nature, trying to find somewhere secure? And, when they finally located the centre, what Elise could easily have believed to be the safest place on Earth, the relief she felt was less than satisfactory. Elise knew she should have been grateful. She had food and weapons. Her life had been saved because of her mother's silly affair. But what about the other lives?
She didn't want to remember but, at times, she couldn't help it. The images of blood spilling from the mangled limbs of her relatives were burned into her mind forever. Yet, over time, their faces became more blurred and their voices more distorted. It startled her that the melodic voice of her own mother had faded. Even more harrowing was the realization that she had lost her mother in more ways than one. Elise was once able to identify her by her footsteps alone, the way she coughed and laughed. She would never hear those sounds again.
The teen led the group through the front entrance and into the dining room. The house was still well lit, sunlight penetrating the reinforced glass windows. She found Holly laying out the tins of fruit that the two always avoided eating if possible. Elise found that it was grainy, as if she was chewing blocks of sand, but she would force herself to swallow to save herself from starving.
"Your parents..." Rick continued. "they must be brave, going into the city. It's not easy out there."
Elise narrowed her eyes, searching for some potential deeper meaning in Rick's words. "How do you think we survived so long?" she smiled, thinking of her mother, Mabel, and how she was always willing to put herself in harm's way to protect Elise and Holly.
"More like how'd you find this place?" Daryl asked, taking in his surroundings. A white marble table was positioned in the centre of the room, surrounded by twelve cushioned chairs of the same color.
It was quite displeasing, Elise thought. Bland, simple. She had gotten bored of seeing the same white painted walls and black cabinets, white doors, black desks, white bedding, black railings, as if she was in some sort of modern inpatient facility.
Elise raised her gaze, finding the glimmering crystal chandelier above to be the only piece of furniture worth admiring. She had never seen it turned on. To the right of her was a window stretching from the floor to the ceiling, its frame a matte black. Atop it was a retracted grey shutter that they locked down into the wooden floorboards every night.
"It was my mom's boyfriend's," Elise told them, voice void of any emotion.
"Damn," Daryl choked. "Must've had hella money."
Elise couldn't deny that her mother's mysterious lover was wealthy. In the short time she'd known him, she found out that he was a part-time lawyer and full-time doomsday prepper. When he wasn't aiding clients in buying or selling land, he was dealing with his own. The ten foot steel fences that enclosed this property, and the metal shutters over every ground floor window were put into place by Mabel's boyfriend and his family.
Having an obsession with conspiracy theories, the family reportedly aimed to create a place that could withstand the majority of catastrophic events. A tornado? They had a bunker. A witch invasion? They had protective symbols carved into almost every surface. A zombie apocalypse? Well, it had persisted for this long.
Elise often wondered where her mother found these men. After all, her own father was also obsessed with the idea of the world ending. Though, instead of creating a safehouse, he would drink and spend, then drink some more and spend again.
Elise observed Rick and his group seated around the table, consuming their small bowls of pasta at a pace that almost deceived Elise into believing the flavor wasn't completely bland. When her parents went on supply runs, they would collect large bags of dry pasta and rice, or extra large boxes of cereal, ignorant of the fact that they would be eating wheat and fibre every single day. The stomach aches were not the biggest problem they faced, to say the least.
"Just for clarification, they're staying, right?"
Elise looked at Holly, who was leaning against the doorframe. "Yes because I know how much you love the company of strangers," Elise grinned at Holly's reaction, before turning stern. "I couldn't save your parents; I couldn't save mine, but I can try and save his," she nodded towards Carl, who was now laughing at something Glenn had said.
"I've told you before, Elise," Holly raised an eyebrow. "you have a terrible savior complex."
"And I've told you that you need to trust me." She glanced at Rick's group, massive grins across each of their dirty faces, and felt a sense of satisfaction. This is what herself and Holly had wished for. Someone to save them. "This can be a fresh start for us, Holly," she whispered. "They don't have to know anything."
Elise's heart tightened, as the memories of last year emerged.
August 27th 2010, a date she would always remember.
They were visiting her father's family in Georgia, staying at Holly's house so they didn't have to pay for a hotel. It was one of the only smart financial decisions her father had made.
Elise barely even knew Holly, at the time. She was just a name and a picture on Facebook. This summer was meant to bring the family together, after Elise's grandmother passed away.
