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“So, how long have you been in Ashville?”
Owen tried hard not to sigh. Since they left the community for the daily patrol Hiya hadn’t shut her mouth. He was fond of silence while performing every activity, especially one as dangerous as patrolling. Right now they had just arrived in an old neighbourhood. That route was one of the easiest to patrol since the area was open, but Owen took everything seriously — instead of Hiya, apparently.
“Four years.”
He was trying to talk as little as he could. That was Hiya’s first patrol ever so he could understand her excitement. She was Ashville’s newest resident — she had come with a group of refugees from Salem. Her youthful spirit and hopeful personality weren’t Owen’s cup of tea. He couldn’t understand how someone could remain so carefree when the world had turned into hell.
“Wow. That’s almost the same time my family and I stayed in the government’s shelter. Where were you before?”
She is now looking at him with a lighthearted expression on her chubby, brown face. He straightens his rifle, the weight now very familiar in his arms. Hiya held a machete and a semi-automatic pistol in a leg holster; they looked ridiculous on her because her aura didn’t match the weapons’ personality. Owen takes some time to answer, trying to hear or see something unusual. The entire neighbourhood seemed long abandoned, nature doing its job turning what once was a city into a forest. Grass took the place of concrete roads, and plants and trees were growing everywhere… The previous residents had left since the Outbreak.
If Owen wasn’t so worried about looking at the empty buildings or answering Hiya’s questions he might have noticed that they weren’t alone.
The bushes and trees were an easy hiding spot. When Catarina noticed two strangers approaching she quickly hid behind a tree and remained quiet only listening to the newcomers. She had been observing that base — “Ashville” the talkative girl said — for a week. Fortunately, she encountered two residents. If she stayed silent she could know more about the place. Catarina had gone through some bad shit over the past five years and she wasn’t willing to go through some more. She needed to know if Ashville was a peaceful community; and if the citizens could be trusted.
“Portland.”
The man seems a bit uncomfortable. Of course… Everybody disliked talking about the past now. Reminding the easy days before the virus was painful; Catarina could barely remember her life before the deadly infection that turned people into flesh-eating monsters. Accompanying them carefully, she thinks about all the terrible shit she heard about Portland: the biggest city in Oregon was crowded with infected. Catarina listens to the girl giving a long whistle in response to the answer.
“Portland… A true pandemonium. I’ve been there. We’re both lucky for coming out alive.”
“Yeah…”
When the girl was about to say something else, he interrupted her.
“Hiya, silence. We could bump into those freaks.”
“Don’t you patrol this route every week? How could we find newly infected?”
“Hordes come and go. Winter is coming so they go where it is hot.”
“Owen… That actually makes sense.”
Owen seemed more experienced than Hiya, Catarina noticed. He also seemed older (in his late thirties or early forties) while Hiya could easily be in her twenties. That meant she shouldn’t have been over fifteen when that all started. They continue to walk and turn a corner; Catarina follows them and hides behind a car when the duo reaches a destroyed pharmacy. Owen immediately stops.
“That wasn’t like that last time I checked.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Stay here covering me, I’ll go inside.”
Bad idea. Catarina had outwitted a small horde days ago and was sure some of them were inside that pharmacy.
“I should go and help you.”
Hiya was full of good intentions, Owen knew that. But she was just a child and would only slow him down.
“No, stay.”
Nodding uncertainly Hiya adjusts her machete and turns to the street as Owen enters the pharmacy. Catarina feels tense about what the duo is about to face and accidentally steps on a branch, calling Hiya’s attention. When the girl is about to check the noise two infected appear near her.
The struggle starts. Surprisingly, Hiya hits one monster in the head; a quick, strong cut. Kicking the body she goes for the other one but hears shots coming from the pharmacy. Owen runs out with five infected behind him. The odds were all against them. Six infected for only two people? Catarina knew they were screwed. The duo keeps fighting, Hiya skillfully using the machete and Owen shooting the horde as fast as possible. Then, Catarina sees a new infected coming from behind; both Hiya and Owen are too busy fighting to notice something. With half of her body screaming to stay still, Catarina jumps out of the car and screams:
“Careful!” She attacks the infected with her knife, but not before another monster attacks fast and bites her hand. She screams.
Two shots kill the last infected; one from Owen’s rifle and the other from Hiya’s pistol. Then, Catarina sees Owen pointing the rifle at her.
“ No!” Hiya puts herself in front of Catarina.
“ She’s bitten!”
“She saved our lives!”
Owen frows his eyebrows and Catarina knows he’s going to shoot. But before he pulls the trigger, faster than anything Hiya grabs her machete and strikes Catarina’s bitten hand, cutting it off. Owen’s shout was not only louder than Catarina's excruciating scream.
Hiya grabs Catarina and uses her flannel shirt as a tourniquet.
“Look, you’re going to be fine. My cousin had his foot cut when an infected bit him. He lived for four years after that.” then she looks at Owen who is too shocked to say anything. “We need to take her to Ashville.”
Breathing with difficulty, Catarina grabs Hiya’s neck, and the girl looks at her.
“If I turn… Shoot me.”
And faints.