Carla and Lenny were pushed to their knees: tired, hungry, and gagged. Left in silence, a shadow appears before them. Elliot stood above the two on the floor. His hair fell over his face so to not let his pride show through. With the nod of a head, Elliot had Michael grab Carla and Lenny. Lenny’s knees gave out when he tried to stand up and muffled sounds of concern came from Carla. Then a bat was placed against her cheek. As a warning to stop making noise, the dried blood of the bat rubbed against her soft skin. She obeyed, yet desperately tried to help her father on the ground. Lenny was grabbed by the collar of the shirt and quickly pulled to his feet.
“To the walkers.” Elliot said with a stern unmoving voice.
Michael, with the bat, nodded and pushed Lenny and Carla away. Off into the distance, their shadows became distant memories of the lives they once lived before.
Ray walked through the forest out of breath. Rabbit in hand, she walked around trees and dodged stumps. Georgia and Alex followed behind. Soon they were met with Elliot. Ray’s eyes gleamed to see him. She ran up and gave Elliot a hug. She pressed the rabbit into Elliot’s hand.
“So I have been thinking for a while,” Ray exclaimed, “and I really want you to be my boyfriend!”
Georgia’s jaw dropped to the ground. Her eyes raged towards Ray in anger and fury.
“You can’t!” Georgia shouted. Everyone stood silent.
Alex looked towards Georgia in fear, for she had been cheating on him. Her eyes widened as tension filled the air. Just the look across her face gave it away. Annoyance muddled Ray’s complexion. Taking a step away from Elliot, she headed towards her sister.
Both girls were eye to eye, close enough to smell each other, Ray questions, “Well why not?”
Georgia knew she was in trouble for her fists started to clench. Anger was building up until a gun was pointed towards Elliot. Alex was on the other side of the loaded and cocked gun.
“You were my best friends, and you have been sleeping with my girlfriend?” Alex interrogates Elliot.
“It was her fault,” Elliot responded. Quick to point his finger at Georgia, he continued “she came onto me!”
Alex turned himself to Georgia. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Before Alex redirected his attention to Elliot, he pulled out his gun; put Alex on the receiving end.
“We were going to kill you anyways.” Elliot said before pulling the trigger.
A gun shot rang through the empty forest. It echoed to the all corners of the world, and planted its memory in those who still hear its ring. A small thud was heard. A gun fell from hands and lay lonely on a muddy floor. Elliot dropped in pain as liquid rubies fell from his back. Georgia fell to her knees.
“No!” She shouted.
Georgia glared up at Alex who did not seem to change positions. Hands out with the gun pointed straight forward. Confusion seemed to cross his face. Ray grabbed the gun out of Alex’s hands. She through it to the ground expecting the barrel to burn. It was cold.
From the treetops there was the soft rustling of leaves. Ed came jumping down from the trees. Gun in hand with smoke still coming out of the barrel, Ed started to speak.
“You have done me wrong brother. I knew that you were the one who set me up. Made it look like I was the one who got Dad bit. You selfish swine!” Ed yelled.
The lasting sting of Ed’s palm pulsated across Elliot’s face. Georgia and Ray started to become fearful of their lives.
Ed continued, “I loved you like a brother. You were family to me. Now look at what you have done. Dad died because he couldn’t live knowing what you did. Do you know what its like to see you father being ripped apart by walkers?”
Elliot fell silent. Blood running from his wounds looked like a leaky pipe line. His breath became shallow. Elliot knew that he was going to die. Ed stepped close with his hands on his gun. Fingers returned to the trigger. The fatal shot of the gun was the most bitter sweet feeling that ever came upon Ed.
“This is your fault!” Ray yelled to Georgia.
“You knew we were something and you chose to antagonize me. You will be sorry!” Georgia replied with a swift fist.
Blood ran down Ray’s lip as she grabbed Georgia’s hair. The two girls started fighting in a way you would imagine rabid dogs fighting. Clothes were torn, and hair was ripped out. Blood ran from both girls until Ray saw her chance. Letting herself get tackled to the ground by her sister, she kicked Georgia in the stomach. Georgia stumbled backwards into something. It was cold yet strong and moving. She could smell the decaying flesh of what was behind her. Arms wrapped around her body and teeth bit into her neck. Blood shot from her like a blast of molten rock. It sprayed everywhere and Ray seemed content. The screams of her sister seemed to then be muffled by her’s, as a walker grabbed. Diving into her body, the walker pinned her on the ground and splayed her organs along the floor.
“Where’s Carla and Lenny?” Ed said quickly.
“I think they were sent to be killed.” Alex stated in a panic.
Running from walkers and attempting to clear their way, Alex and Ed fled from the massacre of their once friends. Walker bodies were dropping dead as gunshots whistled through the leaves.
“Help!” Yelled a voice from the distance.
A shadowy figure appeared from the mist of the forest. Closer and closer they got, they realized that it was Lenny. Lying on the floor was Carla and Michael. Killed executioner style, Carla lied face first into the dirt whose blood pooled around her body. Lenny cried out for her to come back.
“You can’t be dead,” Lenny tried to reason with himself “you just can’t!”
His daughter lying on the floor with an empty void where her soul once was. He eyes stared off into nothing, and her body still warm, but limp.
“What happened?” Ed questioned franticly.
“I had to kill him, I just had to.” Lenny said franticly. “I didn’t want to, but Carla was dying.”
Blood splattered across a rock. Alex and Ed had all the answers they needed to know how everything went down. Lenny whispered to his dead daughter words of encouragement to wake up.
“She’s gone, just stop.” Alex told Lenny.
“Well if she is gone, then I will be gone too.” Lenny said with a resting face.
His legs pushed him off the floor. Ed grabbed Lenny to stop him from pulling such nonsense. Lenny fought back. His arms and legs started to thrash around. Pulling and tugging in hope of being let free. Once Alex had a hold of him, Lenny knew there was no escape. Lenny calmed himself down, but the two boys wouldn’t release their grip on him. Lenny’s only option was to die, so he bit down hard. He spit the other half of his tongue out and blood rushed out of his mouth. He was dropped to the ground broken, grief ridden, and dying. Alex knew that there was no chance on saving him. Ed glared at Alex, almost telepathically they gave up on Lenny. He splayed across the dirt, covered in blood, and dead. Moans that came from the distance reminded Alex that the walkers were coming quick. Ed knew Lenny was not getting buried, so a quick shot to the head will stop him from turning.
Collecting everything they needed from their dead, Alex and Ed left before too many walkers came. Silence fell upon both boys as all the people they cared for were dead. Darkness filled the treetops and held the boys close. Not to make a sound they filled their heads with memories of the time when walkers weren’t around. They continued to trek across the forest avoiding trees, logs, and most importantly walkers.
Written by Sami Whittall