It all started about two weeks after they had landed in Georgia, first as reports of senseless violence, then more police cars were seen patrolling the streets. It rapidly escalated into something much more severe. Rabies, people began considering. Too many drugs, other suggested. Some even conspired there was something in the water supply. But in the days leading up to the 27th, it became increasingly more obvious what was going on - the dead were coming back to life.
When the locations of safe zones were being announced, half of those that had bunked up at Holly's house decided to flee. It wasn't long before the neighborhood was discovered by the undead, and those that remained, resorted to peeking behind closed curtains and blocking already locked doors.
About a week and a half had passed, and the Biters were only inches from their house when Mabel revealed what they had all been desperate to hear. She knew of a safehouse, a community that could take away their worries. How she found out about this place, she did not reveal, always managing to successfully deflect the conversation. Elise had never been happier.
She should've known the journey wouldn't have been easy.
Elise and her parents, along with Holly and her parents, left to locate this sanctuary. They went house to house, tree to tree, attempting to avoid both the living and the dead, but they couldn't hide forever.
Her father was first. The jaw of a Biter set straight into his neck, before they could even get in the car to depart. Elise found it strange how his harsh words towards them had suddenly turned into gurgling. His eyes were wide, one hand outstretched towards Elise, whilst the other tried to clamp itself over the chunk that was missing from just above his collarbone. It was a poor effort, as blood continued to spill between his fingers, staining the blue shirt he always wore. Elise had never seen someone die. She was glad it was her father.
Now, she focused on Carl's father, the way he strutted towards her after freshening up. He looked a lot less like a corpse, which made Elise feel at ease. Enid had left to provide the guests with a tour. Though, some, like Lori and T-Dog had remained downstairs.
At some point, Elise would have to reveal the truth about her parents. They would need to gather supplies to aid Lori and her soon-to-be newborn. What exactly would having a baby during the apocalypse mean for Elise and her new group? Would she be teaching it how to kill before it could talk, to run before it could walk? If these were the questions Elise was having after a few hours of discovering the pregnancy, she couldn't fathom what thoughts had been going through Lori's mind for the past nine months.
Rick stepped in front of Elise. "I just want to say again how grateful we all are for your hospitality." He stared at her intently, as if afraid that looking away would make Elise and the entire safehouse disappear. "You and your cousin have proven that there's still some good left in this world. If there's anything you need help with, we'll be more than willing to assist."
"Well," Elise started. "we do have a rota of chores, in order to build everyone's skills. Holly mainly focuses on the animals; I have the medicine."
"And your parents?" Rick asked.
Elise paused, her breath catching in her throat. How could she have been so stupid as to leave them out? "They go on the supply runs," she smiled innocently.
Rick's expression softened, and Elise knew she had been caught out. "Your parents aren't coming back, are they?"
Elise took a moment to consider her position. What would she gain by continuing to lie? Absolutely nothing.
"No, they're not." Elise scanned the man's face, searching for any hints of emotion. They wouldn't leave this place, not when they've been fed and cleansed. At least, Elise hoped they wouldn't. And, if they were to leave, what would Elise do then? Follow them or continue to wither away in this manor?
Rick stared at her, then gave a simple nod. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said quietly. "But you don't have to lie. If we can trust each other, then we can help each other," Rick paused, then soon continued. "I can take my team down to the city tomorrow, gather some supplies, if you'll allow us to borrow a vehicle. We'll stock up on food, weapons, anything you need."
Elise released a breath and nodded. "I have maps."
She led Rick back to the foyer, as she explained that the city was overrun with Biters. Elise and Holly hadn't visited in a while so, unfortunately, she couldn't provide accurate details as to how many undead there were. Rick stated that his group called them "walkers", which Elise found more mature-sounding than Biters.
In the foyer, a large corkboard was hung upon the wall, multiple pieces of paper and plastic wallets pinned to it in three neat rows. Before Elise arrived, this board was scattered with yellowing magazine clippings and dangling threads of string. She was quick to amend it, replacing the documents with more useful ones, such as lists of chores and things to do. Maps were in the second row, the biggest one being in the centre of the corkboard. But, for now, Elise pointed to a small one on the left.
"This is a map of the house and all of its sections. Section one is where we are now, the house and greenhouse. Each area has an emergency supply kit which contains a range of items like a first aid kit, a knife, flashlight, rope," Elise traced her finger over the hand-drawn map, as she explained. The land had five sections in total: section two was the guesthouses, each having a set of twin beds, and supplies hidden in the sofas, fridges and cupboards; the third was the garden, a cluster of trees that were used for lookouts; the forth section was the greenhouse and barn, containing horses and chickens, though they were more pets than livestock; and lastly was the secret garden, a beautiful botanical area with handmade wooden plaques bearing the names of all those they had lost. The map detailed the locations of the supply kits, along with the multiple exits available.
