Inmortuorum
Chapter 1
Katie dropped the bag and spun around and put her hands up, "K-K-Katie. Katie Brown. I'm just, I'm just trying to survive."
"Well, alright, Katie.."
The voice removed its hood, revealing a sporty looking 20-something blonde female. She flashed a smile, her teeth oddly well taken care of, for someone whose been dealing with a zombie apocalypse for six months now. The only flaw on her beautifully tanned skin was a pale pink scar running through her right eyebrow.
"....I'm Sarah. Sarah Murray. And you're in my house. So, don't steal."
Katie's eyes widened, realizing her bag full of Sarah's food. Her normally pale cheeks turned bright red. She immediately dropped her bag, then picked it up. Her eyes stayed down as she embarrassedly thrust her bag at Sarah. Sarah laughed, "Don't worry. Are you with anyone?"
"No. I haven't been. I wasn't really before any of this started, anyway."
Sarah frowned slightly.
"Well, hey, I know we just met, but, I'm a great judge of character. You don't seem like you'd hurt anyone. Which makes me question as to how you've survived this long, but... How old are you, K-K-Katie Brown?"
Katie half-heartedly smiled at Sarah's joke.
"17. Just turned 17."
"That's it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"No need for that.. But, you're practically a baby. I mean, I'm only 21 myself, but, still."
"Yeah, I know."
Sarah paused, biting her lower lip as she thought things through.
"Well, I'll tell you what. I have a group. There's 5 of us - me, Abbie, Chris, James and Adele. Abbie, she's upstairs now. The other three are out looking for supplies. You sit on the couch in the front room. You'll be safe there. Just wait. We'll all sit down, talk things out. It'll be fine. They're pretty good about these things. I'm sure we can take you under our collective wing."
Katie nodded and proceeded over to the couch in the foyer. Sarah turned and went halfway up the stairs, before turning and adding, "Oh, and Katie, let's keep that thieving incident as just a miscommunication, alright? Don't ruin my trust. I'd hate to have to kill you!"
Katie felt her stomach drop, and hoped that Sarah had just a twisted sense of humor. She began to say "I'm sorry", but it instead turned into a mumble. She punched herself in the thigh for making such a mistake, but she underestimated her own strength and left a mark that would surely turn into an interesting bruise.
-----------------------
Hours had passed when Katie heard the door open. She hopped up off the couch and pulled her knife from its sheath and crouched in her ready position. A tall figure appeared in the doorway, and leaned against the wall. The figure turned out to be a man, a rather beautiful one at that. He looked a bit Hispanic, with gorgeously tan skin. He had short dark hair, tousled in that elegantly disheveled way. The man laughed, "Easy there, tiger. I'm not going to hurt you." Katie dropped her knife, stood up straight and put her head down to hide her embarrassment from the man.
"Are you one of Sarah's strays?"
"I guess."
"Wow, that's an accent. Where are you from, babe?"
"Maine."
"Nice. Anyway, Sarah told you to sit in here, right?"
"R-right."
The man smiled, then looked down at her knife on the floor, then back up at Katie. He took two steps, grabbed the knife, then walked out.
"We've got another one. This one's a girl, though. Just a kid, I think."
A woman's voice replied, Katie assumed it was Adele.
"Is that a weapon? A fucking knife? Sarah!"
A third voice emerged.
"Does she even check anymore? Oy vey. Sarah! Get down here. Now!"
Katie heard feet rush down the stairs.
"What?! What do you want?!"
Katie recognized this voice. Sarah. She felt some odd form of solace in hearing a familiar voice. It had been a while since she'd heard any voice.
The man from earlier spoke again, "Sarah, she had a knife."
"She's just a kid! She's 17. Her name's Katie. She's fine, brave, too. She's done this all her own, I think. C'mon. Just, give her a chance. I'm a great judge of character."
The other female spoke, "Sarah, no. You aren't. You're a shit judge of character. How many people have tried to kill us? James and Chris are done pulling men off of you, and I'm tired of having to kill the insane people you drag in here. She leaves. Give her food, take her far out, make her stay away."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up. Adele, you know nothing as it is. You're just pissy because you let Lexy die. We all know."
"Sarah, I swear to God, if you weren't good at cooking, I'd murder you in cold blood. And sleep like a baby tonight."
"I'm sure you would. Anyway, that's Katie. Katie is going to be worth it, and we're going to give her a shot, alright? She'll have dinner with us tonight. Believe me on this, please?"
The third voice came back.
