Chapter 3

Everyone stopped in their tracks. Rufus and his group instinctively raised their hands in surrender; the other group was on defense.

“Listen.. we don’t want trouble. We just wanted to know where y’all were headed and if you wanted to join us on our way to Savannah.” Rufus stumbled trying to explain as he stared down the barrel of a gun.

“Yeah? And what for?” One of the guys asked. They all looked a bit battered and worn, obvious they’d been through it since this all started. June wondered what all they had had to deal with but figured it better to not ask.

“Bigger groups stand a better chance.” Rufus wasn’t sure how to answer. That was all he could come up with.

“So you want to join us? Or do you want us to join you?”

“I want us to join each other. But if that’s not what you want..” Rufus nervously chuckled and took a step back.

The group of 4 looked at each other, then slowly lowered their guns. June and her new friends all lowered their arms in response.

“Do you know Hunter?” One of the girls from the other group asked.

“No, we’ve never heard of a Hunter.” Rufus explained, confused.

“Who are you?” Eli asked the new group.

“Hey! We’ll ask the questions.” The guy, presumably the leader, almost yelled. “Who are YOU guys?” He demanded.

The group introduced themselves and waited for the others to do the same.

“I’m Russell. This is Thomas, Alexia, and Daisy.” The leader responded.

“Well, it’s... nice to meet y’all. Now if y’all don’t mind, we’re just gonna squeeze past ya and head our separate ways.” Rufus said, still nervous as he and the rest of the group slowly took off past the new group.

“Wait.” Russell called out after a few seconds. The group stopped.

“Y’all will never make it alone. Let us join you.”

“Why don’t you think we’ll make it?” Asked Alice, ready for a fight. Normally, Rufus would have held out his hand to stop her, but he was getting tired of this group’s attitude too.

Russell chuckled.

“Because sweetheart. We both know one of the reasons why. Just let us join you and we’ll explain the rest.”

Alice rolled her eyes as the groups merged and took off down the interstate.

June felt a pit in her stomach that wouldn’t go away. Something was off about these people and it wasn’t how they met, although that was part of it. She wasn’t going to question Rufus and his decision, but she felt as though she should be running away from these four, not grouped up with them. Especially that Thomas guy. He looked at her funny compared to the rest.

She continued walking in silence though, figuring she’d give them the benefit of the doubt until they give her a reason to be suspicious.

The now larger group walked until they reached the next exit. As they walked towards Cartersville, they heard a rustle in some nearby trees. They all stopped and got on guard, looking for any sign of movement from the tree lines. Not sure if it was the dead or more people.

Suddenly, two dead came stumbling out towards them, crushing some branches beneath their broken and rotten feet. Everyone raised their weapons, with the new four raising their guns.

“Don’t shoot! Use your knife.” Rufus told them, grabbing his knife and running towards one, stabbing it in what was one of its eyes.

“I got this one.” Russell scoffed and took off towards the other one. The dead man reached out and grabbed his arm, which made him drop the knife in shock.

“Don’t just stand there, come help me!” Russell screamed, frantically trying to get his knife back and escape. Rufus and his group just rolled their eyes. Rufus wondered how this group has survived as long as they have.

June sighed and came up behind him, stabbing the dead in the temple and looking at Russell before walking back to the group and taking off toward Cartersville.

The newcomers all rushed to check on Russell, while the others followed June to the new city.

Once they arrived, they looted a few stores and gas stations before moving on to find shelter for the night.

They split up into 5 groups, all going in different directions to find shelter.

Audrey and Montana were going through a small patch of woods when they stumbled across an old cabin. It looked like it was once used for camping rentals before everything fell. They both looked at each other and shrugged before going up to the front door. Surprisingly, it all looked to be intact. Untouched by the horrors that have overtaken their world.

Slowly and carefully, they entered the cabin. It was rather small, with one bedroom and a bathroom on the right. It even had a small bathroom that hasn’t been in service since the outbreak between the two. On the left stood a living room and kitchen. It had a fireplace in the living room, with some wood laying next to it.

“This is perfect!” Audrey exclaimed after they had done a sweep to make sure there was no dead inside.

“Yeah. Let’s go get the others so we can get settled in and maybe even start a nice fire before dark.” Montana said, heading towards the door.

It had been getting chilly out but it was risky to start a fire just anywhere. Too much noise and the dead come running. Most of the time they ruled it better to just be a little cold than to risk it.

The two made their way back to the meeting place they had set and waited for the others.

“Man, I can’t believe we got so lucky.” Audrey said, resting against an old counter in a corner store.

“We’re not lucky yet. It could all go south way too quickly.” Montana said, pacing back and forth.

“Oh, would you calm down for once? We might be able to take a small break. And be the safest we’ve been since the start.” Audrey sighed, getting frustrated at Montana for always being so uptight.

“Yeah well, I’ll start celebrating when it happens.” Montana continued pacing.

After a few more minutes, two of the groups made their way back. Audrey shared their findings and they all got excited, happy that they were lucky for once.

Two by two, they all returned and Audrey and Montana shared the news of where they’d be staying. After everyone had gotten back, they all grabbed their supplies and made their way to the cabin. It was small for all 10 of them, but it was cozy and a lot safer than they could have ever asked for. Other cabins formed a small circle around an office building, but they all decided that they should all stay in one. Safety in numbers, they figured.

Once they all got settled, Russell checked the kitchen. The cabinets were still stocked with canned and dried goods. They all got excited as they raided the cabinets, grabbing stale crackers and canned fruit.

After they had all eaten and finished settling in, they all sat around and talked about what had happened throughout the day. They always liked to do a recap so they were all up to date with each other.

They were able to start a friendly fire in the fireplace and they all gathered around. Montana was able to make some popcorn he found in one of the cabinets, and they all snacked.

After they were all full and warm, they all lay down and dozed off one by one.

June smiled to herself. She finally had a good group of people and was safe for the night.