Red Georgia Hills

“Move, move, move!” Colin called as he watched Emit, Becky, and Zach run towards their crossover car. He grabbed Annabelle by the arm as she ran after them drawing her back “Hold on there, you stay with us” He said with a bitter smile. Zach stopped in his tracks and turned around “Hey!” He called Colin looked up, opening the door to the truck he had been in earlier he shoved Annabelle inside. “Sorry Insurance that you’ll not run away and that you’ll follow us” He said as Fry ran up climbing in the truck after her. Colin closed the door and walked around entering the truck from the Driver’s seat.

“Zach come on!” Becky called from the back seat of the Crossover, Zach looked at the truck witch had heavily tented windows before running back to the car. Jude hopped in the Bed of the truck firing at Barlow and a string of Men in Military like attire. He banged on the window “Let’s get a move on before they turn me into Swiss cheese!” he yelled and with that Colin pulled off. Emit on his heels.

Barlow Cursed as she watched them drive away “oh well…she won’t go far, she has to many questions” She murmured a sick smile came to her face “I’ll be seeing you again Annabelle” she said with a chuckle she turned and ran back headed for the portables.

“What was that all about?” Becky called out trembling slightly in fear. “I don’t know, I told you she was weird!” Emit yelled his foot heavy on the gas trying to keep up with Colin’s truck. “Do you think they’re still chasing us?” Becky asked far too afraid to turn around and look. Zach looked out his window, all that was there was the deserted town, and it was getting further and further away. “No, but with the way things went on, they will be” He sighed, his eyes locked onto the truck.

“Were are we going?” Annabelle finally asked, Colin stayed quiet however, she turned to Fry and made a face that read ‘well is someone going to tell me’ Fry sighed “My Uncles Barn” He stated. Annabelle sighed, that had been far too vague of an answer. Colin turned down a dirt road, and shoved Annabelle to the side, opening the small square window in the back of the truck. “You know the deal Daisy” He muttered, Jude frowned and nodded “It’s Jude!” he tagged on grabbing a hose from the bed of the truck he spouted water behind them on the dirt road. “Eliminating a dust trail” Fry clarified as Annabelle looked up at him pushing her herself back into place in the middle.

“These guys aren’t as haphazard as they seem” Emit said as he watched Jude spray the water, being sure to keep a good enough distance so that the car did not get wet.

Colin stopped the truck in front of a small little white house, It looked like it had seen hell and back, but in its past you could tell it was as perfect as those countryside calendar pictures. Annabelle gazed up at it blankly as she hopped out of the truck. Jude jumped form the truck bed and dusted off his pants. Fry had a frown on his face. “So where’s your uncle?” Annabelle asked sarcastically, Fry walked up the steps “dead I would guess, I can here as soon as I could from Texas when I heard about the Outbreak, drove straight through some nights” Fry paused as he fumbled with the door finally getting it open “But by the time I got here…the barn was Burned, all the animals were gone or dead” He held the door open for everyone to walk inside “and the undead were scattered about, I figured, he’s dead or one of them. I saw my aunt’s body and just put it together” He spoke sadly. Annabelle found she regretted her last statement.

She looked to the floor and rubbed her arm, “you don’t have to be sorry” Fry muttered plopping down on the sofa. “Annie!” Zach called as he pushed past Emit to enter the house “You all followed” Annabelle said mildly surprised as she looked upon the faces of Becky, Zach, and “even Emit” she thought. “Well yeah, it seems something valuable is going on besides…we still need somewhere safe” Emit muttered crossing his arms. “Such wannabe tough guys” Colin muttered closing the door behind him.

“Why’d you guys help us?” Becky piped in timidly. Annabelle turned to look at Colin expectantly, but he turned his gaze to Jude. “Daisy here, ask him” He stated, as Jude growled “Listen it’s not Daisy! It’s Jude! Damn that nickname is a bitch!” Jude ranted before regaining his composer, he turned to Annabelle and smiled “I met your sister, a few times before the outbreak, she was an Ally of mine and my team” He stated Annabelle blinked “Your team?” she asked “yes, you see I had a special forces team of five, we were on a search and destroy mission over in Africa” Jude said.

A Flash. “Africa” Annabelle muttered, and those faces those panicked fearful faces of those villagers on the video came back into her mind. Those milky dead eyes of the undead who gazed into the hidden camera.

Snapping herself back she looked up at Jude. My team and I were there to find the leader of that tribe, as you see who had political pull over that area, we were to take him out, as it would have eliminated the best ally of the African President…who had been planning on misusing the project.” All eyes were on Jude as he spoke, the air became tense. Becky’s jaw dropped a bit, was this all seriously happening? Stuff like this didn’t happen did it?

Of course it does, when the dead walk anything’s possible.

