Red Georgia Hills

Heyuur uuuwuh. Heyurr canuuh. Uuuuwuh.

These sounds shouted franticly in dizzily drawn out ways. Were they sounds? Were they words?

The world was a brightly faded blur of greys and white, slowly like water seeping into paper, colors washed in, and objects sharpened.

“Hey! You! Are you ok? Can you hear me?” A deep heavily built voice bellowed out as loud as it could muster, her head felt like it was going to explode at the new rush of clear sound. “Hey what’s your name? Can you move?” It asked, by this time she could tell it was a boy “My name” she muttered much like a drunkard after passing out in the street. “My name” again, her eyes darted trying to take in the somewhat blurred world around her, faces, colors, buildings, anything. She was in a store of some sort. Looked to be movie rental place.

“Annabelle, but that movie down, you’ve seen t a dozen times!” a flash of her Mother scolding her as she went to pick up a brightly colored VHS tape box. (That’s right, The Movie was Bambi…and my name is…) “Annabelle!” She could hear her mother calling.

“Annabelle” Annabelle spoke with a hoarse voice, “My name” she paused the world around her coming into full view “my name is Annabelle” she looked up to see three faces hovering over her. “Well good that must mean your heads ok” A slightly husky boy said offering a smile, He had lazy eyes, and everything about him was shabby and disheveled. “Where am I?” The typical ‘Just-out-of coma’ question. “Don’t worry you’re safe for a while, you jumped out from the university’s fourth floor.” The boy spoke “yeah” a voice a very bird like voice “it was horrifying! We thought you’d be dead for sure, or in a million pieces” This Bird-ish voice helped Annabelle sit up, she grabbed her head groaning, and looked behind her. Bright hazel eyes shinned with concern “My names Becky” they said to her, this girl was the smart type, her face hidden behind secretary glasses, she had a self-assured look about her. Becky’s clothing was torn, dirt riddled and bloody (the usual design of the days when the dead walked) but had once been a trendy dress suit. “And I’m Zach,” said the boy whom she awoke to, “You’re in the campus store, we’re hold up here until the Stinkers die down in numbers and we can escape to the camp” He added. Annabelle’s vision blurred for a moment, groaning again she rubbed her head “S-stinkers?” she asked, “Zombies” answered a new voice this voice was sharp, this voice had an accent and a shaggy mop of red hair. “Names Emit “he added his hands casually shoved into the pockets of his kaki colored pants. Annabelle looked over her knew found peers.

“Don’t stop you hear me, you take this” in a flash of memory she could see a woman handing her an old out dated floppy disk “and you run” a pair of blue eyes as bright as her own. “You run”
Annabelle scrambled to her feet, swooning at the quick movement she stumbled a few steps. “Careful! You can take it easy” Zach remarked steadying Annabelle out. “You dislocated your hip, so you really shouldn’t be walking much, we popped it back in but you know” Emit said, Annabelle brushed Zach away from her and leered at Emit. “Thank you for the help” she managed trying not to seem completely ungrateful, as it was, if they had not helped her she could be food for the dead. “But I need to be going” she said grabbing her backpack and her bow that had been in the corner. “Wait! But you can’t! It’s swarmed out there right now.” Becky called, Annabelle counted her arrows and checked the pistol on her hip, still there. “I’ll take my chances” She said dryly, glancing back at the odd group of three before striding to the front doors of the shop. Night had fallen and outside wandering aimlessly to and fro was a horde of them, the rotting, hideous outcome of this Virus that had spread, The Walking Dead.

Annabelle’s eyes scanned over the herd, 50 of the maybe, 90 if she were that unlucky. “And you are” she thought. “Having second thoughts?” Emit called out amusement in his voice , Annabelle cursed herself, she might have been pistol packing, and loaded up with Arrows, but in truth Annabelle was a flight animal, not a fight animal. Maybe a group of them, maybe in numbers as small as five, but such a large herd. “It’s ok, you can stay here with us, it’s safe and we have food” Zach called to her, Annabelle turned around slowly in defeat “you like Chief Romonari?” Becky jingled with a grin as she held up a can covered in bright red and yellow paper.

Annabelle ate in about as calm of manner as she could, it had been the first time in months she had eaten a hot meal. No fruits or pecked at vegetables found in abandoned farms and gardens, but actual food, with meat in it, and hot. Her body wanted to scarf it down like a Pig given slop. She watched and observed the three friends as they talked, planning the route to the camp. “The one in Atlanta was bombed so, we should probably head out towards this one here” Emit said pointing at a map they had laid out on the floor. “Yeah but that’s a bit far isn’t it? Do you think we can make it?” Becky asked. “We could stop through Atlanta and see what’s left there…raid for supplies, we can also check the CDC. They should know something” Zach reason. BOOM . An explosion erupted in Annabelle’s mind, she cringed at the memory and held her head rubbing her temples. “Trust me” she spoke in a low foreboding tone “there is nothing for you at the CDC” she muttered. The three friends turned to look at her, “It was” she paused trying to find the right words “Decontaminated, emergency protocol” she frowned at herself, now she sounded like the people who surrounded her father. “Decontaminated?” Becky asked “yes in bright fire and shattered rubble” Annabelle added, the three friends seemed to deflate all at once. Annabelle stood up setting down her bowl and walked back over to the stores doors, the bottom of them were heavily boarded up with wood, only the top half of the glass doors were visible.

