Victoria's Journal

May 17th 2020

It had been a long tossing night, I knew that it would be. But to start the morning off in the way that I did wasn’t something that made me happy either. It had been a family home that we had stayed in for the night. Moving carefully as to not bother Robin, it was clear that I would need to find supplies for her and I both. Finding something for breakfast, something that would be eaten by a child. So I started towards the kitchen, the stairs creaked under my feet. Each step taken with careful eyes watching everything. The room was a large living room, with a wild amount of furniture. Against the wall stood a large fireplace, on the mantle sat a family portrait.

It was sad to think that this had been a house, a house that people had lived in. A family had been here, then this s**t happened, where had they gone. Where are those things? Shaking the thoughts off I made my way into the kitchen looking for food. I knew this was our key to survival, food. Walking into the kitchen I smiled, propane stove. Perfect I could cook, now to find something to make. Pulling the pantry door open it was a massive sigh of relief. Boxed food, canned food, all still here, all still able to be eaten.

The first box I grabbed was cheerios, the sweet honey taste was beautiful. The way the golden honey taste rolled over my tongue. The dry cereal was enough to make me realize just how hungry I was. Eating right out of the bag as I walked through the house, it was nice to relax a bit.

The bag of cheerios in my hand I started for the next floor, I wanted to see what else could be used, what else was in the house. Each room was like the last left in a hurry with only minimal things missing. Closing each door behind me there was nothing that I was seeing as useful. There was not much left for the pickings, but I had found another flashlight, more batteries, and a kitchen knife that might be helpful. It was in the last room that I noticed the two men walking outside, they had to be at least half a block out of the city. One of them was huge and the other was small a scarny. They were heading for the city, maybe they would walk past the house, maybe they would just keep going.

I couldn't help it, I snuck out the back of the house and closer to them, I had to hear what was happening. Then it happened, and all I heard was, "Chris stop," a young man yelled. Trying to dodge the fast hard blows of the monster of a man that he had angered, "Please Chris!"

Chris was lost in his own world, each blow of his hitting with more and more force. Each time another rib, another bone could be heard cracking. The boy he was beating only looked to be 18, 19 the oldest,little scared thing, he tried to pull the dagger off his hip to swing it at Chris, but Chris shrugged at the blade knocking it away. The boy fell back to the ground with tears in his face, "Chris, Please, I'm sorry I won't do it again....Just please Stop," but the boy's words did not stop Chris from beating him to death.

He still fought, trying to dodge and block Chris's blows, trying to get away from the monster, 6' 9" 280 lbs of man. Chris still didn't speak, he just continued to let his blows hit. Chris's hits were only growing harder to the weakening boy until he was on the ground and unable to get up. Chris finally spoke, "Will, you should have just said okay."

Then Chris kicked his jaw snapping Will's neck back with a solid cracking noise. I knew that he had just killed the boy there in the middle of the street. Now standing over the beaten bruised remains he brushed his thick black hair out of his face, fixing his harley vest and starting down the road towards the city. Leaving Will to become one of those things. Chris was smiling as he walked along, he had heard the boy behind him looking back he smiled, "Come on Will, keep up buddy!"

He hollered as the boy of his former survivor group was stumbling after him. Chris was smiling, "Looks like I should have hit you harder."

He chuckled, stopping for a moment for the boy to catch up, now he was walking just a mere two feet in front of the walking remains of Will. His voice still soft, "How are you feeling Will, Did we learn our lesson?" As if Will was answering him with a soft grunting moan, "Urged."

Chris smiled again, "Really here, Willy. I am shocked that you would say such a thing." He had a wicked smile on his face looking back at the walking remains of the man that he had beaten to death, "Are you sure you're feeling well, You look, Well you looked very unwell."

He then tripped the young man, "Here lay down my friend, Let me help you rest." Then he curb stomped Will's head with a twisted pleased smile. Pop is the noise that it made under his foot. "There now, friend, rest." He stopped looking around the area there wasn't anything around him except for the city off in the distance.

Looking up at the sky he sighed, "Looks like more sun, and a lot of it." He sounded annoyed with the idea of the sun. He looked around again, he still sees nothing, he looked down at the boy, Will, that he had been with, "Well you won't be needing this, and these."

He then started to raid Will for his stuff, two daggers, a sword that the boy hadn't known how to use, otherwise he would be alive. Pulling the boy's pack off his back and walking towards the city again, "She'll be singing a grand tune when she comes, She'll be riding six white horses, with a stain silk dress." He was careful to look around at everything before he started to walk for the depths of the city.

