Finding Holly

Into the Woods

The office smelled like motor oil and dust, a lingering reminder of what the auto shop had once been before the world fell apart. Holly sat against the wall, her back still and beginning to ache from lying on the cold concrete floor. She hadn't really slept, but she had let her eyes rest while Riley took the first watch. Now it was her turn. Riley was curled up on top of the shop's only rug, her breathing steady, but the murmurs Holly heard betrayed just how restless her sleep was.

Holly pulled her jacket tighter around herself. Outside, the early morning light crept through the cracks in the shops' boarded-up windows. The world felt still in that moment-no gunshots, no groans from the infected, but just like silence, stillness didn't last.

"What time is it?" Riley asked Holly groggily as she stirred, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Holly glanced up at the room's clock. It had stopped moving, thankfully her wristwatch was still ticking strong.

"Just a little after six," Holly replied, "We've got to do a little scavenging today, if you're up for it that is." Riley nodded, sitting up, stretching as she did so.

"Think that we'll find some gas today?" She asked with a yawn, digging through her backpack to grab a granola bar and her water bottle.

"We have to," Holly muttered in response, "We wouldn't make it much farther without it, unfortunately."

Riley nodded, her face unreadable. The night before, she had finally opened up and told Holly about how she had lost her family. They had been traveling towards a rumored safe zone when their convoy got attacked by the infected. Chaos had erupted, and she got separated, watching helplessly as her family was swallowed up by the horde. Riley had been alone since. Holly didn't know what to say, she still didn't.

Their first stop was the grocery store. It sat in the middle of an abandoned shopping mall, its windows were broken, and the shelves were mostly bare. They moved quickly, grabbing whatever they could-cans of beans, protein bars, a half-crushed pack of crackers. The air was metallic and stale; bloodstains marked the linoleum floor, but there were no bodies or infected.

Riley was loading the last bag into the car when they heard it-gunfire-off in the distance, popping like fireworks. Riley tensed, "Other survivors."

Holly nodded, "Let's not find out if they're friendly." Riley's head nodded earnestly in agreement. They had barely stepped around the car when they saw them. A small group of survivors, their faces twisted in terror as they sprinted towards the store. Behind them, the horde was a wave of death, smelling like decay. The infected were snarling and relentless. One of the survivors, a man with a torn and bloody jacket, locked eyes with Holly.

"Help us!" he shouted, stumbling over a curb. But the infected were too fast. Within seconds, they overtook the group, their screams turning to gurgled cries. Holly ripped open her bag. Riley followed suit. They threw as much into their packs as they could before the first infected stumbled around the front of Holly's car.

She pulled Riley backwards, away from the outstretched hand of the infected. "Run!" She urged, propelling Riley forwards. They didn't look back.

By the time they had reached the outskirts of Ridley, the sun had begun to set. Holly's legs ached and felt like jello, but she forced herself to keep moving. The motel stood just ahead, quiet and untouched-at least from what she could see. They crept inside, finding the lobby abandoned, dust forming a thin, undisturbed layer on the furniture. The air smelled stale, but there were no signs of anyone being there, recently at least.

"We'll stay here for a bit," Holly said, slipping her backpack off of her shoulders, "Give us some time to catch our breath." Riley just nodded in agreement, too exhausted to give a reply. They moved upstairs, checking rooms, but exhaustion took over before they could search the whole building. Holly sat on a bed, leaning against the headboard while Riley curled up on the bed next to her. Holly told herself that she'd close her eyes for a second. Holly woke with a start, unsure of what had jolted her awake. Then she heard it-the distant groans of the infected.

"Riley," she whispered, shaking her shoulder to rouse her, "Get up."

Riley blinked, "What?" She shook her head and began moving, reaching for her backpack that was on the floor. Holly stood next to her, listening as the groans grew louder. The horde from earlier had found them.

Riley muttered a few obscenities under her breath, "We have to move, we can't just stay here." Holly peeked through the window-dark figures spilled from the woods in front of the motel onto the pavement, moving in their direction.

"The back door," Holly whispered, pointing Riley in that direction. They slipped out of the room, moving as quickly as they could. The hallway seemed endless as it stretched ahead of them, leading to a back exit. Holly pushed the door open and cold night air hit her face.

Then, they ran. The horde followed, spilling into the back outdoor seating area, but Holly and Riley didn't dare to stop. They kept running and allowed the darkness of the woods in front of them to swallow them whole.

Holly's lungs burned as she forced her legs forward, Riley running by her side. The forest was thick, the branches clawed at their skin, some drawing blood, as they moved deeper into the unknown. The snarls and moans of the infected that were following them grew distant, but not distant enough.

"We need to find higher ground," Holly panted. Suddenly, Riley tripped over an exposed root. Holly's hands darted out, helping Riley right her footing.

"We don't even know where we're going!" Riley cried out, frustrated. A sharp snap then echoed from the trees that caused them to freeze. It did not come from behind them-it came from ahead.

Something was ahead of them in the darkness, and it was too late to try and avoid it.