She gazed out at the herd, her eyes darting across each of the walking dead, taking in what they looked like but not registering it. “Find me, we cannot be near each other now, not for a while yet, but by your next birthday, find me” those bright blue eyes said to her in her memory, that stern metallic voice. “My sister” she thought gazing into the night. “I’m running out of time, but then where are you?” she asked herself in a whisper. “Where is who?” Zach asked standing next to her, Annabelle jumped and turned to face him, leering “that’s not for you to know” she snapped, Zach put his hands up and chuckled “hey, I was just asking, you can back down” he said as she went back to watching the walking dead. “I was just curious” he added. The silence was awkward, and Annabelle hoped it would will him away. “You know we’re not bad” nope, Zach was oblivious to it “Emit is pretty cool once you get used to him and Becky’s really nice” he went on. Annabelle tried her best to ignore him. “We’re from the University here, we went into town to try and find out families, but well same old story they were gone and we lost over half of our group” Annabelle listened mildly “so we came back here, we’re actually waiting for two friends of ours, but we only gave it ‘til tonight, so we’re leaving tomorrow morning” Annabelle pulled out an old pocket watch and flipped it open, it was a battered and worn gold, with an old Victorian style “It’s already tomorrow morning” she pointed out, tucking the watched into her bra. “The herds, not going to get any smaller…it’s only going to grow” she said coldly. Zach gave her a small knowing smile, as if he knew her game, but he knew nothing of her. “So, you heading to the camp with us?” he asked Annabelle sized him up looking at him from head to toe “If I am?” she asked Zach grinned and turned to the other two “She’s coming!” he called, Becky smiled “yay glad to hear! Welcome to the team Annabelle!” Becky called, Annabelle’s eyes narrowed as Emit have a faded smirk “I knew it” He said before putting out the fire and setting up his sleeping bag.

Daylight came fast, but not fast enough, Annabelle had found she could get no sleep, she stood in front of the shop doors, looking out. “You been up all night?” Zach asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in his sleeping bag. “their numbers have dropped down, more than half” Annabelle said in reply she grabbed her things and turned to face him “if you guys want to get out we need to leave now before another bout roams in” Zach nodded and freed himself from his sleeping bag, gathering up his things. Emit stirred and awoke, watching Zach “what’s going on?” he asked, “we need to get ready to leave, the Stinkers aren’t so many anymore, we need to move fast” Zach said relaying the message Emit yawned and stretched before waking up Becky. Emit watched Annabelle as she kept watch over the door. The three were soon packed, “how’re we getting out?” Annabelle asked Zach pulled a pair of Keys from his pocket “I have a car, out back I use to bring stock here” he said “so he used to work here” Annabelle noted “so I really should have been watching the back door” she said “wouldn’t have done any good…you can’t see outside the back door unless you open it” Becky said “can’t take that risk” Annabelle nodded in agreement with Becky. “We need a plan then to get back there” Annabelle sighed. “well we were going to send Emit out front to clear some of the Stinkers, he and Becky were then going to run around back and if it was safe, Knock on the back door and I was going to run out and we’d hop in the car, or I’d let them back in here if it was bad.” Zach explained. Annabelle nodded “so I’ve got a better Idea” she said looking over them all expectantly.

The back door to the shop swung open and Emit dotted one of the walking dead in the head with a knife “Becky! Quick! Go, go, go!” He called rushing her past him as Annabelle fired her arrows at the small group of ‘Stinkers’. In Becky’s hands the keys to Zach’s car, she fumbled at the car door, Zach at her, back in case any tried to attack. “Got it!” Becky called happily as she swung the car door open and hopped inside, sliding over to the passenger seat. Zach took driver, and turned on the car, he rammed over the ‘Stinkers’ and pulled alongside Emit and Annabelle, who were now running in and out of the shop stocking supplies in the trunk of the car. When they were finished they got in the back seat and Zach pulled away from the shop, away from the campus.

It was a quiet ride, Emits eyes were glued to Annabelle. It made her anxious, at this rate –
“I know you” He said, Anabelle flinched “I don’t see how” she said in a smooth way, trying to hide the frantic jitter rising up within her. Was it going to happen again, was someone going to spot her? What would they do to her? Would it be like last time? “You’re Annabelle McBonney, ‘Annie’ McBonney, daughter of President McBonney” Emit pointed out, Becky gasped and turned to look to the back seat “No way!” she breathed, Annabelle slunk down into the seat and closed her eyes sighing “Almost didn’t recognize you, you don’t appear on Tv much” Emit added “for a reason” Annabelle muttered. “But with all the news about how you were thinking about going into the Olympics and the way you handled that bow” Emit said with a nod “your face came to mind” Annabelle frowned. “so do you know why this-“ Annabelle eyes flickered in annoyance as she barked “No I don’t know shit about the damn virus, if I did would I be wandering around out here in the general public!” the car fell silent and she was grateful for it. “I’m sorry” Becky finally spoke in a whisper “it’s alright” Annabelle muttered crossing her arms. There was more silence “so what about the President? Is he alive?” Emit asked, Annabelle closed her eyes “I don’t know” she said slowly her words dragging “He was bitten” she added. Zach glanced at the rear view and sighed “well that’s answer enough” he muttered. Popping a CD into the car’s player he turned up the volume.

“Lead me Ho-oh-oh-ome, Leeead me home” sung the artist as the music blasted down the silent road. Annabelle turned to watch the buildings go by.