“We went to look for him but he had taken Children hostage, having learned that we had been sent in. Our allied forces were getting ready to bomb the area, but we had to return the three children safely, we just couldn’t let them suffer without need” Jude paused “ the Tribe leader, he…he killed himself saying that it was pointless, that with this virus the whole world was going to die anyway.” Jude closed his eyes “we got the kids and managed to get out of the disaster zone before the tribes lands were bombed. However” Jude opened his eyes and they shimmered with sadness. “when we went to the chopper, we loaded the three kids on board, as well as our Commander, and they took to the skies, we were to wait on the next Chopper flown in but, A missile made contact with the chopper and.” Becky gasped “Your commander and those...those kids!” she shrieked tears welling into her eyes. Jude held up his arm on his wrist a crudely made bracelet “the eldest child, and little girl, 12 years old…she gave me this as a thank you before they took off…” he muttered.

Annabelle bit her lip, “anyway…we were marked as dead, K.I.A, and could not return to the states, we had been the intended original target, not he kids. You see we had seen too much while out on our mission. They never planned for us to return but, we did” He smirked “you see Sgt.Rhee, who was on our team had a husband here in the states, who worked for the CIA” Jude said turning to look at Colin who had a large frown on his face. “Yes I was able to get them back, but I was found out…and they wanted me as well as them.” Colin explained. “When the outbreak happened here, we all abandoned being in hiding to go find our families, so eventually we got split up.” Jude jumped in “My wife went to find her parents and her sisters in Michigan, and asked me to come find her little brother, so I did, Daisy came with me because well his Cousin Fry had headed out there as well as his Internet PinPal of a girlfriend” Colin finished. “Hey! She’s more than a PinPal ok! Andrea’s an Amazing woman!” Jude barked “sure she is…in typed words and smilie faces” Colin added. “Whatever!” Jude yelled.

Zach cleared his throat “focus you two” Fry called “so what’s that got to do with teaming up with that crazy Barlow!” Annabelle scrutinized. “Well you see we got caught by her as she knew our faces…at that point we were all traveling together. In search for Colin’s Brother in law and my girlfriend” Jude said cooling off quickly he regained his carefree smile. “Lucky she was with Seymour who was willing to work with us if we ‘Betrayed’ out former team.” Jude said, Colin frowned “of course, we’d never…we were wondering how long we’d have to stay with them…and then” Colin turned to look at Annabelle “we found you” He added.

“What’s so important about me?” Annabelle said with a frown, did they know about her mission…they couldn’t have but it wasn’t impossible after all Jude did say “you said you know my sister?” Annabelle asked. Jude’s eyes widened “crap I got off track again, well before the outbreak, your sister, was protesting in front of a building were a ‘secret’ council was supposed to be held about the events in Africa. Somehow she had gotten the same inside information we had about it, We had to stop her from her rants and yelling before she blew our cover, as my team was spying on the meeting as well. Turns out your sister had a lot of valuable information on this Project of theirs.” Jude glanced at a window. “We lost track of her after the outbreak for a while and then, about a month or so ago, we ran into her again, Colin and I while looking for supplies. She was with a Black man, I forgot his name, and his son, and she said she was on the run, but that her sister was looking for her. We let her go, because we could not afford her getting caught, as an ally of ours” Jude finished.

Annabelle’s eyes welled up with tears “you saw my sister a month ago?” she asked, a tear slid down her cheek whipping a clean streak through the dirt and blood. “Annie” Zach called softly as another tear slipped free. Jude nodded. “W-where?” she asked “a few blocks away from that large University out more towards the main highway why?” Jude asked, Annabelle collapsed to her knees and hung her head “damn it!” she cursed. Zach knelt down by her and hugged her. Annabelle shook him off.

“If I hadn’t bothered! With those stupid Siblings!” she cried, two faces popped in her head a heavy set black man and a thin but strong black woman. “Thank you so much for all your help…we’ll never forget this” she could hear the woman’s voice as it cracked with tears. “I wasted a month!” she yelled hating herself, but not the Siblings, not them, she couldn’t hate them. She knew in her heart helping them would have set her back, and refused to believe it. But they were looking for their Mother…a helpless Elderly woman. What could she have done? What if it had been her mother?

A pair of bright blue eyes flashed in her head, “mother” Annabelle muttered, her voice was weak as if fading, a sharp pain rushed in her head, as she saw a small woman laying out in the middle of the floor, blood pooled around her.

Annabelle grabbed her head and moaned, Zach held her tighter “Annie?” he asked she shook her head “Mother” she whispered a flash went through her head, as that same small woman’s arm moved and she curdled and gurgled softly. The woman looked up in Annabelle’s memory, the woman looked into Annabelle’s eyes they were cold misty, and the once brilliant blue eyes were now a milky dead white. Annabelle screamed at the top of her lung “Annabelle! Annie!” Zach yelled shaking her, Annabelle stopped screaming and looked up at him blankly before passing out.

Jude and Colin ran to them “quick lets lay her down in the master bedroom, I’ll look her over” Fry called grabbing a small leather bag, he trailed behind Colin and Jude as they carried Annabelle to the back of the house.