Chapter Text
The late afternoon sun hung high in the air, illuminating the lush green scenery with a blazing orange glow. The usual symphony of birds and crickets gently echoing in the background. From the outside looking in, you’d be forgiven for thinking the world is peaceful and perfect. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. The world is in fact a hellish landscape. Despite the picturesque setting, carelessness is a commodity that no one can afford.
The United States as you once knew it is gone forever, replaced by a nightmare world wherein the dead roam the earth. They’ve only got one thing on their minds, and that is eating the flesh of the living. It seems to be their only driving force. Not all hope is lost however. Scattered across the country there are still many people surviving.
Some of these survivors are loners, relying on their skills and brains alone to keep them alive. Others flock to groups, a strength in numbers mindset. Others still, have decided to capitalize on this world no longer based on law and order. These people only seem to live their lives sewing the seeds of chaos and watching the world burn. Its certainly not an easy life by any means.
This day sees a few young people, five of them to be exact, each carrying a large duffle bag full of various supplies and each carrying a semi-automatic rifle. This particular group of teenagers was in search of something they desperately wanted, a place to call home. Keep in mind these are not your average teens. Each of them had been witness to the cataclysm that tore the world apart. They’ve watched society at large crumble to nothing, and didn’t let it break them despite the horrors they’ve experienced.
That’s not say they aren’t damaged, physically or emotionally. You don’t survive for as long as they have in an apocalypse without some kind of trauma after all. These remarkable young children have merely personified perseverance. They’ve battled the odds and beat them time and time again. A miracle in retrospect, given the fate of their original traveling companions.
“Any movement Mason?” Came the question from a young man of 17, near the head of the pack.
“I think we’re clear for now Ty.” 16 year old Mason replied from the rear of the group.
One of the girls in the group chose this moment to voice her thoughts, “It’s been at least 3 days since we’ve had any contact. Walker or Human. We should find someplace to rest and recuperate. We haven’t had a chance to count up what we got from that train wreck of a city yet.”
The girl who made the suggestion was Olivia, Liv for short.
“Good idea.” said Ty. “Sabrina, keep an eye out for a safe place we can use to lie low for a bit”
“Got it boss.” she replied from the point position. The group continued down the rather desolate stretch of road. About an hour and a half later, the teens were brought to a halt when Sabrina caught their attention.
“Guys there’s some kind of makeshift gate over there.” She pointed in the direction she was looking at. It seemed to be some kind of railroad depot, judging by the crashed boxcars everywhere. There didn’t seem to be much activity, usually a pretty good sign. Ty gave the place a careful once over, to see if he could assess any danger.
Once he deemed it clear, he spoke up. “Good job Brina. Riley, you’re the quickest and the quietest. Sneak over and find a good vantage point.” he said, handing her a pair of binoculars. “Once it’s clear, give a whistle and we’ll join you.”
Without a single word, Riley set down the duffle bag she was carrying and began creeping over to one of the upended boxcars. She swiftly climbed to the top of it and disappeared from view. After a 5 minute wait, the others heard a sharp whistle.
“Looks clear as far as I can tell.” Riley reported once everybody was gathered, “We should take it easy regardless. Can never be too sure, y’know?” Keeping her cautious words in mind, the group proceeded, carefully through the gate.
True to her word, the area seemed relatively quiet and decently secluded. Once inside the perimeter, Ty let his eyes roam around one more time. On this cursory glance he noticed a few things. An old tire swing, a water barrel and some kind of impromptu garden or farmland just to name a few.
17 year old Liv was the first to break the silence. “I guess this was some kind of train station.” She mused. “I wonder why it’s here though. There don’t seem to be any warehouses or residential areas anywhere.”
“Yeah that is a little weird. Maybe this was strictly a passenger station or something.” Came the reply from Sabrina. The teens all stacked up next to the only door they could find.
“Keep your eyes peeled. There’s a water collection barrel and a farm plot here, so this very well could be somebody’s home.” Ty warned his friends. That part of his job done, he eased the door open and stuck his head inside. A brief viewing of the room proved it to be empty. “Clear.” Ty said, “Let’s get inside and take stock.”
After they filed in Olivia, being last, closed the door behind her. The group of young survivors looked through the station but found nothing except an old trap door that opened up to reveal a scorched crater. “Jesus. Wouldn’t have wanted to be caught in that blast.” Mason said, cringing. After their search, the teens settled themselves comfortably in the back room to discuss their supply situation.
“So did you guys have any luck? Mason and I found a couple rifles, a shotgun, and a few pistols.” Ty said, running down his checklist. “We also manged to snag enough ammo for at least a few weeks.” Mason added. “How about you Riley?” he asked.
“I wasn’t able to find much.” She responded, “I guess when that settlement fell they raided the food storage or something. We’ve still got enough from the last few places but we’ll need to find some more soon. I'll feel better when we do.”
“Noted.” Ty replied, “We’ll work on that as soon as we can. “Liv, Brina, how’d you guys make out?”
“Pretty good actually.” Said Liv, the groups only medic. “Assuming we don’t get reckless and stupid, I think we can make these supplies last at least a month or two.”
“Well it sounds like we’re decently set for now.” Said Ty, “Before we hit the road tomorrow, we’ll discuss where we’re heading. It’s too late to do anything else tonight,” he said, nodding to the ever darkening sky visible through the window, “so let’s get some sleep. Good night you guys."
With that being said, they extinguished their lights, said their goodnights, and tried to find comfortable positions to sleep in. Their 3 day walk to where they were now must have taken a lot out of the teens because they were all sleeping peacefully within minutes, blissfully unaware of the adventure they were about to go on