June Summerfield

Chapter 1

Trying to run as quietly as she could but still maintain a good pace, June noticed that the sun would be setting soon. Knowing that it was more dangerous at night, she began to think of her options. She knew the woods should be close by. They’d offer cover and she could also hear if anything came close - but everything else could hear her just the same. Not preferable, but it wasn’t permanent. As was the only way to survive nowadays, she took life one day at a time.

But with the sun setting quickly, she didn’t have many other options other than huddling down in a house somewhere; but most of those had already been taken over by the dead or were so busted up it could barely be called a house anymore.

The woods it is. She thought to herself with a sigh, picking up her pace and heading toward her left. The woods weren’t that far; June could make it before it got completely dark. So that’s where she ran, holding her knife close and keeping her guard up.

Once she reached the tree line, she did one more quick look around before ducking into the thick brush and tall trees. It was getting dark now, so she had to be fast. She went about half a mile into the thick trees and brush and was able to find a small clearing. It was a little muddy in some spots, but it would do the job.

Just in time. June sighed as she tossed her bag against a nearby tree.

It’d been a long day, and she needed some rest. She carefully laid out a small blanket she had in her backpack and sat down. Her legs ached from all the running, and her thoughts were racing about what had happened.

She and her family had been trapped by a swarm. She was the only survivor. Her older sister had been bit trying to protect her, and had died shortly after June got them upstairs in their bedroom. She didn’t even have time to turn into one of them before the dead busted in the door, forcing June to jump into a tree for safety and make her watch as they attacked her sister’s lifeless body, ripping it to shreds. Her mom and dad were the first to go, giving up everything they had for their two daughters to have a chance at surviving this nightmare.

I lost everyone. June cried.

Then silently sobbed.

The only stable thing in her life right now was the ground she was sitting on and the tree she was using to lean on. Everything seemed to be falling apart, including her backpack, which had a small hole at the top. She had had it since she started her freshman year of high school. She’s 19 now.

Eventually, she was able to calm herself and lay down, hoping to fall asleep. Being too worked up, she was too busy listening to the sounds of the dead in the distance, so no sleep came. So she just lay there, trying to rest the best she could with flashes of her family’s death flashing in her head like a movie on repeat.

As the sun began rising the next day, she slowly pushed herself up. Her whole body ached from the lack of sleep and the abundance of exercise.

June knew she had to find food. Her stomach ached from having little food for days. She had a couple of cans in her bag but decided she should save those for when she had no other choice. Instead, she grabbed her knife and began hunting.

It wasn’t easy, but after a few failed attempts, she was eventually able to kill a small squirrel and start a fire. Her father had taught her the basics of surviving in the wild at a young age, with camping in mind. At the time, he didn’t know he was teaching her skills she’d have to use to keep herself and her friends alive.

After she had eaten, she quickly picked up her things and began the task of finding other people. She figured staying in the woods wouldn’t make it any easier, so gripping her knife a little harder, she made her way out of the trees and started walking to the interstate. Once she reached the once-busy road now filled with abandoned cars, she took a deep breath and headed south. She was in Tennessee now and figured she’d head down to Georgia. Maybe she could find a little house somewhere and settle down.

That sounds nice. June thought as she walked. She wanted nothing more than to just settle down somewhere and start fresh. It’d only been a year since the outbreak started, but it felt like an eternity. It had taken so much from her and given so little.

June walked for a few hours, hoping she’d come across someone. But she didn’t have that much luck, at least not today.

Oh come on, my only goals today are to find a better weapon than a pocket knife and to find at least one other person. Is that too much to ask? She thought to herself in frustration.

Getting tired of walking, she decided that she would start trying the cars, hoping one would turn on, figuring she could cover more ground that way. Turning over engine after engine, she was beginning to get discouraged. When she finally hit the jackpot.

One car started after a few turns of the key. It was just an old beat-up Toyota Corolla, but it filled her heart with joy.

It’s always the Corollas. June laughed to herself before crawling in and shutting the door.

It’d been forever since she’d driven, and she was excited to be behind the wheel once again. She only had a quarter tank of gas left, but that was more than she could have asked for. It was just enough to hopefully get to the next town or two and help her look for more people. Live people, that is.

Pressing the gas, she sped off. Following the interstate and being careful to avoid the other broken-down cars, June went deep into Georgia and took on toward Dalton. It wasn’t long before the car alerted her that it was running out of fuel.

She pulled over to a gas station and parked the car.

I need to find some gas or go the rest of the way on foot. June thought to herself as she got out of the car and began looking for gas cans or anything that might have some gas in it. After looking for about half an hour, she gave up and decided to go inside the corner store and maybe find some food or something useful. She shouldn’t waste all day searching for gas and not something else more important.

Stepping through the broken glass door, it was obvious June wasn’t the first person to search the place. Going up and down the isles, she found some old batteries, wrappers, empty soda cans, and a stray pencil.

She decided to check the back rooms when she heard the sound of footsteps.

Panicked, she dove behind a shelf and held her knife close, her heart pounding in her ears.

She heard footsteps enter the store, followed by two voices.

“I told you, there’s nothing here.” It was a man, she noted. Sounded young. Maybe around her age? His voice was calm and light, not something you’d expect to hear given the circumstances and what he was saying.

June’s heart began beating faster. People. She had found someone; or rather, they had found her.

“Yeah, but it’s worth a shot. We can’t leave until we get everything we can use.” Another voice responded. This one was a woman and much snappier.

June heard the footsteps getting closer and decided it was now or never.

“Don’t shoot!” She called out before slowly coming out from behind the shelf.

She heard the people stand on guard. Once she was standing in front of them, she was able to get a good look.

The man was kinda shaggy, it was obvious he’d been on the run for a while. He wore a simple stained white shirt and blue jeans and his dark hair looked like it hasn’t seen soap since the outbreak. June noted that it probably hadn’t. The woman’s hair was blonde, and she wore tennis shoes with jeans and a band t-shirt. The man seemed friendly, and the woman seemed cold.

“Do...do y’all mind if I join you?” June asked, still holding her hands in the air.