Elise pointed to the next piece of paper on the far right. "This is the surrounding area and a rough estimate of how long it takes to travel from one place to the other. We trade supplies with the closest farm, here," she placed her finger on a square with a heart in the centre. "It's this couple of elderly farmers, the only other survivors around here. They have cows, pigs, chickens, so we just bring them supplies - mainly medicine and building materials - and they give us dairy products and meat, in return.
"And then this is the map of the city," Elise pointed to the biggest part of the corkboard, four pieces of paper stuck beside each other. It contained multiple squares, each with a different symbol enclosed, such as a dollar sign or a shirt. This map was as detailed as the others, stating where the most walker-populated areas were and which stores had easy escape routes, access to the roofs and potential blind-spots.
"That's..." Rick blinked, as Carl joined them. "That's impressive."
Elise straightened her back at the compliment, minimizing the smile on her face. It was the first time anyone had called her work impressive.
Elise continued to flaunt her knowledge. She explained how it was safe this far out from the city, and how being surrounded by miles of woods not only gave them security, but secrecy too. The last time any walkers were sighted was no more than six months ago, and, even then, it was only a couple of them.
Thinking back to it made Elise shiver, goosebumps crawling over her skin. Their growls were suddenly so coherent, their bulging eyes so fixated on Elise's flesh, it made her second-guess her whereabouts. It took all of her power not to jump back and sprint out of the room. Rick eyed her carefully and, for a moment, Elise wondered if she had actually had some physical reaction. But Rick spoke up, eliminating any worries the teen had.
"This is extremely useful. Thank you," he said. "If you write a list of everything you need, we'll make sure to get it for you."
Elise looked between Carl and Rick, as she chewed the inside of her cheek. "Actually... I was wondering if I could go with you?"
Rick opened his mouth to speak but Elise continued. "I know how to defend myself. I used to go on supply runs with my parents and I know the city layout better than any of your group." When the man didn't reply, Elise pressed on. "This map is good but it's not that good. Let me go with you and I'll be able to show you the exact locations of the hiding spots and exit routes, then you don't have to bring me along on another run."
Elise observed as Rick took a deep breath. She knew she was only a stranger to him, and how good a leader would he be if he placed the lives of his group in the hands of a stranger? But, one way or another, Elise was going to prove her worth. She would journey alone, learn to drive and bring back an abundance of supplies, if that's what it required. She was only sixteen years old but Elise was no longer a kid. She never had been. She wasn't going to allow people to treat her like one.
Elise had traded her childhood in return for life, and that was what she had been protecting ever since. Her life. Holly's life. Her cousin had no idea what Elise had done to ensure her safety.
"This is a big risk," Rick's gaze bore into Elise's. "Lives are at stake. If I take you with me, you need to understand that." His voice was firm but not unkind.
Elise was fully aware that this was dangerous, which was exactly the reason she refused to cower away. She met the man's gaze, not permitting any sign of weakness to present itself. "You stay close and follow my orders at all times, is that clear?" Rick demanded, leaving no room for negotiation.
Elise nodded earnestly, but before she could provide a verbal respond, Carl's voice cut through the air. "I wanna go too." Rick stared at his son, expression blank, before sighing and rubbing his head. "I want to help mom, the baby," he continued. "You can't let Elise go and make me stay here."
"Yes, I can," Rick placed a hand on his hip. "It's not safe for you out there."
"It's not safe for you but you're still going," Carl retorted. "Have you forgotten that we've just spent the last few months on the streets? I know how to protect myself."
Rick raised his other hand to speak, but Elise interjected. "The more people, the better. When Holly and I went on supply runs with my parents, it took us ages to raid one strip of stores," she half lied.
In reality, they had moved swiftly from strip to strip, shoving goods and necessities into their bags and dumping them in the boot of the car. They returned home before the sun began to set. "It'll be a lot more efficient if we have a larger group, especially if we need to gather supplies for the baby."
"Okay," Rick sighed. "Alright. The rules still apply to you, Carl. You stick by me always and do as I say."
"Of course." Carl glanced at Elise, and the two shared a smile.