Desolate

Everyone sat inside the van, and it wasn't the kind of awkward silence that made everyone uncomfortable; it was more content, with only their own thoughts running through their minds. The silence was only broken with the shallow shaking breaths of Bianca, who hasn't stopped crying since they left the motel; grant it, it's been merely ten minutes, at most. Charlie lent over and placed a knowing hand on her shoulder, giving her a look to which she nodded; she wiped her tears away with the palm of her hand.

"I-I just can't believe," she muttered, showing another wave of tears ready to begin; Charlie nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "What about Darren?" she question, making everyone give a look at Charlie. With a hand brushing through her hair, Charlie calculated the pros and cons; slapping her hands onto her knees.

"We'll head back, if we're quick he might be uninjured," she muttered, moving Jason out of the driver's seat; making a dramatic U-turn that caused everyone to topple over one another. "Maybe Dylan will be fine..." she trailed, looking at them through the review mirror; hope wasn't eminent, and truthfully they were just comfort words. Jordan shook her head and gazed out of the window, trying to focus on the moving scenery. "And I was the hopeless selfish one," Charlie muttered, hitting the gas with her foot a bit more; the car cascading past the groups of zombies that turned slowly. Alex sat up as they turned more, making everyone grip onto something to keep them steady and in tact.

"Can you drive normally?" Jordan questioned, making Charlie smack the breaks; some people hitting their heads with groans. "What the fuck?" she questioned, rubbing her forehead with a wince.

"Do you want them to make it?" Charlie questioned, slowly pressing the gas once again; moving at an agonizingly slow pace. Jordan 'humphed' as Charlie smirked, hitting the gas with as much force as she could; lurching the car in a sudden movement. What would normally take them ten or fifteen minutes took them around five minutes as the van sped around a corner; crashing through the barred fence that was no longer swarming with zombies.

"Darren?" Oliver jumped out, seeing the disorientated boy appear from within the side gate; he had large tears cascading down his face and he nearly sprinted towards them. "What happened?" he continued, looking around expecting a complete horde of zombies to appear. Darren's hair was matted down with sweat, and his throat clenched as he took in large and painful gasps of air; his hands on his knees as he finally let out a loud chuckle.

"I took care of the horde," he smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead; regaining his breath as Charlie smiled, patting him on the back. "...Dylan...I had to..." he muttered slowly, his voice trailing off as he turned his attention to the sky. Dylan wasn't a member of the group of more, Charlie slowly nodded; biting the bottom of her lip as she rubbed Darren's back.

"Let's get you cleaned up," she mumbled, everyone jumping back into the van; Darren in the passenger seat as Oliver drove. "The entire horde huh?" Charlie smirked, applying some hydrogen peroxide onto one of his cuts; watching as his shoulders shook with laughter. Gazing back at her own arm, she winced as a drop of hydrogen peroxide fell onto the open would; bubbling as it hit the skin, and she couldn't help but feel like shit.

"It'll be fine," Darren smiled, looking down at her arm; moving to go sit into the back, Charlie taking his seat and looking out the windows. The mountains were illuminated by the setting sun; shooting rays of pink and purple through the sky. If the days had been like they used to, Charlie would've of just taken a picture; now that it's this time, all she could do was remember these calm moments.

"Are we there yet?" Bianca questioned, moving Jordan out of her way as she moved to the front; peering out the window, she smiled seeing a building up ahead. "Finally!" she grinned with a playful shout; watching as they pulled up to the building. It was pretty run down, with the paint peeling and slowly withering away; along with everything around it.

"This is it?" Jordan questioned with a hint of distaste; let's just say she wasn't a real outdoors person. Charlie just laughed, helping Darren out of the car as she took in the building; nodding her head and looking towards Jordan.

"Sorry it's not a castle princess," she laughed, grabbing some packs from the back of the van; Alex running inside with a handful of bags. "This will do," she continued, sitting down on the floor with the others; everyone was seated in a circle with the lights off. If any of the zombies had managed to follow them; they'll lay low for the time being, trying to get them off their tail.