"Alright. Fine. If it shuts the two of you up, fine. She can stay here tonight, even. Just, if she loses it, Sarah, you kill her."
"Well, alright, Katie.."
The voice removed its hood, revealing a sporty looking 20-something blonde female. She flashed a smile, her teeth oddly well taken care of, for someone whose been dealing with a zombie apocalypse for six months now. The only flaw on her beautifully tanned skin was a pale pink scar running through her right eyebrow.
"....I'm Sarah. Sarah Murray. And you're in my house. So, don't steal."
Katie's eyes widened, realizing her bag full of Sarah's food. Her normally pale cheeks turned bright red. She immediately dropped her bag, then picked it up. Her eyes stayed down as she embarrassedly thrust her bag at Sarah. Sarah laughed, "Don't worry. Are you with anyone?"
"No. I haven't been. I wasn't really before any of this started, anyway."
Sarah frowned slightly.
"Well, hey, I know we just met, but, I'm a great judge of character. You don't seem like you'd hurt anyone. Which makes me question as to how you've survived this long, but... How old are you, K-K-Katie Brown?"
Katie half-heartedly smiled at Sarah's joke.
"17. Just turned 17."
"That's it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"No need for that.. But, you're practically a baby. I mean, I'm only 21 myself, but, still."
"Yeah, I know."
Sarah paused, biting her lower lip as she thought things through.
"Well, I'll tell you what. I have a group. There's 5 of us - me, Abbie, Chris, James and Adele. Abbie, she's upstairs now. The other three are out looking for supplies. You sit on the couch in the front room. You'll be safe there. Just wait. We'll all sit down, talk things out. It'll be fine. They're pretty good about these things. I'm sure we can take you under our collective wing."
Katie nodded and proceeded over to the couch in the foyer. Sarah turned and went halfway up the stairs, before turning and adding, "Oh, and Katie, let's keep that thieving incident as just a miscommunication, alright? Don't ruin my trust. I'd hate to have to kill you!"
Katie felt her stomach drop, and hoped that Sarah had just a twisted sense of humor. She began to say "I'm sorry", but it instead turned into a mumble. She punched herself in the thigh for making such a mistake, but she underestimated her own strength and left a mark that would surely turn into an interesting bruise.
-----------------------
Hours had passed when Katie heard the door open. She hopped up off the couch and pulled her knife from its sheath and crouched in her ready position. A tall figure appeared in the doorway, and leaned against the wall. The figure turned out to be a man, a rather beautiful one at that. He looked a bit Hispanic, with gorgeously tan skin. He had short dark hair, tousled in that elegantly disheveled way. The man laughed, "Easy there, tiger. I'm not going to hurt you." Katie dropped her knife, stood up straight and put her head down to hide her embarrassment from the man.
"Are you one of Sarah's strays?"
"I guess."
"Wow, that's an accent. Where are you from, babe?"
"Maine."
"Nice. Anyway, Sarah told you to sit in here, right?"
"R-right."
The man smiled, then looked down at her knife on the floor, then back up at Katie. He took two steps, grabbed the knife, then walked out.
"We've got another one. This one's a girl, though. Just a kid, I think."
A woman's voice replied, Katie assumed it was Adele.
"Is that a weapon? A fucking knife? Sarah!"
A third voice emerged.
"Does she even check anymore? Oy vey. Sarah! Get down here. Now!"
Katie heard feet rush down the stairs.
"What?! What do you want?!"
Katie recognized this voice. Sarah. She felt some odd form of solace in hearing a familiar voice. It had been a while since she'd heard any voice.
The man from earlier spoke again, "Sarah, she had a knife."
"She's just a kid! She's 17. Her name's Katie. She's fine, brave, too. She's done this all her own, I think. C'mon. Just, give her a chance. I'm a great judge of character."
The other female spoke, "Sarah, no. You aren't. You're a shit judge of character. How many people have tried to kill us? James and Chris are done pulling men off of you, and I'm tired of having to kill the insane people you drag in here. She leaves. Give her food, take her far out, make her stay away."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up. Adele, you know nothing as it is. You're just pissy because you let Lexy die. We all know."
"Sarah, I swear to God, if you weren't good at cooking, I'd murder you in cold blood. And sleep like a baby tonight."
"I'm sure you would. Anyway, that's Katie. Katie is going to be worth it, and we're going to give her a shot, alright? She'll have dinner with us tonight. Believe me on this, please?"
The third voice came back.
"Alright. Fine. If it shuts the two of you up, fine. She can stay here tonight, even. Just, if she loses it, Sarah, you kill her."