Status: Unpaused!
The "Z" Word
Getting to Know Each Other
After they had ate Carol and Lori tucked Carl and Sophia in for bed. Everyone else gathered around in the living room to learn more about Slater. She walked into the living room from the kitchen carrying three beers. She handed two of them to the Dixon brothers and kept the third for herself. She draped herself across the chair she had previously sat in and popped the cap off of the bottle. "So..." Rick said, in an attempt to start the conversation, "Where are you headed?"
"My grand-parents vacation home. It's on the St. Mary's River. It's pretty secluded and there's plenty of fish in the river and animals in the woods, so it just seemed like the place to go."
Before she could start her next sentence, Daryl interrupted, "You know how to hunt and fish?"
She shrugged and a small smile spread across her lips, "My grandfather taught me. He always wanted a boy, but only had girls. Then of five daughters, my mom was the only one to have a kid, and I was an only child, so he taught me everything he knew about hunting and fishing." Slater smiled as she thought about her grandfather. "Every time he'd take me hunting or fishing he'd always say," she paused and cleared her throat, then in her best man voice said, "'Slater, as long as you know how to hunt and fish, you'll never need to depend on a man. So you pay attention, and do what I tell you, and you'll grow up to be a independent woman who doesn't need a man in her life.'"
The group chuckled at her impression of her grandfather and Slater grinned.
She took a sip of the beer in her hand before continuing. "I'm supposed to be meeting my parents there. We spoke on the phone the day the infection started. I told them I was going to the river house, and they said they'd meet me there. That was the last time I spoke to them, so I have no idea whether or not they even made it."
"Have you tried to call them since?" Lori asked.
Slater nodded, "It's pointless. I don't know if the service was cut off, or if something happened to their phone, but every time I call, it doesn't even ring."
"Hopefully they're safe," Carol said.
Slater nodded and took another sip of her beer. "Where are you guys going?"
"We hadn't really thought it through," Rick said. Slater knew without being told that he was the leader of the group. "We might try our luck at Fort Benning. We were at the CDC, but...." he trailed off, not wanting to finish the story.
Daryl finished for him, "The crazy ass doctor locked us in and tried to kill us. Apparently the place was on lockdown, and there was a timer that was going to detonate once it got to zero. He said the air would catch on fire, and that we'd all die a quick, painless death." He paused to try and calm himself down. Talking about what had happened had made him angry. "I haven't lived off canned food and squirrel for however many weeks it's been to just give up."
"How'd you escape?" Slater asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Rick blew up one of the windows with a grenade," Lori answered, smiling at her husband's quick thinking.
"Where are you from?" T.dog asked Slater. Her exotic appearance had the entire group curious.
"Here." Her reply was simple. "Well, not here exactly. My mom was born and raised in Georgia, I was born and raised in Georgia. My dad was from Brazil though. He moved here to go to college, and that's where he and my mom met. They fell in love and dated for five years. Then they got married, and they've been together ever since."
There was a silence while everyone thought. Finally, Slater spoke again, "If any of you want, you're welcome to join me. I know there's strength in numbers, and..." she trailed off not wanting to say the rest of her sentence. She took a deep breath and finished the sentence anyways, "regardless of whether or not my parents are there, you'll all be welcomed at the river house. At Fort Benning....well, we don't even know if there's anyone there."
There was chatter amongst the group and everyone decided that they'd follow Slater to the river house, and that they'd decide whether or not to stay once they arrived.
"My grand-parents vacation home. It's on the St. Mary's River. It's pretty secluded and there's plenty of fish in the river and animals in the woods, so it just seemed like the place to go."
Before she could start her next sentence, Daryl interrupted, "You know how to hunt and fish?"
She shrugged and a small smile spread across her lips, "My grandfather taught me. He always wanted a boy, but only had girls. Then of five daughters, my mom was the only one to have a kid, and I was an only child, so he taught me everything he knew about hunting and fishing." Slater smiled as she thought about her grandfather. "Every time he'd take me hunting or fishing he'd always say," she paused and cleared her throat, then in her best man voice said, "'Slater, as long as you know how to hunt and fish, you'll never need to depend on a man. So you pay attention, and do what I tell you, and you'll grow up to be a independent woman who doesn't need a man in her life.'"
The group chuckled at her impression of her grandfather and Slater grinned.
She took a sip of the beer in her hand before continuing. "I'm supposed to be meeting my parents there. We spoke on the phone the day the infection started. I told them I was going to the river house, and they said they'd meet me there. That was the last time I spoke to them, so I have no idea whether or not they even made it."
"Have you tried to call them since?" Lori asked.
Slater nodded, "It's pointless. I don't know if the service was cut off, or if something happened to their phone, but every time I call, it doesn't even ring."
"Hopefully they're safe," Carol said.
Slater nodded and took another sip of her beer. "Where are you guys going?"
"We hadn't really thought it through," Rick said. Slater knew without being told that he was the leader of the group. "We might try our luck at Fort Benning. We were at the CDC, but...." he trailed off, not wanting to finish the story.
Daryl finished for him, "The crazy ass doctor locked us in and tried to kill us. Apparently the place was on lockdown, and there was a timer that was going to detonate once it got to zero. He said the air would catch on fire, and that we'd all die a quick, painless death." He paused to try and calm himself down. Talking about what had happened had made him angry. "I haven't lived off canned food and squirrel for however many weeks it's been to just give up."
"How'd you escape?" Slater asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"Rick blew up one of the windows with a grenade," Lori answered, smiling at her husband's quick thinking.
"Where are you from?" T.dog asked Slater. Her exotic appearance had the entire group curious.
"Here." Her reply was simple. "Well, not here exactly. My mom was born and raised in Georgia, I was born and raised in Georgia. My dad was from Brazil though. He moved here to go to college, and that's where he and my mom met. They fell in love and dated for five years. Then they got married, and they've been together ever since."
There was a silence while everyone thought. Finally, Slater spoke again, "If any of you want, you're welcome to join me. I know there's strength in numbers, and..." she trailed off not wanting to say the rest of her sentence. She took a deep breath and finished the sentence anyways, "regardless of whether or not my parents are there, you'll all be welcomed at the river house. At Fort Benning....well, we don't even know if there's anyone there."
There was chatter amongst the group and everyone decided that they'd follow Slater to the river house, and that they'd decide whether or not to stay once they arrived.