"When do you think this will be over?" Jason questioned, leaning his head on Alex's shoulder; who in turn pushed him off. "I just want to go back home," he mumbled tiredly, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.

"Zombies will decompose eventually right?" Jordan inquired, moving to sit next to Zakk against the wall; his arms around his knees. Oliver was laid on his back staring at the ceiling, except the darkness made this difficult; Charlie was resting beside Bianca. "Should we just wait until they all die?" she continued, moving to lay her chin on her knees.

"If we survive that long, when they start to die; I won't be surprised if they go ballistic in desperation for food," Oliver sat up, moving to sit beside Charlie and Bianca. "Who knows if they'll sweep across the continent in the slight conquest," he chuckled. The sound of heavy footsteps surprised them, each of them wrapping their fingers around their guns as Jordan stood up; moving her gun into her hands.

"I'll go check," she offered, moving towards the door as everyone shook their heads. "It's okay, because I'm good right," she laughed, moving to hesitantly move outside; the darkness enveloping her as the rest sat in silence. No one dared to whisperer, listening to her footsteps as they softly crunched twigs and leaves. A sudden sound of a crash brought everyone to their feet; growling and yelling soon becoming eminent. Charlie raised her hands as she ran out of the room; the rest staying inside obidiently, like she had ordered. Jordan was against the tree, rapidly shooting at a bear that continued to make it's way towards her; the bear was abnormal, it was almost as if the radiation had effected it as well. By the time that Charlie did anything to help, she shot it through the back of it's head; watching as it collapsed onto Jordan, her grunts becoming loud as she tried to push the beast off.

"Can you help?" she inquired in a rushed breath; seeing as the bear had lodged her from her torso to the tree; Charlie smirked, bending down beside the bear and softly petting it's fur. "What the fuck are you doing?" she questioned louder, watching as the others started to come outside.

"Here's the deal," Charlie started, brushing hair out of her face as the others watched in curiousity. "I could help you out because you were too cocky, or I could leave you. But here's the catch: get rid of your attitude," she finished in a rough tone; Jordan laughing in a barking manner.

"And yet you can still be a bitch, does that even make sense?" she asked the rest of them, as they decided to stay out of the arguement. Charlie smiled, and lifted her fingers from the bear's fur and moved to stand up a bit; her eyes lighted up in the dim light.

"Look, this here is my family, and I don't need you coming in between," she began, hearing Jordan grunt in pain ,"You need to either become a part of the family or get out," she finished, watching as Zakk lent down to meet Jordan.

"That means no fighting," he laughed, looking at Charlie, as she shrugged in return; Jordan just staring as she just gave up on arguing, leaning back against the tree.

"So she can be as bitchy as she wants, and you don't care?" Jordan questioned, an irritated tone in her voice as she let a growl be heard; trying to suppress her own anger.

"She's not a bitch," Oliver corrected, moving to join the rest of them. "She's doing it for us, and so for, we've been safe," he smiled, watching as Alex chuckled with a nod; everyone was slowly trying to move the bear as soon as Jordan started to nod. Squirming from beneath the monstrous beast, she brushed the dirt off of her pants trying to get rid of all the stains and marks.

"Where did that come from?" Bianca mumbled, motioning to the bear that lay on the floor; Darren lent down and touched the bear's head, a mixture of thoughts running through his mind.

"I suppose some animals are even affected," he concluded, moving to wipe his hand on his pants. "We should probably move to another area, these mountains hold tons of bears," he continued, looking up to the expanding land of the mountain range. With a nod, everyone tiredly started to move towards the building; going inside and unhappily slugging their belongings into the van once more. When people tell you that when one door closes, another opens; you really shouldn't believe in such things because eventually all the doors are going to close. With a shut of the van door, everyone clambered into the seats; tired look in their eyes as the hit the road once again on the continuing journey ahead of them.