After watching this, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just hunkered down next to the car I was hiding behind with a silent sob. He had just murdered that man, and I really didn’t know why. Poking my head up I noticed he was heading for the front porch of the house Robin was in. “Robin!”

I was on the move grabbing a rock and darting to the middle of the road, “Hey mister?!?” I couldn’t think of anything else to get his attention as I threw the rock at him, “You're a BULLY!”

That really got his attention, now he was looking right at me and the hungered look on his face made me sick. I knew that all he saw was, I was a woman. A slender woman with soft brown hair, maple brown eyes, and a delicate soft pale skin tone. That was what fueled his hunger, he jumped off the porch eyeing me over. His thoughts were clear, even with the distance between us. It was clear what he wanted. Now I stood there frozen with a knot in my gut, wait...Wait, my mind was screaming to wait, just wait. Then dart, run as fast as you can run into the city, lead him away from Robin. That’s when I heard her on the porch,"Vicky, I'm…" No...Damn it, No!

He turned looking at her with his head c****d to one side, “Oh is Mommy’ protecting her nest?” He turned looking back at me with a twisted smile. “Come here sweetie.” He held his bloody hands out to Robin, who thankfully backed away shaking her head.

I was horrified that monster was only feet from that little baby, gods knows what he would do to her, “Leave her alone!” Those were the only words I could find, it was enough to make him look at me. That same hunger, that same nasty desire that made me sick. Made the knot in my gut twisted up that much more.

He looked at me again, “Fine then, come here… Lets all go inside where it is safe, we can have breakfast, and play house.”

My gut knotted again, I knew his plan now, it was a simple nod as I started for the house. I couldn’t let him hurt Robin. Robin was a baby, a child of only six, she didn’t know what was happening. I had taken her out of that apartment. I had been the one who saved her. That made me responsible right, that made me the protector. Her guardian? Yes, that is exactly what it meant to me, and that is more than enough to willingly walk into this house. I had to get her out of it. I reached her pulling her into my arms, this gave me a bit of hope. "Hold on tight," I whispered to her, pulling her closer to my chest. The hope was now enough of the drive to try for the back door. It was just what I needed, my feet pushed us both through the house and into the back yard, a fence. Behind me I could hear the man angrily yelling, "Wait you stupid b***h, you will not survive out there with out help." Okay not bad, I was leaving him behind now, then a biter laying by the gate stumbled up. I was able to shove it back enough to make my way through the gate.

That was what the monster behind me needed to slowly close the gap, his stride much longer than mine. "I will catch you, you can't run from me." He hollered now as he punched the biter. I could hear the bones breaking. I knew that he would find us, that if I didn’t find a way to lose him he would find us. I panicked darting off into the woods behind the house. My heart was racing before the run began, my lungs aching with how quickly I was drawing in the air around me. There were very few walkers here in the woods, far less than I thought there would be. These woods signified the end of the neighborhood, and the edge of the city.

Robin’s arms were tight around me as I ran, I wasn’t looking back, I just kept running. I kept pushing, I needed to keep going. There was nothing else that mattered, I had seen this monster at work. I couldn’t let him get ahold of Robin, or me.

It felt like hours when I stopped running, I knew that I was a couple miles out of the city. We had no food, no water, and no shelter, and there was a horde growing behind us. It was starting to look horribly horrible, a good day gone worse. Looking over my shoulder I was glad that it was those things behind us instead of that man. Still keeping my grip on Robin, I noticed that there were a few cars on the road up ahead, “Thank you.”

There was hope now, a slim hope but hope. Walking along the cars I started to check doors, “Good, Good. “

Slipping into the passenger's side of a larger truck I strapped Robin in then checked the key, “Perfect,” still in the ignition, “This is good Robin.” I said softly looking at her as the undead hands started to pound on the doors next to us. I took a deep breath nodding to her, “We’re alright, Okay?”

Robin nodded with a smile, “Okay, I know.” She was so sure, so happy to be there in that truck even with those things pounding on the doors out side. It was in the way she was looking at me, I had saved her and she knew it.

With a softer sigh I started the truck, a perfect rumble, “Yes!” I couldn’t help but feel the hope, it was nice to have something work for a change. To actually work how it was supposed to, Throwing the truck into reverse I started out of the swarm of cars. It wasn’t easy to navigate the mangled mess of cars around the truck. Finally I found a break in the cars that let me out onto the median of the road. This was smoother, less fight. This made it so I could work to the other side of the highway which was clear. Leaving that city behind us.

I decided to stop several miles later pulling off the road into a run down and abandon truck stop. Leaving the sleeping Robin in the truck I sat on the hood writing for the night. Before I head to bed I think I will raid the snack machines, something is better than nothing.